The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 128

< Verse 18. Hip Hop the Vibe >

Originally, Codenames’ performance was scheduled to begin immediately after the end of 888 Crew’s Full Clip. However, the sound director, sensing the powerful impact Full Clip had on the audience, held off on playing the beat.

Playing the beat at that moment didn’t seem beneficial for either Codename or 888 Crew.

The camera directors, understanding the sound director’s hesitation, began intensely filming the audience, striving to capture the most compelling shots of their reactions.

Once the afterglow of Full Clip’s performance had been sufficiently captured and the audience’s excitement had subsided somewhat, Codename launched their counterattack performance.

Codename chose to perform ‘Treble Clef,’ their second most popular song from their previous album, after the title track.

This selection was made possible by the advantage of the free theme.

Treble Clef! Treble Clef!

Open a manito! [A ‘manito’ is a secret friend, similar to a Secret Santa.] Treble Clef!

Originally, ‘Treble Clef’ featured four rappers, each performing eight bars. However, for the Hip Hop the Vibe competition, it was rearranged, with Rookie and Woosung each rapping for 16 bars.

Rookie and Woosung seemed determined to shake off the shadow of Full Clip, displaying an unusual focus on the stage.

The audience responded positively, but without great enthusiasm.

‘Why does this feel so uninspired?’

The sound director, while meticulously balancing the sound and concentrating on the performance, couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing.

Objectively, Codename’s performance wasn’t bad. It was clear that the rap directors at Ohkyung Entertainment had invested considerable effort in crafting the raps and training the performers.

But it was merely adequate.

It lacked a certain spark to truly captivate the audience.

While listening to 888 Crew’s second song, the sound director began to understand what Codename’s performance lacked.

Every moment, every moment, thoughts change

That rap is the best for me is still the same

Music that is not evaluated with fair value

Feels incomplete and uncomfortable

The second song was ‘Valuable’ by Oh Minji and Kim Hwan.

In contrast to the performers of Full Clip, ‘Valuable’ focused more explicitly on the value of money.

‘How can I gauge the growth of my music if it can’t be evaluated for its true worth?’

This was the perspective of Oh Minji and Kim Hwan, and they conveyed this message directly and indirectly through their lyrics. Their words reflected the rappers’ thoughts and philosophy.

In comparison, Codename’s music felt like a dish overloaded with spices but lacking any real substance.

‘Ah, so this is the difference in rap skill.’

Those unfamiliar with rap often fail to recognize the nuances of skill levels.

Of course, it’s easy to identify bad rap because it simply sounds unpleasant. However, distinguishing ‘which is better’ among competent raps is more challenging.

The sound director was able to discern the difference in caliber between the rappers while observing today’s Hip Hop the Vibe theme battle.

Full Clip VS Treble Clef

Valuable VS Party Planner

The group song performances of 888 Crew and Codename, consisting of four songs in total, proceeded without interruption. The audience cheered enthusiastically and enjoyed the performances, but they were conserving their energy for the finale.

Because the solo song battle was still to come.

The audience knew the two contenders who would compete in the solo songs. Lee Sanghyun from 888 Crew and Dread from Codename had yet to appear.

Lee Sanghyun: the de facto ace of 888 Crew and a trendsetter who shapes the group’s progressive musical direction.

Dread: the leader of Codename, a former b-boy who gained prominence in competitions before entering the entertainment industry.

The confrontation between the two rappers was further charged by the memory of their fight at Mudeung Stadium and the rumors of Dread trying to exploit Ohkyung Entertainment’s resources to establish a hierarchy within the scene.

“There are 3 minutes and 40 seconds remaining. Mr. Lee Sanghyun, are you ready?”

“Yes.”

Sanghyun confidently strode onto the stage, ready to make the first move.

Immediately, a massive cheer erupted, regardless of gender.

-Kyaaaaaa!

-Lee Sanghyun!

The sheer volume of cheers for Sanghyun surpassed any other musician’s reception thus far.

“Wow, Sanghyun is incredibly popular.”

“If I were only five years younger, that spot would have been mine.”

“Get a grip, Sanguuk…”

The Stars Records members couldn’t conceal their astonishment at the outpouring of support for Sanghyun. He appeared to be the most popular figure among the twenty musicians present, including established celebrities.

Fuck the show business.

Kwangju Up. [Referring to his origins in Gwangju.]

The first trap music in Korea.

The first 100 bars in Korea.

After today.

A talented young rapper who rose from the Kwangju underground to mainstream success in less than a year.

These were the reasons for the thunderous applause greeting Sanghyun on stage.

Sanghyun smiled, gazing out at the audience from the stage. It was a habit he had before every performance.

‘Cool…’

Dread, watching Sanghyun from backstage, was taken aback by his own thought. But he had to concede the point.

Okay, fine, he’s cool. But if I win, I’ll be even cooler.

Dread steeled himself.

Now, everything was in place. Luck was also on his side.

In the first round of the competition, 888 Crew had been challenged by Stars Records. As a result, all their competitive energy was focused on Stars Records.

In the second round, Dread was facing Sanghyun directly. If they had met in the next round, it would have been a three-way battle, making it harder to catch him off guard.

Furthermore, Codename had delivered lackluster performances in the previous two stages. ‘Treble Clef’ was overshadowed by ‘Full Clip,’ and ‘Party Planner’ was outshone by ‘Valuable.’

To everyone else, 888 Crew had achieved a complete victory. Dread suspected that Lee Sanghyun might be underestimating him.

‘I’ll draw a red line through his flawless career, so he’ll never forget me for the rest of his life.’

That’s the psychology of a stalker: watching endlessly and then, at some point, wanting to leave an indelible mark on the other person.

Dread was startled when Choi Daehan’s words flashed through his mind, but he tried to dismiss them.

At that moment, a song title appeared on the screen.

Get that money, Welcome to school.

The audience’s and musicians’ attention was drawn to the stage by the title, which held an unknown meaning.

Sanghyun walked to center stage and surveyed the audience.

The fan-shaped seating arrangement, stretching across 180 degrees, was too vast to take in at a single glance. The gazes of the people filling it.

Today’s Hip Hop the Vibe stage was set up within the set of [The text is missing the name of the show]. However, with only 250 audience members, the performance wasn’t held on the main stage.

The stage was created where the Jimmy Jib camera was usually mounted, located in front of the main stage. As a characteristic of the Jimmy Jib mounting line, the stage stood alone in the middle of the audience, who were seated on either side rather than directly in front.

Sanghyun slowly, deliberately, scanned the audience from the left end to the right. From female students who swooned when their eyes met his, to male audience members in their 20s wearing New Era hats, there was a diverse crowd.

Whenever Sanghyun looked out at the audience from the stage, he felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude and a desire to repay them.

This was Sanghyun’s ritual for centering himself.

A dreamlike place attained through two lifetimes. Proof that he, standing in that place, was not dreaming.

‘No, even if it is a dream, I’ll give it my all in this moment.’

Dread and Choi Daehan were mistaken. Sanghyun wasn’t becoming careless or arrogant.

Of course, he might have felt that way just before going on stage; it was true that he had. But as he performed his secret ritual on stage, Lee Sanghyun gradually disassembled his everyday self and reconstructed himself into the musician 56.

And there was no room for negativity to creep in. The second chance he had been given was too precious to waste on negative thoughts.

‘Let’s go.’

Sanghyun gripped the microphone tightly.

The stability that filled his hand. And the excitement.

“Let’s Go!”

With his powerful voice as the signal, a slow melody built from a piano sample began to fill the intro.

Get that money, Welcome to school.

Originally, the title of this song was ‘Get that money, Go to School.’ However, Junhyung suggested that ‘Go to School’ sounded too simplistic, so it was changed to ‘Welcome to School.’

Sanghyun’s view of money was similar to that of his crew members, but with a key difference.

Junhyung, Inhyuk, and Hayeon saw money as a form of insurance or a safety net.

Kim Hwan and Minji viewed money as proof of their musical worth.

However, Sanghyun didn’t place much intrinsic value on money. To him, it was simply a tool.

In fact, Sanghyun could earn a substantial amount of money if he chose to.

It would take time, but it wouldn’t be difficult for him to leverage his position as a future trendsetter. As a result, his obsession or greed for money had long since vanished.

Get that money, Welcome to school.

So, the money he earned was for rap.

It was a tool to get on the Class that Jay-Z talked about. [Referring to Jay-Z’s concept of achieving a higher level of success and influence.]

Welcome to school.

Today’s stage was Sanghyun’s opportunity to announce his transfer to a new class.

And today’s performance song held another significance.

The beat of ‘Get That Money, Welcome to School’ was the first beat Sanghyun had ever composed himself.

Of course, Sanghyun still lacked expertise in composition, chord progression, or mastering. Therefore, he sought technical assistance from Woominho.

Sanghyun’s role involved selecting instrument samples, experimenting with melodies, searching for samples, and programming drums in FL Studio [a digital audio workstation]. Finally, he painstakingly explained the desired sound texture to Woominho, who handled the mixing.

If you were to divide the contributions to this beat-making process, Sanghyun and Minho’s roles would be split roughly 60/40.

The reason Sanghyun went to the trouble of creating a beat with such complexity was because he wanted to experiment with a more sophisticated style of trap music: the trap sound that emphasizes the piano sample, which would become popular after 2011.

An 808 drum sound, asserting the legitimacy of trap music, permeated the slow piano melodies.

Simultaneously, a finely chopped hi-hat pattern emerged, seemingly echoing the piano melody, and then a solid snare began to take center stage.

The sounds, revealing themselves one by one, awaited a powerful voice to complete them.

Finally, Sanghyun’s rap began.

< Verse 18. Hip Hop the Vibe > End

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