The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 131

< Verse 19. Fame >

LE: By the way, are you aware that this interview will be released on November 25th? Interestingly, the 25th is the second broadcast day of *Hip Hop the Vibe*.

Oh Minji: What time will LE’s interview be released?

LE: 3 PM. So, the hardcore fans of 888 Crew will see this interview first, and then watch the *Hip Hop the Vibe* broadcast a few hours later.

Lee Sanghyun: (Laughs) That’s funny.

LE: Could you tell us what the main points to watch for in this theme battle are? Please refrain from giving away too many spoilers.

Park Inhyuk: Unfortunately, there wasn’t a legendary ad-lib that rivals *Hip Hop the Vibration*. I’m truly sorry to all the viewers across the country.

(Park Inhyuk’s words were ignored by all seven of them)

Shin Junhyung: You know that the theme selected for us is money, right? I think money is quite a sensitive topic for underground musicians.

So, for those who will be watching the broadcast in a few hours, I want to ask you to pay close attention to the lyrics. I hope our thoughts embedded in the lyrics are not distorted.

And, though it might sound a bit arrogant, Sanghyun’s performance song is really amazing. You’ll be able to see a performance that receives a standing ovation.

LE: The metaphor of a standing ovation is really interesting. But from what you’re saying, it sounds like you advanced to the 3rd round?

Shin Junhyung: So, we’re still preparing for the *Hip Hop the Vibe* competition (laughs). I know that the eliminated teams have already been spoiled on the internet, so why are you pretending not to know……

LE: (Laughs) Then I’ll ask more directly. What was the most important thing that 888 Crew considered in this 2nd round competition?

Lee Sanghyun: Honest stories. We wanted to show that 888 Crew’s music contains 888 Crew’s genuine thoughts, whether the theme is money, or anything else.

LE: This is a bit of an extra question, but was there any performance in the 2nd round competition that surprised 888 Crew the most?

Everyone: (Simultaneously) Dread.

LE: Code Name’s Dread?

Everyone: Yes.

LE: That’s a completely unexpected answer. Is that in a bad way? Or in a good way?

Lee Sanghyun: I’ll stop the spoilers here.

(Omitted)

LE: The interview is already coming to an end. It’s a shame. All eight members of 888 Crew are so unique and good at talking, so it’s always fun to interview you.

And I’m not the only one who feels this way, right? These days, it’s obvious that many people remember and like 888 Crew. Do you all feel your fame?

Shin Junhyung: I think Sanghyun and Inhyuk *hyung* [older brother or male friend] are the only ones who can be described as famous. Maybe Hayeon too? We’re just recognized to some extent.

Lee Sanghyun: That’s a joke. There’s a girls’ high school near Junhyung’s house, you know? These days, those high school girls go to school at the crack of dawn to see Shin Junhyung’s ugly face.

Shin Junhyung: You can’t even take the bus these days!

LE: You can’t take the bus? Is it that bad?

Shin Junhyung: Well, I think I exaggerated a bit about not being able to take the bus. To be exact, I can’t take the bus during the times when students go to and from school. Really.

LE: (Laughs) So you’re saying you feel the fame?

Park Inhyuk: From what I’ve seen, we seem to be getting quite famous among teenagers and those in their twenties. But people in their 30s and 40s don’t really know us.

Lee Sanghyun: How do you know that, *hyung*?

Park Inhyuk: I asked some adults I passed by if they knew me.

Everyone: ……

LE: Then, assuming you’ve become famous, what’s the biggest change that has come with gaining fame?

Lee Sanghyun: Sangmi’s webtoon subscriber count?

Lee Sangmi: Please search for 888 Crew on Naver! [Korean search engine]

Shin Junhyung: I don’t think anything has really changed. We still practically live in the studio, and we try to beat ourselves in the mirror. Ah, it would be best if the current attention turned into attention for our music.

LE: Oh, this question is one that a musician I know specifically asked me to ask. Does 888 Crew have any plans to add members?

Lee Sanghyun: We don’t specifically limit the number of members, but we don’t have a plan to receive rappers of any particular style. If someone flows into our circle while we’re making music, we’ll work together, I guess.

Lee Sangmi: Ugh, you sound like an old man.

LE: This might be a sensitive question, but do you have any plans to join an agency? I know that 888 Crew is currently receiving a lot of love calls [offers].

Shin Junhyung: It’s killing us. Casting directors think we’re rejecting them, but we really have no intention of joining an agency. And the rumor that we’re going to join Ohkyung Entertainment soon is absolutely not true.

LE: Last question. What do you think is the change that Korean hip hop has undergone due to the emergence of 888 Crew?

Lee Sanghyun: Two years.

LE: Two years? What do you mean?

Lee Sanghyun: I think the emergence of 888 Crew has advanced the time of the Korean hip hop scene by about two years.

LE: Are you saying that if 888 Crew hadn’t appeared, the speed at which hip hop culture develops would be two years slower than it is now? Can you tell me why you think so?

Lee Sanghyun: There’s no specific reason. It’s just a feeling. It’s also a kind of wish.

***

Dread ate dinner, lay down on the sofa, and dozed off. It was a rare moment of rest.

Come to think of it, it felt like his schedule had decreased subtly since being eliminated from *Hip Hop the Vibe*. Today, his schedule ended at 7 PM.

“Ugh……”

Dread woke up well past 10 o’clock. No one was in the dorm. The members seemed to have gone out to play.

After lounging on the sofa for a while, Dread realized that today was the broadcast day for *Hip Hop the Vibe* Round 2 and turned on the TV.

Bounce Rhyme, who had opened the competition, was starting their performance.

Bounce Rhyme’s performance was decent, but nothing special, and then Stars Record’s performance followed. Stars Record’s performance was good even when watching it on TV.

Bae Ga’s solo performance, which was being called ‘*Rhyme-깎는 장인*’ [Rhyme-crafting master] on the internet, was great even to Dread.

‘Yeah, that’s how you rap. He has his own unique vibe.’

Dread, who was now fully awake, became engrossed in the broadcast.

After a few interviews, the voting results were announced, and Bounce Rhyme was defeated. 52 votes.

Soon after, 888 Crew and Code Name’s competition was prepared, and a video that interestingly mixed the rehearsal stage and interviews was broadcast first.

-I will be the red light that stops 888 Crew.

Dread’s face turned red as he watched his interview. Knowing the results, this was the most embarrassing thing ever.

‘Ah, damn it.’

While Dread was blaming his mouth, 888 Crew’s preemptive strike began.

Shin Junhyung, Park Inhyuk, Shin Hayeon’s Full Clip.

It was truly a performance worthy of 888 Crew. Dread was able to understand how high-level 888 Crew’s music was as he understood the lyrics and intentions that he had missed on the spot through the screen.

It was different from himself, who was just trying to put what he wanted to say into lyrics and turn those lyrics into rap.

‘Ah, they deliberately missed the beat there. Because the length of the next line’s lyrics is shorter.’

Adjusting the lyrics to form the flow, and changing the flow to preserve the lyrics.

The method of matching rhymes was not just matching rhymes. They also kept the rhyme sounds constant, and they also matched the rhymes with a disconnected feeling by cutting the beats in the same way.

Dread was engrossed in 888 Crew’s performance.

Full Clip, Valuable followed. The performances of Code Name that came out in the middle, I shouldn’t say this to the same team, but it felt too fake.

And then Lee Sanghyun’s Get that money, Welcome to School followed.

-Earn like a dog and spend like a rapper!

Dread opened his mouth wide and focused on the performance.

Lee Sanghyun’s rap, whether watched on TV or at the scene, would never lose its light. Some aura that is hard to express filled the screen.

‘No matter what anyone says, rap is delivery. Even if you don’t have the intention to catch the lyrics, Lee Sanghyun’s lyrics are easily heard. That’s why the audience can be more immersed in the rap.’

Lee Sanghyun’s rap, as Chae Daehan said, was so perfect that it was dazzling.

Finally, the stage of Get that money, Welcome to School ended. At the same time, a chilling scene was broadcast through the screen. 250 audience members began to applaud with exhausted expressions.

-Clap clap clap clap.

Without any cheers, without any broadcast settings, the applause containing pure admiration continued endlessly. It seemed like a kind of awe was felt in their expressions.

Dread could understand the feelings of the audience. He had felt a similar feeling.

And at that moment, he was able to realize a huge fact.

‘I stopped that amazing standing ovation……’

Sure enough, he could see himself coming onto the stage in the screen. Dread fidgeted and looked at himself.

As he, holding a wireless microphone, strode onto the stage, the applause that contained the lingering impression of the performance stopped abruptly.

‘Please don’t do it, you bastard!’

However, Dread in the screen pushed Lee Sanghyun without knowing the heart of Dread in reality.

And then he stood tall in the center of the stage and shouted.

-Drop the Beat.

“Aaaagh!”

Drop the beat. Drop the beat.

It was cool when Chae Daehan showed the American rappers saying it. It was really cool. It wasn’t that cheesy pronunciation and cheesy look.

But it didn’t end there.

When the beat didn’t come out, he looked like he was begging……

-Drop the Beat-!

With a click, the TV turned off. He was so embarrassed that he was out of breath. He couldn’t stand it.

‘Why did I do that?’

After panting for a while, Dread turned the TV back on, thinking that the performance would be over soon. But in the TV, he was still rapping hard with awkward gestures.

Dread, who was startled, tried to press the remote control, but suddenly noticed that his expression on TV was bright.

Soon after, his performance ended. Dread thought that he should watch it again on the internet later. No matter how lacking and ugly he was, it seemed a bit cowardly for himself to turn away from himself.

‘Still, drop the beat is the worst.’

The vote between 888 Crew and Code Name ended predictably. Code Name received only 14 votes.

After the performance ended, the musicians’ post-performance interviews came out.

Bounce Rhyme, saying they would give a better performance next time. Stars Record, saying they need to make a secret weapon. Code Name, saying they were sad to be eliminated.

And then it was Lee Sanghyun’s turn to be interviewed.

-How do you feel after the performance?

-I always feel this way after the stage, but I think there is a coexistence of regret and relief.

-Which performance was the most impressive in today’s competition, excluding 888 Crew?

-Dread.

-In what way?

-I used to call Code Name a gymnast, but I’ll take it back. After watching Dread’s performance today, I realized that he wasn’t a gymnast. Dread’s performance today was like a boxer. It means it was a rapper’s stage.

-So you’re saying you think of him as a rival?

-That’s not it. If I’m a heavyweight, Dread is about a featherweight?

Lee Sanghyun’s face, laughing haha, faded out and the screen switched. Dread frowned a lot. But that frown was a frown to hold back laughter.

‘Who are you calling a featherweight, you arrogant bastard. Don’t you know that if a featherweight is determined to fly around, a heavyweight can’t hit him even once?’

Dread suddenly looked at his watch. It was almost 11:30.

He was almost free of fatigue, and it seemed like a good idea to go to Chae Daehan’s studio. He hadn’t even heard 1/10 of the albums there yet.

That’s how Dread slowly started walking the path of a rapper. This was the beginning of something that would have a big impact on 888 Crew.

< Verse 19. Fame > End

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