The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 133

< Verse 19. Fame >

In other words, this third round was a battle of verses, not a rap battle.

For example, the 888 Crew had three members preparing songs to counter Bounce Rhyme’s signature bounce rhyme.

Lee Sang-hyun, Shin Jun-hyung, and Oh Min-ji.

Jun-hyung and Min-ji had finished their verses, but Sang-hyun was still working on his.

On the other side, Edition and Dolphin from Bounce Rhyme had completed their verses attacking the 888 Crew, but they still needed a chorus.

Given the revised battle format and current progress, a song featuring ‘Shin Jun-hyung, Oh Min-ji VS Dolphin, Edition’ seemed like a natural fit. A female rap battle between Edition and Oh Min-ji was also a possibility.

“Each team has someone in charge of swagger verses, right? Verses that don’t directly attack anyone but hype up their own team. I’m thinking of pulling those people aside,” PD Heo Tae-jin said.

At Stars Records, Woo Yeon-woo, at 888 Crew, Lee Sang-hyun, and at Bounce Rhyme, Shin Gak were designated for these swagger verses.

Moreover, they could potentially extract these swagger verses from existing songs they already had.

Then Sang-hyun addressed PD Heo Tae-jin.

“PD Heo, I think everyone agrees that your proposal is the best way forward. But I see one potential issue.”

“What issue are you referring to?”

“Beat selection. I wrote my swagger verse to a West Coast beat, but Yeon-woo *hyung* [older brother or male friend] said he wrote his to a boom bap beat. The BPM [beats per minute] is also very different. Won’t this heavily favor choosing a beat similar to what one of us originally prepared?”

“That’s a valid point. We’re well aware of the problem. That’s why today’s filming is taking place outdoors.”

“Outdoors?”

“We’re holding a performance where beat selection priority is determined by audience response. The side that attracts the most people gets to choose the beat.”

“The side that attracts the most people… so, a guerrilla concert, something like that?”

“Exactly. There used to be a show like that, right? ‘Please take off your blindfold!’ and the audience screams ‘Ahhh!’”

The 888 Crew, Stars Records, and Bounce Rhyme members exchanged complex and subtle expressions.

***

Located between Myeongdong Cathedral and Euljiro 3-ga Station was a six-story building with a floor area of over 140 *pyeong* [approximately 463 square meters] per floor. Before the IMF [International Monetary Fund crisis of the late 1990s], tenants were eager to get in, but now it sat empty due to the high rent.

The conspicuously large building gradually became old and shabby, drawing complaints from surrounding merchants for detracting from the commercial district’s aesthetics.

For the first time in a long time, the building began to show signs of life.

People were coming and going, and sound equipment was being set up on the 2nd, 4th, and 6th floors.

“It’s huge…”

Sang-mi said, looking up at the building in awe. While Gwangju had many tall buildings, it was rare to see one with such a large footprint.

This was where the cast of Hip Hop the Vibe would perform today. According to PD Heo Tae-jin, each floor could accommodate about 450 people, excluding space for filming and sound equipment.

‘PD Heo must have put a lot of thought into creating a compelling broadcast image.’

As Sang-hyun considered, the performance rules were interesting if you found them interesting, and ruthless if you found them ruthless.

Namely, choices were irreversible.

In terms of a Chinese idiom, it was *nakjangbulip* [落張不入 – what’s done is done; no take-backs].

Audiences who found the venue after seeing promotions for 888 Crew, Stars Records, or Bounce Rhyme couldn’t switch floors once they entered one.

If you went to the 2nd floor, you could only see Stars Records, the 4th floor was exclusively for 888 Crew, and the 6th floor was for Bounce Rhyme.

So, someone who came to see Stars Records could end up choosing to watch 888 Crew or Bounce Rhyme instead.

“But how did they rent this place? It’s shabby, but incredibly big, isn’t it? Does the broadcasting station have that much money?”

“Maybe they’re hoping tenants will appear after the show airs? It’s only for a few hours anyway.”

“Is that so? But the building is so run-down, what can you even do here? The location seems good, though…”

“Why are we worrying about that?”

Sang-hyun chided Jun-hyung, secretly amused.

This building would later become a sauna and *jjimjilbang* [Korean spa].

There were many complaints about building a *jjimjilbang* in such an odd location, but eventually, large corporations, including SK Construction, developed the surrounding area.

After that, it became a popular spot for office workers working late. Sang-hyun had been there a couple of times.

“So, how should we promote? Should we head to the Myeongdong downtown area first? Can we just hand out flyers? Should we do a street performance?”

Kim Hwan asked, glancing at the cameramen.

As if concerned about the broadcast footage, the camera was following their every move, filming them. This put a lot of pressure on the 888 Crew – the pressure to do something.

“This seems a bit disadvantageous for us… As expected, a crisis has befallen the crew because Jun-hyung *oppa* [term of endearment used by a younger female to an older male] is spouting nonsense.”

Sang-mi also seemed to feel the pressure and grumbled.

As Sang-mi pointed out, external factors put the 888 Crew at a disadvantage.

Stars Records had the advantage of being based in Seoul, where they were active, and most of their offline fans were also in Seoul. Bounce Rhyme had celebrity recognition and the support of their agency, which they could leverage discreetly.

Sang-hyun thought he understood PD Heo Tae-jin’s strategy.

If the 888 Crew overcame their disadvantage by struggling to promote, it would create a compelling narrative. Conversely, a poor showing would reveal a different side of the currently popular 888 Crew.

However, Sang-hyun’s priorities were different. They were musicians, not broadcasters.

“It’s okay if we come in last place. It doesn’t matter at all.”

“Huh?”

The crew members turned their attention to Sang-hyun.

“Just because we can’t gather a large audience or promote well doesn’t reflect on our music. Okay, we might be at a disadvantage in beat selection. But wouldn’t that be fun in its own way?”

“Fun?”

“Until now, I’ve only rapped on beats I wanted. Now, we get to experience the fun of rapping on beats I *don’t* want.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

“This is totally a medicine peddler. How much for that medicine, mister?”

The crew members smiled at In-hyuk’s joke. The expressions of the 888 Crew members, which had been stiff due to the unfamiliar situation, softened.

Sang-hyun smiled and continued.

“We’ve been so busy that we haven’t had a chance to properly see Seoul. Even during Homi’s performance, we only did the show and the after-party before heading back down. And even during the Hip Hop the Vibe filming, we just filmed and returned.”

“So, is today our Seoul outing day?”

“Ah, of course, I’m not saying we shouldn’t promote. I’m saying we should do our best, but not feel pressured. You know? *Gyeomsa gyeomsa* [겸사겸사 – while we’re at it; killing two birds with one stone].”

“*Gyeomsa gyeomsa*? Promote while having fun?”

In-hyuk said with a sly smile after hearing Sang-hyun’s words.

“But does everyone know? We have a walking discount coupon.”

“Huh? Discount coupon?”

“My homeroom teacher in my third year of high school said this: If you’re going to do something out of line, do it after the college entrance exam and become a walking discount coupon!”

At that moment, all the crew members’ gazes were focused on Ha-yeon.

Jun-hyung put his hand on Ha-yeon’s shoulder and asked solemnly.

“Does your bag have a wallet?”

“Huh? I do.”

“Does your wallet contain your college entrance exam ticket?”

“Of course, it does.”

“Lead the way!”

The excited 888 Crew members began to exchange information about the hot places they knew. Of course, Sang-hyun knew the most.

“Let’s go!”

The 888 Crew members, having exchanged opinions, began to get into the car. The whining of Park In-hyuk, the best driver who wanted to drive, was lightly ignored.

The 888 Crew’s dedicated cameramen and writers, who were watching the scene, had dumbfounded expressions.

The scene they originally intended to capture on camera was the 888 Crew devoting themselves to promotion while facing disadvantages. However, with a few words, the initiative of the action was passed to the 888 Crew.

It was hard to imagine what kind of image would emerge from this.

Thus, the 888 Crew’s Seoul outing disguised as promotion began.

The Hip Hop the Vibe teams had four hours for promotion.

The current time was 1:40 PM.

The promotion deadline was 6:00 PM.

The performance start time was 7:00 PM.

Four hours was a long time if it was long, and a short time if it was short.

Stars Records started by posting promotional posts on their blog and Cyworld [early Korean social media platform] homepage, then went around the Daehak-ro downtown area and performed street performances.

Bounce Rhyme posted posts on their fan club and agency homepage and started promoting by walking around the streets.

Of course, in the meantime, the agency’s monitoring staff posted articles about the performance on portal sites and started manipulating them to raise the search rankings.

And the 888 Crew posted articles on their Cyworld homepage, Triple Eight homepage, and Hip Hop LE bulletin board and…

They were buying clothes.

The reason for buying clothes was simple. All the crew members, not expecting to film the next day, were wearing the same outfits.

The shopping that started in Myeongdong continued to nearby Insadong. This was because they had learned that there was a ‘Hip Hop & Street Brand Specialty Store’ in Insadong.

Of course, they weren’t just goofing off. They walked around the streets and handed out flyers with performance information to people who recognized them, promoting the performance.

Before they knew it, a large crowd began to gather around the 888 Crew as they moved. In particular, Sang-hyun, In-hyuk, and Ha-yeon were very popular.

“*Oppa*! *Oppa*! Please rap for us!”

“Rap rap rap rap!”

The crew members thought the world was truly vast as they watched the female college students doubled over with laughter at In-hyuk’s corny jokes.

“*Oppa*! *Oppa*! Buy this for me!”

“Do you want to die? You’re going to wear this in front of the camera?”

Sang-hyun glared at Sang-mi after seeing the skirt she brought. It wasn’t exactly a miniskirt, but it was a skirt that showed her knees.

“Absolutely not!”

“Ah, why!”

“Originally, hip hop is tracksuits. Don’t you know Snoop Dogg? Choose from those tracksuits over there.”

“Who is Snoop Dogg!”

“There’s an *ajusshi* [middle-aged man] who looks like a dog. And why are you wearing a skirt in the winter? Are you trying to freeze to death?”

“It’s hot inside the studio!”

Even while Sang-hyun and Sang-mi were arguing, the crew members were excited and picked out clothes. This was because today’s clothing costs would be deducted from the account containing the Triple Eight sales revenue.

The 888 Crew members, having dressed up *meotdeureojige* [멋들어지게 – stylishly; in a fashionable way], immediately walked around the streets and craved snacks. There were so many delicious things.

In the middle of it all, they borrowed a promotional microphone from a cosmetics store and rapped. They performed for about 15 minutes, but so many people gathered that it became too dangerous, and they had to stop the performance.

“Wow, doing a Gwangju gig in Insadong.”

“Ah, there are so many coffee shops here, but we couldn’t get a coffee machine.”

Sang-hyun held Sang-mi’s hand tightly as he pushed through the crowd. He was worried that Sang-mi’s agoraphobia might be a problem, even though it wasn’t likely.

“Ah, what are you doing, it’s disgusting!”

However, Sang-mi shook off Sang-hyun’s hand and walked around excitedly. It was a relief that there were no problems, but he felt a little sad.

‘Hey, you bad girl.’

The 888 Crew members had a really fulfilling and fun time without any pressure. As a result, it was the cameramen who became exhausted.

There were too many people. The 888 Crew was drawing a crowd of over 150 people, even at a rough estimate. There were many people, and the 888 Crew was moving too fast, so it gradually became too much for the cameramen to keep up.

Moreover, if the 888 Crew slowed down a bit for the cameramen, the crowd following behind would speed up to see the 888 Crew.

“Ugh, *ssi* [a mild curse word]……”

Kim Hyuk-gu, a 9-year veteran cameraman with the nickname “Steel Shoulders,” grumbled. At that moment, Lee Sang-hyun, whom he was in charge of, suddenly disappeared from his sight. He looked around but couldn’t find him.

“No, how can there be so many pe…!”

At that moment, Kim Hyuk-gu staggered. He had stepped on his shoelace, which had come undone.

Originally, when going out to film in crowded downtown areas, it was basic to wear short shoelaces and clothes that wouldn’t get caught on anything. However, the outdoor filming was decided too suddenly, so there was no time to prepare.

“Uh oh!”

Kim Hyuk-gu sensed that he was about to fall.

At that moment, someone protected him by holding him as he tried to protect the camera lens while falling.

It was Lee Sang-hyun.

“Are you okay?”

“Haa……”

The moment Kim Hyuk-gu let out a sigh of relief in Sang-hyun’s arms, Clazziquai’s ‘She Is,’ which was released in June 2005, played from a nearby large shopping mall.

*Sumgyeowatdeon naui* [숨겨왔던 나의 – My hidden]-

*Sujubeun maeum modu nege julge* [수줍은 마음 모두 네게 줄게 – I’ll give you all my shy heart]-

Sang-hyun and Kim Hyuk-gu’s eyes met. They were startled and pushed each other away.

“I, I’ll hold the camera while you tie your shoelaces.”

“R, really?”

Such images of the two were faithfully captured on other cameras.

It was a few days later that PD Heo Tae-jin, who saw this scene, laughed like crazy and added the subtitle ‘Notting Hill,’ and that it began to be called ‘Oldting Hill’ among netizens because of the somewhat older Kim Hyuk-gu.

The time when the so enjoyable performance promotion ended and the 888 Crew returned to the performance venue in Myeongdong was exactly 6:00 PM.

< Verse 19. Fame > End

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