The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 148

Verse 22. Trajectory Correction

The final round of Hip Hop the Vibe Episode 1 was filmed as usual.

The cast gathered at the studio to watch the broadcast of the third round. They reacted to the videos, gave necessary interviews, and mentioned their resolutions for today’s filming.

The only differences were the sparse feeling due to only eight members from 888 Crew and five from Stars Records remaining, and the fact that 888 Crew and Stars Records, who were always sitting close to each other, were now sitting far apart.

“Hey, did you guys watch the cable channel awards ceremony?”

Of course, they chatted closely during breaks.

“I didn’t watch it, but I saw it in the news.”

“PD [Production Director] Heo Tae-jin must be beaming.”

Hip Hop the Vibe received the Trend Maker Program Award at the ‘Korea Integrated Cable Channel Awards Ceremony.’ It was an unexpected award, considering only three episodes had been broadcast.

It was natural for PD Heo Tae-jin, while giving his acceptance speech, to express his gratitude to the cast, including the 888 Crew.

The studio filming, which started at 11 AM, was roughly finished by 3 PM.

At that moment, PD Heo Tae-jin, who had been absent since the start of filming, entered the studio. The cast celebrated the award, led by Park In-hyuk’s applause and whistles.

“Ah, thank you. It’s all thanks to you guys.”

“Aren’t you going to treat us?”

“Will I only treat you once? Let’s go eat beef after filming today. Of course, no alcohol for the minors.”

PD Heo Tae-jin’s expression was bright as he joked with the cast, but strangely, he didn’t seem completely relieved.

“Is something wrong?”

At Kim Hwan’s question, PD Heo Tae-jin opened his mouth.

“Ah, is it that obvious? It’s nothing much… Actually, the broadcast time has suddenly increased. It’s something that happens because it’s popular, but I’m a bit worried about filling 100 minutes with only two teams left.”

“100 minutes? That’s an extra 20 minutes?”

“But today’s filming format will proceed as planned. We can’t suddenly change the format like last week. The editing team will take care of the broadcast time, so don’t worry.”

Originally, Hip Hop the Vibe’s broadcast time was 80 minutes. It was only 100 minutes during the first round when they had to properly showcase the charms of four teams to the viewers.

However, due to a sudden order from the director, the broadcast time became 100 minutes, and it became PD Heo Tae-jin and the editing team’s responsibility to fill it effectively.

There’s a saying in the broadcasting industry, ‘Five minutes, five percent.’

It meant that five minutes of boring content could decrease viewership by 5%. So, 20 minutes was a really long time.

“Since we’re on the topic, do you guys have any ideas? Ah, don’t feel pressured, just feel free to speak up.”

As soon as PD Heo Tae-jin finished speaking, Sang-mi said,

“How about showing silhouettes, backs, or rapping voices of the contestants who will appear in Episode 2? Just snippets? I think it would be fun.”

Currently, information about the contestants who will appear in Hip Hop the Vibe Episode 2 was top secret. Rumors circulated that casting was already finished and pre-performance videos and interviews were being conducted, but no one knew who they were.

Among the underground teams, Playline was the most likely.

PD Heo Tae-jin nodded at Sang-mi’s words. It was the direction he had been thinking about.

“How about highlight videos from rounds 1, 2, and 3?”

“That time is already scheduled. Adding more would break the tension.”

Various ideas were exchanged between the cast and PD Heo Tae-jin. However, almost all the ideas came from the 888 Crew members.

Based on their strong belief in each other, the 888 Crew, who enjoyed intense discussions, were not hesitant to share their ideas. Even if they said something absurd, no one criticized them; rather, it was fleshed out and transformed into a plausible story.

Bae Ga was able to get a glimpse of the 888 Crew’s working method, which he had always been curious about.

No one gets hurt no matter what they say, and no one gets ignored no matter what they say. Ah, except for Park In-hyuk.

“Give me ten minutes. I’ll fill 10 minutes with the Park In-hyuk Show.”

“Really? If you sincerely want it, I’m willing to attach a camera.”

Park In-hyuk backed down at PD Heo Tae-jin’s aggressive defense. PD Heo Tae-jin, who laughed out loud, said to In-hyuk,

“I was originally going to tell you this after filming today, but Park In-hyuk, would you be interested in being an MC [Master of Ceremonies]?”

“Huh? MC? I’m already an MC.”

“No. Not a rapping MC. A hosting MC. For Hip Hop the Vibe.”

Until now, PD Heo Tae-jin had been explaining the performance process to the audience, encouraging the atmosphere, and announcing the results. It was a scene that only appeared for about 5-10 minutes on the broadcast, but it was a more important role than he thought, and PD Heo Tae-jin felt awkward doing it.

He thought that a PD should be behind the camera, not in front of it.

At first, he did it to save budget, but now there was no need to do so. However, the role was too small to hire a famous host, and he felt burdened to continue doing it himself. That’s when he thought of Park In-hyuk.

If Lee Sang-hyun was popular with the public as an object of admiration or a talented musician, Park In-hyuk was popular with a friendly and funny next-door-brother image.

Besides, judging from the way Park In-hyuk usually spoke, he seemed like he could do a hundred times better than him even if he was asked to MC without any preparation.

At PD Heo Tae-jin’s words, In-hyuk scratched his head.

“Um… I don’t know? I’m a little taken aback because I’ve never thought about it.”

“Think about it. No matter what anyone says, the reason Hip Hop the Vibe is so popular now is because of Hip Hop the Vibration, isn’t it?”

“PD-nim [PD-sir], you are a learned man. You are properly learned.”

People burst into laughter at In-hyuk’s playful remark.

At that moment, PD Heo Tae-jin saw Lee Sang-hyun, who was not laughing and was deep in thought.

“Lee Sang-hyun, you seem a little sulky? Is it because I only made the offer to In-hyuk?”

“Huh? No. I was thinking about something else. What to fill the 20 minutes with.”

“Do you have any good ideas?”

“Um, how about creating a single track and mixing a making film and a music video? The single track would involve the leaders of each team. That way, Codenamed and Bounce Rhyme would also appear, so wouldn’t the fans who watched the show because of them sit in front of the TV again? We could also release the single track as a digital single and generate revenue.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea.”

Some of the staff who were listening nodded, saying it was a good idea.

“But doesn’t the 888 Crew dislike registering their music online?”

“No, we don’t dislike it. Indie Kid hyung’s [older brother] ‘If Today Passes’ was also registered online, right?”

Soon, Jun-hyung, the leader of the 888 Crew, and Bae Ga, the leader of Stars Records, agreed that it was a good idea. After thinking for a moment, PD Heo Tae-jin called the writer and instructed them to contact Dread and Dolphin’s agencies.

“Okay, now that you’ve rested enough, let’s finish the remaining studio filming. There’s not much rehearsal time left.”

“Ah, right. PD-nim. Consider adding commercials.”

At Sang-hyun’s words, Heo Tae-jin smiled.

“The commercials are naturally sold out. We can’t add more even if we wanted to because the commercial time is limited.”

“I was talking about commercials during the broadcast, but would that not be possible either?”

“How can commercials be inserted during the broadcast? Are you talking about PPL (product placement)?”

“No. Hip Hop the Vibe usually shows the musicians’ various actions at the beginning of the broadcast to heighten tension and then goes into the competition, right? What I mean is, put a 60-second commercial right before the competition when the tension is at its peak, and put a 60-second commercial right before the results are announced after the performance.”

“Ah, mid-broadcast commercials? That’s something that only appears in animations for kids or sports games…”

PD Heo Tae-jin’s words, which started with a negative tone, did not continue to the end.

“Wait a minute.”

PD Heo Tae-jin began to think hard about something.

‘Wait a minute, if I do this right, I can fill the broadcast time and hit the jackpot…?’

Mid-broadcast commercials were not non-existent in 2005, but they were usually used in programs where the content was clearly divided into parts 1 and 2.

It had never been used in a program with a clear beginning, middle, and end like Hip Hop the Vibe. The only exception was children’s cartoons.

Sang-hyun only said it because he remembered the famous line ‘To be revealed in 60 seconds,’ but he was taken aback when he saw PD Heo Tae-jin’s face gradually brightening.

He could almost see the agony of viewers across the country burning because of him.

***

As it was the final battle between only two teams, today’s rehearsal was conducted strictly in private.

-Theme: Hip Hop, Subject: Free, Songs: 4, Performance Time: 20 minutes.

These were the only rules. It didn’t matter what songs they sang or how they sang them. They just had to fill 20 minutes with 4 songs.

“Okay, Stars Records, please gather around.”

At the words of the writer in charge of Stars Records, the members who had been reciting the lyrics of today’s performance songs gathered.

A piece of paper was given to them.

“You know that 888 Crew acquired the featuring rights thanks to winning the third round, right?”

“Of course, I know. I cried so much when I got home.”

Bae Ga, who had narrowly lost in the hidden track, said cheerfully.

“This is the lineup of 888 Crew with the featuring guest already confirmed.”

The paper that the writer handed out contained information about the 4 songs that 888 Crew would perform. There were no song titles, only the member combinations that made up the songs.

The 888 Crew was receiving the same information.

1. Lee Sang-hyun Feat. Featuring

2. Lee Sang-hyun, Shin Ha-yeon

3. Park In-hyuk, Kim Hwan, Shin Jun-hyung

4. Oh Min-ji, Park In-hyuk, Kim Hwan

“If you perfectly match the order of the opposing team’s songs, you can choose whether to perform first or last.”

Today’s performance was not a back-and-forth like in the third round, but rather one team performing the four determined songs in a row. Naturally, the later performance, which was closer to the vote, was better.

“What if both teams get it right, or both teams get it wrong?”

“There is another method that I cannot tell you about.”

“Then how many featuring guests are there?”

“I cannot tell you that either.”

“Hmm…”

Bae Ga racked his brain but couldn’t guess who it was.

The 888 Crew always pursues novelty, and Lee Sang-hyun is the most outstanding among them. Bae Ga was both excited and nervous about what kind of picture Sang-hyun had drawn using the featuring.

What if Sang-hyun requested the best vocalists of the time, like SG Wannabe or Park Hyo-shin, and KMTV made it happen?

“Ugh.”

Just thinking about it was terrible. Everyone made a ugh expression, thinking the same thing.

“Yeon-woo, who did you think of? I thought of SG Wannabe or Park Hyo-shin.”

“I thought of Kim Gun-mo.”

“Hey, no way… Yu-hwa, what about you?”

“Jung-in or Gummy…?”

As soon as the names of female vocalists came out, the faces of the Stars Records members turned pale.

End

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