The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 198

In truth, it wasn’t the 888 Crew’s fault.

It was the fault of the broadcasting station’s sound engineering team.

For the sound of the compressed audience to peak, it had to exceed the compressor level. But until now, the audience’s cheers hadn’t seemed capable of surpassing that level, so the sound engineers had set the sound balance to a fixed setting.

Of course, they could adjust it if they wanted to.

But the 888 Crew’s performance was about to start during the balancing time, making any sound adjustment pointless. That’s why PD [Production Director] Na Han-soo gave up.

Thus, the 888 Crew members, who had unintentionally caused a broadcasting mishap, wore puzzled expressions as they watched the staff suddenly become so busy.

“What’s wrong with them?”

“I don’t know?”

The 888 Crew members had no idea about the commotion they had caused.

At that moment, ‘Coming Up Next’ ended, and all the cameras simultaneously lit up. At the same time, the staff’s voices began to be heard through the 888 Crew members’ in-ear monitors.

-888 Crew live stage. 5 seconds to start… 4 seconds…

The jib arm [a camera crane] moved its long neck to capture a full shot.

Simultaneously, several cameras adjusted their angles to fulfill their designated roles.

-3 seconds… 2 seconds…

The 888 Crew members checked their starting positions and took a breath. Jun-hyung’s throat clearing could be heard from somewhere.

Sang-hyun, hearing Jun-hyung’s cough, scanned the audience out of habit.

From left to right, the audience with their diverse expressions came into view.

A sight that never got old, no matter how many times he saw it.

-1 second… Ready…!

Colleagues whose presence he could sense without needing to turn his head.

888 Crew.

Sang-hyun shouted in his heart.

We Eight that Eight that Eight that Crew!

Let’s Go Get ’em!

-Cue!

With the cue sign, the stage lights blazed on all at once, and the heavy drum sound filled every space.

The first-ever Real Hiphop on public broadcast.

A debut stage that would propel JFTR’s success even further.

The beginning of the modifier ‘Rapstar’ that would forever be associated with the 888 Crew.

The 888 Crew’s showtime had begun.

***

In the Korean hip-hop scene, there were quite a few rappers besides the 888 Crew. And that number was increasing rapidly every year.

Nevertheless, the 888 Crew, who had just celebrated their first debut anniversary, was sweeping up accolades like ‘best’ and ‘first’.

Some attributed their success to their skills. They even said that the group had shed the ‘artificiality,’ which was the biggest problem with existing Korean hip-hop.

Some pointed to the message in their lyrics, arguing that the 888 Crew’s unique lyrics, which could easily express any message in their songs, were perfectly suited for the rap genre.

Others cited their unique sound as the reason. From Korea’s first trap music to classic old-school east coast beats, the 888 Crew created original elements.

However, these were the opinions of people who hadn’t actually witnessed the 888 Crew’s performance.

People who had seen the 888 Crew perform live defined the reason for calling them the best with just one phrase.

‘A team with something that cannot be expressed in words.’

Rap skills weren’t particularly appealing to the general public. This was because the public didn’t listen to rap while critically judging the technical skills.

The same was true of lyrics. Of course, it was better for the lyrics to be good than bad, but considering the huge success of hook songs [songs with repetitive, catchy choruses] after 2008, meaningful lyrics weren’t necessarily a measure of popularity.

Sound was needless to say. The public enjoyed music, they didn’t analyze it.

These things were just the foundation.

There was something hidden in the 888 Crew’s music beyond that foundation.

Something that cannot be expressed in words.

Something that attracts and excites people.

The 888 Crew’s music had that, and that something was being properly showcased in popular music.

The beginning was Sang-hyun’s chorus.

Country Code, Eighty Two!

Korea’s Attitude!

On the drum, in the stadium

Victory repeats, Daily Loop!

As soon as Sang-hyun’s chorus began, the audience’s powerful sing-along erupted.

“What is this?”

“A sing-along?”

The singers, staff, and MCs who had finished their performances or were waiting backstage were shocked by the sight they were seeing for the first time.

“Hey, PD Kim. Isn’t this a hot debut?”

“That’s right.”

“This is their debut stage?”

Even veteran singers who knew of the 888 Crew but didn’t know them well expressed their surprise.

-Country Code Eighty Two!

-Korea’s Attitude!

Cheers and responses poured out.

The phrase ‘debut stage of an anticipated rookie,’ which is what a hot debut usually meant, was truly inadequate here.

What debut stage would have a sing-along like this?

-On the drum! In the stadium!

-Victory repeats! Daily Loop!

Originally, sing-alongs rarely occurred on music shows.

It wasn’t impossible, but it was close to it.

This was because the vast majority of music show audience members were fans of specific stars. These fandoms didn’t sing along to the songs of rival singers.

It was because of a sense of competition. Of course, there were cases where there was no sense of competition, but even so, it was rare for them to have memorized all the lyrics of other singers’ songs.

But now, the 888 Crew’s performance was different.

Of course, not all the audience members were singing along to ‘National Team,’ the 11th track of JFTR.

If we calculate the exact ratio, slightly less than 50% of the audience was participating in the sing-along. If we include the audience members who were vaguely following along, the ratio would increase slightly.

But the dynamism and excitement shown by that half of the audience was powerful enough to encompass the entire audience.

Half was by no means a small number. It’s difficult for 10% to influence 100%, but 50% had enough power to do so.

This sing-along continued beyond the chorus into the verses.

member of the national team

Running wild throughout Korea

-8 members of Henry’s Arsenal team!

-On the asphalt of Lonely Road!

As Kim Hwan’s explosive rap, which transcended the limitations of regular beats, began, a sing-along that was no less enthusiastic than the chorus followed.

Not all of those who were singing along were fans of the 888 Crew. But even the audience members who came to Popular Music as fans of other singers were supporting the 888 Crew at this moment.

Strangely, the 888 Crew didn’t feel like a ‘rival singer’ to the stars they were supporting. They didn’t feel the need to compete.

It was subtly different from simply thinking the song was good.

This was because the audience was also unconsciously feeling it: the 888 Crew’s unique quality that existed outside the established system.

In this situation, the remaining half of the audience who didn’t know the 888 Crew’s song felt a strange sense of alienation. They didn’t know exactly what it was, but the people around them were incredibly excited and singing along.

They knew that it was the 888 Crew’s music and that it was included in the album JFTR, but they didn’t know much about the song. They had heard it a few times in passing, or it was a song they were hearing for the first time.

‘What is this? It looks fun?’

The computer games that are popular in middle and high school classes have a similar contagiousness. Even if it’s a game that is almost dead and has a small number of users, if a few of the students start to enjoy it, there’s a tendency for everyone to jump in.

This was because they wanted to share the fun, or because they didn’t want to be left out.

The feeling that the remaining audience members who didn’t know the 888 Crew’s song were feeling right now was exactly like that.

A feeling of wanting to share the fun and not wanting to be left out.

They were vowing in their hearts to listen to the 888 Crew’s song when they got home.

Even if they put aside all other emotions, if they saw the 888 Crew spitting out rap on stage, they couldn’t help but want to listen to the song.

Kim Hwan – Shin Ha-yeon – Shin Jun-hyung – Oh Min-ji.

Sang-hyun, who was in charge of the chorus, intervened in the middle of the four verses, each with different charms.

Sang-hyun’s crazy delivery was still the same.

This was becoming the driving force behind properly performing the role of the chorus, which fills the gap between the verses and refreshes the atmosphere.

Originally, until the 888 Show, ‘National Team’ was a song by four people, with Hwan, Ha-yeon, and In-hyuk in charge of the verses and Sang-hyun in charge of the chorus.

However, as In-hyuk was unable to participate in the album recording, the verses were reduced to 12 bars, and the song was changed to a group song format with the addition of Min-ji and Jun-hyung.

I’m a national representative, no, a national cannon

No, a national rapper, to someone else

A Role Model of reality, an ideal utopia,

No, ideal type, no, Lee Sang-hyun?

As Jun-hyung’s rap began, the biggest sing-along of all time erupted.

The audience was shouting out the humorous part, ‘An ideal utopia, no, ideal type, no, Lee Sang-hyun?’ until their throats were hoarse.

“Everyone together!”

Sang-hyun shouted and raised his right hand.

He shook his body from side to side and created a dynamic bounce by raising and lowering his hand, and this bounce soon spread to the audience.

The sight of everyone waving their hands in the same rhythm was always spectacular. Looking at the wave of people gesturing towards them on stage, they couldn’t help but get goosebumps.

At that moment, Sang-hyun had a strange thought.

‘Didn’t we set the track order wrong?’

‘National Team’ was the song after the second skit, and it was included in the ‘Future’ part. Since tracks up to number 10 represented the current state, track number 11 was the near future.

A declaration that the 888 Crew is the best at rapping in Korea.

Their confidence that they are the national team of the rap genre.

Could there be a song as appropriate as this for the debut song of the first broadcast stage? Is there a song that can make people cheer like this?

But this declaration and confidence didn’t seem like the future. It felt like the immediate reality.

Because no matter how much he thought about it, it didn’t seem like there was a team that could beat them at this moment in June 2006.

‘The Stars Records hyungs [older brothers/mentors] are in hiding to make their 3rd album!’

Sang-hyun smiled brightly as he thought this.

National Team. Member of the national team.

At that moment, Jun-hyung’s rap ended, and Sang-hyun’s chorus returned once again.

This time, instead of singing the chorus, Sang-hyun handed the microphone to the audience.

Country Code, Eighty Two!

Korea’s Attitude!

That’s how the 888 Crew’s performance was continuing.

***

The 888 Crew decided to promote five songs from JFTR.

Track 3 ‘Hitchhiking’, Track 7 ‘Let’s Live by the River’, Track 9 ‘Seoul City Mind’, Track 10 ‘Just For The Record’, and Track 11 ‘National Team’ were on the list.

Among these, the songs that would be performed on stage today were ‘National Team’, ‘Hitchhiking’, and ‘Just For The Record’.

The 888 Crew’s performance, which started with ‘National Team’, continued with ‘Hitchhiking’, a duo song by Sang-hyun and Jun-hyung, and finally led to ‘Just For The Record’, which depicts the moment of making JFTR.

End

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