The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 228

< Verse 35. City of Angels >

***

In the hip-hop scene, truly great producers are a rare breed.

Of course, there are many producers out there. About one-fifth of all rappers also produce their own tracks, and there are quite a few DJs, like Standard, who focus solely on production without rapping.

However, the number of genuinely talented producers among them is consistently low.

That’s why DJ Premier has remained at the top for over 30 years, even as numerous rap superstars have risen and fallen, and the old school era has passed.

Another way to put it is that good producers are always highly sought after by rappers.

***

“Hey, check this out.”

Westrun, of Psychadelic Records, was surprised when Mel suddenly handed him a CD. He was a little annoyed because he’d been concentrating on writing lyrics, but he figured Mel wouldn’t bother him without a good reason.

Westrun set down his notebook and asked, “What’s this?”

“I found it randomly at a record store in Pasadena (a city northeast of LA). Give it a listen.”

“Is it rap?”

“Just listen, no complaining.”

At Mel’s insistence, Westrun put the CD into the player he always carried. Soon, music began to play through his headphones.

From the first track, Westrun could tell that this CD wasn’t a collection of songs, but an ‘Instrumental Tape’ full of beats.

And he knew immediately that he had to meet the person who made it.

After listening to all eight tracks, Westrun slowly said, “…What is this? Who made this?”

“I don’t know. But one thing’s for sure, we have to meet this guy.”

“You don’t know who the composer is?”

“That’s the problem.”

There were no identifying marks on the CD case, just a frustratingly simple phrase: ‘LA inst sb’.

No publisher, artist name, or even a track list.

After a moment of thought, Westrun said to Mel, “Could this be a bootleg?”

“A bootleg? Why?”

“It says ‘sb’ for ‘somebody,’ right? Isn’t it just a collection of instrumentals from different sources?”

Like how Americans often shorten ‘something’ to ‘sth’ or ‘just kidding’ to ‘jk’ in texts, they sometimes shorten ‘somebody’ to ‘sb’. Westrun interpreted ‘sb’ in ‘LA inst sb’ as ‘somebody’. However, Mel disagreed.

“Doesn’t the sound seem too consistent for a bootleg? The mastering and instruments, too.”

“Hmm… Maybe.”

“Maybe ‘SB’ is short for Sound Blaster?” (a brand of sound cards).

Unlike Westrun, Mel thought ‘SB’ referred to Sound Blaster.

“Hey, why would you put the equipment name on the album?”

“SB might have released the instrumentals as a promotion? Cubase [a music production software] did something similar once.”

“Let’s go to that record store tomorrow and ask. It seems like a local LA artist supplied it directly.”

“That’s probably the quickest way to find out.”

However, the next day, Westrun and Mel visited the record store in Pasadena only to be met with the employee’s clueless response.

“Uh…? Why is this in our store?”

“We came to ask you that! About the album right here.”

Westrun held up ‘LA inst sb’, which was displayed in the INSTRUMENTAL section, with a bewildered look.

“That’s… This album isn’t on our purchase list.”

“Isn’t it something that came in a while ago? Check the old records.”

“The list is all computerized. No, really, why is this here?”

“Didn’t a local artist drop it off for consignment? Can’t you check the consignment list?”

“Our store doesn’t do consignment. This isn’t Compton, and we’re not Psychadelic Records.”

In the end, Westrun and Mel had to leave the record store after hearing the employee say, “I’ll ask the owner.” But from the employee’s tone, it seemed unlikely the owner would know anything, even if the computer records were empty.

“No, what the heck is going on? A record store doesn’t know the musician?”

Westrun grumbled as he got into the car.

“Could this be some kind of hidden camera prank?”

“Why a hidden camera all of a sudden?”

“Well, a month ago, a hooded man who covered his face rapped and disappeared, and now an unknown beat maker has appeared. Something feels off.”

The hooded man they were referring to was the rapper who performed at Club TNT and vanished without a trace.

Westrun and Mel had visited TNT several times since then, but they hadn’t been able to find him.

It wasn’t that the hooded man had disappeared entirely. From what they heard, he seemed to be gaining popularity by performing sporadically. Sometimes he wouldn’t perform for over ten days, and other times he would perform for three consecutive days. They figured if they hung around TNT for a few days, they might run into him.

However, Westrun and Mel had to make a living, and they had their own lives, so they couldn’t always be at TNT.

“Hidden camera? So, if the hooded man takes off his hood during a performance, is Dr. Dre standing there? Did Primo (DJ Premier) make this beat as a joke? Why would they prank us?”

“I’m just saying, don’t take it so seriously. Anyway, what should we do now? We definitely need this producer.”

“Am I crazy for thinking that if we can meet this producer, the mixtape will be a success, and if we can’t, it won’t?”

“Not at all.”

They felt that this DJ was essential for the mixtape they were putting everything into. It almost felt inevitable that they’d stumble upon an instrumental tape with an unknown creator at this point in their journey.

It all started with the hooded man.

Westrun and Mel were blown away after hearing the hooded man’s songs. It was only two tracks, but it was the same feeling they had when they first discovered hip-hop through Dr. Dre’s *The Chronic* when they were kids.

A sound that existed only in their imaginations, a sound they could never quite bring to life. A sound that sparked the desire to say, ‘Ah, I want to make music like this someday.’

The hooded man had made it a reality.

Because of him, Westrun and Mel scrapped all the songs they’d been working on for their mixtape for over seven months.

It’s not uncommon for musicians to scrap albums, but this was different. They changed everything, from the style of rap to the album’s concept and theme.

The problem was the beats.

They could never create the rap they envisioned with the beats they’d been collecting. It wasn’t a matter of quality, but of the fundamental essence of the music.

So, they had to find the owner of this instrumental tape with an unknown identity.

“Could the owner of this beat tape be the DJ who provides beats to the hooded man?”

“It’s a long shot, but it’s possible.”

“Let’s share this album with our friends. It’s LA, someone’s bound to know something.”

“Maybe Kirk knows?”

“Of course, we should start there.”

Westrun and Mel headed to Compton City Shopping Center with ten copies of ‘LA inst sb’ they’d bought from the record store.

Because that’s where ‘Psychadelic Record Shop’, the heart and holy ground of gangster rap, was located.

***

Sanghyun’s daily routine was very simple.

Work and work.

Here, ‘work’ meant music production, and ‘work’ meant his job at Weber’s record store, Vevo Record.

Weber shook his head, saying Sanghyun was unbelievably diligent.

“Are Koreans always this hardworking? Don’t just stay in your room, go meet a woman. Go to K-Town [Koreatown in Los Angeles] or something. Oh, are you the type who isn’t popular with Asian women? You’re the type who’d be really popular with white or black women who like Asians.”

“Weber, your nonsense is getting worse every day. And it’s not like I’m just staying in my room. When I have time, I also go to performances and explore LA. And I perform, too.”

“Hmm, how’s performing going?”

At Weber’s question, Sanghyun shrugged.

“It’s not bad, and it’s not great either. It’s just okay.”

“From someone who’s heard your rap, I’m sure time will fix that. So, wouldn’t it be better to sign a contract with Vevo Label soon?”

Weber’s plan to recruit Sanghyun as the brains behind Vevo Label had evolved slightly. He was now trying to recruit him as both a creative force and a musician.

Because Weber had been surprised when he went to Sanghyun’s house and heard him rap.

“The reason black people aren’t immediately recognizing your rap isn’t because you’re bad. It’s just a matter of ‘community of opinion’.”

Community of opinion.

The collective opinion of a spontaneously formed group.

Weber explained that if Sanghyun could get each individual listener to hear his rap, everyone would be impressed and give him a thumbs up.

However, the moment one person becomes ten, and then a hundred, the group’s collective opinion becomes stronger.

The day Sanghyun watched J. Cole’s performance with Standard, Sanghyun sensed this vague rejection backstage.

When the performance ended and they went backstage, J. Cole had already left because he had other commitments. Instead, Standard’s friends greeted them.

At first, the atmosphere was friendly. When they mentioned they were rapping in Korea, everyone welcomed them, saying, ‘Oh, you’re Standard’s Asian boyfriend I’ve heard so much about!’ But when they said they were planning to be active in the LA scene, the atmosphere shifted.

Not with open insults or contempt, but with an undeniable subtle sense of rejection and hostility.

Even white rappers living in the same society face criticism, so how much more would an Asian rapper from further away? Especially if that place of origin is Korea, which has little connection to the United States.

Standard, upset, was about to tell everyone that Sanghyun was successful in Korea and had worked with KRS-One, but Sanghyun shook his head.

He understood Standard’s intentions, but forcing the issue was pointless. And Sanghyun believed that these prejudices could be overcome if he just had the right ‘opportunity’.

That opportunity was now less than two weeks away.

The first Saturday of every December is the day when LA is filled with hip-hop music. This is because the festival called is held.

was a festival born out of a strange set of circumstances.

The Grammy Award nominations are usually announced in the first week of December, and the festival originated from the dissatisfaction of black people in Compton when N.W.A’s album *Straight Outta Compton* wasn’t nominated for a Grammy. They took to the streets with rap music in protest.

Fearing that the commotion would escalate and gangs would riot, the city of LA simply set up a stage in Compton.

The festival has continued for over ten years and has become a very important day for the black community in LA.

On this day, even the black residents of Compton Hood, known for its danger, try to prevent accidents, allowing white people and tourists to comfortably enjoy the festival.

And Sanghyun was scheduled to perform at Compton Black Block in 2007.

Originally, the DJ for Compton Black Block was Standard, the hottest DJ in LA. However, Standard was leaving for Denmark, and he made Sanghyun’s performance a condition for selecting the next DJ.

It was an unreasonable request, but it was granted because Standard was so popular in LA, and KRS-One’s *The Way We Live* was gaining decent traction at the time.

“Oh, Five [Sanghyun’s nickname]. Did you hear?”

Weber, who went to the refrigerator to grab a drink, said excitedly as if he’d just remembered something.

“What?”

“I heard Hood Man is coming to Compton Black Block!”

< Verse 35. City of Angels > End

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