The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 245

< Verse 38. Dungeon (End) – End of Volume 10 >

LA UP.

Among today’s audience, anyone who knew 888 Crew couldn’t help but smile at the sight of ‘LA UP.’ It was out of pride for knowing the original song, ‘Gwangju UP.’

However, those who knew 888 Crew ‘in more detail’ would be feeling chills rather than pride.

They knew how enormous ‘Gwangju UP’s’ role was in 888 Crew’s success in the Korean popular music scene.

But ‘LA UP?’

If you replaced ‘Korea’ with ‘America’ and ‘Gwangju’ with ‘LA,’ you couldn’t help but feel a profound significance in Sanghyun’s actions.

‘Gwangju UP’ was the song that spread 888 Crew’s name across the country.

Thanks to the semi-playoff performance at the Mudeung Stadium, 888 Crew was able to get an invitation to ‘Hip Hop the Vibe.’ Also, ‘Gwangju UP’ established 888 Crew’s hip-hop identity at every important moment.

If ‘F*** the Show Biz’ was the song that elevated 888 Crew within hip-hop, ‘Gwangju UP’ could be said to be the song that elevated 888 Crew to the general public.

However, if existing singers were given ‘Gwangju UP’ and told to sing it, they would all shake their heads.

‘How can we sing a song like this when Korea is so small?’

‘Are you only going to be active in Gwangju?’

Expected rejection.

And this was a reasonable point at first glance.

It’s not like Sanghyun didn’t know this. But when he sang ‘Gwangju UP,’ he didn’t consider anything. He just made it because he wanted to sing it.

‘LA UP’ was the same.

Sanghyun hadn’t lived in LA for even a year, and it might seem strange for him to sing ‘LA UP.’

For those who felt negatively towards Sanghyun, it could be used as grounds for criticism, saying, ‘See, that guy is just using LA for marketing?’

‘Ah, whatever.’

But he wanted to sing it.

He wanted to sing it so badly.

A tribute to LA, which he had come to regard as his second home.

LA UP! LA UP!

Flowers, Sunshine LA UP!

LA UP! LA UP!

Flowers, Sunshine LA UP!

American cities often had various nicknames, just as New York is called the Big Apple or the Melting Pot.

LA also had many different nicknames.

The most well-known to the public was ‘City of Angels,’ which contained the original meaning of the word ‘Los Angeles.’ However, the nickname that LA citizens loved the most was ‘City of Flowers and Sunshine.’

Sanghyun was describing LA as the city of ‘flowers and sunshine’ with a simple yet addictive hook.

LA UP! LA UP!

Flowers, Sunshine LA UP!

LA UP! LA UP!

Flowers, Sunshine LA UP!

At first, the LA rappers thought Sanghyun’s hook was childish.

Simple chorus lyrics had already been shown in many songs, but the one-dimensional lyrics of ‘Flowers, Sunshine’ felt very childish.

It may have felt even more so because the raps of the previous songs, ‘The way we live’ and ‘No Color,’ were so flashy and lyrical.

And Sanghyun was well aware of this fact.

But Sanghyun was someone who had experienced the global craze of trap music, which would begin in earnest about two years later.

When trap first started to become popular, Sanghyun always frowned when he heard it.

He didn’t like the overly simple lyrics and the repetitive chorus with only a strong rhythm.

But what about later?

He was a fan of Future, a fan of Meek Mill, and a fan of A$AP Rocky.

If he still had to choose between boom bap [a subgenre of hip hop characterized by its minimalist, hard-hitting beats] and trap, boom bap was Sanghyun’s preference, but experiencing the trend of trap music made Sanghyun rethink the role of the chorus.

In his opinion, the chorus was the part that declared the subject matter in the most primal and visceral way.

Just like now.

“LA!”

-Up!!

“LA!”

-Up!!

“Flowers, Sunshine!”

-LA Up!!

The audience caught the chorus in just one listen and began to show tremendous cheers.

In fact, there was nothing to catch. The chorus was too simple, and Sanghyun’s delivery was too perfect.

But simplicity wasn’t the problem.

Was Tupac’s ‘California Love’ so loved because the chorus was complicated?

Did N.W.A’s ‘Fuck Tha Police’ receive a warning from the FBI because the chorus was complicated?

No. The important thing was how deeply it impressed the public.

In that sense, the chorus of ‘LA UP’ was successful.

The LA rappers who saw the reaction of the venue had no choice but to admit it.

‘Then what about the verses?’

And finally, the verse began.

City of Angels, City of the Danger

(City of the Angel, City of the Danger)

I came here with a major dream

(Have a dream, In a Buildin`. I will be major)

LA is my second home, the entire US is my stage

Gun Scope Laser fired from Korea in 11 hours

There are many differences between Korean rap and American rap.

And a significant part of the many differences was the way lyrics were developed.

Americans are socially accustomed to parallel structures.

The curriculum they have learned since elementary and middle school is structured around parallel thinking.

In contrast, Korea had a more common top-down structure. Korea’s curriculum, social customs, and so on were done in a top-down manner.

These differences naturally influenced music, and even more so in rap.

Of course, this wasn’t to say that parallel structures were superior and top-down methods were inferior. But it was true that parallel structures were advantageous in making better raps.

However, that was the story when the skill had not reached the upper class.

When rapping at a certain level or higher, these differences became meaningless. No, rather, it could be an advantage.

Because he was showing off ‘killing raps’ in a way that existing American rappers didn’t use well, the public was feeling freshness.

Because of this, the LA rappers were greatly impressed by Sanghyun’s development, which was like a musical with a beginning, rising action, climax, and resolution.

Yeah, Scope. Someone will laugh at my aim.

They’ll call me a yellow Smurf and imitate Gargamel.

Call me a yellow monkey, but this is a planet and I’m Caesar

Microphone’s Scope ‘La-ser’, this is a typo, I’m ‘LA-Sir’.

-Wowwww!

-Woohoo!

As soon as Sanghyun’s rap exploded, tremendous shouts erupted. But the interesting thing was that most of the shouts were from male fans.

‘Oh my god. What the hell did that crazy bastard just do?’

Kendrick Lamar, who was watching Sanghyun’s stage with the Black Hippy members, was so surprised that he almost screamed.

And it wasn’t just Kendrick.

Q, Jay, and Ab-Soul were also blinking in surprise.

‘LA-Sir?’

Rhyming Scope (scope: sight on the gun) with Scoff (to scoff) was cool.

When he developed it into Smurf, he thought it was quite interesting.

Then, he was surprised when he used the racist term Yellow Monkeys to throw the punchline, ‘LA is a planet and I’m Caesar.’

It was a punchline he had never imagined.

But what anyone said, the highlight was the last line.

Scope Laser. A laser fired from the sight.

The meaning that the gun aimed from Korea was aiming at LA.

Not only that.

He cut off the laser into La-Ser using exquisite accents, and then he got goosebumps when he connected it to the line that this was a typo and he was LA-Sir (Knight of LA).

In fact, you have to see this line to be sure.

This was because La-Ser and LA-Sir were lines that were difficult to understand with just your ears.

But FiveSix showed off a delivery that made it seem like the lyrics were visible and then entered the ear, shocking the rappers.

It was an absurd development, an absurd line, and an absurd delivery.

Most of the audience who shouted now were either rappers or people deeply immersed in rap. Even if they didn’t shout, everyone was surprised.

Kendrick Lamar had only met FiveSix two days ago.

But two days was enough time to grasp his capabilities as a rapper. Because of this, Kendrick was respecting Sanghyun.

Just looking at the use of words that he could never doubt even if English was his native language, he could see how hard FiveSix had worked.

Not only effort, but there was no doubt about his talent.

Kendrick thought FiveSix could become a famous rapper. This was a great compliment because it was an assessment that took into account the fact that he was an Asian, which was disadvantageous in the rap culture.

But Kendrick had to revise his judgment.

FiveSix was not a musician whose capabilities could be grasped in just two days.

He shined much more on stage and had a tremendous live performance.

Energy and aura that cannot be expressed in words.

The aura that Walter Benjamin spoke of.

‘I want to be on stage with him.’

Kendrick felt a strong urge while watching Sanghyun’s continued performance.

In the meantime, Kendrick had never met a ‘rival.’ Q, Jay, and AB were too different in style from him.

Jay (Jay Rock) and AB (Ab-Soul) had similar styles, but there was nothing to compare to Q (Schoolboy Q) or himself.

In fact, there were few hoodies [referring to people from the hood or underprivileged neighborhoods] in Compton who were properly educated and could write lyrics with high-dimensional metaphors and metaphors.

Rappers who had received higher education lacked the raw feel unique to hip-hop.

But FiveSix had both, and Kendrick had finally met someone he wanted to compete with.

Not rejecting and competing, but sharing each other’s consciousness and way of thinking right next to each other.

And this was not just Kendrick’s thought. Schoolboy Q, Jay Rock, and Ab-Soul also sincerely acknowledged Sanghyun’s skills.

Perhaps the biggest result of Sanghyun’s LA curtain call tour was that it instilled impulses in Kendrick and Black Hippy members.

The urge to make music together.

Kendrick Lamar.

Schoolboy Q.

Jay Rock.

AB-Soul.

The Black Hippy rappers who were destined to succeed.

West Run.