The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 290

< Verse 44. The End (完) >

***

“Oh, you’re here? Man, this is so cool. There’s even a turntable app. I bet you could even compose music with this later on?”

Standard saw Sanghyun entering the hospital room and shook his smartphone. He seemed pretty amazed by the smartphone Hadel had gotten him a few days ago.

Sanghyun teased him, calling him a country bumpkin.

“That’s been around since last year, you idiot. It’s just that the adoption rate was low, so the internet was terribly slow.”

“What does a low adoption rate have to do with slow internet?”

“Well, the demand for smartphones is like a combined demand for phone and internet functions, but the combined demand I’m talking about here isn’t the actual combined demand in economics.”

“…….”

“Anyway, for that combined demand to occur, ah, before that, should I explain that I’m a believer in Keynesian effective demand theory [economic theory emphasizing government intervention] first?”

“……Shut up. I’m not curious.”

“Why? I’ll explain it since you said you were curious.”

“Shut up. Before I call security.”

Standard grumbled, and Sanghyun burst into laughter.

“Anyway, how’s your body?”

“Why is someone who’s worried about my body talking about such a headache-inducing story?”

It had been two weeks since Standard regained consciousness.

He was gradually recovering his health.

He still couldn’t walk without assistive devices, but according to the doctor, if he worked hard on rehabilitation, he would have no difficulty recovering his past health.

He would have to use a wheelchair, but he had been given permission to attend the Grammy Awards.

“You know tomorrow is the Grammys, right?”

“Of course. What else would I be doing sitting in a hospital room? Just watching TV and looking at the calendar.”

“Funny. It seems like you’ve been lying in the hospital room and making more money than me these past few days?”

“Hey, the person who made a diamond [certified platinum, meaning over 10 million copies sold] selling my name shouldn’t say that. I was shocked when I saw the money in my account the other day, but you’re saying you made several times more than that?”

“The expression ‘selling my name’ is too harsh, let’s just say it’s an album made hoping for a friend to wake up.”

“For something like that, the lyrics have nothing to do with me? I thought it would be an album where my name comes out and you’re shouting for me to wake up.”

“Ew, how childish.”

“You’re more childish for thinking I would wake up if you won a Grammy.”

“Is that so? Look forward to it. See how much I’ll laugh when the commercial comes on.”

“Hey, it’s because I’m sick. If I had filmed it last year, it would have been a swagger explosion. Don’t laugh at a really sick person’s appearance.”

“Fuck.”

Sanghyun flipped him off, and Standard returned the gesture.

***

A lot had happened at H&R INC during the past two weeks since Standard regained consciousness.

Kendrick, who had stopped activities after his first album , released his second album , and Black Hippy’s compilation album was on the verge of release.

At the same time, Psychodelic Records became the second label under H&R INC, following T.D.E [Top Dawg Entertainment], and a branch of H&R INC was established in New York.

Also, the upcoming event was the third Grammy Awards that H&R INC would be attending.

However, what the people of H&R INC were more interested in than these many events was Standard’s activities.

It started with Standard grumbling in front of Hadel Raines as a joke.

‘No, but when I think about it, it’s unfair.’

‘What is?’

‘Sanghyun filmed the convertible commercial, but why did I do the human safety test?’

‘Are you upset that you couldn’t film the commercial, or are you upset that the accident happened?’

‘I’m upset that I couldn’t film the commercial. As for the accident… I survived because I have amazing reflexes, but if it had been Sanghyun, he would have died.’

At Standard’s words, Hadel closed the book he was reading and asked.

‘Aren’t you upset?’

‘About what?’

‘Strictly speaking, the terror aimed at Sanghyun was directed at you.’

‘The terror directed at me is unfortunate, but Sanghyun giving me that expensive car was a favor. Misfortune caused by a favor is usually called bad luck. What can I do about luck?’

Hadel had two thoughts while looking at Standard.

One was the absurd thought that he had blocked the fatal misfortune that had been directed at Sanghyun, and the other was the guilt he felt towards Standard.

However, Hadel did not apologize.

He knew that becoming a reliable promoter who would never waver was the way to truly care for a musician, rather than making himself feel better through an apology.

So he said.

‘You’ll get hate for it?’

‘Huh? What hate are you suddenly talking about?’

‘You’ll get hate if you film a commercial.’

‘Are you talking about me right now? Did I get a commercial offer?’

‘Nothing has been decided yet, but there’s a proposal that the advertising agency can’t refuse. How about it? Do you want to do it?’

‘What’s a little hate compared to that. I’ll do it. Which company is it?’

And the result of the story Standard and Hadel shared was now being shown on the main screen of the Staples Center [now Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles].

-I almost died.

The moment Standard’s face appeared on the main screen, which was tuned to the CBS channel broadcasting the Grammy Awards, the attention of the numerous spectators who had come to the Staples Center today was focused.

The most expensive place for advertising costs per second in the United States was the Super Bowl halftime show, and the second most expensive place was the Grammy Awards.

Of course, unlike the overwhelming number one Super Bowl halftime show, the Grammys often lost its second place spot, but nevertheless, the Grammy Awards commercial was a very expensive commercial broadcast nationwide.

So the audience was puzzled.

Strictly speaking, Standard was not a famous name to the public before the accident.

His name was often mentioned along with Golden New Era and H&R INC in the media, but not many people knew his face properly.

Of course, he gained fame after the accident.

FiveSix made an album in his name, and the story was that he woke up right before the Grammys and was aiming for a Grammy Award.

Nevertheless, Standard was not famous enough to take up a golden time commercial at the Grammy Awards.

The commercial that monopolized the attention of so many people continued.

The Standard on the screen was sitting on a hospital bed in a haggard appearance wearing a patient gown, recalling the moment he almost died.

-The moment I turned the steering wheel to the right, everything went dark. I saw a huge truck covering me, and the moment that truck hit the car body, a huge shock swept over me.

Standard paused for a moment as if recalling the past, then shook his head.

-Even thinking about it now, it’s dizzying. If I were to experience such an accident again, the probability of dying would be higher than the probability of surviving.

Now people were wondering what kind of commercial Standard had filmed.

‘Is this perhaps part of a documentary filmed at the Grammys? A musician who overcame death? Something like that?’

The video on the screen was too static to be considered a commercial. The silence or stillness was also too long.

-But anyway, I survived. Someone said that God saved me because I still had something to do, and someone said that the truck driver reflexively turned the steering wheel and didn’t directly hit the driver’s seat, so I survived.

The audience’s curiosity reached its peak, and finally the outline of the commercial began to emerge.

-But I don’t think so. What saved my life… was you.

The Standard on the screen shot a strong look at the camera, and soon the scenery of the hospital room gradually closed darkly.

After that, with a voice saying ‘Save Your Life’…

-BMW!

Standard’s cheerful shout came out.

That’s how the commercial ended.

“…….”

“…….”

After the commercial ended, the Staples Center was filled with an unknown silence.

“……What is this.”

It was impossible to grasp how to express this.

Should I be glad that the guy who came back from the dead looks healthy, or should I be dumbfounded that the guy who came back from the dead is filming such a commercial?

What broke the silence was the insane laughter of five men.

“Hahahahaha!”

“Puhahaha!”

The main characters of the laughter were of course Sanghyun and the musicians of H&R INC.

It was funny to think of such a commercial, but the more they looked at it, the funnier Standard’s solemn (?) expression was.

‘Ah, damn it, everyone was clapping and happy when I entered the photo zone.’

In the meantime, Standard couldn’t lift his head.

In that way, Standard’s BMW commercial, which caused people’s bewilderment for a while, was criticized for raising money and sublimating the threat of death into marketing, but nevertheless, it ended up recording the most visible results in the history of automobile advertising.

And the Grammy Awards began.

***

Last year, Sanghyun didn’t care about not receiving an award at the Grammys.

To be exact, it was right that he couldn’t care. [He was too preoccupied to care.]

Because the existence of Standard, who was not regaining consciousness, was too heavy to grumble about not receiving an award.

However, even in the meantime, the media talked about Sanghyun’s failure to win an award, and a lot of criticism was poured out on the Grammy’s conservative attitude.

It was said that FiveSix was doing rap music that the Grammys hated, and that the Grammy’s elders hated races other than white people, so he couldn’t receive an award.

In particular, not receiving the Best New Artist award was fatal.

Sanghyun had an advantage, but Album of the Year , Record of the Year , and Song of the Year were structures that could be sufficiently competitive.

It meant that Tyler Swift’s dazzling performance and Beyonce’s seasoned skills were forming a tense confrontation with Sanghyun.

But it wasn’t Best New Artist.

There was no nominee who was evaluated to be able to beat FiveSix in anything from sales to recognition and ripple effect, and even musical perfection.

Nevertheless, the 2010 Grammy’s Best New Artist Award went to the Zack Brown Band.

The only award Sanghyun grabbed was the Best Rap Collaboration he received with Eminem’s Crack A Bottle.

Even the Best Rap Solo Performance category, which was expected to be won by I Swear , failed to win the award due to Jay-Z’s D.O.A, and the Best Rap Album category also had to be given to Eminem’s .

In response, a lot of criticism arose, but fans of Zack Brown Band, Eminem, and Jay-Z also said that FiveSix’s sales were high, but the Grammys were not determined by sales alone.

In addition, they argued that the album sales index was high, but it was only in the top ranks on the single charts.

But this year was not.

It was a year when it was difficult for anyone to say that they could compete with FiveSix.

Even Susan Boyle, who came out on an audition program and was ignored for her ugly appearance, but overcame everything and sold 4 million copies of her debut album, also expressed her respect for Sanghyun in an interview.

‘FiveSix is a musician who gives me great inspiration, and a musician I respect. The common point between him and me is that we were both discriminated against because of our appearance, and the difference between him and me is that he is more excellent. This year’s Grammy is FiveSix’s.’

Susan Boyle was known for being humble, but her interview felt like sincerity rather than humility.

In fact, it didn’t make sense for a musician who had set a record of to not receive an award.

-Billboard Album Chart #1 for 5 consecutive weeks.

-Billboard Chart #1 single, 3 songs.

-Occupied the #1 spot on the Billboard single chart for a total of 14 weeks, taking the baton with 3 singles.

-Overwhelming radio airplay score.

-Overwhelming sales. Twenty-first musician in the United States to be certified as a diamond disc.

-Rolling Stone selected 2010 Album of the Year #1.

-Magazine Q selected, Great Hip Hop Album #3.

-The musician who sold the most albums in the first week of release among rap musicians.

-Ranked 4th among all musicians who sold the most albums within 1 year of release.

There were countless other titles that Sanghyun had grabbed.

‘Who is getting the award if you don’t get the award after setting these records?’

Everyone asserted that Sanghyun would win the 2011 Grammys.

If last year was a prediction, this year was an assertion.

And that assertion seemed to be correct.

-Best Rap Solo Performance! FiveSix!

-Best Rap Performance! FiveSix!

-Best Rap Album! Standard!

Except for Best Rap Song and Best Collaboration Rap Song going to Jay-Z’s Empire State Of Mind, he swept the awards in all categories of the rap field.

Sanghyun and the people of H&R INC, who achieved 4 crowns at once, waited for the announcement of the main award.

This was because Sanghyun was nominated in 3 categories excluding Best New Artist, which was announced early on.

“Did you prepare an acceptance speech?”

Sanghyun poked Standard in the side and asked.

“Huh? No?”

“Should I tell you a good line?”

“What is it?”

“Best My Work! BMW!”

The moment Sanghyun was teasing Standard and giggling, the winner of Album Of The Year was announced.

“Arcade Fire of The Surburbs!”

The moment the name of the Canadian rock band Arcade Fire was called, there was more murmuring than congratulatory applause.

This was because the audience and musicians were also surprised by the unexpected result.

And the unexpected result continued in the next main award announcement.

“The winner of Song Of The Year is… Lady Antebellum of Need You Now!”

The moment the Song of the Year was given to the country band Lady Antebellum, everyone looked at Sanghyun instead of the winners.

And the last main award announced after Lady Gaga’s performance, Record of the Year , which is awarded to producers and engineers, was also Lady Antebellum’s share.

The moment Lady Antebellum went on stage, boos erupted from somewhere in the audience.

And that booing began to spread gradually.

The Grammy’s special love for country was already famous, but now it was really absurd.

Of course, it wasn’t that Lady Antebellum’s album was bad. They were the best country group, and sales were also heading from double platinum to triple platinum.

The audience who were booing now were not cursing Lady Antebellum.

They were cursing the Grammys.

It was really too much.

It was never easy to consistently hit 3 consecutive home runs from to , and FiveSix showed a better appearance as the years went by.

However, FiveSix’s song, which reached his parents in heaven and Standard who had not regained consciousness, seemed to have not reached the Grammy Award elders.

“Fuck Grammy!”

Some of the black people sitting in the audience spat out curses and got up from their seats, and soon quite a few people kicked off their seats.

In terms of the entire audience, it was only a small percentage, but it was also a very unusual sight.

The moment everyone was focused on Sanghyun, Sanghyun got up from his seat.

And applauded Lady Antebellum.

-Clap clap clap.

The moment Sanghyun’s applause rang out, everyone applauded belatedly.

Sanghyun’s actions were right.

Complaints or criticisms about the Grammys should be expressed after the festival is over. If you respect Lady Antebellum, who is standing blankly on stage in embarrassment.

In that way, a slightly late, but louder applause was poured out towards the stage, and Lady Antebellum sent a thank you to Sanghyun.

“Aren’t you disappointed?”

Hadel asked Sanghyun in a voice between applause.

But Sanghyun threw a question instead of an answer.

“Hadel. I’m sorry, but can you cancel all the remaining schedules?”

“Why?”

“I thought of something to do.”

“What to do? You’re not retiring, are you?”

“No way.”

The moment the last announcement of the Grammy Awards was made, he was disappointed, angry, and felt bad.

He was disappointed that he couldn’t win the Grammy he wanted to give to Standard, he was angry because he felt like he was being treated unfairly, and negative emotions gathered and made him feel bad.

But suddenly, he felt strange.

After thinking hard about what was strange, it was strange that the reason he was angry was not because of the music, but because he couldn’t receive something because of the music.

[Of course, money, fame, and popularity are not the ultimate goals of the 888 Crew. They are measures of whether we are on the right path, and by-products.

It means that if we move towards the ultimate goal, money, fame, popularity, etc. will follow.]

Sanghyun coveted fame and popularity for the first time while making and .

It wasn’t wrong.

It was because Touch The Sky was for his parents, and Standard was coveted for Standard.

However, if he had only thought about music, he wouldn’t have been angry that he didn’t receive a Grammy. Because Standard had already woken up, and his song would have been delivered to his parents.

If he wanted more money and more fame, there was no reason to start music.

There was no reason to throw himself into uncertainty.

So…….

[Therefore, our ultimate goal is very simple.

Forever 888.

For everyone who knew the 888 Crew to remember us for the rest of their lives. For the current complete 888 Crew to live forever in everyone’s memory. Just like the Beatles and N.W.A did. To do that, we have to work harder.]

He wanted to go to Korea.

Instead of aiming for Grammys, he wanted to gather together in a small studio and work hard to beat yesterday’s self and beat the 888 Crew in the mirror.

‘If you want to follow me, you’ll have to work hard for a long time now.’

Sanghyun smiled like that.

“Hadel. They say there are three acts in a person’s life.”

The first act was in 2005.

The year he experienced regression and met the 888 Crew members.

The second act was in 2007.

The time he came to the United States, struggled to overcome racism, grew, and met his current friends.

And now the second act was coming down and the third act was about to begin.

“I have to go to Korea. I think it’s time to start the third act.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but is it already the third act? If there are three acts in life, doesn’t that mean you die when the third act ends?”

“So you have to set big goals. So that the act doesn’t end and can continue.”

“Is being in Korea a bigger goal than the Grammys?”

“Of course.”

“How long does it take to get from LA to Korea? Your body won’t be able to handle going back and forth.”

“Don’t worry. You don’t have to go back and forth, just make a reason to come to Korea. Ah, to do that, Standard has to be able to get on a plane first.”

Sanghyun smiled.

Since he was going back anyway, he was thinking of preparing silk clothes for a triumphant return, so he couldn’t go back empty-handed. [idiom for returning home successful and wealthy]

He was already excited and his whole body was itching.

The Grammys didn’t matter.

‘Ah, but the Grammy old men are unlucky, so I shouldn’t attend in the future.’

In that way, Sanghyun started clapping first and applauded until the very end.

This applause was a congratulatory applause for Lady Antebellum, but it was also an applause welcoming the coming days.

His second act had The End uploaded, but there was still a third act left.

And the title of that third act will probably be On & On.

< Verse 44. The End (完) > End

ⓒ