The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 127

< Verse 18. Hip Hop The Vibe >

A low tone with a deliverable flow.

Junhyung was a rapper highly praised among low-tone musicians. This evaluation didn’t mean his rap was perfect, but rather that he had the potential to become the best.

When Junhyung raised the intensity and unleashed sounds with speed and rhythm, the audience was captivated.

The sound system, designed for a small audience of 250, ensured clear lyrics reached everyone watching.

Junhyung’s rap began to deliver the lyrics in earnest.

I make money but don’t spend it, just write lyrics
I already bought what I wanted
Put my family’s name in the crew
A boxer protecting my colleagues’ names

As Junhyung started rapping, the Stars Records members focused intently on the lyrics.

They worried the theme of ‘money’ might be a tough sell for the 888 Crew. It wouldn’t be if approached conventionally, but the 888 Crew hated the ordinary.

And as they suspected, the 888 Crew was delivering something different.

I make money but don’t spend it.
What on earth does this mean?

Music is my strongest weapon
A bank account full of bullets, my armory
If you want to call it greed, listen closely,
And judge, I don’t bow my head to money

Junhyung declared that ‘music’ was his strongest weapon. Of course, money was also a weapon in his arsenal.

Money was undeniably powerful in modern society. That was undeniable.

But Junhyung’s primary weapon was ‘rap,’ and he wouldn’t bow to money.

The way I rap, my family’s morning
My spirit for them, FX equation [Foreign Exchange equation, referring to financial gains]
If you substitute money, what comes out
Will be the word freedom

Junhyung rapped fiercely, filling and even exceeding the bars [measures in music]. The rhythm, created by carefully controlled breaths, added sophistication.

Junhyung’s rap style, initially influenced by Sanghyun, was now carving out its own unique space.

Freedom is not Free, there’s no such thing as a free lunch
I sell rap and get fair value
Not for sale. Overflowing with lies
Rap all day, stay up all night tomorrow

The 16 bars, like a high-performance supercar on the track, ended without pause.

It felt like the entire rap was delivered in a single breath.

-Wowwww!

-Kyaaaa!

The audience erupted as Junhyung’s rap concluded.

Did they truly grasp the value of Junhyung’s rap?

I make money but don’t spend it
I make money but don’t spend it
The bullets stashed in my account
I don’t fire them recklessly

Inhyuk’s seemingly drunken, staggering chorus began. But the Stars Records members were still processing Junhyung’s lyrics.

They hadn’t heard the full clip rehearsal due to the interview. The 888 Crew’s rehearsal followed Stars Records’, allowing them to enter the space around the time the full clip ended.

The impact of Junhyung’s lyrics was intense.

Stars Records understood the full clip’s lyrics more deeply than most.

Mental freedom is the true value of money.

Freedom is not Free.

‘Wow, these crazy bastards.’

Wooyeonwoo, covered in goosebumps, glanced around. The Stars Records members wore the same stunned expressions.

However, Codenamed or Bounce Rhyme, not being underground musicians, didn’t seem to react to the lyrics.

‘If you substitute money, what comes out, will be the word freedom.’

Wooyeonwoo pondered Junhyung’s words.

No Korean hip-hop rapper had said this before. The underground scene was often shackled by a ‘hungry resistance spirit.’

In a way, Junhyung’s lyrics could provoke hardcore underground fans. Yet, all the musicians couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

Underground musicians weren’t detached from the money-driven modern world. They also desired musical success.

If their music remained solely within underground values, the goals of underground and overground musicians wouldn’t differ much.

However, hip-hop fans often imposed strange images and constraints on underground rappers in the name of ‘artistry.’

The 888 Crew’s full clip represented a step forward in lyrical innovation, armed with honesty.

Wooyeonwoo was unaware that this progress in Korean hip-hop had been pioneered by E-Sens in 2007.

He, who advocated the streets, always

Had to talk about it and be applauded
Making hundreds of millions with a reality story where a million won is urgent
Greed grew bigger and kept him alive, tying up his thoughts

2007 Keebe’s Twisted Words.

In Twisted World, E-Sens’ verse exposed the contradictions of the underground genre and challenged countless listeners’ assumptions.

I make money but don’t spend it
I make money but don’t spend it
The bullets stashed in my account
I don’t fire them recklessly

Wooyeonwoo was certain that the broadcast next week would spark controversy about money on the Hiphopplaya bulletin board.

Oblivious to Wooyeonwoo’s thoughts, Inhyuk screamed again, as if his chest was being pierced.

I make money but don’t spend it-!
I make money but don’t spend it-!
Even dog poop is useless if you need it for medicine! [Korean proverb meaning something is useless unless it’s needed]
I make money but don’t spend it-!
I make money but don’t spend it-!
I make money but don’t spend it-!
The bullets stashed in my account!
I don’t fire them recklessly-!

The audience, initially confused by the lyrics, gradually became captivated by Park Inhyuk’s simple, direct hook.

The chorus lyrics displayed on the screen encouraged audience participation.

For the first time, someone joined in, and the simple chorus spread like a virus.

-I make money but don’t spend it!

“I make money but don’t spend it!”

Inhyuk, energized, resumed his signature shoulder-shrugging dance. Someone in the audience shouted, ‘I saw it in the Mudung Stadium video!’

The bullets stashed in my account!
I don’t fire them recklessly-!

Another chorus ended, and Inhyuk stepped aside.

Hayeon, standing behind Inhyuk, began rapping without moving.

My music doesn’t value money
But I don’t deny the value of money either
My equipment to make music for the rest of my life and
Just a house to live with my dad for the rest of my life

Hayeon’s rap argued for the value of money more passively than Junhyung.

The overall concept of money was similar for all three, but their individual feelings differed.

It’s enough to have it, I don’t want more,
But you can’t give it for free
What I learned is stealing, then I’m a thief
Stealing the audience’s attention in three minutes

Hayeon typically preferred a rap style with ample space for the beat. However, influenced by Junhyung’s rap, this verse became an engaging song with a rough, bar-filling beat.

Like Led Zeppelin’s delicate rock, Hayeon’s full clip verse showcased a ‘delicate bombing’ rap.

-Shin Hayeon!

-Wowwww!

A feminine appearance and voice.

But violence hidden in the rap.

Hayeon’s rap, highlighting her contrasting charms, possessed a star quality capable of captivating the public, much like Sanghyun.

Money makes money, money calls money
Lack makes lack, lack also calls friends.
Triple Eight, more than I wanted
It gave me bigger things, but I don’t know why to refuse

Triple Eight’s success exceeded their expectations.

But they hadn’t cheated or strayed from their ‘Be the Underground’ banner.

Why reject the sweet fruit? Just because of baseless criticism about being obsessed with money?

I don’t look at trees I can’t climb
But if it’s under my feet, I’ll climb it
Only doing music and making a living
Instead of lying, I’m full even while dieting

Hayeon’s rap concluded strongly.

As Hayeon turned around, Inhyuk reappeared.

The audience anticipated another chorus, confident they could sing along better this time.

But Inhyuk wasn’t predictable.

The rough drum sound, dududu!, transitioned back to the muffled intro, deumdeumdeum. The strings faded away.

Sensation has a threshold, often related to volume. To feel an explosion of sound, the ear must be stimulated above that threshold.

Conversely, when a loud sound suddenly retreats, a strange focus forms alongside the buzzing tinnitus [ringing in the ears].

Inhyuk abruptly started clapping.

As the beat sped up, clapping replaced the hi-hat, dividing the beat.

The audience clapped along.

The beat was fast, and the clapping skillfully split it. It seemed perfect for a fast rap.

But Inhyuk filled it with absurd thoughts.

‘Trap beats are slow but go well with fast rap. Wouldn’t it be fun to do a rap that’s empty on a fast beat?’

A truly Park Inhyuk-esque attempt.

There’s an interesting story about the first meeting between Notorious B.I.G, a hip-hop legend, and Jay-Z, the king of New York.

Notorious was known as a musician who didn’t write lyrics, and supposedly taught Jay-Z that method.

But the truth was the opposite.

‘When Jay-Z finished recording without writing lyrics, Biggie (Notorious) couldn’t enter the booth. After listening to Jay-Z’s track, Biggie left, saying he’d record tomorrow. Jay-Z’s rap turned the on-beat into an off-beat, and vice versa. He filled the empty space and emptied the space to be filled. Analyzing the beat in his recording was impossible. It was an absurd skill. From the next day, Biggie also stopped writing lyrics like Jay-Z.’

Junhyung and Hayeon likely felt similarly to Biggie after hearing Inhyuk’s recordings.

Inhyuk’s track wasn’t necessarily superior, but his approach to rap shocked Junhyung and Hayeon.

The source of that shock began to grace the Hip Hop The Vibe stage.

I don’t know well
Money, women, Be famous
Someone tells me
That’s pretty Dangerous

Inhyuk, known for his laybacks [rapping slightly behind the beat], created a sense of rhythm, prowling around the snare.

But real money
I don’t think I need it
I’m past the age
Bible of value determination

The audience found Inhyuk’s rap fresh, and the musicians found him brave.

It would have been enough to rap normally.

But Inhyuk wanted a slow rap, and he delivered.

I make money,
I don’t plan to spend it
But if a lot of money piles up
That’s a measure of success

Inhyuk’s rap, where the beat was empty but the stage wasn’t, continued slyly.

Sanghyun asked Inhyuk why he rapped like that, feeling inspired but unable to grasp the intention.

Inhyuk’s answer was simple.

‘What I want to say is all over in the chorus. So I’m just helping with the explanation with 12 bars of rap.’

Inhyuk considered the chorus the main element of the full clip, his rap a stepping stone.

I make money but don’t spend it-!
I make money but don’t spend it-!
Even dog poop is useless if you need it for medicine!
I make money but don’t spend it-!
I make money but don’t spend it-!
I make money but don’t spend it-!
The bullets stashed in my account!
I don’t fire them recklessly-!

The chorus, sped up by the faster beat, exploded. The audience didn’t fully understand Inhyuk’s intention, but they definitely thought he was cool.

‘Inhyuk shines brightest in the 888 Crew.’

Bae Ga felt Junhyung and Hayeon, responsible for verses 1 and 2, contributed greatly to Inhyuk’s coolness. If the previous verses were bad, Inhyuk’s verse would have suffered. Because Inhyuk was rapping outside the lines.

However, with Junhyung and Hayeon filling the bars amazingly, Inhyuk’s rap sounded even more amazing.

I make money but don’t spend it-!
I make money but don’t spend it-!
Even dog poop is useless if you need it for medicine!
I make money but don’t spend it-!
I make money but don’t spend it-!
I make money but don’t spend it-!
The bullets stashed in my account!
I don’t fire them recklessly-!

As if on cue, the audience began singing along.

The 250 audience members at Hip Hop The Vibe were active fans or those developing an interest in hip-hop culture.

They watched enthusiastically, actively participating and enjoying the performance.

This was why they sang along even more excitedly when Inhyuk, Junhyung, and Hayeon handed them the microphone and stood still.

-I make money but don’t spend it!

-I make money but don’t spend it!

That’s how the Full Clip performance, the vanguard of the 888 Crew, ended.

< Verse 18. Hip Hop The Vibe > End

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