The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 130

< Verse 19. Fame >

Verse 19. Fame

Being named ‘Musician of the Month’ by HiphopLE is a significant indicator of influence for both underground hip-hop musicians and their fans. This is because, for five years, they have maintained unwavering fairness, resisting external pressure from large agencies or the influence of money.

Korean hip-hop fans often say, ‘If America has BET Cypher, Korea has HiphopLE’s Musician of the Month.’

This ‘Musician of the Month’ award had a rule of ‘never’ re-selecting a musician within six months of their initial selection. However, from now on, that ‘never’ qualifier would disappear.

The 888 Crew was selected as the Musician of the Month for November.

***

HiphopLE – Magazine – Interview

Interviewer: Rance D

Interviewee: 888 Crew (Shin Jun-hyung, Lee Sang-hyun, Lee Sang-mi, Kim Hwan, Park In-hyuk, Woo Min-ho, Shin Ha-yeon, Oh Min-ji)

November 25th

[Interview] 888 Crew

The Golden Era.

When Notorious B.I.G, representing East Coast hip-hop, and 2Pac, representing West Coast hip-hop, died from gunshots after dissing each other, American hip-hop entered an era of great chaos.

In the East, Jay-Z and Nas struggled to claim Biggie’s throne, while in the West, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg fought to keep 2Pac’s throne.

Amidst this, Eminem, calling himself White Trash, made a shocking debut, and a few years later, Kanye West of Elite Music ‘Dropped Out of College’ (the name of Kanye’s debut album). Southern hip-hop, which had been relatively ignored, rose to the mainstream.

I still miss Biggie and Pac, but I believe that the true progress and revolution of American hip-hop occurred during that ‘chaotic’ era when the absolute figures disappeared.

And now, a similar chaos is happening in Korean hip-hop. Hip-hop, once treated as an outcast, is slowly entering the broadcasting world, and the number of hip-hop fans, once considered a niche group, is growing exponentially.

In the mainstream, Dynamic Duo and Leessang’s albums have been consecutive big hits, and in the underground, numerous musicians, led by Stars Records, are honing their rhymes.

Therefore, we cannot help but listen to the stories of the musicians who are leading (or even said to have created) this era of great chaos.

Unusually, this ‘Musician of the Month’ for November is a team that was already selected as Musician of the Month in September.

However, all the staff at HiphopLE believe that our judgment is not wrong. If we fail to listen to their story properly now, an unsolvable Missing Link will occur in the history of Korean hip-hop.

At a cafe in Mapo-gu [a district in Seoul], we met the eight members of the 888 Crew once again.

(Even the seats in the cafe were the same!)

*

LE: The 888 Crew has become a huge topic among Korean hip-hop fans since the ‘Show Business Incident’ and the ‘Club Homie’ performance. Could you give a brief introduction to hip-hop fans who still don’t know the 888 Crew?

Shin Jun-hyung: Huh? Isn’t that the opening line you used in September? It doesn’t seem to fit the current situation…

LE: (Laughing) So, does that mean there are no hip-hop fans who don’t know the 888 Crew anymore?

Shin Jun-hyung: Hello. We are the 888 Crew, who still need to work harder because many people don’t know us yet!

All: (Laughter)

LE: It’s my first time conducting an interview in such a short period, so I tried a corny joke. Before we get into the full interview, I’d like to hear about your recent activities.

Shin Jun-hyung: Well, as you can imagine, we’re putting most of our energy into preparing for the Hip-hop the Vibe performance. Of course, we’re also preparing for the upcoming Club Homie Vol.3 and the 888 Crew’s solo performance, which has been postponed to early next year.

LE: I’m learning something new from the start. There have been many rumors, but no concrete information. Is it confirmed that the 888 Crew will be appearing at Homie Vol.3, which is scheduled for the end of the year?

Shin Jun-hyung: Yes. The Stars *hyung*s [older brothers/male figures] kept asking so persistently every time we met on set… Those *hyung*s are a bit persistent and clingy, unlike their image. (Laughs)

Lee Sang-hyun: The Stars *hyung*s tend to cling to us. We’re aloof, you know.

LE: (Laughs) Hip-hop the Vibe filming will be completely finished by the end of December, right? When you performed Vol.1, the 888 Crew was just starting to make a name for themselves in the underground. By the time you perform Vol.3, the title of rookie will be meaningless.

Kim Hwan: We still think of ourselves as rookies. We don’t have a full-length album yet, and we haven’t done a solo performance yet.

LE: Do you realize how bold that statement is? It sounds like you’re saying that by the time the 888 Crew releases a full-length album and does a solo performance, you’ll widen the gap even further with the competitors who are fiercely chasing you right now?

Shin Jun-hyung: We always want to run in first place. But the Stars *hyung*s keep blocking our path, so we’re planning to defeat them for sure in the next round of Hip-hop the Vibe. (Laughs)

LE: I’m looking forward to it. By the way, I recently heard a really good story. Is it true that the 888 Crew refused all interviews with other media for our sake?

Lee Sang-hyun: HiphopLE has been so good to us, even breaking the unwritten rule that you’ve kept for five years. We didn’t have much to offer in return, so we thought we should at least give you an exclusive interview.

LE: Hearing that pleasant answer reminds me of a post that’s been trending on the internet for the past few days. Lee Sang-hyun, do you have any idea what I’m talking about?

Lee Sang-hyun: Yes (laughs). Are you talking about the *in-jeung-shot* [proof shot] story?

LE: That’s right. For readers who don’t know, let me briefly explain. A fan of Lee Sang-hyun posted a *in-jeung-shot* [proof shot] of a gift they received from Lee Sang-hyun on the internet, and it’s become a hot topic. It’s even been reported in internet articles. Could you tell us specifically what happened?

Lee Sang-hyun: Can I mention the brand name?

LE: Feel free to speak comfortably, and we’ll handle it with initials.

Lee Sang-hyun: I recently received a gift from a fan at the KMTV broadcasting station, a product from the B brand. Originally, I don’t accept expensive gifts because they make me uncomfortable, but I really wanted the B brand hoodie… Ah, you probably know what I’m talking about if I say this. The one Pusha T wore.

LE: Ah, I know exactly what you mean.

Lee Sang-hyun: (Laughs) Anyway, so I received the gift, but I had nothing to give in return. All I did was give them the CD player and bootleg series I had. On the internet, I’m being portrayed as very mannerly and caring for my fans, but I didn’t do anything worthy of that much praise. I’m a little embarrassed by the unexpected excessive praise.

Shin Jun-hyung: But from what I’ve observed of Sang-hyun, I think all of this is intentional. Everything he does turns out well. It would be one or two times, but it keeps happening, so I’m suspicious.

Lee Sang-hyun: Don’t say weird things in important situations, you crazy bastard.

Shin Jun-hyung: Wow, did you hear Sang-hyun swear just now? You have to include this. If you edit it out, I’ll diss you.

All: (Laughter)

(Omitted)

LE: Then let’s get into the story of the Bootleg series. First of all, Bootleg 0.5 is a free mixtape that was released by compiling previously released songs, right?

Shin Jun-hyung: Yes. All the tracks had already been released, so we didn’t sell it.

LE: Shin Ha-yeon, which song are you most fond of?

Shin Ha-yeon: I’d have to say Eight, Eight, Eight, which is a group song. It also has the uniqueness of being a trap music.

Park In-hyuk: I like ‘Gotta Move’. It has a flashy yet not-so-flashy vibe.

LE: I also think that ‘Gotta Move’ and ‘Eight, Eight, Eight’ were the most talked-about songs. Let’s start with the story of Eight, Eight, Eight. What do you think is the biggest appeal of trap music?

Lee Sang-hyun: Why are you looking at me?

Shin Jun-hyung: You’re the one who wanted to do it, so you have to answer.

Lee Sang-hyun: Uh… I think the appeal of trap music lies in its freedom. After all, boom bap and hardcore, which are mainstream in Korea, have stronger genre characteristics than trap.

LE: What are genre characteristics?

Lee Sang-hyun: I mean, boom bap has a rap style that suits boom bap. It’s a feeling of showing off flashy rap skills while intricately intertwined with the drum line. Hardcore has a feeling of cramming sounds into a unique, muffled beat.

But trap beats don’t seem to matter how you rap. You can rap like boom bap, or you can rap hardcore. You can rap with a lot of space like In-hyuk *hyung*, or you can fill the beat like Jun-hyung.

LE: Then what is the appeal of ‘Gotta Move’?

Lee Sang-hyun: Um, it’s a similar story, but the appeal of ‘Gotta Move’ is also freedom. The word ‘melodical rap’ means that you can freely adjust the speed of the rap. You don’t have to match the rhyme in a rigid way, and you can create a sense of rhythm with melody.

LE: I see. Have you ever heard of the term 888 Kid?

Shin Jun-hyung: I’m a little embarrassed, but I know it (laughs). We lurk on HiphopLE a lot.

Oh Min-ji: When Min-ho *oppa* [older brother/male friend] or Sang-mi turn on the internet, HiphopLE is what comes up.

LE: Since you know it well, I’ll ask you a question about 888 Kids. The 888 Crew’s rap style that 888 Kids are currently imitating can be largely divided into three categories.

The melodicalness of ‘Gotta Move’, the uniqueness of trap music, and the unique lyricalness represented by Crowching Writer. What do you think about this imitation?

Lee Sang-hyun: I think it’s a natural trend to follow American hip-hop. As the enthusiasts know, the sound we brought is not something we completely created. We just tried it first in Korea.

Trap music was heavily inspired by Gucci Mane’s Trap House and T.I.’s Trap Musik, and melodical rap was heavily influenced by sentimental LA rap musicians and reggae sounds. Not to mention, 100-bar rap was based on Canibus.

The important thing is to mix your own interpretation or thoughts into the imitation, rather than simply imitating the sound.

LE: Is there anything else you want to say to the 888 Kids?

Lee Sang-hyun: The expression 888 Kid is a bit awkward. What I want to say is that our sound didn’t just pop out of nowhere.

From Garion *sunbaenim*s [senior artists/predecessors], who led the first generation of underground hip-hop, to the raps of Stars Records *hyung*s, whom we respect, we have listened, researched, and sang along thousands of times to find our style.

Some people treat us as beings who have grown heterogeneously in Korean hip-hop and only want to be ‘unique’, but strictly speaking, we are also trees that have grown by using the knowledge of Korean hip-hop, which started in ’99, as nourishment.

Rather than blindly following us, I think it would be good to think about what aspects of Korean hip-hop we are aiming for and what aspects we are avoiding.

The conclusion is respect for Korean hip-hop.

(Omitted)

< Verse 19. Fame > End

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