The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 141

As PD [Production Director] Heo Tae-jin announced the results, the audience and musicians reacted with a mix of celebration and despair. Some outcomes were predictable, while others were genuine surprises.

* One-on-One Battle

1. Stars Records (Kim Yu-hwa) VS Bounce Rhyme (Shin Gak)

– Stars Records wins

2. 888 Crew (Oh Min-ji) VS Bounce Rhyme (Edition)

– 888 Crew wins

3. 888 Crew (Park In-hyuk) VS Stars Records (Yeom Hyun-pil)

– Stars Records wins

Total:

Stars Records 2 points

888 Crew 1 point

Bounce Rhyme 0 points

“The battle between Park In-hyuk and Yeom Hyun-pil was incredibly tight, decided by a single point. 888 Crew received 75 votes out of 151, while Stars Records secured 76,” PD Heo Tae-jin announced.

Yeom Hyun-pil and the Stars Records members visibly relaxed at Heo Tae-jin’s words. They had secured a valuable lead in the one-on-one battles with 2 points.

Next, the results of the two-on-two battles were revealed.

* Two-on-Two Battle

4. 888 Crew (Kim Hwan, Shin Ha-yeon) VS Stars Records (Kim Yu-hwa, Oh Myung-jin)

– Stars Records wins

5. Bounce Rhyme (Dolphin, Edition) VS Stars Records (Oh Myung-jin, Yeom Hyun-pil)

– Stars Records wins

6. 888 Crew (Lee Sang-hyun, Shin Jun-hyung) VS Bounce Rhyme (Dolphin, Shin Gak)

– 888 Crew wins

Total:

Stars Records 4 points

888 Crew 2 points

Bounce Rhyme 0 points

The two-on-two battles mirrored the one-on-one results.

Stars Records and 888 Crew both handily defeated Bounce Rhyme, earning crucial points.

The subsequent two-on-two battle between 888 Crew and Stars Records followed the same pattern, with Stars Records emerging victorious, widening the gap established in the one-on-one rounds.

This created a 2-point difference between 888 Crew and Stars Records, leaving the 888 Crew members looking noticeably deflated. At this stage, the overall outcome seemed almost predetermined.

* Group Battle

7. 888 Crew (Shin Jun-hyung, Park In-hyuk, Lee Sang-hyun) VS Stars Records (Bae Sang-wook, Yeom Hyun-pil, Woo Yeon-woo)

– 888 Crew wins

8. 888 Crew (Shin Jun-hyung, Kim Hwan, Shin Ha-yeon) VS Bounce Rhyme (Dolphin, Shin Gak, Edition)

– 888 Crew wins

9. Stars Records (Bae Sang-wook, Woo Yeon-woo, Yeom Hyun-pil) VS Bounce Rhyme (Dolphin, Shin Gak, Edition)

– Bounce Rhyme wins

As soon as the results flashed on the screen, the more astute audience members erupted in cheers. Those who hadn’t been meticulously tracking the points joined in the frenzy after seeing the final tally.

– Wow!

– Encore! Encore!

Total:

Stars Records 4 points

888 Crew 4 points

Bounce Rhyme 1 point

The group battle culminated in a dramatic tie between 888 Crew and Stars Records, injecting fresh tension into the competition.

“Wow… this is getting interesting, isn’t it?” Bae Ga remarked to his teammates with a wry smile.

He confessed that he had prematurely celebrated after the two-on-two results, only to be blindsided by strong performances from both 888 Crew and Bounce Rhyme in the group battles.

PD Heo Tae-jin beamed, clearly delighted that the narrative was unfolding in the most compelling way possible.

He briefly considered the potential for accusations of result manipulation online, but quickly dismissed them. The results were genuine, regardless of how improbable they seemed.

“We have a tie for first place!” PD Heo Tae-jin announced, commanding the audience’s attention.

“The team eliminated in the 3rd round is… Bounce Rhyme. Let’s give a huge round of applause to Bounce Rhyme, who delivered passionate and skillful performances throughout Hip Hop the Vibe 2!”

The audience responded with enthusiastic applause.

Although not a rap aficionado himself, PD Heo Tae-jin had noticed a distinct evolution in Dolphin’s performance during this 3rd round compared to the previous ones.

The live audience might have missed the nuances, but it was his job to highlight Dolphin’s improvements in the edit, presenting them in an appealing way, much like how De-Red’s ‘Dread’ had garnered widespread acclaim from hip-hop fans.

“The 4th round, our final round, will be a free battle on the theme of ‘hip-hop’ between Stars Records and 888 Crew. Each team will face the other.”

The applause gradually died down as PD Heo Tae-jin spoke, the audience now fully focused.

“There’s a special privilege reserved solely for the first-place team today. That privilege is… the right to feature [invite a guest artist to perform with them].”

The first-place team in the 3rd round competition earns the opportunity to recruit a featured artist for the 4th round. Featuring is limited to one song, but there are no restrictions on the number of featured artists in that song.

Furthermore, the first-place team simply needs to inform the broadcasting station of their desired featured artist. The station will handle everything from scouting to covering the featuring costs. It’s a potentially game-changing opportunity if utilized strategically.

After the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd rounds, each team has revealed their strengths to some extent. However, a well-chosen feature could shatter audience expectations and create something truly special.

888 Crew, lacking a dedicated vocalist, could bring in a powerful singer. Stars Records, without a prominent female rapper, could add that dimension to their sound. Alternatively, they could enlist a male vocalist to create harmonies with Kim Yu-hwa.

“In that case… we need to determine the first-place team, don’t we?”

At PD Heo Tae-jin’s words, the audience, who thought the performances were over, became energized once more.

It was time for the ‘hidden track’ that both teams had prepared specifically for this scenario.

In the event of a tie, each team would be granted an additional 2 minutes to perform a secret track. The strategy for those 2 minutes was entirely up to each team, and the nature of their hidden track remained a closely guarded secret.

PD Heo Tae-jin, privy to both teams’ hidden tracks, struggled to suppress his amusement.

“We’ll decide the performance order with rock-paper-scissors. The musician in charge of each team’s hidden track, please come to the center of the stage!”

Note the singular ‘musician,’ not ‘musicians.’

As soon as Heo Tae-jin finished speaking, Bae Ga confidently strode forward from Stars Records.

Woo Yeon-woo, Yeom Hyun-pil, Kim Yu-hwa, and Oh Myung-jin were all exceptional musicians, but Bae Ga, Bae Sang-wook, was the undisputed representative of Stars Records.

Bae Ga began to speculate about who 888 Crew would send out. His initial assumption was Lee Sang-hyun.

Lee Sang-hyun had only participated in two battles that day. Considering his usual prominence within 888 Crew, that seemed unusually low.

‘No, regardless, the strongest card 888 Crew could possibly play is…’

Just then, Bae Ga saw someone walking confidently towards the center of the stage. It was Lee Sang-mi.

‘What? What’s going on?’

Bae Ga was taken aback by this unexpected appearance. The audience began to murmur in confusion.

Then, Sang-mi, halfway to the center of the stage, suddenly spun around, and Lee Sang-hyun burst forth. The siblings exchanged a natural high-five as they passed each other.

Bae Ga couldn’t help but smile at 888 Crew’s playful antics, even in this high-pressure moment.

“Ah, you really surprised me,” Bae Ga said, shaking hands with Sang-hyun, who had now reached the center of the stage. Sang-hyun grinned and returned the handshake.

“Why are you surprised?”

“Aren’t you surprised that Sang-mi came out?”

“Oh, come on. It’s not that. You’re surprised that I *didn’t* come out, right?”

“Why would I be? I thought In-hyuk or Jun-hyung would come out.”

“Well? I figured you hyung [older brother/senior] had prepared a song specifically to target me?”

Bae Ga felt a twinge of guilt at Sang-hyun’s knowing smile. The guy was like a mind reader.

At the same time, Bae Ga realized that Sang-hyun had indeed anticipated a song aimed directly at him.

“Are you going to snipe [target] hyung?”

“I thought Yeon-woo hyung would come out?”

The handshake between the two, half-joking and half-nervous, concluded. Under PD Heo Tae-jin’s direction, they played rock-paper-scissors, and Sang-hyun emerged victorious.

Sang-hyun paused for a moment, then declared, “I’ll give the first attack to the old man who’s running out of energy. You should do it quickly, then sit down and rest.”

The audience roared at Sang-hyun’s provocative words. Bae Ga refused to be intimidated.

“Don’t kids usually follow when adults show them how to do it first?”

“We call it a negative example,” Sang-hyun retorted instantly.

The atmosphere crackled with tension.

PD Heo Tae-jin, thrilled by the unfolding drama, immediately initiated the performances.

Words were unnecessary. The moment had arrived for the ‘crossing’ performance of these two musicians.

Bae Ga stood tall in the center of the stage, ready to launch the first attack.

Amidst the audience’s cheers, Bae Ga slowly turned around.

The word ‘STARZ’ emblazoned on the back of his red baseball jacket caught the light, further electrifying the crowd.

At that precise moment, the beat dropped.

***

Bae Ga vividly recalled the shock he had experienced upon first hearing Official Bootleg Triple Eight [888 Crew’s mixtape].

Actually, it was more akin to anxiety and jealousy than pure shock.

Of course, he emphatically did not hate or envy 888 Crew. He genuinely liked the 888 Crew members and was grateful for the emergence of musicians who had so confidently carved out their own unique space.

Bae Ga’s anxiety and jealousy were directed not at 888 Crew themselves, but at their music.

The 12 tracks on Triple Eight were nothing short of revolutionary: liberal sampling, a fresh worldview, while still respecting the foundations of established traditions, innovative beats, a novel songwriting approach, powerful synergy between crew members, and so on.

‘What does revolution truly mean?’

Revolution meant overthrowing the existing king and crowning a new one.

The reigning king of the Korean hip-hop scene was currently Stars Records.

Therefore, Bae Ga and Stars Records had two options: adapt to the revolution or crush the revolutionary forces.

Bae Ga meticulously analyzed Triple Eight. He had no intention of stubbornly rejecting 888 Crew’s musical style. 888 Crew had introduced meaningful elements of authentic hip-hop, elements that were destined to arrive in Korea eventually.

So, he had to embrace what was inevitable and guide Stars Records towards an evolution that incorporated the Next Big Thing.

“This is truly amazing,” Bae Ga often thought.

Bae Ga was particularly captivated by Crouching Writer [a song by 888 Crew].

While many musicians focused on 888 Crew’s sonic innovation, Bae Ga believed that their true strength lay in their lyrics.

The ability to instantly captivate even those unfamiliar with hip-hop.

The immersive quality that made it impossible to think of anything else while listening.

Therefore, as soon as Bae Ga heard PD Heo Tae-jin’s announcement to prepare a hidden track, he knew exactly which song to choose.

***

When Bae Ga’s hidden track beat began, the audience initially assumed it was a DJ error. The song wasn’t a Stars Records track, but a song by 888 Crew.

But the beat continued.

The DJ scratched and seamlessly transitioned into the intro, and then a low, resonant voice flowed from Bae Ga, still facing away from the audience.

“Shout-out Eight, Eight, Eight.”

A deafening roar of cheers erupted from the crowd.

Longtime Korean hip-hop enthusiasts applauded Bae Ga’s audacity and determination, recognizing that this was a high-risk, high-reward gamble.

The song Bae Ga had chosen was none other than Crouching Writer.

End

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