The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 15

< Verse 1. Run this town >

Some audience members swayed in their seats to the undeniably funky sound.

Did they understand what Sanghyun was conveying?

His respect for Run-DMC and his appreciation for hip-hop?

Probably not. They were likely fans of rock and band music. Performing such a different style of rap for them was a gamble.

That’s why Sanghyun had to crush it on stage with Run-DMC’s “Walk This Way.”

Finally, Sanghyun’s rap began, cutting through the electric guitar.

There’s a backseat lover
that’s always undercover

Sharing love in the backseat
Always secretive

The rise of hip-hop as a mainstream genre in Korea from the mid to late 2010s was largely fueled by idol music [K-pop groups].

Songs based on the “two, four” rhythm, often considered the foundation of black music, were used as commercial title tracks by idols.

Thanks to the popularity of idols, the public became familiar with the unique rhythm of black music, and ‘talented’ hip-hop artists emerged through mass media marketing, including audition programs.

Alongside them, underground rappers who had grown organically expanded the scene by promoting culture outside of mainstream TV.

In this way, hip-hop, once looked down upon in Korea, gained cultural relevance through a combination of complex elements.

But was rap mainstream from the start in the United States, the birthplace of hip-hop?

Absolutely not.

Until the mid-1980s, many white people didn’t recognize rap as music and even refused to listen. To them, black people’s rap was noise, not music.

Told you, you still don’t know anything.
Until you’re under that woman

For sure, a lot will change

“Huh?”

The audience was taken aback by Sanghyun’s rap.

They wanted the screaming vocals that would blow out their eardrums, not a rap full of English they couldn’t understand.

Golden Finger Lee Kyungmin’s face, who had been anxiously watching the flawless performance of the band L&S and Miju, darkened.

The music was so good he wondered, ‘Why didn’t I know this song?’ but he thought the rap ruined everything.

A very great pleasure.
The best memory
I can recall

Lee Kyungmin’s thoughts mirrored those of white people who despised rap music in the 1980s. The prejudice against rap faded, and the reason it was finally accepted as music was simple.

In 1986, Run-DMC released an album.

Run-DMC

3rd album

Track 4, “Walk This Way.”

A track that sparked a cultural phenomenon.

Run DMC’s “Walk This Way” sampled and rapped over the track “Walk This Way” by rock band Aerosmith.

Run-DMC was historically the first rap act to perform rap rock (or rap metal).

The crossover of white hard rock and black rap.

That ingenious collaboration finally brought rap, which had been neglected, into the mainstream.

Run-DMC’s “Walk This Way” was the ‘first rap song’ to enter the Billboard singles chart Top Ten (at number 4).

It also reached No. 1 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart and No. 6 on the Pop chart, and the album sold over 3 million copies in the United States, changing the perception of rap itself.

No hip-hop album had sold more until then.

The best memory was with your sister and cousin

Started with a little kiss,
Like this!

As Sanghyun stepped back slightly, the electric guitar erupted. A short guitar solo bridge of only 10 seconds. But it was enough to excite everyone.

The sense of alienation brought about by Sanghyun’s unexpected rap began to dissipate.

The audience was less resistant to rap metal than Sanghyun had anticipated. They were reminded of Linkin Park’s “In the End” or Linkin Park and Jay-Z’s “Numb/Encore,” which were hits in Korea in 2003.

Linkin Park’s sound, blending an electronic band, a DJ’s turntable, rhythmic rap, and a catchy vocal hook, was sonically similar to Run-DMC’s “Walk This Way.”

Of course, digging deeper, they were completely different genres.

“Waaaaah!”

The middle school girls in the front row screamed.

Sanghyun imitated Run and DMC’s unique, dynamic, and rhythmic rap. This time, he locked into the rhythm even tighter.

“Walk This Way” has a music video that clearly illustrates the song’s meaning: ‘the meeting of black and white, rock and rap.’

Most importantly, this music video was ‘the first rap music video to be broadcast on MTV.’

There are two rooms separated by a ‘large wall.’

In one room are Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of the rock band Aerosmith (representing white and rock), and in the next room are Run and DMC of the hip-hop group Run-DMC (representing black and rap).

Aerosmith plays “Walk This Way,” and Run-DMC in the next room shouts at the wall, complaining that “Walk This Way” is too loud.

Eventually, Run-DMC, unable to stand it, drowns out Aerosmith’s performance with DJ Scratch and starts rapping with the microphone volume turned up to the maximum.

Aerosmith gets very angry after hearing the rap.

Steven Tyler, angered by the rap over their song, ‘breaks down the wall’ and sings it himself.

Through the broken wall, a concert hall is revealed, and Aerosmith and Run-DMC sing together.

This scene was a powerful metaphor for the moment when the barrier between genres that had separated black and white people was broken down.

This music video caused a huge sensation and remains a celebrated masterpiece.

Now, after Sanghyun’s rap, it was time for the chorus that rock star Steven Tyler of Aerosmith sang so enthusiastically.

Walk this way-!
talk this way.

It’s a simple lyric, but it requires Steven Tyler’s unique high-pitched scream.

Sanghyun strained his neck.

All he could do, not knowing proper vocal technique, was to put as much rasp into it as possible.

Walk this way!
talk this way.

The audience, who had become accustomed to Sanghyun’s rap rhythm, were surprised by the sudden shift and screamed.

Rap metal was still unfamiliar to them.

Sanghyun’s vocals were raw and unrefined, and his range climbed unexpectedly high. He wasn’t a polished singer, but the sound provided a refreshing energy that rivaled Steven Tyler’s “Walk This Way.”

just me a kiss,
Like this!

A short bridge after the chorus. This time, Miju’s keyboard solo took over.

Miju’s performance mirrored the electric guitar line.

The only difference was that she doubled the speed, squeezing 8 bars of keyboard into 4 bars of bridge.

A tremendous speed run followed.

“Kyaaak! Unnie [older sister/term of endearment for a female friend]!”

The middle school girls went wild at Miju’s intense keyboard assault.

You’re so cocky and messy
You wore a skirt that went up over your knees

“Walk This Way” holds so many records it’s hard to list them all. Before this song, no rap had captivated white audiences. And finally, with “Walk This Way,” even white music fans were drawn into the magic of rap.

With the success of “Walk This Way,” Run-DMC became the first rap artist to appear on the cover of the iconic rock magazine Rolling Stone.

Since then, “Walk This Way” was ranked 11th in ‘s “Top 100 Music Videos” in 1993, and in 1999, it continued to gain recognition, ranking 5th in MTV’s “100 Greatest Music Videos.”

Finally, all the audience members stood up and started screaming. They might not have understood the meaning of the English rap, but they fully understood the feeling Sanghyun was trying to convey.

Just Do!

All you had to do was have fun.

< Verse 1. Run this town > End

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