The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 155

Sanghyun shouted powerfully, as if trying to drown out the voices of the audience and L&S’s performance.

“Why do these rap kids talk so much?

Come out, if you want to clash, come out to the streets.

Trying to rap without capital, only my mouth wears out.”

The ‘Run This Town’ verse he first sang at Sejong Instruments was a verse Sanghyun had written before his regression and had stuck with him. He didn’t remember it perfectly, but it was a verse he had written when he was nurturing his dream of becoming a rapper before his parents passed away.

Of course, compared to now, it was far from polished. But the lyrics that 18-year-old Sanghyun had painstakingly written word by word had a strange charm.

That’s why, even while upgrading the song to include it in Bootleg 0.5, he didn’t significantly alter Verse 1.

“Need a sponsor, where?

Korean Hip Hop In My Flax Zone [a reference to a specific area or style of Korean hip hop]

The answer to the problems is Five Six, unconditionally.”

Whenever he sang this song, the scene at Sejong Instruments would always come to mind.

The group of middle school girls who sent kind cheers and the passionate listeners who visited Sejong Instruments on weekdays. Yongjun and the members of L&S who expressed their familiarity as alumni of Unsan High School. Miju, who was restless when Golden Finger provoked him.

‘Come to think of it, was this stage created thanks to Lee Kyungmin’s provocation?’

Sanghyun smiled slightly as he spat out the rap.

People like Golden Finger’s bassist Lee Kyungmin, or Hwang Joochul, the editor-in-chief of Show Business, would continue to appear in the future.

But there was no need to worry.

Because for the 888 Crew, who tie their shoelaces tight and run forward, they are not enemies.

“Nonstop Run It (Run it!)

Jealousy and laziness are discarded (discarded!)

The completed rhyme technology is

The reason for my confidence (reason!)

-The reason for my confidence!!

-The reason for my confidence!!”

The audience’s chorus echoed, and Sanghyun’s rap, which filled 12 bars, came to an end.

The audience, who had been singing along to Sanghyun’s rap from beginning to end, gasped for breath. But there was no time to breathe.

“WALK THIS WAY-!”

Because the shouting of Miju, the vocalist of L&S, and Bang Minsik, who was in charge of backup vocals, exploded.

***

Cha Inhyun watched ‘Run This Town’, no, ‘Run This Scene’ on the stage with complicated eyes.

He had experienced the performance of ‘Run This Town’ twice. The first was L&S’s smooth, straightforward performance, and the second was the Jeonju Worldwide Indie Music Festival performance where Lee Sanghyun had made a mistake in the lyrics.

If you count not only the main performance but also the practice and rehearsal, it was a performance he had watched almost twenty times. But without a doubt, it didn’t have the performance power it has now.

Lee Sanghyun’s rap was perfect, and L&S’s performance was not at the level of an indie band in Gwangju. It was at a level comparable to the top band players in the country. Only a few months had passed, but Lee Sanghyun and L&S had become completely different teams.

Evolution beyond development.

The familiar and friendly L&S felt unfamiliar.

That’s why Cha Inhyun was so surprised when the stage lift rose and L&S appeared that he had to bow his head deeply. He hoped that the L&S members would not find him.

He, who had abandoned L&S to rise higher, was hiding under the audience seats with his head bowed, and L&S, who had let him go, was shining brightly on the high stage, making music.

‘If I had stayed in L&S, could I have been in that position too?’

The sight of Lee Sanghyun enjoying the stage while making eye contact with the L&S members caught his eye.

Behind him, Hwang Insoo, to his left, Bang Minsik, to his right, Yongjun.

The triangular formation, my place.

Jealousy and inferiority filled Cha Inhyun’s heart.

***

“Walk This Way!

Talk this way”

Miju’s high notes, as stimulating as Steven Tyler’s [Aerosmith’s lead singer, known for his powerful vocals], exploded on the stage. Bang Minsik’s backup vocals, to enrich the sharp high notes, began to gently envelop Miju’s voice.

-Kyaaaaa!

Miju, who had been popular with female fans since she played the keyboard, seemed to have doubled in popularity as she also took on vocals.

“Walk This Way!

Talk this way”

Sanghyun approached Bang Minsik, put his arm around his shoulder, and shouted.

“Errbody Say!”

“Walk This Way!

Talk this way”

“One more time! Errbody Say!”

“Walk This Way!

Talk this way”

This time, Sanghyun even joined in on the chorus. Sanghyun and Miju’s voices, which formed a high range, met.

At that moment, Sanghyun pushed Minsik, who was putting his arm around his shoulder, forward and shouted.

“Guitar solo!”

Bang Minsik, who stepped forward to the front of the stage, began to show off his splendid performance by moving his fingers like crazy. Minsik’s performance, which transformed Joe Perry’s [Aerosmith’s guitarist] guitar bridge even more splendidly, was enough to elicit cheers.

Most of the audience gathered here didn’t know L&S well. They had heard of L&S’s name in the featuring credits that were occasionally included in 888 Crew’s songs.

But from now on, they would remember L&S and have a good image of them.

L&S, who had brought Sanghyun to the surface through Sejong Instruments and Jeonju World DJ Festival, was now appearing in the mainstream with the help of Sanghyun’s power.

There was no feeling of being overtaken by a junior or younger sibling. The relationship between 888 Crew and L&S was too special for that.

The 15-second guitar solo, which seemed to spew fire, was heading towards the end.

The audience was looking forward to Sanghyun’s Verse 2. But Verse 2 of Run This Scene was not Sanghyun’s responsibility.

Sanghyun had another person to pull up.

No, L&S was someone he wanted to pull up, but this musician was someone he had to pull up.

Course correction.

Sanghyun had the responsibility and duty to return the rightful glory and cheers he should receive.

“Shout-out my man! Calib-!”

Calib, who had been waiting backstage, appeared on stage and immediately started rapping.

***

Bae Ga was surprised to hear the name Calib on the stage.

Calib, the rapper and producer of Soulmakerz.

He had heard that he was a talented friend, but it was the first time he had actually seen him. But what surprised Bae Ga had nothing to do with Calib’s skills.

He was surprised by Sanghyun’s decision to put Calib on the final battle of Hip Hop The Vibe, even on the ending stage.

‘If we had obtained the featuring rights, who would we have called?’

The assumption of ‘if’ is meaningless, but he didn’t think he would have called a rookie. On this big stage, even in the position to decorate the end.

But Lee Sanghyun, this arrogant bastard, was trying to open the way for another rookie, even though he was also a rookie. He felt proud, but he also felt a sense of reflection as a senior.

So Bae Ga sent generous cheers and applause to Calib, who was appearing on the stage.

***

“Shout-out my man! Calib!”

Calib jumped onto the stage as soon as he heard Sanghyun’s voice, who had been waiting. His heart was pounding so hard it hurt.

After waiting in the dark backstage, it was bright everywhere when he came up on stage. He couldn’t see the audience because of the intense lighting, and he couldn’t see the faces of the people around him well, even though he had practiced them enough during rehearsal, perhaps because he was nervous.

Then someone put their hand on his shoulder. It was Lee Sanghyun, smiling.

When he first received the featuring offer through Lee Sanghyun, he felt more embarrassed than happy. It didn’t make sense that he was calling a rapper with a lack of recognition like himself to the final stage of Hip Hop The Vibe 2, which was shaking up Korea.

But Lee Sanghyun didn’t say much and only said one thing.

‘I really like Calib hyung’s [older brother – a term of respect] music.’

Lee Sanghyun was three years younger than him, but Calib felt great gratitude for the words of the talented musician who was giving a new shock to the Korean hip-hop scene.

And, he thought he wouldn’t miss the opportunity that came.

Calib, who grabbed the microphone tightly, started rapping.

“Run This Scene. Walk on Korean hip hop

twenty-four seven (always), writing lyrics is my job

It’s hard to concentrate, I can’t sit still

Q, A, L, I, P (QALIP) write my name next to it”

At first glance, Calib’s voice was nothing special, just an ordinary voice. But if you listen closely, his voice had a spectrum that others didn’t have hidden within it.

That was that Calib’s voice was a low-pitched bass, but the afterimage that followed his voice gave off a high-pitched feeling.

Vocal tone is a resonant bass.

The finishing touch of the vocals is a high-pitched feeling.

This was the weapon that only Calib had, and it was Calib’s voice color that didn’t get boring even after repeated repetitions.

“I paint my name over the names of heroes

I’m not delicate, I live ignoring the pretense

Someone looks at me and says I’m ignorant and rough

Listen to my music, a child who has gone through many difficulties”

The audience, who didn’t know the musician Calib at all, finally began to open their hearts. It was also thanks to the evaluation that he was a rapper with Lee Sanghyun’s guarantee, decorating an important stage.

Sanghyun volunteered to be Calib’s hype man to the best of his ability.

The eyes of Sanghyun, who skillfully doubled and built back sounds in every necessary part, and Calib, who was rapping, met.

For Sanghyun, Calib was his rap star. In difficult times, he gained strength from listening to Calib’s rap that soothed his heart.

For Calib, Sanghyun was also a rap star. He was a genius musician who appeared like a comet in the Korean hip-hop scene, put forward a new methodology, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Stars Records in just a few months.

Eyes filled with respect for each other went back and forth on the stage.

“FiveSix gave me my role, twelve ma-di [Korean term for measure in music]

Fill it up and come out, concentrate on the stage

I’m Kobe Bryant, my team is the Lakers!

I do it for ma Team, Soul Makerz!”

Finally, Calib’s 12-bar rap ended.

It was a bit far from the best rap in Sanghyun’s memory, but Calib’s talent was still there.

The moment his special voice, which roamed between the splendid band sounds, was broadcast, it seemed that many viewers would be interested.

As soon as Calib’s rap ended, L&S’s chorus began.

“Walk This Way!

Talk this way”

The audience knew that the current chorus was the last of Hip Hop The Vibe Episode 1.

The four performances shown by the four teams of musicians, 888 Crew, Stars Records, Bounce Rhyme, and Code Name, captivated the hearts of many viewers and listeners and were able to raise the position of the culture of hip hop.

Just like Run-DMC made Walk This Way in 1986.

“Walk This Way!

Talk this way”

The audience also knew that the current hook was the last, so they raised their voices as much as possible.

Lee Sanghyun, L&S, Calib’s voices and the audience’s chorus began to harmonize.

But these alone were not enough.

Sanghyun called the remaining 888 Crew members who were waiting below onto the stage. It was an unplanned event, but it was a familiar event for 888 Crew.

Inhyuk and Junhyung, who came up on the stage, started making a fuss by dancing strangely, and Hayeon and Sangmi smiled and waved their hands wildly.

Now Sanghyun called Stars Records onto the stage.

Strictly speaking, it was the stage of 888 Crew, which was a competing team. Going up now and adding to the excitement was something that would work against Stars Records. But just as Sanghyun didn’t call Stars Records while calculating such things, Stars Records were not the kind of people who would fuss over trivial things.

“Walk This Way!

Talk this way”

Before he knew it, there were many musicians bustling on the stage.

888 Crew, Stars Records, L&S, Soulmakerz’s Calib.

Sanghyun finally put PD [Production Director] Heo Taejin, who was watching the performance with a satisfied expression, on the stage.

The four chorus repetitions had already ended a long time ago.

But L&S’s performance showed no signs of ending.

The audience’s shouts also showed no signs of ending, and the musicians’ shouts also showed no signs of ending.

Because they were colleagues walking the same path and sharing stories about the same path.

“Walk This Way!

Talk this way”

***

The filming of Hip Hop The Vibe 2, Episode 1, which caused a sensation, came to an end.

It was a filming that started by borrowing the format of a battle, but at the end of the filming, there was harmony, not a battle.

The 888 Crew, who won 321 votes, defeated Stars Records, who won 279 votes, and became the winning team of Episode 1, but none of the audience who enjoyed today’s performance were talking about the victory or defeat.

Perhaps the opponents that the musicians were battling were not each other, but the elements that were hindering the growth of the culture of hip hop.

< verse 23. Final Battle (End) > End

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