The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 159

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“So, the venues for Busan and Seoul are confirmed… Gwangju is the problem.”

“Shouldn’t we do it at ‘Bujik from Soft Lines’? It’s cheap and easy to find near the Buk-gu Office.”

“But isn’t Bujik too small? There’s no waiting room. How about Nevermind instead?”

Junhyung shook his head at Kim Hwan’s words.

“In terms of size, Nevermind and Bujik aren’t that different, are they? Maybe a difference of fifty people at most?”

“But I have no idea about Gwangju or Busan. How many people will come? Will we get around three hundred?”

“Well, wouldn’t it depend on the promotion?”

For the 888 Crew, 2005 had been a whirlwind year.

After forming, they’d gained recognition from the Show Biz incident and the Jeonju World DJ Festival, proving their skills at Club Homie and Mudeung Stadium. Fame gradually followed, along with two mixtapes released in collaboration with domestic brands, culminating in an appearance on *Hip Hop the Vibe*.

It was a fulfilling time, packed with accomplishments, but two regrets lingered. The 888 Crew decided to channel all their energy into addressing these in 2006.

“I think we can easily pull in around 300 people, right?”

“That would be the case if we were performing right now. But we need to factor in the waning buzz since *Hip Hop the Vibe* ended. We’re not exactly TV regulars, after all.”

“Ah, that’s true.”

The first of these regrets was the very topic they were currently discussing: the 888 Crew’s solo concert.

As mentioned in their *HiphopLE* interview, the solo concert was initially slated for October or November, after the college entrance exams. However, the unexpected Mudeung Stadium performance and the even more surprising *Hip Hop the Vibe* appearance had naturally led to its postponement.

Now, their schedules were clear. Aside from AIMMF in early February, a commitment made long ago, they had no fixed engagements. They could focus solely on the concert.

Thus, the 888 Crew set the new concert dates for February 17th, 18th, and 25th.

‘About fifty days left? But what’s the exact concert date? Are we going to pick one of the three depending on the situation?’

Sanghyun and Junhyung chuckled at the question from Bang Min-sik, the leader of L&S, who they’d asked to feature.

The fact that there were three concert dates didn’t mean they were choosing one; it meant they were embarking on a three-date ‘concert tour.’

February 17th, Friday, Gwangju.

February 18th, Saturday, Busan.

February 25th, Saturday, Seoul.

When they first conceived the concert, they only envisioned Gwangju. But the 888 Crew had unexpectedly become a nationally recognized name. Limiting it to Gwangju would undoubtedly provoke the ire of fans. Seoul, in particular, boasted the largest fanbase.

Therefore, they initially planned concerts in Seoul and Gwangju, but then decided to include Busan as well.

-888 Crew February 25th Seoul Solo Concert! Venue: TX Hall!

While they were still in the planning stages, an article leaked the news. It seemed rumors had spread as Sanghyun contacted various venues.

‘Thinking about it, is it strange that rumors *didn’t* spread?’

The 888 Show planned the previous year was merely a ‘performance’ – a club gig on a decent scale, accommodating 100 to 200 people.

This year’s 888 Show, however, was not a club performance but a full-fledged ‘concert,’ anticipating an audience of at least 300 to over 1000. Moreover, they were planning three shows, not just one.

Consequently, the 888 Show was no longer something the eight members could handle alone. They needed an outsourcing company to manage all the logistical aspects of a concert: stage production, promotion, ticket reservations and sales, admission, and security.

After researching various options, Sanghyun contacted three reputable companies. Then, playing the role of “innocent high school student,” he subtly played them against each other. Not to the extent of severely undercutting fees or engaging in unethical practices, of course.

In any case, it seemed that word had leaked within the concert industry during this selection process, and a diligent reporter had turned it into an article.

In reality, nothing was confirmed for the 888 Show except the dates, making the article essentially just a title.

However, the comments section proved interesting.

-Are you not doing it in Daejeon?

-Are you not doing it in Anyang?

-Are you not doing it in Busan?

-Are you not doing it in Gwangju?

-It’s a real betrayal if you only do it in Seoul. Gwangju *raised* the 888 Crew.

-Raised what? *Hip Hop the Vibe* raised them. Or L&S raised them.

-If you’re going to pretend to know, get your facts straight. They got on *Hip Hop the Vibe* because of the Mudeung Stadium performance, and they met L&S thanks to the Sejong Music Store performance.

-*HipDeoBa* [abbreviation for *Hip Hop the Vibe*] Episode 2 is boring… It lacks the tension and sweetness of Episode 1…

-*HipDeoBa* should have had the Episode 1 members compete for 8 weeks. Episode 2 just isn’t fun, regardless of the members’ skills. There’s no character like Park In-hyuk or Lee Sang-mi… No big brother figure like Bae Sang-wook who cherishes everyone.

-The 888 Crew and Stars Records were good from the start, so setting them aside, there’s no taste of the somewhat lacking teams awakening. In Episode 1, Code Name’s Dread or Bounce Rhyme’s Dolphin suddenly awakened right before being eliminated, which was really fun to watch.

-In Episode 1, there was a feeling of running only for the music, but in Episode 2, there’s too much of a feeling of running for byproducts like popularity or performance fees.

-That’s right. The huge success of Episode 1 seems to have poisoned the entire program. It seems like it will be really boring if it goes to Episode 3.

-But the problem is that the 888 Crew is only performing in Seoul. I live in Gwangju! I even saw them perform at Sejong Music Store!

-Everyone knows the Sejong Music Store performance was free. Don’t act like you’re doing us a favor.

-But is the ‘Paradise Shopping Center of Gwangju’ in the lyrics of ‘Gwangju Up’ the Sejong Music Store? Is it good there? I’m trying to buy a guitar.

-It’s good. The owner does business very honestly. If you hang out there for a while, you can see the 888 Crew or L&S members from time to time. Hang out and ask them to sign your guitar.

After checking the comments, Sanghyun signed a contract with an outsourcing company called ‘Dream Entertainment’ and posted an official announcement about the concert on the website.

The announcement revealed the locations (except for Gwangju), dates, ticket price, and concert length.

The concert length was ‘3 hours + α [plus additional time]’, and the ticket price was 30,000 won [approximately $25 USD at the time].

They also planned to invite local musicians to perform in each city. Gwangju would obviously feature L&S, Busan was considering IK, and Seoul, of course, would include Stars Records.

Recently, Dream Entertainment, the selected outsourcing company, had sent a file estimating concert revenue. A note at the end expressed concern about potentially small profits.

Dream Entertainment estimated around 1000 attendees in Seoul, 600 in Busan, and 400 in Gwangju.

‘As you know, if you want to secure a concert hall in Gwangju that can accommodate more than 300 people, you have no choice but to go for a super-large venue that can accommodate more than 2000 people. There are no mid-sized venues.’

‘There’s no choice. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll have to rent the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center. The rental fee and stage production costs are a bit expensive, though.’

‘The 888 Crew members have decided to select the concert venue, but you will lose money if you perform in Gwangju.’

‘We’ll have to make up for Gwangju with the money we earn in Seoul.’

‘Even if you rent TX Hall in Seoul, you won’t make a big profit with 30,000 won, right? In that case, you should raise the ticket price…’

Sanghyun shook his head at Manager Moon Ji-yeon’s words.

‘Manager, we’re not doing concerts for the money. Of course, we don’t want to lose money, but it’s enough if we break even across the three concerts. We can afford to take a loss once in the city that raised us. We’ll consider profitability from the next concert onward.’

Manager Moon Ji-yeon struggled to understand the 888 Crew. They consistently rejected offers from large agencies, turned down broadcast invitations, didn’t distribute their music widely, and even kept their concert tickets cheap.

So, there was no way Manager Moon Ji-yeon could grasp the grand strategy Sanghyun was pursuing: building a base of loyal fans to rival album sales, rather than relying on streaming numbers.

Thus, the first thing the 888 Crew decided to focus on in 2006 was concerts.

The second was the release of a full-length album.

The free mixtape *Bootleg 0.5* and *Official Bootleg*, which was rewriting Korean hip-hop album sales history, were still just mixtapes. While the hip-hop scene doesn’t differentiate between mixtapes and albums as much as other genres, the weight they carry as artistic works is different.

If a full-length album is treated as a work of art, a mixtape has a stronger image of an experimental work. Of course, true innovation often arises from mixtapes, but the allure of a full-length album is something all musicians feel.

The 888 Crew also yearned for a full-length album and possessed the passion to make it a reality.

Since they had completed their professional-grade recording equipment setup, they planned to finish their first album within the first half of 2006, if possible.

The album title was already decided: *JFTR*.

The meaning was ‘Just For The Record,’ to remain as an official record.

JFTR, the chat abbreviation, was a phrase Sanghyun favored when conducting business. His primary trading partners, Taiwanese Americans, possessed a unique blend of Chinese ethnicity and American business acumen.

There were pros and cons, but Sanghyun found it most challenging that they could easily overturn nearly finalized agreements if they weren’t documented.

Therefore, Sanghyun only breathed a sigh of relief when his trading partners sent him a JFTR message. Because the moment something is officially recorded is the true beginning.

The 888 Crew’s full-length album was their official first record, announcing their true beginning.

In truth, it was undeniable that the 888 Crew had gained significant popularity compared to their experience or proven track record. This was thanks to high-profile events like Fuck the Showbiz, Mudeung Stadium, and *Hip Hop the Vibe*.

So, they needed to release an official record that matched their inherent topicality through this full-length album. A record that would not only maintain their fame but amplify it.

“Shouldn’t we release an LP record too?”

“LP record? Who would buy that?”

“We don’t have to print a lot. Shouldn’t a DJ have at least one LP record of his team?”

Sanghyun told Woo Min-ho he’d think about it.

“More importantly, what should we do for the group song this time? Should we do trap again?”

“Sanghyun, are you thinking of including ‘Get That Money’? How about a group version of that?”

“I don’t want to, I don’t want to. ‘Get That Money’ is *my* solo song.”

“Choose only one of ‘Straight Writer,’ the next version of ‘Crouching Writer,’ and ‘Get That Money.’ Or you’re dead.”

“Ah, that’s right. I can’t take up two solo songs… Then should I just take them both out? I’ll include them in my personal mixtape.”

“I don’t know. That’s up to you to decide.”

“Ah, this is going to be so much fun. Minho hyung [older brother/friend], are you going to buy a genuine VST [Virtual Studio Technology plugin]?”

“Oh, really? Are you going to buy it with the crew’s money?”