The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 160

< Verse 24. 2006 >

***

Sanghyun was having dinner with the crew, minus Inhyuk, and they were in the middle of a meeting to pick songs for their upcoming performance when Standard called.

Standard’s grumbling started the moment the call connected.

-Why is it so hard to reach you?

“What’s up? What’s wrong? If it’s urgent, call my cell. Don’t always call the landline.”

There was a seventeen-hour time difference between LA and Korea. So, 5 PM in LA was 10 AM in Korea.

If one of them stayed up late or woke up early, coordinating a call wasn’t too difficult, but while Sanghyun was in school, it felt tricky.

Midnight in LA was around Sanghyun’s dismissal time, but Standard, working as a DJ, was often busy with parties at that hour.

-Weren’t you the one who told me not to call your cell when you’re at school?

“It’s vacation now. And there’s only one missed call, right?”

-Did I only call once?

“Yeah.”

-Oh… actually, I was busy at a New Year’s countdown event.

“Performing?”

-No, partying!

Sanghyun laughed, finding it hard to believe, and Standard chuckled on the other end. He seemed unusually excited.

“Why are you in such a good mood? Isn’t it 3 AM in LA? Have you been drinking?”

-It’s 6 AM here.

“It’s 8 PM in Korea, how can it be 6 AM?”

-Melting Pot Big Apple! I’m in New York.

Standard, emphasizing ‘Big Apple,’ made a corny pun: “Standard in a Empire State Building!”

Usually, ‘in a Buildin’’ means ‘In da House,’ a shout rappers use when they hit the stage. Early in his career, Jay-Z always yelled ‘Hova in a Buildin’!’ when he performed.

Standard’s pun used the Empire State Building, a famous New York landmark. But it wasn’t very funny.

“Why did you go to New York? You didn’t just call to brag, did you?”

-I just called to brag?

“If you want to brag, send me a beat first. Then you can brag all you want. If you send me something amazing, I’ll listen to you brag forever.”

-Aren’t you jealous?

“Is that even a question?”

Sanghyun grumbled playfully, but he was smiling.

It was still amazing to him that he was sharing jokes with a producer who would dominate the Billboard and Grammy Awards in the 2010s. He and Standard clicked personality-wise, so he felt close despite never meeting him.

-If you’re jealous, you can come too.

“I’ll go if I have a reason to.”

-Looks like you have a reason?

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Sanghyun asked, surprised by Standard’s sudden statement. Then Standard screamed excitedly.

“The Blast Master of Boogie Down wants to see you and me!”

“What? Really? Blast Master wants to see me? Really?”

Sanghyun kept repeating “Really?” and Standard laughed strangely, unlike his usual self, shouting “Absolutely!” like a madman.

Sanghyun swallowed hard and asked.

Blast Master…! This is… I don’t even know what to say.

“So, who is Blast Master?”

-You don’t know Blast Master? Isn’t he famous in Korea? I thought you’d know.

“Never heard of him. Is he a famous rapper?”

-Then why did you pretend to be excited?

“Just because. For you.”

Standard grumbled, feeling teased. But five seconds later, Sanghyun was so shocked he almost dropped the phone.

-You really don’t know Blast Master KRS-One of Boogie Down Productions?

When Sanghyun heard Standard say “KRS-One” with a strange accent, he thought he misheard. But he hadn’t.

“KRS-One? The KRS-One I’m thinking of? The ape who looks like he’s from *Planet of the Apes*?”

-I’m telling him exactly what you just said when I meet KRS-One in three hours.

“No no no no, take it back!”

Sanghyun said hastily, and Standard burst out laughing.

“Is it really KRS-One from *Return of the Boom-Bap*? Is this a scam?”

-Return of the Boom-Bap, what album are you talking about? Anyway, it’s for real. I called Koch Records, KRS-One’s label, and verified his personal number.

“Ugh! No way!”

Sanghyun shouted in Korean without realizing it. Standard complained about the noise.

Sangmi, coming out for water, saw Sanghyun screaming into the phone in the living room and gave him a strange look before heading into the studio.

“How does KRS-One know me? Did you tell him? Were you even friends with him? You never mentioned that!”

-One question at a time. First, KRS-One’s manager asked if you lived in LA. He said he saw you on YouTube.

“Oh my god! He saw me on YouTube?”

Sanghyun was incredibly excited.

KRS-One wanted to include Standard’s track and Sanghyun’s rap on his fourteenth album, due out at the end of 2006.

To be honest, Sanghyun didn’t know much about KRS-One.

He’d only listened to his best album, *Return of the Boom-Bap*, and the track “Classic,” commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Nike Air Force One launch.

But he knew KRS-One was a major, respected rapper in the US.

-The timing is perfect too.

“What timing?”

-Parker’s album [KRS-One’s album] released in 2004 was a total flop. Review sites said it wasn’t even worth half a star. So nobody has any expectations for this album. Great promotion, but no expectations—how great is that?

According to Standard, KRS-One had been considered a has-been since his 2004 album.

But Sanghyun had a good feeling about it.

If KRS-One’s career had truly declined since 2004, he wouldn’t have been on Nike’s “Classic” in 2007.

“Classic” was a collaboration of legends to create a hip-hop classic, just like the song’s title.

DJ Premier and Rick Rubin produced it, and Kanye West, Nas, Rakim, and KRS-One rapped.

Kanye West was a relative rookie then, but in hindsight, he belonged in that lineup.

Sanghyun remembered “Classic” being popular and nominated for a Grammy.

‘It’s going to be okay in the end. Could this 2006 album be it?’

Sanghyun talked with Standard for a long time and then realized a major problem.

“Oh, but what should I do? I can’t go to New York right now. I’m busy preparing for the tour at the end of February….”

-What? You’re so famous you’re already touring? How many places are you going?

“Three.”

-Huh? You call three places a tour?

In the US, a tour usually hits more than ten cities, sometimes over thirty for a full US tour. It depended on population and market size.

-But Parker isn’t making a mixtape with home recording, so it’s not urgent. When is summer vacation in Korea?

“Around mid-July.”

-Then you can make the guide track in Korea and record it in July. I’ll give Parker your email and phone number.

“Parker is KRS-One, right?”

-Yeah. If the email sender is Lawrence Parker, that’s KRS-One. Don’t ask if he’s a manager and embarrass yourself like I did.”

Sanghyun laughed.

They talked for a long time. Standard asked about the 888 crew after Hip Hop The Vibe, and Sanghyun asked about the popularity of the 888 Remix and Standard in LA.

After another thirty minutes, the call ended. Sanghyun stood blankly, phone to his ear, for a long time.

‘This isn’t a lie, is it? Or a dream?’

Feeling the cold in the unheated living room, he knew it wasn’t a dream.

“Ugh!”

Sanghyun screamed and ran into the studio.

A moment later, screams of disbelief, surprise, and congratulations erupted from the studio.

***

January flew by.

Sangmi finished her art high school entrance exam and received her acceptance notice. Everyone expected it since the school had offered her a spot early. She was happy but also sad because her life with the 888 crew would change when she started high school in Seoul.

Hayeon worked hard too. Unlike art high school, art college entrance exams peaked from late January to February, so she was still preparing. Everything was fine, but her aural training (ear training, a test to identify musical scales by ear) wasn’t improving as much as she hoped.

The rest of the crew poured all their time into the 888 Show and their regular album, forgetting to eat and sleep. Preparation was going smoothly. They finalized song concepts and most of the performance setlist.

Besides this, the 888 crew was also dedicated to L&S’s second album.

Recording for L&S’s second album began in mid-January. It was more like a new L&S’s first album with Miju as the vocalist.

The album title was *Departure*.

The featuring lineup included the 888 crew and Indie Kid.

L&S was exhausted from traveling between Seoul and Gwangju for recording. The 888 crew members who rapped on the album were also busy.

Recording in the 888 crew’s studio would have been ideal, but it only had equipment for rap recording, not enough for the band. Band and rap recording were different fields.

The 888 crew, who spent January preparing for their album, performance, and the L&S album, made a rare public appearance.

Lee Sanghyun, Shin Junhyung, Kim Hwan, and Woo Minho appeared on a radio program.

The program was *20 O’Clock Station*.

CBC Radio’s *20 O’Clock Station*, a terrestrial station, had a large audience among high school students studying late. [Terrestrial radio refers to traditional AM/FM radio broadcasting, as opposed to satellite or internet radio.]

However, the 888 crew’s episode had an unusually high listenership among liberal arts high school students across the country.

The 888 crew were role models for many high school students. Sanghyun and Junhyung were liberal arts seniors who pursued their passions instead of academics, and Minji and Kim Hwan dropped out of prestigious universities like Yonsei to focus on music.

High school students with many concerns naturally wanted to hear their stories and ask questions.

-How did you tell your parents you were dropping out of Yonsei University?

-You must have been good at studying, why did you choose music?

-I’m curious about Lee Sanghyun and Shin Junhyung’s high school grades.

The *20 O’Clock Station* staff were thrilled by the flood of text messages. Shin Hye-yeon, a famous actress who hosted the show, actively engaged the 888 crew.

< Verse 24. 2006 > End

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