The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 188

< Verse 29. Just For The Record >

Verse 29. Just For The Record

The female fans of 888 Crew harbored a significant complaint. In fact, resolving this issue might diminish their fervent enthusiasm for the group.

Though rooted in complex emotions, it remained the most prominent concern among the fanbase: 888 Crew seemed utterly oblivious to their celebrity status.

Q: At what point do you think 888 Crew transitioned from underground hip hop to celebrity status? Was it after Hip Hop the Vibe?

Shin Jun-hyung: (Eyes widening) Celebrities? We’re not celebrities. Why would we be?

Q: Well, you entertain the public through your music, garner attention, and generate income, which qualifies you as celebrities. More simply, you appear on TV and radio.

Shin Jun-hyung: Hmm… I’d explain it like this: we’re like soccer players. Soccer is their job. They appear on TV, receive attention, and entertain the public, but no one calls them celebrities while they’re playing. They might become celebrities after retirement, but on the field, they’re soccer players. It’s the same for us. We’re just rap players, not celebrities.

Q: But isn’t music entertainment different from soccer, which can exist independently of an audience? Isn’t music inherently reliant on public engagement?

Shin Jun-hyung: Soccer would also die without an audience. Which club would invest in a sport nobody watches?

This exchange occurred during an interview with the indie culture magazine Hongdae People. Upon reading it, fans couldn’t help but think, ‘Is this guy for real?’

It’s often futile to argue against illogical reasoning with logic.

Initially, Jun-hyung’s words might seem reasonable, but closer inspection reveals numerous flaws.

However, the core issue wasn’t the validity of Jun-hyung’s statement.

Primarily, regardless of its accuracy, 888 Crew genuinely didn’t perceive themselves as celebrities.

-888 Crew members are really too much.

-Seriously. This is going too far.

-Wow, how can they think like that? It’s like they’re making fun of the fans…

-Do I have to stan [support] them while seeing this kind of thing?

-Still, there seem to be a few normal people… Let’s cheer up, everyone.

-But the scope of that normal isn’t celebrity…

‘888 Crew’s Casual Fashion – Worst of the Worst’

These were typical comments from female fans on online articles with such headlines. Sang-hyun, Jun-hyung, and Min-ho frequently featured in these casual fashion critiques.

What kind of fashion sense allows you to wear baggy pants like American hip-hoppers with a hoodie so tight it reveals your chest?

It was a fashion disaster beyond redemption.

Still, Sang-hyun differed slightly from Jun-hyung and Min-ho. While the latter two committed fashion faux pas despite trying to look good, Sang-hyun simply lacked interest in dressing up.

Sang-hyun had worn suits for a decade as a company president. Due to the demands of the stock finance industry, he had no weekends. On his days off, he had to meet investors.

The only times Sang-hyun didn’t wear a suit were when he played golf, worked out, or slept.

Now that he was free from formal attire, he relished the freedom and paid little attention to his clothes.

However, to outsiders, Sang-hyun, Jun-hyung, and Min-ho were all equally guilty of fashion crimes.

In-hyuk, the only style-conscious member, remained in Gwangju, and Sang-mi showed no interest in her brothers’ clothing choices except for performances or broadcasts. Kim Hwan was the only one with a decent sense of style. In fact, Kim Hwan wasn’t that fashionable either. He just seemed stylish in comparison to the rest of 888 Crew.

Lastly, Ha-yeon and Min-ji had endured so much fashion terrorism that they had become desensitized to it.

The members were unaware that this was why they received so many expensive clothes as gifts.

However, male fans often enjoyed and mocked 888 Crew’s fashion.

-They usually dress like bums, but they dress well for performances and broadcasts, so it’s cooler. These guys are smart. They exceed your expectations, bro.

-Yeah lol I think they intended it lol

-But the stylists will help with the broadcast, but don’t they just wear Triple Eight goods for performances? When I saw 888 Show, I couldn’t really tell if they dressed well or not.

-If you can’t tell if they dress well or not, it’s 888 Crew’s best dress code.

Of course, their poor fashion sense wasn’t the fans’ primary complaint. It was merely an indication of 888 Crew’s lack of self-awareness as celebrities.

The main issue for 888 Crew’s core fans, especially the female ones, was that 888 Crew didn’t seem to grasp the concept of ‘fans’ itself.

Large agencies employ staff solely for ‘fan management’. Surprisingly, these are regular employees. Considering that most stage technicians and performance staff are on one-year contracts, it highlights the importance placed on fans.

This wasn’t just because fans bought albums and merchandise. Fans are the lifeline to popularity. Even a weak connection can be strengthened over time.

In capitalist terms, they serve as a form of insurance; in humanist terms, they are powerful entities that determine a celebrity’s longevity.

The first step in managing fanbases is to establish an ‘official fan club,’ but 888 Crew didn’t even have one, and it was unclear if they had ever participated in one themselves.

Q: Do you often visit the fan club?

Sang-hyun: Uh, I’ve been there. Quite a lot. But I’ve never read the posts. When I actually get to the website, I can’t click any further. Seeing our pictures makes me feel embarrassed and… awkward… Ah, I did read some posts when donations were made in our name last time.

The combined membership of 888 Crew’s scattered fan clubs was just under 20,000. While not as impressive as top singers with hundreds of thousands of members, a closer look at 888 Crew’s fanbase revealed a different story.

Perhaps half of the 53,000 Hip Hop LE members were fans of 888 Crew. Additionally, many non-fan club or Hip Hop LE members intended to purchase 888 Crew’s albums.

This drove the fan club members crazy.

At this rate, they were just another face in the crowd.

They wanted to do something, but they didn’t know what. Aside from Lee Sang-hyun, it was rare to see 888 Crew outside of performances and occasional radio appearances.

Deciding that something had to be done, the fan club presidents organized a large-scale integration and raised money to donate to Siwa Rap’s second line [a charity or cause] in 888 Crew’s name, but they remained unsatisfied.

A lengthy thank you message was posted on 888 Crew’s Cyworld club [a popular Korean social media platform], but that wasn’t what they wanted. They desired recognition as ‘special beings’ among the fanbase.

Around that time, an eye-opening message was sent to each fan club president.

–

Hello. This is Shin Jun-hyung, the leader of 888 Crew.

To commemorate the release of 888 Crew’s first full-length album on June 10, 2006, we are holding our first showcase.

While the showcase is the main event, we understand that many fans are disappointed by the limited opportunities to meet us, so we’re incorporating a fan meeting aspect.

Therefore, we will accept applications starting June 1st and invite a total of 800 grateful fans.

1. 200 people from Hip Hop LE members.

2. 100 people through the 888 Crew Club.

3. 100 people who purchased the mixtape – random draw

4. 100 people who have purchased Domestic Brand products at least once (regardless of cumulative purchase amount) – random draw

5. A total of 300 people, 100 people each from the three fan clubs with the most members.

All costs are covered. If you have time, please apply.

In case of duplicate selections or a shortage of applicants on each site, we will first fill the vacancies from the 888 Crew Club, and then from Hip Hop LE.

The exact location and date are attached to the map below. We look forward to seeing you on June 10th with a happy heart.

*The following is only for the three fan club presidents.

Each president can receive applications from the fan club and fairly select 100 members to attend the showcase.

The selection method is at your discretion, but we ask that you ensure fairness as much as possible.

However, although unlikely, we must state in advance that we will take strong legal action against anyone who receives money or equivalent compensation in exchange for showcase participation rights.

–

The fan club erupted in excitement.

This was because the official fan club candidates had been narrowed down to three, marking 888 Crew’s first proactive step in engaging with fan culture.

888 Crew’s fan community was buzzing.

The news of 888 Crew’s first full-length album release was officially announced on Hip Hop LE, 888 Crew’s club, and the Triple Eight Store website.

The release date is June 13th. The official bootleg was released at the end of October last year, making it about a 7-month wait.

Usually, fans learn about an album release a month or two in advance.

Often, the musicians themselves hint at it with excitement, sometimes intentionally for promotional purposes. Otherwise, the information leaks through acquaintances of the musicians involved in the album.

However, the news of 888 Crew’s first full-length album came as a complete surprise, without any prior rumors. The primary reason for this was that 888 Crew themselves didn’t know when the album would be released.

888 Crew had completed over 90% of JFTR’s tracks by early April.

However, formal recording didn’t begin until mid-May, and it concluded in just 5 days. This meant that deciding the track order took longer than the actual recording.

Therefore, there was no way to predict the release date.

Regardless, hip hop fans were thrilled by the sudden announcement of 888 Crew’s first album.

They speculated about the track list, referencing songs from Hip Hop the Vibe or 888 Show, and worried about whether the album could surpass the well-received official bootleg.

Hip hop has a strong mixtape culture, and while mixtapes are considered works, they don’t carry the same weight as a full-length album.

-Will this 888 Crew album be good? JFTR?

-It’ll be good, I guess.

-Of course, it will be good. The question is how good. Will it meet expectations, or will it just be decent?

-If this album is as good as the official bootleg, 888 Crew will be considered top-tier in the Korean underground hip hop scene. If it also receives mainstream success, then a true rap star will finally emerge in Korea.

-Well. I’m a big supporter of 888 Crew, but aren’t they too young? They have the talent to make good raps, but do they have the ability to create great works?

-Didn’t Tupac’s debut album, released when he was 20, sell 500,000 copies?

Amidst the discussions about JFTR, time passed, and many people applied for the showcase.

Sang-hyun and Jun-hyung wondered if 800 people was too few, but they were limited by the fact that a larger number would feel more like a performance than a showcase.

And so, June 10th was approaching.

< Verse 29. Just For The Record > End

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