The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 194

Although he didn’t express it much in front of Sanghyun, the “Official Bootleg” album was a shocking revelation for Chae Daehan. It allowed him to truly appreciate ‘Korean hip-hop,’ a genre he had somewhat dismissed despite his knowledge of authentic hip-hop.

So, it was only natural that he’d be curious about their next album, which is why he dragged his tired body to the showcase.

‘Of course, I’d have to listen to the full album to really know… but what I’m hearing sounds damn good.’

The 888 Crew was a unique group whose live performances were so captivating that almost any song sounded amazing on stage, unless it was a complete train wreck. But even with that in mind, this “JFTR” [Just For The Record] is good. Very good.

In fact, Chae Daehan was probably the person who had heard the most “JFTR” songs during the production phase.

He was saving the completed version for the pleasure of opening the CD himself, but he had already listened to about eight guide versions, including public tracks like “National Anthem.”

And he had initially advised against the release of “JFTR.”

To be precise, rather than opposing it outright, he had recommended removing some tracks and adding others.

Because in Chae Daehan’s opinion, “JFTR” was too purely hip-hop.

He believed that the 888 Crew, especially Lee Sanghyun, was a rapper with the potential to evolve beyond a simple rap musician into a truly great artist.

Before Michael Jackson’s rise to fame, classical musicians often felt a sense of inferiority towards the very idea of a ‘dance song.’ But what about now?

Though it was a special event, many leading philharmonics have performed symphonic medleys of Michael Jackson’s hit songs, and “Thriller” is the only music video registered and preserved in the U.S. Library of Congress.

The perception of the genre itself had undergone a complete transformation.

In this way, Michael Jackson elevated the genre of dance songs to an entirely new level. Chae Daehan hoped that Sanghyun would strive for a similar impact, even if it seemed impossible at the moment.

That’s why he felt “JFTR” was too narrowly focused on hip-hop.

Of course, that didn’t mean “JFTR” wouldn’t be commercially successful. It would likely dominate not only album sales but also music shows for quite a long time.

As far as he knew, there were no real rivals to the 888 Crew among the currently active or soon-to-return singers. Even those mentioned as potential rivals didn’t seem likely to pose a serious threat.

However, while “JFTR” might be a ‘perfect hip-hop’ album, it would be difficult for it to become ‘music that transcends hip-hop.’

‘Ah, am I overthinking things? For a group that’s only been around for a year?’

In reality, until I can sit down and have a beer with Michael Jackson, I can’t truly know what he was thinking when he created his albums. He might have simply made fun songs without giving it too much thought.

But Chae Daehan had witnessed Sanghyun’s extraordinary talent firsthand.

‘What is this? This beat isn’t very good?’

He had listened to Sanghyun’s initial beat ideas several times and offered such critiques.

But he was consistently surprised when he heard the rap guide layered over the beat a few days later.

It might have started as a weak beat, but the moment the rap was added, everything changed. Chae Daehan believed that Sanghyun possessed A-class talent as a beatmaker and was operating on a level beyond his comprehension as a rapper.

So, he had high expectations for Sanghyun’s future music, anticipating sounds he couldn’t even imagine.

‘To achieve that, he needs to break free from Ohkyung Media quickly.’

Chae Daehan and Dread were among the few affiliated artists who understood why Sanghyun had decided to join Ohkyung Media.

Dread, in particular, was actively helping Sanghyun prepare his strategy to escape Ohkyung.

To be honest, when he first heard Sanghyun’s plan, he thought that even if the guy was incredibly talented, a high school student was still a high school student. Feasibility aside, it seemed a bit naive. Even if everything went perfectly, it didn’t seem likely that things would unfold on such a grand scale.

But listening to “JFTR” now, his perspective had changed.

‘It’s going to work. Definitely.’

Because he knew the secret that would be revealed to the world in exactly three weeks.

“Just For The Record” is the first official record of the 888 Crew. It’s a record of retrospection and growth, tracing their musical journey from its beginning to the present.

But one more element needed to be added to Sanghyun’s official record.

That was the experience and the by-products of his time at Ohkyung Media.

And that would be Sanghyun’s true “JFTR.”

“Hehehe…”

Chae Daehan chuckled softly as he thought about the secret. His hollow eyes and drug addict-like gaze seemed to intensify.

Meanwhile, Han Yooseok, who was sitting next to Chae Daehan, was seriously considering whether to dial 1301, the drug 신고 [reporting] hotline, on his phone.

***

The end of the long but short showcase was approaching.

The 888 Crew had announced that they would perform seven of the fourteen tracks included in “JFTR” at the beginning of the showcase.

However, they ended up performing a total of nine tracks today.

Six of them were tracks from “JFTR,” including Minho’s skit, and three tracks were songs from the “Bootleg” series.

The “Bootleg” series setlist was made possible because the audience consistently requested “Gwangju Up,” “Coffee Machine,” and “Daydream.” Of course, the biggest reason was that the 888 Crew members themselves felt the urge to perform them.

Thanks to this, the rental time was exceeded, resulting in additional fees, but no one regretted the expense.

If they were concerned about the money, they wouldn’t have held the showcase for free in the first place and would have charged admission like other artists.

The showcase, which was running over time, finally had only one segment left.

“This is the last segment. None of the scenarios we planned for today went according to plan, but I want to proceed with this as intended.”

The audience expressed their disappointment at Junhyung’s closing remarks. However, the MICE Center rental time couldn’t be extended indefinitely because there was another reservation scheduled.

The final segment of the showcase was an interview.

However, unlike a typical interview, the interviewers were the 800 audience members gathered there. The audience members would write their questions on paper and hand them over, and the 888 Crew members would draw the papers and answer the questions.

While the audience members were receiving the paper and thinking of questions, Park Hyeyeon started the interview with a few questions of her own.

“It might be boring while we wait, so I’ll ask a few questions first. Ah, if you’ve finished writing your questions, please pass them to the left and hand them to the staff later. So, let’s start with the most basic question. Junhyung, what were the total sales of ‘Official Bootleg’?”

“‘Official Bootleg’? It sold a little less than 30,000 copies. We printed 30,000 copies, but we also distributed some personally.”

“Is it out of print now?”

“Yes.”

As Junhyung confirmed, “Official Bootleg” was officially out of print.

Of course, there was still potential to sell another 2-3,000 copies, but they decided to end the run of “Official Bootleg” at exactly 30,000 copies. From that point on, “Official Bootleg” was set to gain new value from its scarcity, with only 30,000 copies existing in the world, forever recording sales of 30,000 copies.

The more the 888 Crew’s popularity grew, the more valuable and rare the album would become.

“Then how many copies do you expect ‘JFTR’ to sell?”

“Uh…”

“Honestly.”

“Sanghyun is in charge of the business side of things, right? I want to give the leader the honor of answering for his subordinate staff.”

Junhyung passed the difficult question to Sanghyun. Sanghyun answered easily because he had already considered it.

“50,000 copies.”

“50,000 copies?”

“Yes.”

Park Hyeyeon was briefly taken aback by Sanghyun’s confident answer and asked,

“Why?”

“What should I say if you ask why? Because the economy is better than last year? Because the bond yield is good? Because exports are doing well?”

The audience members who were writing questions burst into laughter at Sanghyun’s response.

“No, there must be a reason for thinking that way. I’m asking about that reason.”

“I worked hard on it. Hard enough to sell 50,000 copies.”

Typically, the sales volume in the first week of release is crucial for an album.

It was common knowledge in the industry that sales volume was halved each week after the release week.

Therefore, Sanghyun estimated that about 20,000 copies of “JFTR” would be sold within the first two weeks of release, and the remaining 20,000 copies would be sold gradually over the following two months.

In fact, the “Official Bootleg” album was a very unusual case. As the 888 Crew gained recognition, sales were steadily maintained in proportion to their growing popularity.

They sold 30,000 copies in seven months, which was equivalent to selling a steady 4,000 copies each month.

“50,000 copies… Then, assuming it sells incredibly well, what’s the highest number you’re hoping for?”

“Well? I don’t know the absolute maximum, but even if I set it to the highest possible number, wouldn’t about 80,000 copies be the limit?”

“Then let’s make a bet. I’m betting that ‘JFTR’ will sell more than 90,000 copies.”

“If you’re going to be stingy with 90,000 copies, let’s make it 100,000 copies.”

Park Hyeyeon responded to Sanghyun’s suggestion.

The current music industry was experiencing an album sales slump, and even established famous singers were considered successful if they sold 50,000 copies. Only exceptionally popular albums managed to sell 100,000 copies.

Except for rare cases like the SG Wannabe album, which sold over 300,000 copies.

“What should we bet on?”

Sanghyun proposed that if he won, Park Hyeyeon would appear in their music video for free, and Park Hyeyeon countered that if she won, the 888 Crew would appear on her radio show for free for one week.

While the two were negotiating the terms of their bet, all of the audience’s ballots were collected.

“Okay, shall we begin? First, from the leader, Junhyung!”

Under Park Hyeyeon’s direction, the 888 Crew members took turns drawing ballots, but surprisingly, there weren’t many witty or humorous questions.

Instead, there were many serious questions about musical aspects or pointed questions about the 888 Crew’s activities. There were also a lot of questions asking about Park Inhyuk’s return.

“Ah, I’ll answer this question. The question is, ‘Will ‘JFTR’ not distribute 음원 [digital music files] like ‘Official Bootleg’?”

Kim Hwan, who selected the questionnaire, paused for a moment before speaking.

“We will not distribute all fourteen tracks of ‘JFTR’ digitally. However, we plan to select and distribute about five tracks. We have already internally discussed which tracks to select, but we will post a notice on our website as soon as it’s 100% confirmed. There’s no question asking why we’re distributing some tracks, but if I were to answer that, I’d say we realized we lacked consideration for aspects we hadn’t previously considered.”

Previously, in order to experience the 888 Crew’s performances, fans needed to invest time, effort, and sometimes money. This involved the time and financial cost of attending events or the 888 Show. The 888 Crew had been operating under the assumption that these costs would increase the scarcity and value of their performances.

Then one day, a student posted a comment on their website saying that they were too poor to watch the 888 Crew’s performances except on TV. It highlighted a lack of consideration on their part, as they hadn’t fully considered the financial limitations of some fans.

“The distributor will probably be Ohkyung Media.”

As soon as Kim Hwan finished speaking, Junhyung interjected.

“Hwan’s answer seems to connect to this question: ‘Why did Lee Sanghyun join the agency, but the 888 Crew did not?’ Um, in fact, hip-hop fans often claim that idol rappers in agencies don’t pursue the essence of true hip-hop. These claims need to strip away the independent and rebellious image hidden in the words ‘underground’ or ‘hip-hop’ to see the real reason.”

The reason why hardcore hip-hop fans dislike (to borrow their expression) idol rappers was simple: because the right to choose their music has been 넘어가 [handed over] to the agency.

Otherwise, it didn’t matter whether the rapper was in an agency or backed by large capital.

That’s why labels like Amoeba Culture, AOMG, and Hi-Lite Records were capitalized.

“The reason why the entire 888 Crew doesn’t join the agency is simple: it’s because we can never give up the right to choose our music. The reason why Sanghyun entered the agency is…”

Junhyung paused for a moment before continuing.

This was the reason they presented publicly. It was, in fact, a crucial element.

“Because we need experience. We need to understand exactly how the mainstream music industry operates, what aspects we should learn, and what aspects we should reject. As you know, we haven’t been making music for that long, and we haven’t had time to learn everything through trial and error. You can think of Sanghyun’s entry into Ohkyung Media as a process to learn these things.”

Most of the audience nodded in agreement with Junhyung’s answer.

It was a slightly controversial point, but it was an answer that completely addressed the question.

“This questionnaire isn’t for me; I picked it by mistake.”

Then Hayeon said, waving the paper.

“But for the announcement that will shock the hip-hop fans here, I will ask the question instead. The relationship with DJ Premier in LA has become a hot topic. Are there any works currently planned with Premier? Mr. Lee Sanghyun?”

Hayeon asked Sanghyun with a smile. The audience’s attention immediately focused on the words ‘shocking announcement.’

Sanghyun smiled awkwardly at Hayeon’s question.

It was something he didn’t want to reveal before the official announcement, but as expected, nothing ever goes according to plan for the 888 Crew.

“Yes. Currently, Premier is staying in New York and co-producing an album for a rapper, and I have been fortunate enough to participate in one track of that album.”

The 800 audience members waited for his next words, eager to know the name of ‘a rapper’ that Sanghyun had mentioned.

However, Sanghyun was 애간장을 태웠다 [burning them with anticipation], as if he was deliberately delaying the reveal. This kind of playful teasing didn’t seem to change even after he got older and 회귀 [regressed/reincarnated].

As Sanghyun dragged on for too long, one of the audience members who couldn’t stand it any longer finally asked loudly,

“Ah, so who is it?”

“KRS-One.”

“Yes?”

The audience member who asked was embarrassed that Sanghyun, who had been 애를 태우던 [teasing them], revealed the answer so casually. Sanghyun, smiling at the audience’s surprised expression, repeated clearly,

“I will be participating in KRS-One’s 14th album.”

The showcase was filled with silence at the shocking announcement. Even Chae Daehan was so surprised that he 벌떡 일어날 [jumped up] from his seat.

Of course, not all of the audience was surprised and silent. About half of the 800 audience members were silent because they didn’t know who KRS-One was.

But the other half, the hardcore hip-hop fans who had been cheering for Korean hip-hop since 1999 대한민국 [South Korea] and had a deep longing for hip-hop in the United States, were too stunned to speak.

Lawrence Parker’s nickname, as famous as his rap name KRS-One, was Teacher. A rapper who is called a teacher even in the United States.

At that moment, Sanghyun noticed Chae Daehan, who had 벌떡 일어난 [jumped up] from his seat.

“Oh, 형 [older brother/friend], you came? You said you were too tired to come. Everyone, that person is my producing teacher.”

The audience’s attention shifted to Chae Daehan at Sanghyun’s sudden introduction. However, Chae Daehan was not someone who would be embarrassed or lose his composure under such attention.

“Really? You’re working with KRS-One?”

“Yes.”

The two reporters in the showcase quickly wrote the name KRS-One in their notebooks, assuming he was an important figure, and the fans of the 888 Crew also made a mental note to search for him when they got home.

Other than that, they were still in a state of 경악 [shock] and silence.

Han Yooseok, who was suspecting Chae Daehan of being a drug user, whispered to his girlfriend,

“KRS… what? Who is that person? Is he famous?”

“It’s like Park Jisung [famous Korean soccer player] taking an official photo of joining Ferguson [Manchester United’s legendary manager].”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

“No… how should I explain this? Should I say that the news of your favorite Joo Yohan’s album release was on the front page of the New York Times?”

However, Han Yooseok’s girlfriend still didn’t understand. At that moment, Han Yooseok came up with a more relatable analogy.

“Was there a Yumi among your friends? She said she made clothes and sold them in Dongdaemun [a famous fashion district in Seoul], right?”

“Yes.”

“The clothes she made were 입고가 [being sold] in the Chanel Royal Shop.”

“Hey, does that even make sense?”

“That’s right. Does this make sense?”

“No way.”

“That’s right. It doesn’t make sense, right?”

“…Is it that big of a deal?”

The showcase, which was 달려가던 [rushing] towards its end, was filled with 경악 [shock].

June 10, 2006.

The showcase that announced the beginning of “JFTR” was over, but the 888 Crew’s Show Time was truly beginning.

< Verse 29. Just For The Record (完) > End

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