The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 203

In truth, Sanghyun often felt a sense of indebtedness towards the 888 Crew members.

It wasn’t his initial intention, but he found himself affiliated with both 888 Crew and Oh Kyung Media, achieving success in both spheres.

Moreover, at Oh Kyung Media, he had secured a valuable connection with Choi Daehan and was acquiring composition skills, a lifelong asset.

Financially, his contract with Oh Kyung Media brought substantial income from photoshoots, broadcasts, and events.

While he enjoyed these benefits, the 888 Crew members remained committed to their ‘888 World’ ethos, always there as a constant.

If the 888 Crew members were solely driven by ambition, joining an agency with favorable terms would be easy. Many would offer them lucrative deals.

They were, after all, rap stars who had risen without the backing of capital or adherence to the mainstream system.

The crew members didn’t seem to view this as a source of discontent, but Sanghyun couldn’t shake off his feelings of obligation.

And the deeper this guilt became, the more resolute he was against being swayed by Oh Kyung Media. Even if they showered him with opportunities and tried to entice him with promises, he would never be fully controlled.

Oh Kyung Media had threatened him, held the 888 Show hostage, and attempted to restrict his artistic freedom. Even a billion or ten billion wouldn’t make him a true rapper if he compromised his free will.

Furthermore, once the ‘revenge’ against Oh Kyung Media, now about 70% complete, commenced, he would have to make another potentially self-serving decision.

Of course, the 888 Crew members wouldn’t perceive Sanghyun’s choice as selfish, and Sanghyun himself made the decision with the crew’s future in mind.

Therefore, the 888 Crew had to be a larger entity than Lee Sanghyun as an individual, and in reality, it already was.

“Uh……”

Park Hye-yeon was taken aback by Sanghyun’s earnest response. Her question had been somewhat playful, but Sanghyun’s eyes conveyed a depth she hadn’t anticipated, leaving her momentarily speechless.

Sanghyun broke the silence.

“Noona [term used by a younger male to address an older female he’s close to], or rather, Park Hye-yeon-ssi, you’re currently filming a drama and a movie, right?”

“I’ve wrapped up the movie. I’m still in the middle of filming the drama.”

“Which project is more important to you? The movie or the drama?”

“…Maybe I’m always fighting a battle with myself.”

Sanghyun chuckled at Hye-yeon’s witty reply.

The atmosphere relaxed, and Hye-yeon gave Sanghyun a grateful look, saying:

“I know that 888 Crew is more precious to Lee Sanghyun-ssi than Oh Kyung Media, but you understand that today’s discussion will primarily focus on 56 JFTR, right?”

“Of course. Besides, the JFTR story is a collaborative effort. It’s not an album I created in isolation.”

“Then, shall we address some listener questions about 56 JFTR, which are already flooding in? Ah, to avoid confusion between JFTR and 56 JFTR, let’s refer to 56 JFTR as your solo album. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes.”

Hye-yeon chose a question that caught her attention from the list the writer had prepared on the monitor. In truth, she hardly needed the list.

As a devoted fan of 888 Crew, she had countless questions of her own.

“When did you begin planning your solo album? Was it before JFTR?”

“Well, to be precise, the idea sparked while re-recording ‘Let’s Live by the River’ for the JFTR album. It wasn’t directly inspired by the song, but that’s when it happened. It acted as a trigger, I suppose.”

Originally, ‘Let’s Live by the River’ was a song dedicated to the young president of Inhang Corporation at Choi Hak-rim’s auction event.

However, at the after-party, the president of Inhang Corporation expressed his desire to include ‘Let’s Live by the River’ on the album and even perform it if possible.

He also welcomed commercial use of the song, but requested that no music videos or video art be created.

The president of Inhang Corporation, who owned the sole video art piece of ‘Let’s Live by the River,’ seemed to want the song to gain greater recognition.

Among art patrons, some seek complete exclusivity, while others prefer wider dissemination. The president of Inhang Corporation seemed to fall somewhere in between.

That’s how ‘Let’s Live by the River’ made its way onto JFTR, pushing ‘U-Turn,’ originally slated for inclusion, to the sidelines.

This was because including more than two sentimental songs would dilute the album’s overall theme.

“So, the ‘U-Turn’ on the solo album was initially intended for JFTR?”

“Yes.”

“But ‘U-Turn’ is about pursuing a woman, isn’t it? It doesn’t seem to align with JFTR’s themes?”

Park Hye-yeon, now deeply immersed in hip-hop, was attuned to the thematic development of album tracks.

Sanghyun smiled and explained:

“Originally, ‘U-Turn’ only shared the chorus. The message and beat were entirely different. It wasn’t about romantic feelings, but about how I always found myself returning to music, no matter what else I tried. Then, I had a sudden inspiration and shifted the theme to the one you mentioned.”

“What kind of inspiration?”

“The inspiration that permeates the entire solo album.”

“And what is that inspiration…? Ah, never mind. Let’s start with a general overview of the solo album. Would that be alright?”

“Yes.”

Sanghyun paused to gather his thoughts before speaking.

“My solo album, 56 JFTR, released on July 1st, explores the emotions that men and women inevitably encounter during the process of falling in love. It examines these emotions within the broader framework of jealousy, forgiveness, truth, and romance. It consists of six tracks, featuring three distinct heroines.”

Park Hye-yeon’s eyes lit up at Sanghyun’s words.

She craved the hidden stories within the album, the kind that only the artist could reveal, like now.

“Why do you say three heroines appear?”

“Because the track order follows a ‘courtship-breakup’ pattern. The object of affection in track 1 is the object of the breakup in track 2. Similarly, the object of affection in track 3 is the object of the breakup in track 4.”

“Does that mean the object of affection in track 5 is also the object of the breakup in track 6?”

“Yes. And these three women have distinct personalities. They are completely different people.”

At Sanghyun’s response, Park Hye-yeon quickly glanced at the tracklist of 56 JFTR, which she had received as a gift.

1. I Just See

2. Need Time

3. U-Turn

4. Hey, Girl

5. High-Hill

6. I Like It

Park Hye-yeon had already listened to 56 JFTR in its entirety more than 30 times. She had memorized the lyrics and even the subtle vocal layering.

In her personal opinion, 56 JFTR surpassed JFTR.

While JFTR was a more technically accomplished hip-hop album, 56 JFTR possessed a quality that resonated deeply with the public, especially women.

Park Hye-yeon, studying the tracklist, spoke up.

“I see it now. Ah, this is fascinating. So, the heroine of tracks 1 and 2 is much younger than Lee Sanghyun-ssi, the heroine of tracks 3 and 4 is someone who was interested in another man right up until she started dating Lee Sanghyun-ssi, and the heroine of tracks 5 and 6 has a very devoted personality?”

“Rather than devoted, her outward appearance is very sophisticated and, shall we say, sexy, but she’s quite vulnerable on the inside.”

“I’ve got it!”

Suddenly, Park Hye-yeon slammed the table.

Sanghyun was startled by her sudden outburst, his eyes widening in surprise.

Park Hye-yeon, now acting like a detective, excitedly exclaimed:

“Listeners, you get the feeling, right? That the women Lee Sanghyun-ssi is describing are real people? I’m sure these three are women Lee Sanghyun-ssi has actually met!”

At Park Hye-yeon’s words, the radio message box nearly exploded. Similar comments had been appearing even before she spoke.

Sanghyun wore an incredulous expression.

“Why do you keep trying to connect our crew members to these kinds of stories, Noona? How likely is it that I’d meet women from such a diverse background?”

“Age is irrelevant!”

“So, the heroine of track 1 is an elementary school student? She’s much younger than me?”

“Uh…? That’s true.”

When talking to Sanghyun, she often forgot that he was only 19 years old.

‘But can you write such realistic lyrics based solely on imagination? Just from secondhand experience? Ah, well, it was the same with ‘School Rapper’ too.’

Sanghyun could tell from Park Hye-yeon’s expression that his explanation had worked.

In reality, Hye-yeon’s guess was accurate.

The three women in 56 JFTR were based on the stories of three women he had encountered in order, from his college graduation and joining a large company to the failure of his business.

However, it wasn’t entirely factual. The lyrics were slightly fictionalized for musical effect.

So, Sanghyun’s solo album 56 JFTR wasn’t an attempt to appeal to the masses, as some hip-hop fans speculated. It wasn’t a calculated strategy to expand the 888 Crew fanbase with Oh Kyung Media’s support. And it certainly wasn’t about making money.

He was still a rapper telling his own story.

Because the story of 56 JFTR was entirely his own, even if no one else knew it.

The motivation behind Sanghyun wanting to tell this story stemmed from Oh Kyung Media’s ‘trainee society.’

The agency’s trainees lived in a confined environment, constantly competing, even during meals and sleep. Tragically, this competition was based on relative, not absolute, evaluation.

In the hearts of trainees who usually got along as friends, there was bound to be a cold calculation: ‘If I want to survive, you have to fail.’

At the same time, they had no choice but to lean on, confide in, and rely on their colleagues who shared their unique world, one that was difficult for outsiders to understand.

Observing these complex and nuanced relationships, Sanghyun saw parallels to the relationships between men and women.

If rapper UMC, who had a large following for his insightful lyrics about the human condition, viewed love as politics, Sanghyun saw love as competition. A competition of repeated courtship and breakup.

Of course, to the general public, the lyrics of 56 JFTR would simply be seen as stories between men and women.

56 JFTR was intentionally crafted that way.

Sanghyun and Hye-yeon shared many stories about the solo album. Radio listeners also actively participated by sending messages.

Aside from the overwhelming speed of the incoming messages, it was a very enjoyable experience to honestly discuss his music.

In between discussions, Sanghyun’s chosen songs were played, along with listener requests.

Interestingly, all the songs played were hip-hop tracks.

“Is today completely 8 PM Hip-Hop Station?”

Sanghyun started with 2Pac’s ‘Life Goes On’ and selected ’emotional’ songs that defied the ‘intense’ stereotype often associated with hip-hop.

When Jay-Z’s ‘Song Cry’ came on, Park Hye-yeon repeatedly expressed her admiration.

I can’t see ’em comin down my eyes

눈물이 내려오는 걸 볼 순 없어. [I can’t see the tears coming down my eyes.]

So I gotta make the song cry

그러니 노래로 울어야겠어. [So I have to cry with a song.]

Unlike typical breakup songs that acknowledge weakness and sadness, Jay-Z’s ‘Song Cry’ unapologetically showcased the rapper’s swagger.

Based on the premise that ‘I am strong, so I cannot cry,’ the lyrics conveyed, ‘I am sad about breaking up with you, so I will cry through a song instead.’

As a result, ‘Song Cry’ is remembered as one of the best tracks on Jay-Z’s legendary album, Blueprint.

That’s how the radio show progressed.

Sanghyun, Hye-yeon, and the listeners were all satisfied, but one more treat remained.

“What song will you perform live today?”

“‘I Just See’ and ‘U-Turn,’ the double title tracks from my solo album.”

It was time for ‘Live Station,’ where listeners could enjoy live performances from musicians on 8 PM Station.

< Verse 31. Jealous, Forgiveness, Truth, Romance > End

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