The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 204

While preparing for the live broadcast, Hye-yeon asked Sang-hyun, who was checking the monitoring status.

“Both ‘I Just See’ and ‘U-Turn’ are about wooing a woman, right?”

“Well, ‘I Just See’ is more about the feeling of attraction rather than actively wooing, and ‘U-Turn’ is definitely about begging. I think it’s better to just listen to the songs to understand them, rather than me explaining.”

“Who doesn’t know that? I asked because there was a gap in the commentary. You really have no tact.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Sang-hyun chuckled at Hye-yeon’s playful jab.

However, at that moment, a flurry of radio messages saying ‘Don’t give our *oppa* [older brother/male friend, used affectionately by women] a hard time’ flooded in. The surprising thing was that most of the listeners who sent the messages were in their 20s.

‘Sang-hyun’s love life would be a complete disaster if he ever dated.’

While Park Hye-yeon was thinking that, Sang-hyun’s live broadcast preparation was finally complete.

“It seems like the preparation is finished. 888 Week, a week-long event on CBC Radio’s 8 PM slot! The first live stage of 888 Week features Lee Sang-hyun’s ‘I Just See’ and ‘U-Turn’!”

The sound engineers at the 8 PM station began to move busily at Hye-yeon’s enthusiastic announcement.

Sang-hyun took a moment to catch his breath as he watched them.

All the tracks on *56 JFTR* were made with beats he created himself, and he also did the mastering himself. He received help from Chae Dae-han in some parts, but it was more like tips or minor assistance rather than a true collaboration.

So, *56 JFTR* was an album that Sang-hyun created from beginning to end, completely on his own.

“Let’s go.”

With Sang-hyun’s quiet voice, the beat began to play.

-Tak, tak, tak, tak.

The sound of drumsticks clicking together signaled the beginning of the song. The sound drew the attention of the broadcasting station staff and listeners across the country.

At this moment.

Someone might be listening to his song while studying late at night, someone might be listening while driving, and someone else might be listening while exercising.

But Sang-hyun was going to capture 3 minutes and 20 seconds of whoever was listening to this song, no matter what they were doing.

Sang-hyun closed his eyes and reminisced about his 28-year-old self.

The him who had graduated from college and was working as a rookie at a large corporation.

And a woman who was by his side at that time.

‘Let’s go.’

As soon as the drumsticks finished, the rich sound of instruments began to flow out.

Sang-hyun opened his eyes.

The beat filled his headset.

He was newly amazed that he had created this, and grateful that he was now able to do things that he could never have done in the past.

Everything had changed.

38-year-old Lee Sang-hyun had returned to 18, and now he was 19. And his rap name became ’56’, combining 38 and 18.

But what didn’t change were the memories and emotions he had.

People he could never meet again, but people who gave him love at that time.

The album that collected all of that.

*56 JFTR*.

As the three main instruments harmonized, they began to create a beat that felt like the woman in Sang-hyun’s memory.

The calm but vibrant harmony of the electronic piano chords.

The lyrical yet somehow lively performance of the violin.

The drum sound that supports the piano and violin without abandoning the unique heaviness of hip-hop, but whose presence isn’t buried.

What this beat depicts is a twenty-year-old college student walking with her neatly combed long hair swaying rhythmically.

The first image of her in Sang-hyun’s memory.

She was so pretty and shone so brightly that he gave up presumptuously before even trying to talk to her.

‘But we ended up dating.’

Sang-hyun smiled slightly and began to rap.

I see you walking far away-

You walk rhythmically. Suddenly, a run-

-away, red carpet, the cafe you went into,

I hurriedly follow you, the boys inside you-

A woman walking far away on his way home from work. A strange feeling that everyone around him faded away, and only she was visible.

The moment he saw her walking rhythmically, Sang-hyun felt like a red carpet was being laid out in front of him.

And he followed her into the cafe as if possessed.

They watch and whisper.

Like a teenage boy, my heart is pounding.

Sitting near you, as if waiting for someone,

I look around.

What I want is an excuse to get to know you

A faint smile lingered on Sang-hyun’s lips.

It was already a past relationship, and not all the memories were always good. They fought, misunderstood each other’s actions, and became bitter.

Besides, only vague images remained, and he couldn’t clearly recall her appearance.

But what was clear was that he couldn’t talk about his 28-year-old self without her, and that the past Lee Sang-hyun loved her.

But you’re so pretty, So Beautiful

Twenty or Twenty one, after graduating from school

You’ve become prettier and prettier, maybe you’re a cherry flow-er

Tormenting countless butterflies

Sang-hyun felt pathetic at her smile, which seemed to be around 20 or 21 years old. He felt like a fool for following her into the cafe as if possessed.

The expression ‘intimidated’ seemed to fit.

Compared to her, who would have become prettier and prettier after graduating from high school, he was an uncool person who was worn down every day at work. He was an old man who couldn’t fall asleep without drinking a can of beer every night.

Like the lyrics, ‘You’re so fucking special’

Give money and fuck, you’re a bank cashier

To you, I’m just an old man

Look at your smile, keep, I Just See

‘You’re so fucking special’ was a lyric from Radiohead’s famous song “Creep.”

A song containing the lament of a drunkard who says, ‘I’m so insignificant, but why are you so beautiful’, “Creep.”

It was a very fitting reference for Sang-hyun’s song, which contained the feeling of resignation that he had no choice but to ‘I Just See’ because he was an ‘old man’ who didn’t suit her. Of course, the word ‘fucking’ was being muted because it was on air.

These were the lyrics of the double title song of <56 JFTR>, “Old Man (I Just See).”

And this kind of experience was not something that only Sang-hyun could do. Also, although the word is ‘old man’, it was not an experience that only men could have.

Anyone could have had the experience of not being able to easily approach someone because of their own feelings of inadequacy, and they were experiencing it.

That’s why “I Just See” was gaining explosive sympathy from the public and attracting so much attention.

What if Sang-hyun was just a 19-year-old genius rapper with excellent rapping skills? What if he was a person who was far from the word ‘old man’?

“I Just See” would not have been so successful.

The public seems ignorant, but they are very perceptive.

So it’s bound to be discovered quickly. No matter how well you write the lyrics or how well you rap, if what’s inside is not sincerity but acting.

But this was Sang-hyun’s real story, and it contained sincerity. That’s why it was captivating the public and evoking their sympathy.

A funny thing that happened because of this was that some critics said that <56 JFTR> was an album that properly showcased the talent of the rapper Lee Sang-hyun and gave it tremendous praise.

*56 JFTR*, which perfectly unravels emotions that have not been experienced or indirectly experienced, is Sang-hyun’s real talent.

Sang-hyun was secretly embarrassed, but he couldn’t reveal ‘I’ve experienced all of these stories!’, so he was accepting the critics’ praise with a bit of embarrassment.

As soon as the 16-bar 1st verse ended, the violin’s deep string sound rose to the forefront of the beat.

Over it, Sang-hyun’s already recorded voice flowed out. Sang-hyun’s rap, which was more calm than flashy.

It was a somewhat understated chorus.

However, for that chorus to be complete, a melodious song had to be placed on top of the rap.

I just wanted to hold your hand-

I wanted to walk down the street together-

But, You, Young & Pre-tty

I’m not confident, I Just See

When a melody-filled song was placed on top of the calmly delivered rap, the appeal became even stronger.

The note that went up in the part that talked about hope, ‘I wanted to hold your hand,’ and ‘I wanted to walk down the street,’ fell sharply in the part that said, ‘I’m not confident, I Just See,’ filling it with a feeling of resignation.

I just wanted to kiss you on the cheek-

I wanted to fall asleep together-

But, You, Young & Pre-tty

I’m not confident, Old Man

Sang-hyun’s expressiveness was added to the dramatic beat, which repeated Money Code’s unique ‘dramatic feeling – calm sinking’ pattern, and a restraint that was difficult to imitate appeared despite the easy beat and melody.

Rather, the fact that he wasn’t that good at singing became an even bigger advantage.

The feeling was that he was restraining his singing not because he couldn’t sing, but because he was ‘not confident’.

I just see……

A simple bridge that simply repeats “I just see.”

Park Hye-yeon opened her mouth without realizing it at Sang-hyun’s voice filling the bridge.

‘Is this really just storytelling?’

If so, Sang-hyun was truly a musician sent from heaven, and he would be much better at acting than her. It was because Sang-hyun’s eyes while singing clearly seemed to be reminiscing about someone.

Hye-yeon had watched the <56 JFTR> stage that debuted on Popular Music a few days ago. The double title songs “I Just See” and “U-Turn” were amazing, and the stage showed that even emotional rap was on a different level when Sang-hyun sang it.

But could the stage she saw on TV be the same as the stage she was seeing in front of her now?

There was clearly something in Sang-hyun’s voice that TV, which is transmitted through the screen, could not fully capture, and this would not be fully captured even through the radio waves.

I can understand why so many fans who watched ‘Club Homie, Mudeung Stadium Performance, Real hiphop 888 St, 888 Show’ became hardcore fans of the 888 Crew.

I can understand the actions of 30-something office workers who apply for music show tickets for the first time in their lives.

This is because after seeing this kind of live performance, they cannot be completely satisfied through mass media.

And what’s even more amazing is that Sang-hyun’s ‘something’ can still captivate people even without being fully conveyed.

If you can receive 100 through live performances and 80 through mass media, then 80 alone has been enough to excite many people.

“Wow…….”

Hye-yeon’s voice flowed through the microphone and onto the radio, and it also entered Sang-hyun’s headset, which was turned on for monitoring.

Sang-hyun smiled awkwardly at Hye-yeon’s admiring reaction.

It is said that even the most talented musicians cannot objectively evaluate their own music, and Sang-hyun was exactly like that.

Sang-hyun thought that *56 JFTR* would gain some popularity. He worked hard to create it, and it had a hit code that the public could relate to. The hit code contained sincerity.

However, he never expected to receive such a great response and great praise. Even from hip-hop fans.

He thought he wouldn’t be able to get rid of the label ‘commercial album’, but he couldn’t find such words even if he searched high and low.

Rather, someone slightly changed the logo of ‘Made by Samsung’, which implies ‘it’s a higher quality product when Samsung makes it’ to ‘Made by Sanghyun’.

So he had no choice but to give his all on stage. Even though it was a free broadcast and a radio show without an audience.

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

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