The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 207

< Verse 31. Jealousy, Forgiveness, Truth, Romance (End) >

Feeling like making an illegal U-turn

Caught by a cop in the next lane

It’s okay, I’ll shake off the cop

Step hard on the gas, Speed King

“U-Turn” was about a woman Sanghyun met at 32, when his business was starting to boom.

She was three years younger than Sanghyun and was closing her heart off, having been hurt too much by her ex-boyfriend.

She had broken up with him because of his terrible cheating, but she was still getting hurt by her ex-boyfriend, who wouldn’t accept the breakup and kept showing up from time to time.

Even so, her self-esteem was low because her heart wavered whenever her ex-boyfriend treated her warmly.

So, Sanghyun deliberately courted her shamelessly and confidently, never forgetting to show his sincerity.

Turn the steering wheel, make a U-turn and come to me.

I’m serious.

That was the feeling Sanghyun had back then, and the feeling contained in the “U-Turn” he was singing now.

What you need is speech

Tell that guy, ‘You ain’t shit’

Let’s make it easier, Main Dish

Point at me and say, ‘My lover’

Eventually, a month later, she was able to say ‘You ain’t shit’ to her ex-boyfriend.

‘You ain’t shit’ could be translated coarsely into Korean as ‘넌 좆도 아니야’ [neon jotdo aniya – you are nothing].

In other words, ‘You ain’t shit’ was a lyric that represented her change of heart as she called her ex-boyfriend and said, ‘You ain’t shit’ while turning the steering wheel.

Because it was a vulgar word, the lyrics on the album were ‘You ain’t thing,’ but Sanghyun would slyly change it to ‘You ain’t shit’ whenever he performed live.

You deserve respect

More than respect, you need love

If you can’t trust me

Think of me as an agency.

The melody disappeared, and the rap got faster and faster.

The slyness disappeared, and all that was left was sincerity.

Right hand on the passenger seat, left hand on the steering wheel,

I’m handsome, rich, and more than necessary, gentle.

So-

A one-second pause after the word ‘So.’

In music, even a 0.1-second pause can greatly change the music.

The one-second pause now represented the fleeting moment when a man who had confessed with all his heart stopped breathing and waited for an answer.

I confessed. So,

Turn, turn, turn,

Turn your steering wheel right now

Turn, turn, turn,

Turn your steering wheel right now

Turn, turn, turn,

Turn your steering wheel right now

Turn, turn, turn,

Turn your steering wheel right now

As Sanghyun had resolved before singing “U-Turn,” the live station stage became a perfect performance.

The emotional states of Verse 1, the chorus, and Verse 2 were so perfect.

The women listening to this song even felt like they were the ones being courted by Sanghyun.

Even Hyeyeon, who had never thought of Sanghyun as a man, felt her heart flutter for no reason, so how much more would Sanghyun’s fans feel?

Turn, turn, turn,

Turn your steering wheel right now

Turn, turn, turn,

Turn your steering wheel right now

The chorus gradually faded, becoming a whisper that was barely audible.

The moment the whispering stopped, the E piano and the snap pulled back, leaving only the thumping bass.

The moment even the sound of the bass disappeared, applause echoed in the 20:00 station’s radio studio.

-Clap clap clap.

It was the sound of applause from the two female writers and Hyeyeon.

“Thank you. That was U-Turn.”

“Wow, the song is really good. No, the song was originally good, so should I say the live performance was good?”

“Thank you.”

If “I Just See” had become ‘Uncle,’ it moved the hearts of men who still dreamed of romance, while “U-Turn” was moving the hearts of women by giving them the feeling of being courted by two men at the same time.

“This, this. I can already hear the sound of the solo album selling?”

Hyeyeon, who had been joking around, began to ask about the background stories behind “U-Turn.”

In this way, Sanghyun’s 20:00 station, which heralded the start of 888 Week, was successfully coming to an end.

Sanghyun’s 20:00 station not only recorded the highest listenership in its time slot, but also set a record for the highest listenership across all radio stations in 2006.

***

888 Week, which began with Sanghyun’s appearance, concluded with the assessment that it was a win-win strategy that brought tremendous results to both the 888 Crew and CBC Broadcasting.

CBC Broadcasting rose to the center of attention without spending a penny and gained the benefit of acquiring new listeners.

The listeners who listened to the radio from Monday to Sunday through 888 Week returned to the radio even on Mondays when the 888 Crew did not appear.

It was a natural result that their choice was to flock to Park Hyeyeon’s 20:00 station, where familiar voices flowed.

Radio is a medium with a different charm than TV, so people who fall in love with radio once can never quit it. Moreover, radio is multitasking, so unlike TV, it is more of a concept shared with daily life than a time-consuming concept.

It meant that you could listen to it while doing other things.

It was the moment when the 20:00 station, which had a high listenership among high school students studying late at night, finally broke through its limits and recorded the overwhelming number one listenership for CBC Radio Broadcasting.

Of course, this rush of new listeners was likely to be a temporary phenomenon. As time passed, the current abnormal listenership would gradually return to normal levels.

However, there would still be those who would continue to love the radio, and the number was expected to be quite large even after the bubble burst.

It was only July, but rumors were already circulating that the year-end CBC Broadcasting’s radio program award would be given to ’20:00 Station.’

CBC Broadcasting was not the only one to benefit.

The 888 Crew was able to enjoy a significant promotional effect by singing JFTR [Just For The Record] and 56 JFTR songs on the Live Station every day. It properly targeted the hearts of viewers who did not watch music shows well.

If the main buyers of JFTR and 56 JFTR had been teenagers and those in their twenties, the album orders from consumers in their thirties and forties increased significantly after 888 Week, which was proof of that.

Thanks to this, JFTR’s sales, which had been faltering at 110,000 copies, began to pick up again, and they were able to achieve the tremendous feat of selling 40,000 copies in just one week of 888 Week.

–

888 Crew Regular Album Vol. 1

Sales: 159,360 copies.

–

JFTR’s sales of nearly 160,000 copies were a figure that could not be ignored.

It was enough to set fire to the MSC Broadcasting and KSC Broadcasting, which had been turning their heads and forcibly closing their eyes even at 80,000 copies.

A musician who sold 160,000 copies in just one month after release.

A musician who is beginning to be described as the hope to break through the severe recession in the music market.

The fact that these musicians were not even given a stage, let alone nominated for first place, was strange to anyone.

Rumors spread among 888 Crew fans that MSC Broadcasting and KSC Broadcasting had blacklisted the 888 Crew. At the same time, the fandoms of other singers who had been blacklisted and were suffering disadvantages began to express strong dissatisfaction.

As public opinion grew stronger than expected, MSC and KSC hurriedly reached out to the 888 Crew.

They offered to appear on music shows and offered to make them number one. Of course, even if they didn’t make them number one and only evaluated them fairly, the 888 Crew would be number one.

However, the 888 Crew was not a team that would grab anyone’s hand if they reached out, or forgive anyone who apologized even if they hit them.

“Oh, really? We’re so happy. But we already have a schedule this weekend… When is the pre-recording? Oh, we have a schedule then too. We really want to do it, but it’s a shame…”

And that evening, a line of text was posted on Junhyung’s Cyworld [South Korean social networking site] homepage.

-We also want to appear on MSC music shows and KSC music shows…

From a third party’s point of view, Junhyung’s post gave the impression that he was unable to appear because MSC music shows and KSC music shows were sending some kind of ‘power play.’

However, when MSC Broadcasting and KSC Broadcasting, who were horrified, called Junhyung, Junhyung only replied that he was sorry that he could not appear due to his schedule. Then, he took down the post, saying that there was room for misunderstanding.

However, would the controversy disappear just because the post disappeared?

The controversy grew more and more heated, and eventually, even a current affairs broadcasting team was formed to investigate the ‘blacklist’ in the entertainment industry.

“Did you do that on purpose?”

“I learned it from you.”

“You only learn bad things.”

“I learned it from you!”

“Hey, you bad guy.”

Junhyung, who had been benchmarking Sanghyun’s way of handling things, which he had been watching all along, was smiling contentedly.

And CBC Broadcasting, which was watching such a scene, was also smiling contentedly.

It wasn’t just JFTR that saw increased sales through the 20:00 Station. Sanghyun’s solo album 56 JFTR was the same.

However, since 56 JFTR had been on the rise in sales from the beginning, it was not possible to clearly feel the increase. A driver who was driving at 180 km/h could not feel much difference even if they increased their speed to 200 km/h.

“It feels like we’re just sitting still and making money.”

“A truly great guy is a great guy. That’s why the contract terms are so good.”

“If Lee Sanghyun renews his contract, it’ll probably be the highest contract fee ever?”

“Will he?”

“We have to make him. But these days, it seems like he’s getting a taste for money, right?”

“I can’t deny that feeling. He’s done two additional events, right?”

Sanghyun did everything for 56 JFTR, from composing, arranging, writing lyrics, recording, and mastering. Other than using Ohkyung Media’s equipment, he didn’t receive any particular help.

Moreover, there was no pre-promotion. 56 JFTR was released suddenly at Sanghyun’s request, two weeks after the release of JFTR.

So, all Ohkyung Media did was album artwork, production, and distribution, but they were making huge profits.

This was because 56 JFTR recorded sales of 90,000 copies in just ten days after its release.

–

<56 JFTR>

Sales: 93,188 copies

–

Of course, this was a somewhat inflated sales figure. This was because distributors and album stores in Ohkyung Media’s distribution line had carried out some hoarding.

However, the hoarding of 56 JFTR was not about buying and holding on to them, but about buying and selling them all.

In other words, it only meant that the sales volume that would have been recorded over two weeks was pulled forward to one week, but the sales volume itself was not manipulated.

People’s attention began to focus on which album, 888 Crew’s JFTR or Sanghyun’s 56 JFTR, would achieve higher records.

In addition, all the members of the 888 Crew were evenly spotlighted through the CBC Radio Station, and they were able to say whatever they wanted.

Not only was Sangmi’s webtoon [digital comic] story told, but Woominho and Kim Hwan, who had been sidelined in popularity, began to form their own fan base.

Of course, it was far less than the popularity of Sanghyun, Hayeon, and Junhyung, but it was by no means a small number of fans.

The performances of those who were invited as guests in the middle were also outstanding.

Not only Kalib and Stars Records, who were already widely known through Hip Hop the Vibe, but also Texer and Kible, the featuring team of JFTR’s 6th track, ‘Just 888 Kidding,’ were able to make their names known.

Texer and Kible were the ones who were selected from among the many 888 kids who had handed Sanghyun mixtapes.

They were chosen to participate in the album because they were good, formed a unique vibe, and did not overlap with the styles of the 888 Crew members.

Thanks to this, Just 888 kidding, which was created using the word Just kidding, became the most popular track after National Team, Just For The Record, and Hitchhiking.

In this way, 888 Week, which was held at CBC Broadcasting’s 20:00 Radio Station, left many meaningful records.

Beyond the tremendous listenership, the popularity gained by the cast, and the soaring sales of JFTR and 56 JFTR, a new way to promote musicians was also born.

A new way to promote idol groups with many members like the 888 Crew.

Contacting radio stations and seeking appearances that explore various member combinations for quite a long time.

The 888 Crew was only trying to keep their promise with Park Hyeyeon, but before they knew it, the system of the show business world was shaking at their actions.

And then came July 19, 2006.

JFTR 5th week of release.

56 JFTR 3rd week of release.

It was the moment when JFTR, which had maintained the number one spot on Popular Music for a long time of 4 weeks, finally handed over the number one spot to 56 JFTR.

Someone sighed at the sight of the 888 Crew and Lee Sanghyun competing and Lee Sanghyun winning, and made the assessment that it was a ‘fratricide of business partners.’

Just when it seemed that JFTR’s iron-fisted dictatorship, which had lasted for 4 weeks, was over, it was inherited by the same Palssi family.

But at that moment, Sanghyun was not on the set of Popular Music.

“You came?”

“Did you bring the car?”

“Are you treating me like a driver as soon as you see me? Isn’t this the first time we’ve actually seen each other in person?”

“Oh, is that so?”

Sanghyun smiled, but in his heart, he answered no.

This was because Sanghyun had already seen his face countless times through mass media such as the Grammy Awards broadcast.

Sanghyun got into the Standard car parked in front of the airport.

He was in New York, also known as the Big Apple, the Melting Pot, or the hometown of Biggie [The Notorious B.I.G., famous rapper].

< Verse 31. Jealousy, Forgiveness, Truth, Romance (End) >

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