The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 213

< Verse 32. Through to New York (End) >

***

“Ugh, my head.”

Sanghyun woke up in the hotel KRS-One had booked for him, clutching his head. He looked at the clock and saw it was almost noon.

The first hangover he’d experienced since returning to his 18-year-old self was definitely unwelcome.

He felt fine when he was just drinking beer, but the vodka he drank during the impromptu performance was the culprit. He’d been thinking about his past tolerance and drank with the mindset of ‘This is nothing,’ forgetting that his body wasn’t used to alcohol at all anymore.

“Haa.”

Sanghyun lay blankly on the bed for a long time before letting out a laugh.

The hangover was terrible, but he felt good.

Looking at the more than 30 email addresses and phone numbers saved on his phone, he couldn’t help but smile.

There were 15 teams participating in the amateur night, but some teams consisted of multiple people, and there were also musicians among the participants’ acquaintances. That’s why he had so many contacts saved.

‘That was so much fun.’

This was a first for him.

Having musical discussions with the 888 Crew members was also great, but the 888 Crew had already become too similar to each other.

In contrast, the musicians he talked to yesterday were from different genres and making music in different directions.

Even among rappers, they weren’t all making the same music.

Some were devout believers in old school, while others preferred new school. In detail, there were people who did Southern rap, and others who were obsessed with West Coast gangster hip hop.

In the midst of such diversity, sparks of inspiration collided every moment, so it couldn’t help but be enjoyable.

After lying down for a while and reminiscing about yesterday, Sanghyun went out to the hotel living room as his hangover seemed to subside a bit.

The hotel was quiet, so Standard must still be asleep.

However, the moment Sanghyun came into the living room, he could sense rough breathing coming from the opposite room.

‘Could this crazy bastard be…?’

Sanghyun had seen Standard hitting on some black female rapper all night, but he didn’t expect him to bring her back to the hotel they were sharing…

As Sanghyun cautiously approached the door, the rough breathing became louder.

But strangely, no matter how he listened, both breaths seemed to be from men.

“Aaaaargh!”

At that moment, someone’s rough scream was heard.

Sanghyun, who had been hesitating in front of the door, was startled and opened it.

Two men were visible when he opened the door.

One was Standard, and the other was a large, built black man. But the problem was that someone was grabbing Standard’s ‘joystick’ and shaking it wildly.

Standard’s embarrassed voice was heard.

“No, ah! Let go of this!”

“No! No!”

“Ah, Lawrence! If you shake it like that!”

After briefly assessing the situation, Sanghyun looked at the room where screams were exchanged with a dumbfounded expression.

It was because KRS-One, whose real name was Lawrence Parker, was grabbing and shaking Standard’s soccer game controller.

The sight of a huge man, who was at least 15cm taller than Sanghyun, grabbing and shaking a tiny joystick shattered the fantasy Sanghyun had about KRS-One.

Looking at the TV screen connected to the game console, it seemed like they were in the middle of a penalty shootout to determine the winner of the soccer game.

“Left! Kick it to the left!”

KRS-One shouted excitedly.

A moment later, Standard really kicked the ball to the left, but KRS-One’s goalkeeper jumped to the right.

As KRS-One was outsmarted, he shouted slang that Sanghyun couldn’t understand in a loud voice. Judging from the nuance, it seemed like he was calling him a scammer.

‘This guy was this kind of character?’

He had felt a pleasant vibe when talking on the phone, but he didn’t know it would be this much.

Even though Sanghyun had entered the room, KRS-One and Standard were engrossed in the soccer game without saying a word of greeting. Listening to their conversation, it seemed like they had made some kind of bet, but it was obvious that Standard would win.

Sanghyun thought about showing the skills of a citizen from the E-sports powerhouse [South Korea], but then realized that he had never played a soccer game before and flopped onto the bed.

‘Come to think of it, when did I ever have time to play games? I did a little before my parents passed away.’

Thinking about it that way, it was funny. The current leisure of being in New York after working so hard as JFTR and 56 JFTR.

Eventually, the bet between Standard and KRS-One ended in Standard’s victory more than 30 minutes later.

Sanghyun was half asleep on Standard’s room bed when he was startled awake by KRS-One’s voice.

“Hey, sleepyhead. You haven’t had lunch yet, have you?”

“There’s no way I would have.”

“Then let’s say hello while we eat.”

“Hello?”

Sanghyun looked puzzled. Shouldn’t they say hello now?

KRS-One, seeing Sanghyun’s expression, laughed heartily and opened his mouth.

“Not with me. I’m talking about the featuring artists who will participate in ‘The way we live’ track.”

“Yes? Ah, you said a Japanese rapper was coming.”

“No, they’re all in New York. I called them.”

The moment Sanghyun heard KRS-One’s words, he felt his throbbing hangover disappear in an instant.

Instead of a hangover, he felt the desire to do his best among the track lineup.

The first meeting of six musicians.

KRS-One of the American hip hop scene. Hime of the Japanese hip hop scene. Black M of the French hip hop scene. Skepta of the British hip hop scene.

And FiveSix of the Korean hip hop scene and main producer DJ Standard from Denmark.

The track ‘The way we live’ that musicians from each country would create under the name of KRS-One.

His heart was already pounding.

“Oh, of course, we’re not just going to eat. Let’s get a guide version done today. Because this damn Standard is going to put in the sub drum line to match the guide.”

“Damn it?”

“Shut up. You damn skinny scammer.”

KRS-One and Standard, who had been bickering for a while, left the hotel room.

Sanghyun, who had been imagining the rappers he would meet today, followed them belatedly.

The moment they took the elevator and went down to the hotel lobby, KRS-One asked Sanghyun with a serious expression.

“I’m a person who really respects the cultural styles and universal habits of each country…”

“Yes?”

“Um… never mind.”

KRS-One, who was about to say something, hesitated, unlike his size.

Sanghyun felt like he was trying to say something necessary for the gathering of rappers from each country.

“Please speak comfortably.”

“Um… I hope you don’t take it the wrong way.”

“Yes. Please tell me.”

“Do… do Koreans not wash before eating?”

“…?”

Only then did Sanghyun realize that he had come out of the hotel room without even washing his face or brushing his teeth.

He was so engrossed in thinking about the musicians that he didn’t hear KRS-One’s words, ‘Get ready and come down. I’ll be in the cafeteria.’

Sanghyun had to go back to the hotel room to clear up KRS-One’s misunderstanding.

Sanghyun, along with Standard, took KRS-One’s car and arrived at a high-end restaurant near Manhattan that was frequented by famous celebrities and buyers.

As he got out of the car, quite a few people recognized KRS-One, but no one asked to take pictures or get autographs.

Standard, who was watching the scene, whispered to Sanghyun.

“His last album flopped so badly. The comments on the review site were the highlight. ‘I’ve never hoped for a score of less than half a star before.'”

KRS-One made a threatening gesture at Standard’s words, which were whispered but could be heard by everyone, but he didn’t seem upset at all.

It’s not just because he’s close to Standard.

The tenacity of a musician who has released 13 albums and is preparing for his 14th album. The depth of not being happy or sad because he has spent most of his life in music.

Sanghyun belatedly felt the presence of KRS-One, which he had not fully realized due to his first impression.

That the musician standing next to him was truly a legendary musician.

The Golden Era, the fall of Old School, the beginning of New School, the death of legends, the combination of major capital and hip hop.

A person who watched and directly participated in all these changes.

I – ain’t got no jewels on my neck

Why? Cause I don’t need ’em, I got your respect

KRS-One, been doin’ this for 20 years

I do this for JMJ and Scott La Rock

Although he couldn’t remember the English lyrics perfectly, KRS-One’s lyrics, which were responsible for the last verse of Classic, which was released by Nike in 2007, came to his mind naturally.

‘I have to become this kind of person too.’

Korean hip hop is just starting, so there is no one who can be called a ‘legend’.

Of course, there were people who deserved the title of legend in 2025 before Sanghyun returned, but based on 2006.

Sanghyun vowed to attach the title of legend to his name in 2025, which he would face again.

‘I feel like I’m just making resolutions since I came to America.’

“What are you looking at like a country bumpkin? Let’s go in.”

Standard tapped Sanghyun’s shoulder and entered the restaurant first.

As he entered the royal suite of the restaurant, two musicians had already arrived and were waiting.

It was Hime, a female rapper from Japan, and Skepta, a black rapper from England.

‘Skepta looks like this. He’s handsome, but his nose is huge.’

Skepta, who has influence in the British unique Grime style music, was a musician Sanghyun was familiar with.

It will happen in the future, but he will also succeed in a large-scale tour in the United States and actively interact with musicians such as Kanye West.

However, the female Japanese rapper Hime and the French rapper Black M, who had not yet arrived, were names he had never heard of.

‘Oh? Could this Hime be the Japanese person who appeared in the BET Cypher [a freestyle rap session]?’

Sanghyun suddenly thought of the female rapper who rapped in Japanese at the 2008 BET Cypher, but there was no way to confirm if it was her. Where can you confirm future events?

“I know everyone speaks English to some extent, so say hello on your own. Anyway, the food will come out when Black M arrives.”

At KRS-One’s words, the introductions began.

Skepta, who had a strong impression, was surprisingly sociable, and Hime seemed shy, but he could feel her desire to become friends with the musicians.

A moment later, when Black M arrived, a discussion forum was held with three blacks, two Asians, and one white person.

Except for Skepta, who was British, Hime and Black M were not good at English, but it was not a big problem. Skepta was stuttering in French, and Sanghyun could roughly understand Japanese.

Like the track title ‘The way we live’, the process by which each musician has pursued their music career was different. The way they made music was different, and the reasons they gained popularity were different.

As a result, just talking gave him a lot of inspiration.

“Oh, I need to revise this verse a bit? I wrote a verse about my career as a rapper, but I should describe the characteristics of the British music scene better.”

Everyone nodded at Skepta’s words during the conversation. It was what they had been thinking in their hearts.

Then Hime asked.

“The languages ​​we rap in are all different, so will this track appeal?”

“We have to do as much as we can. Honestly, this is not a track that will be promoted by the company. Even if we push it, it’s hard to achieve commercial success. This track is a kind of service track for fans who see hip hop as a broader, single country.”

Sanghyun nodded at KRS-One’s words.

Sanghyun had heard the song ‘Hiphop For The World’ that KRS-One would release in 2015.

It was a track with 14 rappers from a total of 14 countries, and rapper San E participated from Korea. San E did well, but I remembered that the rapper from Egypt showed a very unique vibe.

‘Of course, KRS-One was the best.’

Then KRS-One put his hand on Sanghyun’s shoulder and said.

“And this friend gave me a lot of inspiration. Does everyone know YouTube?”

“Of course I know. I heard Google is going to acquire it soon?”

As expected, all the musicians who were recognized in each country were paying attention to YouTube.

Surprisingly, Skepta even predicted that if YouTube’s loading time was reduced and the image quality improved, the way musicians released their music would be completely different.

Then KRS-One said something amazing.

“I’m close to Chad Hurley [co-founder of YouTube]. The theme of the track ‘World Wide’ and the founding ideology of YouTube are the same, so we decided to use each other. They sell my name to promote YouTube, and we put video clips on the YouTube main page. With subtitles.”

“Who is Chad Hurley?”

“The founder of YouTube.”

Everyone realized the influence of the musician in front of them.

Even if he is evaluated as outdated, KRS-One was a musician with brand power in his name.

KRS-One smiled at the musicians’ respectful gaze and added.

“It’s Chad’s trick to raise the acquisition price a little bit, it’s not a big deal. I pay a little usage fee too. Anyway, all we have to do is make a killer track.”

Then Sanghyun said.

“There are already over 100 million YouTube users, so if those 100 million people go to YouTube, the first thing they’ll see is ‘The way we live’.”

The musicians swallowed their saliva as Sanghyun mentioned specific figures.

If they do well, they can get something quite big, but if they don’t, they’re tarnishing their rap name. Even to hip hop fans all over the world.

A moment later, the musicians heading to the studio for the first guide recording couldn’t take their hands off their phones. Everyone was revising the lyrics.

< Verse 32. Through to New York (End) > End

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