The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 214

< Verse 33. Hit Song >

Verse 33. Hit Song

The trend in the Korean music market changed rapidly.

Traditional ballads, which had long dominated the Korean music industry, began to lose popularity, and fusion genres based on the Two Four Rhythm, common in black music, started to gain traction.

At the same time, traditional girl groups that combined innocent feminine beauty with powerful vocals showed signs of decline. It became difficult for them to stand out musically.

Compared to girl groups, boy groups, which could change their image more easily, began incorporating black music influences into their title songs to stay relevant. Hip-hop groups, like Big Bang, also debuted sooner than initially planned.

These changes weren’t just a seasonal shift from ballads to dance songs.

The entire landscape of the music industry was being reshaped.

At the heart of this change was 888 Crew’s and Lee Sang-hyun’s mega-hit, <56 JFTR>.

***

“This fucking shit! Goddamn it!”

Cha In-hyun unleashed a string of curses in the company’s practice room. Although soundproofed, his voice was loud enough to be heard next door.

He was blinded by frustration.

He had just received a negative response from an A&R [Artists and Repertoire, the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and artistic development] team employee.

‘In-hyun, I don’t think it’ll work as the title song. As you know, the music scene is…’

His worst fear had come true, and his heart sank. Cha In-hyun retorted urgently.

‘Black music is popular right now. Rhythm and blues is a type of black music.’

‘You know that the black music I’m talking about isn’t black music in the broad sense, but music centered on strong drum beats. Besides, “One” isn’t contemporary R&B that Koreans like; it’s closer to jazz swing.’

‘You can arrange it…’

‘This song is really good. It’s perfect as it is. It won’t be the title song, but the album itself hasn’t been canceled.’

‘But…’

The difference between a title song and a non-title song is undeniable, especially from a composer’s perspective.

Beyond the financial aspect, a composer with even one hit song receives far better treatment than a composer with ten unpopular songs.

The A&R team employee patted Cha In-hyun on the shoulder and said,

‘Many songs gain popularity and get promoted even if they aren’t title songs. Let’s stay positive. The song is really good.’

‘I’ll try to arrange it to fit the current trend. Then can it be the title song again?’

‘The recording is already finished… And Joo Yo-han really likes the current version. He’ll probably use it as a major piece in his concert.’

‘I’ll try anyway.’

‘Then go ahead. We’re also in trouble because we don’t have a title song or a follow-up song. It would be nice if Chae Dae-han could make one, but Chae Dae-han hates Joo Yo-han so much…’

After the conversation, Cha In-hyun immediately started working on the arrangement.

He had something to believe in.

The “One” that Lee Sang-hyun sang was originally a rap. By reviving that memory, adding hip-hop drums, and tightening the melody, it didn’t seem too difficult.

However, the arrangement proved challenging.

He was changing the genre of a song he had been listening to and singing for over a year, a song he considered ‘his.’

No matter how much he tried to recall the hospital rooftop, it was his version of “One,” not Lee Sang-hyun’s, that came to mind.

‘This isn’t it… How did that bastard sing it?’

Perhaps because he had unconsciously tried to forget that day, he couldn’t imagine “One” as a rap.

Furthermore, the mp3 file of Lee Sang-hyun’s voice had been deleted during the Jeonju World Wide Indie Music Festival, leaving him with no clues.

‘How is it?’

‘Um… It’s seriously bad. All the good parts are gone, and only the bad parts are highlighted.’

The new version of “One,” which he had barely managed to arrange, received harsh criticism.

Then, he received news that felt like a bolt from the blue.

‘Oh, by the way, Cha In-hyun’s contract is tied to the title song, right? The contract details will be revised soon. Fortunately, they say they won’t touch the contract fee, so talk to the legal team when they come. You need to graduate from being a trainee soon.’

Cha In-hyun clenched his fist tightly.

“Goddamn it…”

If he could just graduate from being a trainee, he could release his album according to the contract. He had endured his trainee life with that hope, but everything was falling apart.

‘Does this make sense? Can the trend change so suddenly? What, is the fucking music industry a playground?’

All because of one hip-hop group?

However, the change wasn’t solely due to 888 Crew, as Cha In-hyun believed. It was something that would have happened naturally even without them.

However, the 888 Crew appeared, and Hip Hop the Vibe 2, which would have been canceled, gained popularity, igniting the fuse sooner.

Originally, the shift towards a black music-centered rhythm in popular music was expected around Big Bang’s debut in August 2006, with idols armed with hook songs appearing from mid-2007.

In terms of timing, it was about a year earlier, but from Cha In-hyun’s perspective, everything had gone wrong because of that one year.

-Bang! Bang!

Cha In-hyun, who was slamming the table with his fist, reached into his pocket.

A moment later, he held a small USB drive.

‘This isn’t my fault.’

Cha In-hyun pondered for a moment, considering who to make a deal with.

The answer came quickly. There was one more person who was racking his brains because of Lee Sang-hyun.

“I was running an errand for Section Chief Hong Kyung-soo, but I don’t know how to deliver it. Could I have Section Chief Hong Kyung-soo’s phone number?”

“Yes? What errand?”

“I was told not to tell anyone because it’s confidential… Should I tell you?”

“Um… I can’t give you his phone number, but if you leave your phone number, I’ll pass it on to Section Chief Hong.”

“Okay.”

***

Hong Kyung-soo received a trainee’s number the previous day as he was leaving work. The front desk employee had given it to him, saying ‘trainee, errand, confidential’ or something.

‘Did I ask a trainee to run an errand? Confidential? If it’s confidential, why would you ask a trainee to do it?’

Then, he received a text from Cha In-hyun.

-When should I give you the tracks of Lee Sang-hyun that you asked me to run an errand for?

Hong Kyung-soo quickly stopped the car. He had a feeling. He had no choice but to make a call after receiving another meaningful text.

-If the goose that lays the golden eggs doesn’t listen, shouldn’t we cut open its belly?

In fact, after Sang-hyun suddenly left for New York, Hong Kyung-soo, who was in charge of Sang-hyun, was the most troubled.

The musicians in charge of section chief-level employees are those whose names alone become brands: veterans who have reigned at the top for a long time and can hold concerts with just their hit songs.

So, the fact that Hong Kyung-soo was in charge showed how Oh Kyung Media valued Sang-hyun.

Of course, Hong Kyung-soo had led the contract with Lee Sang-hyun, and there was a secret in the contract, and there was also a reason why Vice President Oh Yeon-joo made Hong Kyung-soo in charge of Sang-hyun. But even so, Hong Kyung-soo was a section chief.

‘But this bastard…’

If the company gives him special treatment, he should be grateful, but he wasn’t.

To others, Hong Kyung-soo was a ‘fool’ who was digging coal in front of an oil field.

A musician who hits home runs every time he releases a song.

A trendsetter who leads the trend.

A best-seller who does everything from composing, arranging, mixing, and mastering on his own, and sells 100,000 copies without any special promotion.

This was Lee Sang-hyun as others saw him after JFTR came out from 888 Crew.

It was literally an oil field.

Besides, it wasn’t a slave contract; it was a very good contract. When he worked, the company made money, and Lee Sang-hyun also made money.

In terms of the overall ratio, the company got seven and Lee Sang-hyun got three.

“Hey, are you being dragged around by a musician even though you give him that kind of condition? Is he Cho Yong-pil [a legendary Korean singer]? Is he Kim Gun-mo [a famous Korean singer]? Isn’t he a high school student anyway?”

Hong Kyung-soo was on the verge of a nervous breakdown due to the pressure from his colleagues, starting with Oh Yeon-joo.

However, from some point on, Lee Sang-hyun changed.

He entrusted the distribution of JFTR’s music to Oh Kyung Media and then created an album aimed at the public called 56 JFTR.

After that, he became more generous with the number of radio and music show appearances he had been strictly adhering to, and at some point, he even asked for additional appearances. He even seemed to welcome additional photo shoots.

He even subtly asked about extending the contract one day.

“If I extend the contract, will the contract fee come out again? Will the conditions be reviewed again too?”

Hong Kyung-soo was slightly relieved by this change in Lee Sang-hyun.

‘As expected, no one stays the same when they gain fame and taste money. That’s normal.’

He might have felt dissatisfied.

He had to divide the profits from JFTR, which he had led and planned, into 1/9, and then divide 35% of that 1/9 with Oh Kyung Media again.

When others earned 10 million won, Lee Sang-hyun only earned 6.5 million won. Considering his contribution to JFTR, he deserved more.

‘If I show him a little more money, I’ll be able to renew the contract.’

Hong Kyung-soo thought so, and thanks to that, he made the mistake of releasing 56 JFTR.

The 56 JFTR, which originally consisted of 6 tracks, should not have been released in album form.

Lee Sang-hyun had a total of 7 songs to release within the remaining contract period of 3 and a half years.

7 songs was a lot or a little, depending on how you looked at it.

Therefore, to maximize the profits of the 7 songs, he was planning to release one single every year in the first and second half of the year. He was also planning to maximize the activity period and milk it as much as possible.

It would be difficult to plan a solo concert with this, but Lee Sang-hyun’s solo concert was likely to fail anyway due to the rival 888 Crew’s solo concert.

However, Lee Sang-hyun slowly began to change, and it seemed like the moment to show him the taste of money, so he released 56 JFTR.

Oh Yeon-joo also constantly put pressure on him, saying, ‘888 Crew’s JFTR is doing so well, what is Section Chief Hong Kyung-soo doing?’

The released 56 JFTR was a huge hit.

Since Lee Sang-hyun made everything, the company didn’t do anything, but it was raking in money. By allowing the use of the studio, hundreds of millions of won came in.

Thanks to this, Hong Kyung-soo’s shoulders were high, and he could enjoy the envious eyes of his colleagues.

‘This is a big problem.’

However, this was a trap for revenge.

If you combine the first push single “Welcome to School” and the 6 tracks of “56 JFTR”, there are a total of 7 tracks.

The moment he fulfilled his obligations specified in the contract, Lee Sang-hyun left for New York.

‘Is the obligation left to me this year the Oh Kyung Media joint concert and the advertisement shooting? I’ll definitely do those, so don’t worry. Oh, and of course, I’ll participate in the two concerts next year, so don’t worry.’

It was difficult to get through, but Lee Sang-hyun’s response was cold.

’56 JFTR activities are over, right? You can fry and stir-fry with the music as you please. That’s Oh Kyung Media’s right.’

His vision darkened. No matter how popular Lee Sang-hyun was, it was impossible to make a profit with only 56 JFTR for the remaining 3 years.

Hong Kyung-soo felt like he was going crazy. Oh Yeon-joo’s pressure and his colleagues’ pathetic expressions seemed to be burned into his mind.

Lee Sang-hyun was carrying out his revenge in a way he had never imagined.

Why on earth?

The process of making the contract wasn’t ideal, but in the end, didn’t they both benefit greatly?

I made a contract with such good conditions, so what the hell is that damn bastard so dissatisfied with!

Just as Hong Kyung-soo was in despair, Cha In-hyun’s deal came in.

“This USB contains all of Lee Sang-hyun’s unreleased tracks so far. There are 15 beats, 3 sketch guides with only one of the hook or verse, and 9 completed tracks.”

“How did you…?”

“I copied it from Lee Sang-hyun’s computer.”

Hong Kyung-soo, who heard the whole story from Cha In-hyun, asked again.

“Are you sure? You weren’t caught on CCTV?”

“I just took out the hard drive from the emergency exit and put it in my bag. I immediately left the computer at the front desk. And the next day, I waited for the company to pick it up and handed over the hard drive outside the building. I said I forgot to take it out.”

“Then…”

“Yes. Just check the CCTV angle that takes pictures outside the building once. I’m sure I wasn’t caught, but.”

“No. I can handle the CCTV anyway. The problem is that I have to check if this is really an unreleased track.”

“Copyright is not registered. Not only the beats and sketch guides, but also the completed tracks. I’ve checked it thoroughly.”

“What about the lyrics?”

“I’ve checked the lyrics too.”

“What’s the quality like? It’s not a roughly made song, is it?”

“Listen to it yourself. I don’t think it’s inferior to 56 JFTR. Can I talk about the conditions now?”

“I’ll check the copyright registration status myself… No, let’s hear the conditions first. What do you want?”

Their minds were in agreement.

Cha In-hyun needed an ally. No matter how much he had, he didn’t have the guts to reveal this alone.

Even if he avoided the CCTV, he would eventually be caught if they investigated the computer repair company employee or checked the external CCTV. He needed a shield. A person who could be a shield and make him a star at the same time.

Hong Kyung-soo needed the golden eggs he had lost due to his mistake.

As Cha In-hyun said, if the goose doesn’t listen, he had to cut open the goose’s belly to get the golden eggs. Although it may not be worth the goose’s value, unlike the fairy tale, there was quite a decent amount of gold hidden in the goose’s belly.

That’s how Cha In-hyun and Hong Kyung-soo shared secrets and joined hands.

And four days later, Sang-hyun, who had finished recording “The way we live” and filming the music video, returned to Korea.

***

< Verse 33. Hit Song > End

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