The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 220

***

The moment the Korean music scene began to stir, Sanghyun was in Gwangju. He had come straight down to Gwangju the day after successfully finishing the 888 Show Vol.2.

The 888 Show Vol.2 generated enormous profits.

Especially the two performances in Seoul, as they secured the MSC [Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation] and KSC [Korean Broadcasting System] broadcasting stations’ public halls for free, meant that the total ticket sales of around 20,000 went straight into their bank account.

Not only the Seoul performances but also the performances in Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, and Daejeon were successful.

Dream Entertainment, which was in charge of the overall 888 Show, could feel the growth of the 888 Crew in precise figures. It hadn’t even been a year since they had done the 888 Show Vol.1, but the number of counted audiences and the amount of money deposited were different.

“Isn’t this, like, too much money we’ve made?”

“I know, right…….”

Who wouldn’t like making money, but the amount was just too much. Too much.

In the end, the 888 Crew members voluntarily decided to donate some of the profits. Nevertheless, the bank account was overflowing with ‘0’s.

‘They’re all such good people.’

Sanghyun smiled, thinking about the members’ decision.

The reason he came to Gwangju today was also to meet another good person.

“Looking good, huh?”

It was Inhyuk.

As soon as Inhyuk entered the room cafe, he smiled and bumped palms with Sanghyun.

Sanghyun also couldn’t help but smile as soon as he saw Inhyuk’s face.

They talked on the phone often, but it was the first time they had met since their parents’ memorial day. He was a *hyung* [older brother or respected male figure] who was always welcome and enjoyable to be around.

“Why does your face look so rotten, *hyung*?”

“Rotten? Doesn’t it look intellectual and full of scholarly scent? Like I’m about to recite the criminal law if you mess with me?”

“Your theatrics seem to be doing well.”

“Heh heh, that guy inside me is still alive and kicking.”

Inhyuk, who had been chatting excitedly with Sanghyun, belatedly rang the bell to call the part-time worker. It was to order coffee.

The part-time worker was surprised to see Sanghyun as soon as she came in, and soon recognized Inhyuk as well. After taking pictures and getting autographs for a while, the part-time worker took the order and left.

“Oh, *hyung*, you’re not dead yet.”

“Heh, Hip Hop the Vibration keeps extending my life.”

Hip Hop the Vibration 2 had become less popular since Episode 2, but it still had quite a few loyal fans.

The 888 Crew appeared quite often as archival footage in this Hip Hop the Vibration, and Inhyuk mainly appeared with his gem-like(?) ad-libs.

“But why did you come to Gwangju?”

“Just because. How’s studying going?”

“So-so. I thought I was stupid, but when I do it with the thought that it’s the last time, it’s manageable.”

“What about music?”

“I listen to it quite a bit. I write lyrics sometimes too. It’s been too long since I recorded, so I don’t know.”

Sanghyun nodded, sipping his coffee.

Some might find Inhyuk frustrating. His decision to stop doing well in music and focus on his studies. And that too, for the reason of meeting his parents’ expectations, not his own will.

But Sanghyun didn’t think so.

Everyone has things they can’t grasp on the surface, and those things are important parts of forming a person’s character or personality. For Inhyuk, his parents’ expectations were the biggest part of those unseen things.

If he ignored that and forced himself to do music, that sense of debt would inevitably explode someday.

So Inhyuk had to make a choice himself.

A choice to jump back into music, with a very solid conviction.

And Sanghyun couldn’t force that conviction, but he wanted to help a little. The 888 Crew needed Inhyuk in the future, and Inhyuk needed the 888 Crew.

As the two chatted for quite a long time, their coffee cups began to show the bottom, and Sanghyun got up from his seat.

“*Hyung*, let’s go.”

“Huh? Where to?”

“Where else? The studio.”

“Huh?”

The answer to Inhyuk’s question was just a smile.

“Oh! What? You didn’t sell this house?”

“How can I sell this house? It holds so many memories.”

“But why didn’t you tell me?”

“Only *hyung* doesn’t know. The other members know.”

“What, are you guys ostracizing me now?”

Sanghyun smiled and answered Inhyuk’s question.

“*Hyung* has his own thoughts and is trying to walk that path, so I didn’t tell you because I was worried that you might be swayed by the studio. You have to do your best to give up, right?”

Inhyuk nodded inwardly at Sanghyun’s words.

Yes, this was Sanghyun. Always thoughtful, considerate, and giving unlimited trust.

In Sanghyun’s words, ‘You have to do your best to give up,’ there was a firm belief that Inhyuk would return to music.

“Let’s go in.”

With a clanging sound, the gate opened, and a house came into Sanghyun and Inhyuk’s eyes.

The place where the 888 Crew started.

The place where Fuck the Show Biz was made, and Eight, Eight, Eight was made.

The place where Bootleg 0.5 and Official Bootleg were born.

The place where all the competition songs for Hip Hop the Vibration were written.

Inhyuk and Sanghyun entered their first home located next to Ochi Hanjeon.

The house was very clean, and the furniture was almost the same. It looked almost unchanged from the way they used to clock in every morning and every weekend.

“Why is it so clean?”

“Junhyung’s parents hired someone to clean it.”

Sanghyun also looked around the house, which he had visited after a long time, immersed in memories. For Sanghyun, this house was a place where memories with his parents were soaked in, in addition to memories with the 888 Crew.

After looking around the house for a while, the two headed to the studio so naturally.

Passing through the kitchen and heading towards the sink, they saw a small attic door on the left. Opening the door and passing through the narrow passage, their own fantastic space soon appeared.

“Wow…… it’s the same.”

“I know, right. It’s really the same.”

“Why are you pretending not to know when you left it like this?”

“Hey, you should know to overlook such trivial things when someone is immersed in emotion. Why are you like that, *hyung*?”

Then Inhyuk suddenly burst into laughter.

“Hey, look at that.”

Turning his gaze to where Inhyuk was pointing, Sanghyun couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Because the phrase ‘Shut up and do it!’ was visible on the desk where Minho’s personal computer was placed.

After laughing for a while, Inhyuk opened his mouth.

“But why did you come here?”

“Why else? To record.”

“What recording?”

“Let’s just do it.”

Sanghyun took out the laptop he had brought and linked it to the equipment.

The 888 Crew’s recording equipment had been upgraded a total of two times, and what was in the studio in Ochi-dong now was the equipment they had purchased first.

“*Hyung*, I’ll let you hear two chorus guides, so please sing them just once as they are.”

“Two? What are they? Let me hear them live.”

“Ah, should I?”

Sanghyun stopped handing over the headset and turned the sound to the outside. Soon, a beat with a calm guitar performance and a neat drum loop as the main sound began to flow out.

“Oh. Good?”

Inhyuk nodded and tapped his foot to the beat.

Soon, Sanghyun’s mouth opened as he counted the beats, and the chorus began. The two choruses were not very long. Nor were they difficult.

After listening a few more times, Inhyuk nodded.

“I think I can do both if I look at the lyrics? Do you want me to do it exactly the same as you?”

“No. It doesn’t matter as long as the beat is right. Do it as you’re comfortable.”

“Play the beat again.”

Soon, Inhyuk’s voice began to fill the studio.

As expected, Inhyuk’s vibe had many different aspects from his own, so even the lyrics he wrote sounded like Inhyuk’s when they passed through Inhyuk’s mouth.

Sanghyun thought that almost everything he could do was over, listening to Inhyuk’s chorus in the studio.

***

Koch Records, or rather Entertainment One, was very bold.

They published the content about Ohkyung Media’s ‘illegal copying and distribution for profit-making activities’ in .

Of course, the story about a small country in the East, Korea, and a rapper that Americans wouldn’t even know, couldn’t be in the headlines.

However, if you slightly change the perspective of the article and emphasize the illegal activities of the Ohkyung Group affiliates involved with Koch Records, the story is different.

Besides, Sanghyun was also in the lineup of The way we live. Instead of the title of ‘Eastern Rapper,’ a more specific title of ‘Rapper who showed Korean rap in The way we live’ could be attached, and thanks to this, this story could be published on page 3 of the New York Times.

Surprisingly, Ohkyung Media managed to prevent the contents of the New York Times article from spreading in Korea. It was impossible to control all the media and the Internet, but they could take action by creating a bigger issue through major media outlets.

The 888 Crew fans and underground hip-hop fans who grasped the situation were actively supporting on the Internet, but it seemed impossible to make it public.

In fact, the two goals that Sanghyun had originally planned had already been achieved, regardless of whether the public knew or not.

First, Cha Inhyun not profiting from the stolen Once in a Lifetime.

Although that profit may not be fully returned to Caliph, he could not give Cha Inhyun a song made with Caliph’s blood and sweat.

Of course, Caliph succeeded faster than in the past, and that was clearly thanks to Sanghyun’s help. In a way, it could be seen as paying off the debt.

But regardless of that, it was Sanghyun’s fault that Once in a Lifetime appeared in the world, and it was something that had to be corrected.

The second was revenge on Hongkyungsoo and escaping Ohkyung Media.

Hongkyungsoo took the 888 Show hostage and pressured him, and restricted his freedom through compensation-related tricks. No matter how sweet the fruits that Ohkyung Media handed over, Sanghyun could not tolerate it.

And those fruits were also things he had obtained by acting cleverly.

What if he was really an 18-year-old high school student?

He would still be a marionette moving as Ohkyung Media told him to.

Originally, Sanghyun’s plan was to achieve these two things, and these were things that were achieved regardless of being known to the public.

Because Cha Inhyun and Hongkyungsoo had fallen, and Sanghyun would soon leave Ohkyung Media.

But Sanghyun had learned something while working at Ohkyung Media, and that was that in the show business industry, if you look weak, you’re done.

A strange place where you don’t fail because you’re weak, but you get bitten if you look weak.

That was the society, the show business, that it showed.

‘You shouldn’t mess with the 888 Crew carelessly.’

Unless this perception was firmly established, he couldn’t guarantee that similar things wouldn’t happen.

But at this time, Sanghyun couldn’t think of a clever plan either.

The major media outlets were almost controlled, and it seemed that just talking about it on the Internet wouldn’t make a big difference.

‘Let’s write a diss track.’

It seemed that the only way was a diss track containing sincerity and facts.

But in conclusion, Sanghyun’s diss track was not made. Due to the actions of two people, the situation took a rapid turn, and soon began to exceed Ohkyung Media’s suppression.

Those two people were Dread of Codenames and PD [Production Director] Nahansoo of CBC Broadcasting Station.

“What are you most interested in these days, Mr. Dread?”

A common question on the radio.

But Dread’s answer was by no means common.

“I am very interested in Ohkyung Media illegally copying Lee Sanghyun’s song. I have been in the entertainment industry for a long time, but it seems that it is still a long way to go before musicians can freely create songs.”

Dread’s bomb-like comment on live radio soon dominated real-time search terms.

-What a load of crap. Since when has he been a musician? A visual singer.

-Hey, but aren’t Lee Sanghyun and Dread almost enemies? If they’re enemies, saying this much means the situation is really serious, right?

-Wow, this is so frustrating. Why isn’t this being known? Ohkyung Media illegally copied Lee Sanghyun’s song and it’s in the New York Times? This is a national disgrace, regardless of whether you’re a fan of the 888 Crew, a fan of Lee Sanghyun, or a hip-hop fan. It’s a story that consumers in the music industry need to know.

Because Sanghyun and Dread’s relationship was still known to the outside world as enemies, Dread’s words had a huge impact.

“Hey, what did you do? You still have a contract with Ohkyung Media.”

“This bastard is still complaining even when I do something good for him. And when are you going to use honorifics with me?”

“No, I mean, what are you going to do? Are you really going to quit being a celebrity?”

Dread chuckled at Sanghyun’s question.

“I’m going to the army. I have about 30 months left on my contract, so I’ll have about 6 months left when I come back.”

“What after that?”

“I’m going to rap in the underground. Why? Do you have a problem with that?”

“Ohkyung Media won’t let you go…….”

“Do you think Ohkyung Media will let you go? You’re trying to win with your music, so do you think I can’t do it?”

Dread looked somehow relieved.

The person who dropped another bomb after Dread was PD Nahansoo, who had a relationship with Popular Music.

‘I promised that if there was ever anything I could do to help Lee Sanghyun, I would help him.’

Nahansoo first met Lee Sanghyun on stage at Indie Kid’s ‘When Today Passes,’ and he made that promise after seeing the consideration Sanghyun showed that day.

‘Ah, screw it. I’m a tenured employee anyway. No matter how strong Ohkyung Media is, they can’t possibly do anything to a PD of a public broadcasting station, right? At most, they’ll refuse to let their affiliated celebrities appear. I’ll get some flak from above.’

Nahansoo, who had written a letter of apology in advance, released unreleased footage from the documentary ‘Those Who Sing to Become Stars.’

‘Only You’ which Cha Inhyun stole and became the title song of Jooyohan’s album, was a song that Sanghyun accidentally came up with while filming the documentary.

Just like Eminem completed Lose yourself while filming 8mile, it was a song made while filming Those Who Sing to Become Stars.

And in the unreleased video, there is a rough early guide version, but no matter what anyone says, the same song as Jooyohan’s ‘Only You’ is playing.

The bombs that Dread and Nahansoo dropped garnered the attention of the entire nation. The testimony was credible, and the evidence was clear. A few days later, translations of the New York Times article began to circulate on the Internet.

It was far beyond the level that Ohkyung Media could control.

-Ohkyung Media’s unethical song stealing.

-‘What Lee Sanghyun suffered is too common in the industry.’ Outsourcing composers who make as they are told and have their copyrights taken away.

-From sex bribery scandals to copyright theft. How far will the tyranny of large agencies continue?

-Glamorous exterior and rotting interior. The outside and inside of the entertainment industry.

The story spread like crazy, and articles were uploaded. The moment someone uploaded Sanghyun’s song registered with NMPA [National Music Publishers Association] to the Internet, the story was over.

-This isn’t plagiarism, it’s reproduction. Illegal reproduction.

-Wow, how can a top-ranked agency in Korea do this?

-This is something that Lee Sanghyun would have been robbed of if it wasn’t for him. What would have happened if KRS1 hadn’t created a connection with Koch Records?

-Wow, they’re really trash. Is it that hard to give royalties to the original composer? They take almost all of it anyway.

-It’s so embarrassing. This was uploaded to the New York Times. It’s a national disgrace.

-The copyright awareness is so terrible that some American netizens think it happened in North Korea.

-Damn, Dread did a good job. It would have been buried if it wasn’t for Dread.

-Yeah, honestly, it was something that could have been passed over because they were enemies, but I saw Dread in a new light.

-That PD is also brave.

Korea was shaken, and Ohkyung Media had no way to deal with it.

The only thing they could do was to reach an agreement with Koch Records as soon as possible and translate and announce the agreement in a way that was favorable to them.

“What a crazy bastard! What the hell did you do! You’ll have to make songs at Ohkyung Media for the rest of your life without getting a penny!”

Cha Inhyun was just unable to realize what had happened to him with dazed eyes.

“Aaaaaah!”

Conversely, Hongkyungsoo was very clearly aware that everything was ruined.

Hongkyungsoo and Cha Inhyun coveted a hit song that would raise their reputation, but in the end, they had to realize that they coveted a hit (hit) song that would attack them.

End

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