The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 225

Verse 35. City of Angels

The silence that had lingered was broken by Standard’s question, intended to lighten the mood.

“Did you find a place? You’re planning to live in LA, right?”

“Not yet. Oh, do I have to move out of this place? Is that why Welder left?”

“No, Welder leaving has nothing to do with that. He signed a contract with a California label.”

“Oh, that’s great.”

“But he signed as a CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) singer, not a rapper.”

Standard burst into laughter and continued.

“If you can pay the rent, you can stay here. The internet is a bit slow, and it’s not the safest area, but it’s still pretty decent. If you use it, I can leave my equipment here, which is good for me. Oh, I’ll take the computer and keyboard, though.”

“Oh, that’s good. But why isn’t it safe? Are there many thieves?”

In response to Sanghyun’s question, Standard made a gun shape with his hand and made ‘Pow, Pow’ sounds. Sanghyun was startled and asked.

“Is it gang territory?”

“To be precise, it’s a buffer zone. But the important thing is that buffer zones can become more dangerous at times, like during gang wars or large-scale drug deals.”

LA has the two most famous gangs in America: the Crips in the west, symbolized by blue, and the Bloods in the east, symbolized by red.

These aren’t like Korean organized crime groups.

While Korean organized crime is illegal, it’s an organization that operates to make a living. They work to earn money, eat, and buy houses. That’s why new recruits endure low pay for the future.

However, unlike Korean organized crime, gangs are organizations with no future. To put it bluntly, they’re groups of guys who don’t care if they die or you die.

To show how extreme these groups are, in the 1990s, the Crips waged war against the LA police. As a result, the Crips controlled half the streets of LA.

The Bloods, who compete with the Crips, were originally a political group that protected black people. However, when the Crips indiscriminately attacked black people who didn’t belong to their gang, they became a gang in response.

Regardless of how it started, at this point, the Crips and Bloods are equally vicious, and their activities aren’t much different.

The important thing is that these gangs hold a significant position in music.

They are musicians who have released quite a few regular albums, they are the first to spread hot music, and they are picky consumers when it comes to gangster rap.

Among the terms commonly used by rappers are OG and SG.

Here, OG stands for Original Gangster, referring to rappers who have actually lived the gang life, and SG stands for Studio Gangster, referring to fake gangster rappers who only act like gangsters in the studio.

Notable OGs include Easy-E from N.W.A and Snoop Dogg (who is rumored to be the face of the Crips), and a notable SG was Lil Wayne.

“So, don’t do gangster rap for no reason. Lil Wayne was humiliated by real Bloods gang members after pretending to be a Blood.”

“I wouldn’t do gangster rap, but it’s a bit scary.”

Standard nodded at Sanghyun’s words.

“I’m telling you this on purpose so you’ll be scared. There are quite a few guys from out of town who don’t know how scary gangs are and get shot to death.”

“What? Is that an exaggeration?”

“It’s not an exaggeration. I’ve been living in LA for about three years, and there have been about five shootouts on this street. It’s not a slum, but it’s not far from one.”

Sanghyun nodded and took Standard’s advice to heart. Standard told him quite a few other important things to keep in mind.

However, Standard’s biggest concern was Sanghyun immersing himself too much in black culture.

Standard basically had faith in Sanghyun’s rapping skills. That’s why he used the Eight, Eight, Eight remix and Gwangju Up at parties.

But no matter how skilled you are, you can’t show your skills if you don’t get a chance.

Originally, Standard was going to pave the way for him, but he had to return to Denmark due to unavoidable circumstances.

Sanghyun felt grateful to Standard for worrying about him even though he was preoccupied with his father’s illness. So he deliberately acted more nonchalant.

“Is it that difficult? I haven’t really experienced racism while traveling. Well, there were some minor instances of being ignored, but…”

Sanghyun was confident. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say that he was prepared for that level of cultural resistance.

“It’s different from that. It may sound strange, but rap music is a sanctuary for black people. The psychological barrier to other races is very high.”

“I know it’s stupid to refute a logic with one case… but what about Eminem?”

“Eminem is a special case. He’s white, but he experienced the life of a black slum dweller. America’s welfare policy often discriminates against white slum dwellers. Eminem is someone who pointed that out. ‘Why are white trash discriminated against just because their skin is white?'”

“Hmm…”

“Besides, Eminem didn’t have it easy. It’s a famous anecdote that he wore a bulletproof vest for a while because he received so many death threats from black people.”

Standard shrugged and took out two bottles of Budweiser from the refrigerator. Sanghyun received the beer that Standard handed him.

“It’s kind of funny. I’m white, but I blended in well with rap culture because I’m a producer. The rapper who stands at the forefront has to be black, but they don’t care about the helpers. Funny, right?”

Through Standard’s words, Sanghyun realized that ‘LA’s 56’ was in the same position as ‘Korea’s 56’. [Referring to a similar dynamic or group in Korea]

In Korea, 888 Crew and Sanghyun were outside the system, and above the system. It meant that they were born outside the agency system that tightly controlled the Korean music industry.

The same was true for his life in LA, which was about to begin.

This time, Sanghyun had to overcome the black music system, the ‘black cultural sphere’. And perhaps this was even more solid than the Korean system.

The agency system is an artificial device created by huge capital, but the black culture system is a pride that has continued since the beginning of rap culture.

Standard, having finished what he wanted to say, expected Sanghyun’s expression to be serious. He had deliberately spoken more strongly to instill a sense of alertness.

However, his expectations were pleasantly off.

Sanghyun was smiling so brightly, as if he couldn’t contain his excitement.

“So Standard, do you think I won’t make it?”

“No, it’s not like that. This is LA, not Chicago or Detroit. And you’ll do well. You’re the guy who stole my lifelong inspiration like crazy.”

“Then why are you so worried? From today, I’ll pray for your father’s complete recovery before I go to sleep. So just bless my future. That’s all I need.”

Standard chuckled at Sanghyun’s confident words.

“Then I have to say this.”

Standard held out his hand to Sanghyun.

“Welcome to LA. Welcome to the city of angels without wings.”

Sanghyun also took Standard’s hand.

“When I leave LA, I’ll have wings on my back.”

“You’ve gotten cockier since coming to America, haven’t you?”

“The country has to be a bit bigger, you know.”

“Okay… then let’s go.”

“Where to?”

“Where else? We have to go meet the black angels who control LA’s rap culture.”

***

The way rappers succeed in America is surprisingly simple:

-Be good at rapping and sign with a famous producer or label.

Of course, just grabbing the doorknob doesn’t mean the door will open.

To open the door to success, you need proper promotion and connections, and you need the luck to ride the wave of the times.

Just like Joey Badass, who would have been recorded as one of the great rappers if he had come out in the 80s, received so much attention in 2015 when he brought out old school boom bap as the public was getting tired of chaotic trap.

Anyway, the process of seizing the opportunity to succeed itself was very simple.

But there is a very high barrier hidden in that simple formula, which is that it is difficult for an unknown rapper’s rap to be delivered to a producer or label.

It’s not impossible to get contacted with a demo tape sent to a label, but this is something that can only be achieved with a lot of luck.

So, the method chosen by underground rappers was not to find labels or producers, but to make them come to them.

That was to rap at the hottest clubs in the area.

Label employees and famous producers would naturally enjoy entertainment, and because they were wealthy, they were likely to visit hot clubs.

-Club Bellachino (Vella Chino)

That was the name of the most famous club in LA, where Sanghyun arrived with Standard.

Standard parked the car in the parking lot near the club and said.

“A pretty famous friend is coming out today, so labels might be here. If you memorize their faces, it might be helpful someday.”

“I’m not good at memorizing faces in dark places yet, especially black people.”

“Well, we can’t memorize Asian faces either.”

“But who’s the famous friend? What’s their stage name?”

Sanghyun asked, hoping that a rapper he knew might come out.

No matter how much of a hip-hop fanatic Sanghyun was, he couldn’t have known what rapper was in LA in 2007.

“It’s a friend named Therapist. I think he’s from New York, he’s mixed race. His mother is white.”

“The stage name is Therapist? That’s a bit strange.”

“Five6 is stranger.”

The entrance to Bellachino was very crowded. It was only 8 o’clock, but customers were already lining up.

However, Standard greeted the security and went straight into the club.

“Who’s this friend?”

“He’s my friend. He’ll be coming often, so remember his face.”

“I won’t remember unless he gets ‘Chinky’ tattooed on his forehead?”

The black security guards said that and chuckled among themselves.

“Damn. The smell of marijuana is already strong from the early evening.”

Standard said on the stairs leading to the basement, passing the security guards.

“Don’t take it too seriously, it’s just a joke. They’re stupid and reckless, but if you get close to them, you’ll get close to them quickly. I heard ‘White ass’ more often than my name at first.”

“There’s no need to pay attention to every single one.”

Sanghyun shrugged and said.

“By the way, are labels coming to see Therapist? Is it like a recruitment war?”

“It’s not like that, Therapist is popular with women. Think about it. If a lot of women come, a lot of men will come too, right? Then other women will come because of those men. In the end, it’s a hot night.”

“Labels and producers are just coming to enjoy the party?”

“That’s right, but if they find a good musician on stage, they hand over their business cards.”

Gradually, Sanghyun began to get a general understanding of how the LA hip-hop scene works.

You start by making a name for yourself by starting in a 3rd league club, then move to a 2nd league club, and finally seize the opportunity in a 1st league club like Bellachino.

Of course, the number of people who rise from the 3rd league to the 1st league would be quite limited: rappers who have not only skills but also commercial value.

Moreover, even if you stand on the stage of Bellachino, it was another matter to catch the eye of the label, and what was more important than that seemed to be the competition to grab the stage during the hot time (11pm-01am).

Verse 35. City of Angels End

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