The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 233

< Verse 36. No Color >

***

In the movie <8 Mile>, there’s a scene where the black security guard at the club recognizes Rabbit (Eminem) as one of the rap battle participants and stops him from entering because he’s white.

However, the situation changes when Rabbit showcases ‘real rap’ on stage. The guard extends his fist to Rabbit as he heads to the waiting room, and Rabbit bumps his fist against the guard’s.

This was a scene where Rabbit’s rap was acknowledged, transcending the racial divide between white and black.

Although it’s a brief scene, Sanghyun thought this scene perfectly encapsulated the theme of <8 Mile>. And the situation he was experiencing now was exactly like that.

“Hey, Nigga.”

Sanghyun, who went on stage as an unidentified Hoodman, came down as 56 from Korea. And there were those who extended their fists to him: the black people of LA standing near the stage.

They were even calling Sanghyun a Nigga.

‘Nigga’ was a word with a meaning that was difficult for races other than black people to fully understand.

Originally, ‘Nigga’ was a term used to refer to black slaves and contained a racially discriminatory tone. So, if someone of another race called a black person ‘Nigga’, a fight would break out, and in severe cases, they would even pull a gun.

However, black people sometimes used ‘Nigga’ in a positive sense, to refer to close friends or attractive people. Here, the meaning of ‘Nigga’ was closer to ‘Cool’.

Rappers took it even further, using it with various modifiers such as ‘Dope Nigga’ and ‘Real Nigga’.

However, these positive modifiers were usually used among black people. If it was used for other races, it meant they were either really close or a respectable figure in black culture.

Sanghyun had no personal connection with the black people extending their fists. So, it was likely the latter.

A respectable figure within the context of black music.

“Thanks, Dude.”

Sanghyun bumped fists with them happily. The discomfort in the corner of his mind disappeared, and he felt very relieved.

Hoodman.

It started as a challenge to racism, became quite a burden in the middle, and ended very well as a result.

Sanghyun suddenly thought of the time when he first thought of covering his face.

***

Sanghyun first came up with the idea of ‘Hoodman’ on the day Standard left LA.

That day, Sanghyun wasn’t feeling well due to a cold.

‘I was fine when I was traveling, but suddenly at a time like this…….’

He didn’t want to waste time with a cold when he hadn’t been in LA for long. He wanted to engrave the name 56 in the LA scene as soon as possible.

Because of that, Sanghyun bought cold medicine, which he didn’t usually take, and headed to the airport wearing a mask to see Standard off.

“By the time I come back to LA, you’ll have taken over LA, right?”

“How many times do I have to say it? By then, I’ll be on a national tour.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Have a good trip. Stay healthy.”

As Standard left for Denmark, Sanghyun took a shuttle bus from the airport to downtown LA.

And he had an interesting experience there.

“Hey, buddy. Are you a local in LA? Or are you a tourist like me?”

“I’m not a local, but I live in LA.”

“Really? It’s my first time in LA, do you have any recommendations for places to visit? Like a black club you go to.”

A cheerful black man sitting next to Sanghyun on the bus mistook Sanghyun for a black man and started talking to him.

When he got off the bus, he said he mistook him for a mixed-race person.

Sanghyun realized at that moment that if he was wearing a hat and a mask, he could be mistaken for a black person or a mixed-race person. It was because of his skin, which had been tanned all over the United States.

Of course, if you look closely in a bright place, you can tell. No matter how tanned his skin was, he couldn’t give the feeling of the thick, melanin-filled skin unique to black people.

But if he covered his features, he could fool people enough in dark places like a bus with the lights off or an underground club.

A discerning person might think he was a mixed-race person of black and white. Or they might see him as one of those black people with less dark skin.

‘Wait a minute…… this?’

At that time, Sanghyun thought of Hoodman.

To be exact, the name ‘Hoodman,’ like a Marvel hero, was not given by Sanghyun. It was the name given by the DJ of Club T&T in Stanton.

Club T&T was where Hoodman performed for the first time.

Sanghyun met ‘DJ Koon’, the DJ of T&T, through Standard’s introduction, and played his music for him.

Koon rated his music very well. He was sure that he would succeed in LA.

But the result wasn’t that good.

Koon was quite frustrated when there was no reaction even when he performed well.

After performing at T&T several times, Sanghyun told Koon one day that he wanted to go on stage with his face covered.

Then Koon shrugged and said.

“You don’t think listeners are stupid, do you? No matter how much you cover your face, they’ll know if 56 and Maskman come out in the same place.”

“I’m not going to wear a mask, I’m going to cover my face with a hood.”

“Okay. Then I’ll hire Hoodman. From today, 56 is fired from T&T. Instead, I’ll introduce you to other clubs in LA.”

“Thank you.”

“I think the paradox is that you’re not succeeding in LA because black music that opposes racial prejudice is trapped in prejudice. I’ll spread the word so that Maskman, no, Hoodman, can succeed.”

That’s how 56 was fired from T&T, and Hoodman appeared.

‘Come to think of it, have you ever seen Hoodman when you were performing at T&T? It was around the same time.’

‘No. And I was fired from T&T quickly.’

Suddenly, his conversation with Veber came to mind.

Sanghyun didn’t lie to Veber.

In fact, the reason he was dropped from the T&T lineup was because the DJ didn’t want his rap to be played at T&T.

However, the reason was not a lack of skill, but as part of the process to promote Hoodman.

“Wow, how can you do this? Isn’t that too much?”

“Koreans have no compassion.”

“I know. How can you hide it from us?”

Thanks to that, Sanghyun was being scolded by the Psychedelic Records members, led by Veber.

It was then.

“Hoodman, or should I call you FiveSix?”

“Who are you?”

An old gentleman in his late fifties was talking to Sanghyun.

In response to Sanghyun’s question, the old gentleman handed over a business card.

The luxurious business card only had the company name ‘H&R INC’ and the old gentleman’s name.

Sanghyun knew these business cards well.

Not a business card mass-produced in a factory that costs a few cents to make, but a handmade business card.

Not something you give as a greeting to everyone you meet, but a business card that guarantees the start of a real business.

Moreover, the business card only had his name on it without any title.

If Sanghyun’s guess was correct, this person was more than a CEO and had unlimited decision-making power over everything in the company.

‘Or a scammer.’

Sanghyun’s intuition, which had led the company for over 10 years, was telling him that he wasn’t a scammer, but he couldn’t be sure.

“Is it a Human Resource company? Are you headhunting me?”

The old gentleman frowned at Sanghyun’s joke.

“You’re good at rapping, but your jokes are terrible.”

“That can’t be true. My friends burst out laughing whenever I open my mouth.”

“You have good friends.”

“What should I call you?”

“Call me Raines. The distance between the representative and the singer shouldn’t be too close.”

Sanghyun realized that his guess was true from the words ‘representative’ and ‘singer’.

This person was working in the American music industry.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

A producer who started as a manager’s assistant for the band Blue Cheer, predicted the end of hard rock bands, produced LA metal, and created a popular music trend that swept the United States.

A star manager of the 90s who lost popularity and left the industry due to his overbearing attitude and aggressive marketing that put pressure on singers, but his ability was beyond doubt.

Hadel Raines.

The meeting between Hadel Raines, who returned to the American popular music scene, and Sanghyun, who appeared in the American popular music scene, took place near the stage of Compton Black Block, where the whole world was ringing with rap.

As if foreshadowing that their world would be filled with rap in the future.

***

The biggest difference between the American and Korean music industries is the size of the market.

Some may say it’s the difference in diversity, but if you look at the sales percentages of each genre, you can see that this difference in diversity stems from the difference in size.

The biggest difference between Korea and the United States caused by this difference in size was the transmission system.

The Korean music industry is a system in which mass media content is transmitted within the large framework of ‘Korea’. Central broadcasting of public broadcasting exerts a strong influence, and cable channels are also broadcast nationwide.

Of course, Daegu has Daegu Broadcasting and Busan has Busan Broadcasting separately, but their influence is insignificant.

On the other hand, in the United States, content is transmitted within the framework of ‘state’.

To exaggerate a bit, there are many people who have lived in California all their lives who have never seen a broadcast from Illinois. Unless you take the time and effort to find it.

There are also broadcasting stations that are broadcast nationwide, such as MTV, but it was undeniable that the state-level framework was strong.

Therefore, Sanghyun was aware that his policy, which he had adhered to in Korea, had to change in the United States.

In Korea, Sanghyun did not go under large agencies or broadcasting stations.

There were difficulties with Ohkyung Media, but he eventually overcame them.

There were broadcasting stations like CBC that naturally became close, but this was closer to a crocodile and a crocodile bird [a symbiotic relationship where one benefits from the other’s actions] relationship than a vertical relationship.

However, in order to succeed in the United States, the backing of an agency was essential. It couldn’t be helped.

Even in a state, there are several TV and radio stations, and there are countless industry employees in them. Beyond the scope of the state, the number of these broadcasting stations increases dramatically, and the number of people who need to maintain relationships increases exponentially.

Can an individual cover this infrastructure?

Then the time to prepare for music activities will probably be more than the time to make music.

Putting the cart before the horse.

A situation where the cart is put before the horse.

A situation of *bonmal jeondo* [본말전도 – a Korean idiom meaning ‘putting the cart before the horse’] was happening.

Even if he didn’t focus on broadcasting activities, the situation was the same. Even if he doesn’t broadcast, he has to perform.

There must be appropriate connections in each state and city to secure a performance venue and perform on the desired scale at the desired timing.

Again, it was difficult for a singer to do it alone.

Of course, if you only work in one state, you may be able to stand alone as in Korea. But Sanghyun’s goal was not California.

The reason he came to LA was to increase his understanding of American hip-hop music and to advance into the American music scene, using the LA underground as a stepping stone.

‘It’s not yet, but after I make a name for myself in LA, I’ll need a company.’

Sanghyun was well aware of the need for a company. He was less resistant because American records were a different concept from Korean agencies.

American records rarely directly infringe on the singer’s musicality like in Korea.

Of course, not all American records were good.

The reason why N.W.A had discord and the members split up was also because of the embezzlement of Jerry Heller, the manager who raised them.

Anyway, Sanghyun was happy with the appearance of Hadel Raines.

However, he thought it was too early to sign a contract with Hadel Raines.

The collaboration with the Psychedelic Records members had just begun, and he had laid the foundation for 56’s music to be fairly evaluated in LA through Compton Black Block.

He was planning to make more music in LA for at least 6 months.

But Hadel was much more progressive, had faster *chujinlyeok* [추진력 – Korean word for drive or momentum], and was more aggressive than Sanghyun thought.

“You have to leave LA?”

Because this was the first thing Hadel Raines said in a situation where even the decision of whether to sign a contract had not been made.

< Verse 36. No Color > End

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