The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 235

Sanghyun wasn’t particularly interested in becoming a businessman, but he hadn’t lost his business sense either. That’s why he was able to devise this plan.

KRS-One, who had been introducing Sanghyun, finally started shouting as if the moment had arrived.

His signature booming voice filled the stage, and the audience responded with shouts of their own.

“Shout out Skepta! Shout out Black M! Shout out Hime! There’s only 56 here, but it’s a f***ing world wide!”

At that moment, the beat of “The Way We Live” dropped.

-Wow!

-Teacher!

-KRS-One!

The audience’s cheers erupted for KRS-One. However, the rapper who started the song wasn’t KRS-One.

Sanghyun stepped to the front of the stage and spat out the intro.

Represent Korea! Seoul City! Shiny Town!

Shout-out My crew! Eight, Eight, Eight!

We Call 888.

I never came out of my team!

but I’m far-outer!

At that moment, gasps of surprise rippled through the crowd.

Among the tourists who came to Compton Black Block because they loved hip-hop, quite a few had seen “The Way We Live” on YouTube.

Even among the Black residents of Compton who hadn’t seen it on YouTube, many had heard KRS-One’s 14th album at record stores, which included the bonus track “The Way We Live” at the end.

“That was his verse?”

“Jesus! I just thought it was someone with the same name!”

“That kid worked with Teacher?”

The rappers in LA were shocked by the revelation of Sanghyun’s identity. Until recently, he had just been a local Asian rapper.

Finding out Five was Hoodman was surprising, but this was much bigger.

KRS-One was a legendary rapper from the Americas, no matter how you sliced it. The fact that an East Coast rapper was invited to a West Coast stage like Compton Black Block proved that.

‘He was a hugely successful rapper in his home country? Is that why he worked with KRS-One?’

‘Come to think of it, there was a rumor that Standard was working with an Asian superstar…?’

KRS-One’s endorsement amplified these reactions.

That’s how Sanghyun’s image shifted from being a rookie Five trying to settle in LA to Hoodman, and then from Hoodman to 56, a Korean rap star.

Finally, “The Way We Live” began.

In Korea; No Hood, No Yayo, No Blow

But I Got a, Mo` Mood, Payroll, Mo` Flow

Korea Rap Star, or Korea Jackpot

We say, In Korean is called 깽값 (Kkaeng-gap) [Roughly translates to ‘compensation’ or ‘hush money’ in Korean slang]

[In Korea, there’s no hood, no cocaine, no marijuana.

But I have a killer vibe, money, and flow.

Korea’s Rap Star, or Korea’s Jackpot

We call this ‘Kkaeng-gap’ in Korean]

Originally, “The Way We Live” was a rap comprised of each country’s language. English was intentionally mixed in, but the foundation was the rappers’ native tongue.

Skepta rapped in French, Hime in Japanese, Black M in English with a distinct British accent, and Sanghyun naturally rapped in Korean.

But now Sanghyun was performing a newly created English version of “The Way We Live.” The lyrics were almost the same, but all the necessary changes were made to create the rap in English.

I hit the enemy and pay the price

Of course, with rap, not fists

Without any exaggeration or lies

I brought down the company

Sanghyun enjoyed performing in front of a crowd again. He loved the feeling of everyone paying attention to him and listening to his rap.

The spotlight he had received as Hoodman was closer to ‘curiosity,’ but now it felt closer to ‘admiration.’

At the same time, Sanghyun solidified his feelings.

He had decided to embrace uncertainty after listening to Hayeon’s song in the hospital.

That’s why he enjoyed walking around the streets of LA.

He enjoyed rapping as 56, becoming friends with the Psychedelic Records members, and even contemplating his Hoodman persona.

But now, performing, he could say for sure.

He liked uncertainty, but what he liked even more was the sweet reward at the end of uncertainty – the feeling of overcoming challenges with his own strength and grabbing what he wanted.

And that reward was always the cheers of the audience.

Because he was a musician.

F*** show business, f*** Ohkyung

The label I brought down

My mental state is an illegal play but

What I do is ill and legal play

The audience, who had been captivated by Sanghyun’s rap, erupted in unison.

-Woah!

-Damn it!

Illegal play.

Ill, legal play.

In Korea, ‘ill’ or ‘sick’ is simply used to mean ‘sick,’ but in American slang, especially among Black communities, ‘ill’ or ‘sick’ often means ‘awesome’ or ‘killer.’

So Sanghyun’s separation of the word ‘illegal’ into ‘ill, legal’ was a clever play on words.

But even more impressive was Sanghyun’s talent for perfectly conveying the word structure using pauses and emphasis.

‘Did I catch a huge fish?’

Hadel Raines thought to himself while watching The Way We Live stage.

A huge rookie.

The term ‘monster rookie’ is often used, but there’s no such thing as a ‘huge rookie.’ How can a rookie be huge?

But he somehow felt the term ‘huge rookie’ suited FiveSix.

FiveSix is already complete.

Music, talent, mentality, experience, and finally, star quality.

All he needs is the right time and the right path.

‘Not just a road, but an autobahn [A German highway with no speed limit].’

America is a land of opportunity and a land of competition. But the problem was that winning the competition didn’t guarantee an opportunity.

How many geniuses have disappeared without getting a proper chance?

In that sense, FiveSix was lucky. Because he had emerged.

And Hadel was lucky too, because FiveSix had emerged.

Hadel considered how to build an autobahn in his head while watching Sanghyun and KRS-One’s The Way We Live performance.

Promotion is also a cultural art.

Only when reason and inspiration are properly mixed can a proper promotion that moves the public’s mind come out.

And Hadel was feeling the same way he felt when he first planned LA metal while planning Sanghyun’s autobahn.

In the meantime, the stage performance ended.

“Everyone, remember this friend. He’s a killer!”

Sanghyun came down from the stage with the support of KRS-One, who was backing him until the very end.

‘Where is Raines?’

Sanghyun tried to return to Hadel after coming down from the stage, but it wasn’t easy because so many people were flocking to him.

If only a few rappers had approached him after finishing the Hoodman stage, now most of the audience watching the Compton Black Block stage was trying to get his attention.

“Homework won’t be difficult. I didn’t know he was this famous.”

It was Hadel who helped him navigate through the crowd. Hadel guided Sanghyun skillfully and expertly.

“Are you close to KRS-One?”

“Well… Koch Records offered me a label deal on KRS-One’s recommendation.”

However, Koch Records saw Sanghyun as a card aimed at the Asian market rather than targeting the ‘American market’ directly, or perhaps to target the wallets of Asians in the United States.

Koch Records had profited handsomely during the Sanghyun and Ohkyung Media brawl. Thanks to that, they knew the power that the musician ‘Lee Sanghyun’ wielded in the Korean market and coveted it.

If Sanghyun had signed with Koch Records, he might have been able to take an easier path.

But Sanghyun had no intention of targeting the American market through mere marketing. He was going to bet everything, even his musical inspiration, on American hip-hop.

Sanghyun noticed that Hadel Raines didn’t even flinch despite mentioning the big-name label ‘Koch Records.’

“I’ve received information and received unexpected homework… Shall I listen to the last question?”

Then Hadel Raines spoke to Sanghyun. Sanghyun pondered something at Hadel’s words and opened his mouth after a moment.

“Raines, how are you planning to get me into the mainstream?”

“Is that the question?”

“I was originally going to ask something else, but I’ve made up my mind.”

“We’re going to carry out two projects for a year. The first project will be named ‘No Color Project’ after your song, and the second project will be named ‘America Dream Project.’”

“The names are too straightforward, aren’t they?”

“The name is the goal, so the more straightforward the better.”

“But Raines, I don’t plan to leave LA for about half a year. I still have work to do with my Psychedelic Records friends, and I want to experience a little more in the LA scene.”

“Don’t worry. No Color is a project that will be completed in California. First of all, the place we’re going is Long Beach.”

Long Beach was a port city about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from LA. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t LA, but it could be said to belong to the LA cultural sphere.

“That’s good. What am I going to do in Long Beach?”

“A tour of California is scheduled to begin in about three weeks. If you allow it, we’re thinking of joining the tour from Long Beach.”

Sanghyun looked puzzled at the word tour, which he hadn’t expected.

He didn’t have a set list prepared for a tour yet, and even if he did, he didn’t want to participate in a performance without rehearsing with the other artists even once.

As if reading Sanghyun’s expression, Hadel added.

“Did I mention it? It’s called the No Color Project. Do you know where Black and White people got along the best in American history?”

“I don’t know.”

“It’s the Vietnam War. If there’s an enemy threatening your life in front of you, the difference in skin color doesn’t matter.”

Sanghyun realized what Hadel was trying to say.

“Are you trying to say that the inside is united when there is an external enemy? But is there an external enemy in the American music industry?”

“There is.”

Hadel began to explain the No Color Project to Sanghyun.

Sanghyun was amazed as he listened to Hadel’s plan, which was taking shape as he spoke.

Hadel’s plan was tailored to his unique position as an Asian rapper. The two had met for the first time today, so this plan must have been conceived here today.

But it was too perfect.

Except for one uncertain factor.

“The problem is up to me – how well I rap.”

“In the past, I would have spent money and hired people to force things to happen. But not anymore. This is the homework I’m giving you.”

“I haven’t said I’m going to sign a contract yet, have I?”

“Even after hearing this plan?”

Hadel Raines and Sanghyun looked at each other and smiled. There was a sense of camaraderie in that smile.

Of course, Sanghyun was going to investigate Hadel Raines and H&R INC starting today. And if there was no lie in Hadel’s words, he would become a musician belonging to H&R INC.

“When are you planning to go to Long Beach?”

“In about two weeks. I’ll send you the company-related materials in the meantime, so please check them. Let’s write the contract after everything is confirmed.”

“Okay.”

“Well, then, enjoy your last time as a rapper. Because you’ll be living as a hypeman [A performer who supports the main act] for quite a while when you go to Long Beach.”

Sanghyun exchanged phone numbers with Hadel Raines and shook hands.

December, the last month of 2007.

It was the moment when the relationship with Hadel Raines, which started with No Color, began to lead to the No Color Project.

< Verse 36. No Color (End) > End

ⓒ