The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 246

< Verse 39. Debut >

In the months following the end of Compton Black Block, Sanghyun noticed a pleasant change.

The black musicians, who had always regarded him with prejudiced eyes, began to show him favor.

And the reason, of course, was Sanghyun’s performance at Compton Black Block.

Thanks to that, the two weeks before going to Long Beach after Compton Black Block ended were such a delightful time.

He made many friends and had musical exchanges.

If Hadel Raines’ plan hadn’t been perfect, he might have thought, ‘Should I establish myself further in Compton while making music?’ It was that enjoyable.

However, after the ‘Curtain Call Tour In LA’ ended, Sanghyun realized that the changes he had experienced then were nothing.

Now, it felt like the entire Compton was talking to him.

Countless friends, whose names he hadn’t even learned, greeted him first, and numerous feature requests came through Westrun or Mel.

Record labels operating mainly in California or LA were calling him incessantly with offers.

These changes weren’t limited to Compton.

Walking around LA, it wasn’t hard to find people who recognized him.

Not long ago, he was in Burbank when the old car Standard had given him caused trouble, and a young white couple gave him a ride back to West Athens.

Now, Sanghyun was one of them, at least in LA.

And at the center of it all.

“Hey, Five. Heading to Psychadelic Records again today?”

“Nah. Going to the Black Hippy studio.”

“Really? By the way, Q and Jay killed it at the party yesterday, I heard?”

“I saw it too. They were amazing.”

“They’re killers from Hoover [a neighborhood known as the origin of the Crips gang] and Piru [a neighborhood known as the origin of the Bloods gang], what do you expect?”

On his way to Black Hippy’s studio, Sanghyun greeted Ruper, whom he had met at a club recently.

“Five, don’t you have any gigs lined up? The DJs around me keep asking.”

“Of course, I do. This Saturday at Bellacino. Look forward to it.”

“Oh? Bellacino? What time?”

“Golden time, of course.”

“Wow! Isn’t that too fast? It took me three years to get a golden time slot at Bellacino.”

Sanghyun, who used to be called ‘Chinky’ by black security guards, was now a golden time rapper.

And a golden time rapper at Bellacino, the hottest club in LA.

Sanghyun didn’t hide his pride and satisfaction.

The American hip-hop scene wasn’t a place for fake humility, and Sanghyun had adapted to that culture.

“See you on Saturday, Ruper.”

“Looking forward to it. The Korean killer killing LA after the Hoover and Piru killers.”

Ruper made an exaggerated joke and made Pow, Pow gun sounds.

“Guns are banned in Korea.”

“So, is the gun between your legs banned too? You’re good at rapping, but you should meet some women.”

Sanghyun shrugged at the usual nagging, and Ruper laughed and waved.

Saying goodbye to Ruper, Sanghyun suddenly thought of J. Cole.

He hadn’t noticed in the dark, but Ruper looked a bit like J. Cole. His beard and hairstyle were similar.

‘Did J. Cole leave LA completely after Compton Black Block?’

He really wanted to talk to J. Cole, but at the time, he didn’t have the connections to connect him with J. Cole. J. Cole didn’t seem to come to Compton often except for performances.

He was very disappointed, but Sanghyun was confident that he would have a chance to talk to J. Cole someday.

If J. Cole returned to the top as he had in the past.

‘Does this sound a bit cocky?’

Looking around, Sanghyun smiled awkwardly and quickened his pace.

He didn’t know what was going on, but Kendrick had sent him a text message last night telling him to come to Black Hippy’s studio as early as possible. He insisted that something amazing was going to happen.

But when he woke up early in the morning and called, he was told that anything before 12 was dawn, and to come after 3.

The US stock market, which affects stock prices around the world, closes at 6 AM Korean time. Thanks to that, Sanghyun had to wake up before 5 AM every day for 10 years.

Habits are really scary, so Sanghyun still had the habit of waking up early.

Junhyung, who lived with him when he attended Seoyul Arts High School, used to nag him every morning, saying, ‘The early bird gets eaten first,’ as he rustled around.

‘I wonder how Junhyung is doing? I hope he’s dating Sangmi well? Ah, Sangmi’s musical must have started?’

He suddenly missed the 888 Crew members terribly.

He liked his Psychadelic friends and Black Hippy friends, but the 888 Crew was still his top priority.

Just as Sanghyun was thinking about calling the Korean studio on time today, he spotted the shabby building with Black Hippy’s underground studio.

The entrance to the building looked like the entrance to the dungeon where Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q, two potential dragons, lived.

If the 888 Crew’s studio was a place that provided comfort, this place was a place that created tension.

It wasn’t because Kendrick, Q, or the Black Hippy friends were difficult to be around as people.

The intense scent of talent they showed every moment, even when they weren’t conscious of it, made Sanghyun nervous.

‘I guess it’s natural in a way. It’s Kendrick Lamar and Q.’

However, there was something Sanghyun didn’t know.

Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q were also nervous because of Sanghyun every moment.

-Screech.

Stepping into the basement with the sharp sound of hinges, Sanghyun found two people wearing headphones inside the studio.

They didn’t seem to notice him coming in because of the music.

‘Huh? Who is it?’

One of them looked quite unfamiliar.

He recognized Kendrick sitting on the sofa, but the person inside the recording booth only showed his back.

At first, he thought it was Ab-Soul, but he was too tall.

Speaking of height, the first thing that surprised Sanghyun when he first saw Kendrick Lamar was his small height.

It wasn’t that being short was a flaw, but Kendrick, whom he had only seen in videos, didn’t look small at all.

Not only that, but Kendrick was also full of mischief and made a lot of unnecessary jokes, unlike his image.

It’s a strange thing to say, but Sanghyun felt great every time he scolded Kendrick for his unfunny jokes.

It was like someone who dreamed of becoming the second Steve Jobs going back in time and becoming friends with Steve Jobs and scolding him, ‘Stop wearing turtlenecks!’

“K. Dot, K. Dot!”

Sanghyun, who was having absurd thoughts, tapped Kendrick on the shoulder, who still hadn’t noticed him.

Kendrick took off his headphones and found Sanghyun.

“Oh, Five. When did you get here?”

“I got here a while ago. How loud are you listening to the music?”

“I was listening to something amazing. Come here and listen to this. The friend who made this… Oh, should I introduce you first? You probably saw him on the Compton Black Block stage?”

“Black Block?”

As if sensing someone’s presence, the tall man in the recording booth opened the door and came out.

Sanghyun was surprised to see the man’s face.

“Jay… No, Therapist?”

It was J. Cole.

“Wow, Hoodman! I’ve been wanting to meet you.”

J. Cole, who was well over 190cm [approximately 6’3″], strode over and shook hands with Sanghyun.

Sanghyun wondered why J. Cole was so happy to see him, but he gladly accepted the handshake. No, ‘gladly’ wasn’t enough; he was thrilled.

Kendrick was great, but J. Cole was just as much of a musician.

When Kendrick Lamar was at the peak of his career with his third album, the only rapper who could rival him was J. Cole.

In fact, J. Cole’s <2014 Forest Hills Drive> was the strongest rival for the Best Rap Album at the 2016 Grammy Awards, which Kendrick won.

This analogy might not be appropriate, but if Kendrick Lamar felt like an artist because he rapped so well, J. Cole felt like an artist who rapped so well.

‘Were Kendrick and J. Cole close from this time?’

He knew they were close, but he didn’t know they had been close since 2008, before they became stars.

Kendrick was a musician from Compton, and J. Cole was a musician from New York.

However, this was Sanghyun’s misunderstanding.

J. Cole was in LA entirely because of ‘Hoodman.’

In fact, J. Cole left New York and briefly worked in LA because he wanted to experience a wider rap scene before seriously aiming for the mainstream.

It was only natural for J. Cole, who was active in the New York underground, to want to experience West Coast hip-hop, especially Compton hip-hop, which was at odds with East Coast hip-hop.

And J. Cole had a pretty satisfying experience and was about to leave Compton.

He learned the unique feel of West Coast hip-hop and realized what sources he could use to upgrade his music.

J. Cole, who had the good vibes of both the East Coast and the West Coast, was a musician born this way.

And J. Cole was greatly shocked at Compton Black Block, which he thought was his last stage in LA.

Because there was already a musician using the method he was going to try when he returned to New York. And perfectly.

That was Hoodman.

Moreover, Hoodman had something similar to himself, who was of mixed race. Being of mixed race wasn’t a serious discrimination in black culture, but there was still a sense of alienation that only he could feel.

“You went on tour while I was away in New York.”

“You waited for me?”

“Yeah?”

“Why?”

Kendrick answered Sanghyun’s question.

“This will be the answer.”

Kendrick handed Sanghyun the headphones, and music soon began to play.

There were tracks with only beats and tracks with verses or hooks.

Sanghyun immediately realized that these were J. Cole’s songs, and he was quite surprised.

Although it wasn’t perfect yet, the current style was closer to his first full-length album, .

Which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, sold 350,000 copies in its first week, and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.

‘Isn’t J. Cole supposed to be contacting Jay-Z right now? Was it 2009?’

Sanghyun suddenly became worried. J. Cole, who should be joining Jay-Z’s ROC crew [Roc-A-Fella Records crew] and rising to stardom, was in Compton.

However, the moment Kendrick continued to speak, all those worries disappeared.

“Let’s make it together. Isn’t it crazy? A black man, a mixed-race man, and a yellow man mixing to make something amazing.”

Instead of worry, a tremendous impulse took hold.

Kendrick making this suggestion and J. Cole waiting for him were all due to their respective impulses.

It was too late to be afraid of the future changing. Sanghyun loved impulses too much for that, and he respected the impulses of others as well.

“Mix Them… Black.”

The black color created by mixing three races.

The moment Sanghyun finished speaking, the album name was decided. Everyone was convinced that there was no better name.

Kendrick Lamar.

J. Cole.

FiveSix.

Sanghyun’s first work to be thrown into the American hip-hop scene was a collaboration album with two legendary musicians who would dominate the mid-2010s.

And the time it took to create their work was only two weeks.

The same amount of time it took to create Jay-Z’s legendary album ‘The Blueprint,’ which is considered to have raised hip-hop to a completely different level.

< Verse 39. Debut > End

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