The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 249

Verse 39. Debut (End)

The establishment of ROC Nation drew attention from rappers all over America, not just in New York. As soon as the ROC Nation label plan was announced, everyone started acting like I owed them money.

There was one friend who turned down ROC Nation’s offer, and that was Therapist (now known as J. Cole). And J. Cole’s somewhat unique friends ended up causing a major stir.

I felt strange listening to the album. I was happy that my judgment was correct, but also a little sad because J. Cole had rejected ROC Nation.

It’s not just J. Cole. The other two artists, Kendrick Lamar and FiveSix, are also incredibly talented.

Compton in LA has always been a breeding ground for top-tier rappers, much like Brooklyn in New York. The fact that Compton has produced another amazing rookie, Kendrick Lamar, is no surprise.

I think by 2010, after Kendrick Lamar has built a solid two- or three-year career, the rap scene might very well become his domain.

The foreign rapper FiveSix from Korea also possesses amazing skills, flow, and lyrics.

We don’t know much about the rap scene in the Asian world. But if all Asian rappers have this level of skill, I’m sure the day will soon come when American rappers start feeling the pressure.

It’s only May, but what might be the best independent album of the year has already been released.

The moment I saw the post on Jay-Z’s MySpace account (MySpace: the most popular social media platform in the US before Facebook), Sanghyun and Kendrick started yelling.

“He rejected ROC Nation?!”

“Is this crazy fool serious?!”

I had heard that J. Cole was in talks with ROC Nation. And Sanghyun was certain that J. Cole would sign with ROC Nation.

Sanghyun had envisioned J. Cole making a grand debut on Billboard, hailed as ‘Jay-Z’s chosen rookie’.

But that didn’t happen.

J. Cole, under the astonished gazes of Kendrick Lamar and Sanghyun, finally spoke.

“So, I was thinking… Sanghyun, I want to join H&R INC, you know?”

Sanghyun and Kendrick were surprised yet again by J. Cole’s words.

“Why? Rejecting ROC Nation? Unless you just don’t like labels, wouldn’t ROC Nation be the better option?”

“If I go to ROC Nation, I’m bound to be seen as just a rapper chosen by Jay-Z. Then, like you said during the MTB promotion, my music will have pre-determined packaging.”

Sanghyun was speechless at J. Cole’s reasoning.

It was because his idol had been significantly influenced by him and changed a major decision.

But when I think about it, J. Cole was always this kind of person. It wasn’t solely my influence.

When the release date of J. Cole’s second album was only a week away from Kanye West’s, which was the most anticipated album at the time, he took the bold step of releasing it on the same day.

Usually, in that situation, the release date would be changed.

However, J. Cole said in an interview that he felt it was right to face the challenge head-on rather than postpone the release or settle for an ambiguous one-week difference.

J. Cole’s album was pushed to second place on Billboard in the first week, losing to Kanye, but eventually regained the top spot, and album sales also surpassed Kanye’s.

‘And maybe…’

Sanghyun was guessing at another reason behind J. Cole’s decision.

In fact, J. Cole was the most excited and happy while making MTB.

J. Cole, who is of mixed race and highly educated, faces reverse discrimination in the hip-hop scene and hadn’t found a true peer until now, unlike Kendrick, who has Black Hippy, or Sanghyun, who has 888 Crew.

It seemed that the synergy and camaraderie he felt while making the MTB album greatly influenced J. Cole’s choice.

“Are you sure about that? There’s a saying in Korea: ‘A senior is like the sky’.”

“Senior?”

“I’m the senior at H&R INC.”

“Kendrick, do you happen to have a spot left in Black Hippy?”

Then Kendrick said something surprising.

“Sanghyun, then I’ll join H&R INC first. I have to become a senior to Jermaine [J. Cole’s real name].”

Kendrick was deeply impressed by Hadel Raines, regardless of his friendship with Sanghyun or J. Cole.

H&R INC is a big company.

Hadel Raines revived the connections he had in the past when he returned to the music industry after 10 years, and brought back the staff who had become veterans.

And the only musicians in such a large company were FiveSix and Sanghyun.

Logically speaking, Hadel Raines would want to debut Sanghyun as soon as possible and start making a profit.

He had made a name for himself with the Curtain Call tour, and videos were posted on sites such as HipHopDX and WorldStarHipHop, so activities could be started at any time.

However, Hadel supported Sanghyun staying in LA for the sake of Sanghyun’s ‘music life’, saying that building an underground reputation would help later on.

Even though there was no guarantee that his entire career would be with H&R INC.

In addition, when MTB was released, Sanghyun said that he would not go through the company, but Hadel readily agreed and provided various behind-the-scenes support.

Kendrick thought that Hadel Raines’ influence likely extended to people like Jay-Z, The Game, and KRS-One.

So Kendrick had H&R INC in mind since the release of MTB.

It wasn’t that he was going to terminate his contract with T.D.E [Top Dawg Entertainment, Kendrick Lamar’s label], but that he would collaborate on aspects that T.D.E couldn’t yet handle, such as album recording, promotion, music distribution, and tour production.

Sanghyun, Kendrick, and J. Cole started discussing H&R INC.

Then, Bever, who was listening nearby, tapped on the computer and said.

“Let’s talk about that later, and watch everything first.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Next to Jay-Z was The Game.

-I love and hate Compton. Because it is the place where I was born and where the bodies of many brothers are buried.

Nevertheless, Compton’s music continues. Someone’s death doesn’t change our lives. It just means that a brother’s name is engraved on our skin.

Ironically, the guy engraved on the skin of many friends after death becomes ‘Good Gang’. Our gangs are a pain in the ass for the whole country and everyone curses us, but after death, we become a good gang.

Kendrick is not a gang member, but if he dies, all of Compton’s friends will have his name engraved on their skin.

Because his music accurately represents Compton.

While telling fun stories, while being cocky, while telling sad stories, Kendrick is a Compton rapper. His attitude and lyrics prove it.

This Compton flavor becomes even more pronounced when contrasted with other rappers.

J. Cole and FiveSix, two rappers who have lived in slightly unfamiliar but clearly contrasting cultures, reveal their identities as much as Kendrick.

What the three people create by mixing their colors while talking about their respective lives is ultimately Black [the name of their group].

I listened to and deleted the tracks that were scheduled to be included on my album.

These three are Dope Niggas.

Kendrick had an embarrassed expression while reading The Game’s article. This was because most of Game’s mentions were focused on ‘Compton’ and ‘Kendrick’.

However, Sanghyun and J. Cole deeply respected Kendrick’s lyrics and rap development, so they didn’t feel bad at all.

Especially Sanghyun.

“But how did you work with The Game?”

“Game also worked with Anthony, and Game is also from Compton, so I had some pull. Especially close to Jay.”

“Ah, Game was also in the same Blood gang as Jay, right?”

“Let’s see KRS-One’s [Kris Parker, a legendary rapper] take.”

KRS-One’s mention of MTB wasn’t on a personal internet space like the previous two rappers.

It was posted on the bulletin board of Koch Records’ website, where his music, music videos, and news were posted.

-When talking about American hip-hop, the Golden Era cannot be left out. And when you talk about the Golden Era, countless rappers naturally come to mind.

From the now deceased Pac [Tupac Shakur] and Biggie [The Notorious B.I.G.], Big L to Run DMC, Wu-Tang Clan, and DJ Premier. Of course, there are many more musicians that I can’t mention. I could even include myself.

Anyway, many people showcased the diversity, quality, and revolutionary aspects of hip-hop and elevated hip-hop, which was a black subculture, to the mainstream, and that history continues to this day in 2008.

When I think about it, it’s amazing that I, who only knows rap, am a professor at NYU [New York University].

But I wonder if you’ve ever thought about this.

What if all these musicians were combined into one? Then what kind of influence would they have, and what kind of rap would they do?

You might laugh at me for saying nonsense, but surprisingly, there is such a musician in a small country in the East (the economic scale is by no means small), Korea.

That’s FiveSix.

FiveSix is the rapper who started the Golden Era of Korea.

It’s not an exaggeration, it’s not embellishment. As the word says, FiveSix opened the Golden Era of Korea with the crew he created.

Of course, he is a superstar in Korea.

He topped the Korean Billboard charts, sold the most albums in Korea that year, and is the musician who has sold the most hip-hop albums of all time among Korean rappers.

Surprisingly, he sold 1 million copies combined for two albums. For reference, the population of Korea is about 50 million.

So why is he collaborating with a rapper from Compton and a rapper from New York in the United States?

FiveSix refused the sweetness of the superstar status he had and crossed over to the American underground and started over in LA from the beginning.

The reason is very simple.

The essence of hip-hop is in the United States, and it was because he wanted to taste the purest form of that essence.

He never mentioned that he was a superstar in Korea and immersed himself in the LA underground scene. He even participated in the tour as Paper Plan’s hype man [an artist who generates excitement for a performance].

To be honest, major American rappers these days are too accustomed to wealth and pleasure. And their music is increasingly pursuing only those things.

It’s not that money is bad. Money is definitely good, you should earn a lot and brag about it.

But if you’re a musician, you should make money with good music, not think that music that can make money is good music.

Personally, I believe that FiveSix can be a model for these American rappers. I always thought he could become a rap star in America.

And after listening to this MTB, I became convinced that FiveSix would become a rap star.

I don’t want to talk much about the album. It is enough for the public to listen and judge.

The Game talked about Kendrick, and Jay-Z talked about J. Cole. I’ll give you the link, so go there and watch it. But the two are really killer. It’s amazing.

Jay-Z said that MTB is the best independent album (capital independent album) of the year.

But I think this album might be the best hip-hop album of the year.

Sanghyun’s face after reading KRS-One’s article was incomparably redder than Kendrick’s earlier. Kendrick’s face didn’t turn red because he was black.

This was not a story about MTB, but a story about FiveSix.

‘Did you write this after drinking in the morning?’

Looking at the article, it seems like it was posted after Jay-Z and The Game posted theirs, and there was a link at the bottom of the article where you could see their articles.

“Whoa, that’s hot? Come to think of it, you performed with KRS-One at Compton Black Block? Are you close to KRS-One?”

“We’re pretty close. I hung out and ate in New York for about 3 weeks. I knew it then. Being a professor and a rapper is a very comfortable job.”

Sanghyun said a few more words out of embarrassment.

“Did Hadel pay you to ask for this?”

But Kendrick and J. Cole didn’t laugh.

They knew that Sanghyun had given up many things in Korea and come to the United States, but they didn’t know that KRS-One, a real superstar, would use the expression ‘superstar’.

“Did you really open the Golden Era of Korea?”

“Not really, I just took advantage of the already successful flow.”

Sanghyun thought that he had advanced the original flow of Korean hip-hop by about two to two and a half years.

But in reality, he had advanced it much more than that.

Of course, if you only think about the appearance of rappers and the creation of a rap scene, Sanghyun’s idea was correct. However, it was originally scheduled to take much longer for the scene to ‘stabilize’ and for the ‘profit structure’ to be firmly established.

Sanghyun was the rapper who created that stabilization and profit structure. Of course, he did it with 888 Crew.

Kendrick, who was admiring for a moment, opened his mouth.

“Isn’t Sanghyun going to open the Golden New Era in the United States?”

“Oh? Golden New Era? That’s a good expression?”

“Really? Should I use it as the title of the next album?”

“How about Golden Fedora?”

“Ah…”

“This kind of gag is completely popular in Korea.”

“Korea sucks.”

When Kendrick made a pun using Motherland to say Motherfuckerland, Sanghyun scolded Kendrick this time.

Even as they were joking, MTB, which received support from Jay-Z, The Game, and KRS-One, was spreading to the world in earnest.

This was the full-fledged debut of FiveSix, Kendrick Lamar, and J. Cole, and it was also the debut of a supergroup that would be formed under the name Golden New Era.

————

LA NPQ Ranking

1. Mix Them : Black

– Kendrick Lamar, FiveSix, J.Cole

————

Cali NPQ Ranking

1. Mix Them : Black

– Kendrick Lamar, FiveSix, J.Cole

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Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums

39. Mix Them : Black [DEBUT]

– Kendrick Lamar, FiveSix, J.Cole