The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 261

< Verse 41. Streamline >

***

The fifth round of the Boot Camp was structured around distinct concepts and judging criteria for each round.

The first round, themed ‘Team Synergy,’ was judged solely by L.A. Reid. The second round, ‘Uncontrollable Talent,’ was judged solely by Paula Abdul.

The third round, focusing on ‘Vocal Ability,’ was judged by Kelly Rowland, and the fourth, centered on ‘Star Quality,’ was judged solely by Simon Cowell.

However, the fifth round was different.

Aside from all four judges participating together, the most significant change was that winning against the assigned opponent was prioritized over the judges’ specific criteria.

And that opponent was a musician with a similar style to Sanghyun, paired with him by the judges.

‘Am I similar to Hime?’

Sanghyun tilted his head as soon as he and Hime were announced.

In his opinion, Ellen, a rapper from Detroit, was more similar to him. It wasn’t necessarily their rap styles, but their vocal tones shared a resemblance.

However, while Sanghyun’s voice had a dry yet resonant quality, Ellen’s felt like a strained, raspy delivery.

‘Did they focus on the overall style rather than just the vocal characteristics? Hime did say she was influenced by my style…….’

But Sanghyun felt Hime’s influence from him wasn’t that significant. It was like comparing baseball to catch, similar in some ways but with completely different objectives.

Sanghyun briefly wondered if it was simply because he and Hime were the only two East Asian rappers.

He didn’t perceive much genuine similarity in their raps.

Sanghyun sought Melody’s opinion as he left the main hall after the fifth-round matchups were revealed.

Melody’s reaction was quite different from what he expected.

“Why? Do you like Hime? Are you hoping to advance with her?”

“Don’t joke around. I’m just curious about your perspective. I haven’t questioned the judges’ decisions until now, but this feels odd.”

“I don’t think it’s strange at all. It’s perfectly natural for you and Hime to compete.”

“Natural?”

“Yeah. If it’s a one-on-one survival where only one person can win, I always figured you and Hime would end up competing.”

Melody implied that Sanghyun and Hime being paired together was inevitable.

She then offered advice in a serious tone.

“Sanghyun, if you’re not careful or try to be too considerate, you might lose. Do you know why?”

“Why?”

Sanghyun had no intention of being careless or overly considerate of Hime.

He couldn’t be 100% certain of victory against Hime, and even if he wanted to be considerate, holding back wouldn’t be respectful to her or himself.

But he couldn’t help but ask why Melody felt that way.

Because Melody spoke with such conviction.

“Hime is your only natural enemy among the participants.”

“Natural enemy? Hime and I?”

“Yeah. Maybe the judges paired you and Hime not just because of similar styles. If I’m right, it’s a kind of test. ‘If FiveSix wins against Hime, FiveSix is the top rapper.’ They want to confirm that.”

“Why are we natural enemies?”

“I want to tell you, but I’m a little scared. What if you focus too much on it and it throws off your balance?”

Melody added, ‘But I still think you’ll win if you do your best,’ and then left.

Melody was quite busy with only one day to prepare for the stage.

Sanghyun sat for a while, pondering Melody’s words about being natural enemies, but couldn’t come up with anything concrete.

So, he was actually pleased.

That there were still areas for him to grow, and challenges to overcome. That there was still uncertainty.

Sanghyun shifted his focus while sitting.

‘How can I guarantee a win against Hime?’

Numerous themes and beats began to flood Sanghyun’s mind.

His friendship with Hime didn’t even cross his mind.

It was quite some time before Sanghyun rose from his seat.

***

Shin Junhyung, Shin Hayeon, Lee Sangmi, Park Inhyuk, Oh Minji, Kim Hwan, Woo Minho.

The seven members of the 888 Crew, excluding Sanghyun.

Shin Miju, Bang Minsik, Hwang Insoo, Yongjoon.

The four members of the band L&S, who were like family to the 888 Crew.

Caliph, Bae Ga, Woo Yeonwoo.

The three fellow musicians who happened to be available.

The gathering of fourteen people united by music took place on a Saturday evening, a perfect time to hang out.

However, their meeting wasn’t in a trendy area like Sinchon or Hongdae. They gathered at the 888 Crew’s studio.

Sangmi, the true power of the 888 Crew, addressed the thirteen people assembled.

“I’m going to do a surprise quiz. Who here is incredibly fluent in English? Raise your hand.”

No one raised their hand in response to Sangmi’s question.

Bae Ga, who had studied abroad, was proficient in English, but he didn’t raise his hand because Sangmi’s question wasn’t about actual English skills.

“Very good. Next, who can’t resist checking Korean portal sites [Korean equivalent of Yahoo or Google]? Raise your hand.”

Again, no one raised their hand.

“Now, the last one. Who has been spoiled with information by acquaintances? Raise your hand.”

No one raised their hand this time either.

Finally, Sangmi sat on the sofa with a satisfied expression and pressed the remote control. With a click, the TV turned on.

In the upper right corner of the TV, where commercials were playing, was the phrase ‘The X Factor Ep. 6’.

That’s right. The reason fourteen people were gathered in one place was to watch the sixth episode of The X Factor, featuring Sanghyun.

The X Factor US aired from 10 PM to 12 AM on Friday nights, New York time.

This meant that a simultaneous broadcast in Korea would start at 11 AM on Saturday. In fact, the first episode of X Factor was broadcast at 11 AM.

However, as Sanghyun became a central figure and began to perform remarkably, the broadcasting station that imported The X Factor had to shift the broadcast time to 10 PM, the prime time slot.

This created an eleven-hour delay from the original US broadcast, but it was clear which time slot would attract higher viewership: 11 AM or 10 PM.

It’s a fundamental truth in the broadcasting industry that advertisements are placed where viewership is high.

A problem arose.

From Korean immigrants in the United States using Korean portal sites to news agencies determined to deliver news quickly, information about the broadcast began to leak even before it aired in Korea.

Therefore, fans of The X Factor had to choose between learning English and watching the US original broadcast, or closing their eyes and ears to avoid spoilers.

Sangmi’s choice was naturally the latter.

The quiz was to check if anyone had been spoiled.

In fact, during the fifth episode, Park Inhyuk, eager to know the results in advance, had caused a major incident (?) by blurting out spoilers.

If he hadn’t bought Sangmi’s favorite brand of chicken, Inhyuk wouldn’t have been allowed in the studio today.

“Ah, the commercials are so long.”

“I know.”

“The viewership ratings are high, so there are a lot of commercials. I saw an article yesterday that the viewership ratings exceeded 5%. That’s a first for cable, right?”

Junhyung tilted his head and asked after hearing Miju’s words.

“Yeonwoo hyung [older brother/male friend], what were the viewership ratings for Hiphop the Vibe when we were on?”

“Well? I don’t remember exactly, but the last episode was a little over 4%? Was it 4.1%?”

“Oh, we lost.”

Bae Ga chuckled as Junhyung shook his head.

“What do you mean ‘we lost,’ you idiot? But after watching X Factor, don’t you want to be on something like that?”

“Well, I don’t think I could make as strong an impression every episode as Sanghyun unless I prepared the song in advance?”

“But Sanghyun is a monster, going crazy like that. Usually, wouldn’t people advance by showing gradual improvement?”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right. Some participants seem to get better as the episodes progress. I don’t know if their skills are actually improving that quickly, or if they’ve been holding back due to the nature of the audition program. You know the saying: ‘A master hides 30% of their skill’.”

“Oh? Then isn’t Sanghyun at a disadvantage? It seems like Sanghyun has already shown everything.”

“It can’t be helped because he’s a rapper. In the first audition, it was one verse with two hooks, and in the boot camp, it was a team mission, so it was all eight bars each. Ah, there was one time with twelve bars.”

“Hmm…….”

Junhyung suddenly thought of Hime or Fifi. Unlike Sanghyun, those two rappers seemed to be showing gradual improvement.

A sense of unease crept in, but Junhyung kept his thoughts to himself.

Words have power; they become real the moment they’re spoken.

‘Is he performing a full song for the first time? What is he going to sing this time?’

The commercials finally ended, and the sixth episode of The X Factor began just as Junhyung was thinking that.

The first episode of The X Factor mainly featured the first auditions that took place across the United States, and the second episode showed the auditions in the remaining states and the first round of boot camp.

The third episode featured the second round of boot camp, the fourth episode featured the third round, and the fifth episode featured the fourth round. Today’s sixth episode was the final fifth round of boot camp.

Sanghyun was always at the center of the screen, even in this progression. It was an overwhelmingly rapid ascent, making Junhyung wonder if the guy on TV was the same guy he knew. In the home of hip-hop, the United States.

-We are only going to choose one of the two musicians who is better. If they are the same style, we should go with the person who is better.

“I hope he gets paired with Fifi and crushes her.”

“Oh, right. Sanghyun said Fifi was completely rude. I forget sometimes because he’s so handsome.”

“Minji noona [older sister/female friend] has a problem because she thinks everything is okay if it’s about looks.”

“But aren’t Fifi and Sanghyun’s styles too different?”

“I don’t think there’s a rapper with a similar rap style to Sanghyun?”

“Ellen? Isn’t the black rapper from Detroit a bit similar?”

“Ah, yeah, Ellen is a bit similar.”

The L.A. Reid on TV called Sanghyun’s name just as Kim Hwan agreed.

-FiveSix and Hime.

“Are Hime and Sanghyun similar?”

“They seem a little bit similar in some parts.”

“I think he can easily win against Hime?”

“Why?”

“Doesn’t she seem like a downgraded version of Sanghyun overall? Ah, well, their styles aren’t that similar, but partially.”

Junhyung understood the judges’ intentions the moment he heard Inhyuk’s optimistic opinion.

‘Ah……. Maybe Hime is the only card that can beat Sanghyun.’

As expected, the screen showing the participants’ preparation scenes flashed back to the past and began to broadcast the judges’ meeting scenes.

Specifically, it was a scene where producer Simon Cowell, who proposed the format for the fifth round, was explaining it to the three judges.

-The one-on-one format is a trap.

-A trap?

-Yes. What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘one-on-one’?

-Of course, I think I have to win against the other person to advance.

-That’s where the trap lies. Participants should not make music to beat the other person.

-Wait a minute. Cowell. Can you explain it more clearly?

-The focus of the music should not be on the other person, but on the public. Who is the target that musicians should always pay attention to throughout their lives? It’s the public.

The three judges nodded at Cowell’s words.

-So, making them care about the other person is a trap, and the element we are evaluating is popularity?

-Yes. We’ve seen synergy, talent, vocal ability, and star quality, so now it’s time to look at popularity. The ultimate goal of X Factor is not to pick a ‘music gladiator’ who has defeated all competitors, but to pick a ‘great musician’ who will be remembered in the history of modern music.

-Then, is the one-on-one format itself a lie? Are there cases where two people both advance?

-No. That would be a deception. Only one person survives. However, the clear criterion for survival is whether this musician can captivate the public. Not just whether they are good at music.

Paula Abdul took Cowell’s words and clearly summarized them.

-You’re saying that you’re going to prioritize the ability to captivate the hearts of the public over musical expertise.

-Yes. There were singers who sang better than the Beatles even in those days. Nirvana wasn’t armed with flashy techniques either. But their music always touched the hearts of the public.

Kelly Rowland, who had been quiet, spoke up.

-Maybe a lot of talented people will fall here?

-Kelly, who do you think is the most at risk?

-Well. Everyone is in danger if they fall into the trap of trying to beat the other person.

-I think Langdon and FiveSix are the most at risk.

-Even Langdon, but FiveSix? Isn’t he really amazing?

-But FiveSix is too good at rapping. And he’s already shown everything. If we were picking a rapper, I would have told Cowell after the first audition: ‘The winner has already been decided, so continuing is not a reality show.’ But we’re not a rapper competition.

-You want to say that it’s a place to pick a musician, not a rapper.

-Yes. FiveSix is very intense. His rap sucks in all the public. But what if that rap lasts for four minutes? What if the entire album is filled with such verses? It would be like a melodrama that fills sixty minutes with only kissing scenes.

-Aren’t you ignoring Billboard too much? FiveSix’s ‘No Color’ is currently at number 11 on the Hot 100.

-I think that tenth-place gap is because FiveSix is too good. We’re not picking a musician who can reach number 11 on Billboard, but a musician who can consistently reach number 1.

-In the end, it’s a matter of how skillfully FiveSix can walk the tightrope between musical ambition and popularity.

-That’s right. If he tries to spit out everything he has, he might lose. If he fills every verse like he’s doing an eight-bar rap.

-Let’s hope FiveSix realizes our intentions. I really like him.

-He’s definitely amazing. We’ve only been talking about FiveSix for five minutes.

-Oops, then shall we make a matchup?

Junhyung realized that his thoughts were correct.

And two thoughts came at the same time.

Anxiety and faith.

Some people were saying that MTB was Sanghyun, J. Cole, and Kendrick Lamar’s best work, but Junhyung knew that Sanghyun could do even better than that.

Rather, while Sanghyun’s rap skills had improved, the unique composure and blank space that he used to play with throughout the song had become a little fainter.

Junhyung had thought it was only because it was a collaboration album of three people, but he now worried that it could be a style change influenced by being in America.

In the meantime, the broadcast continued.

The rival competitions of some participants began, and the winners and losers emerged.

And finally, Hime’s stage, which was paired with Sanghyun, began.

< Verse 41. Streamline > End

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