The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 263

< Verse 41. Streamline >

***

Not long after listening to Melody’s advice, Sanghyun realized the judges’ intentions.

He didn’t understand at first, but after thinking about it, the answer became clear.

Melody’s advice that Hime and he were incompatible was spot on.

‘The difference between popular music and self-satisfying music. Or, in this case, should I compare popularity with a musician’s greed?’

Those who are remembered for their excellence disappear from history as soon as that excellence is broken and they become second best. But those whose very existence is recorded can never be erased from history.

The judges were telling Sanghyun to remain not as a ‘rapper who is incredibly good at rapping’ but as a ‘musician who will be remembered forever.’

Sanghyun accepted the judges’ advice.

Just as Eminem has ‘Lose Yourself’ and Jay-Z has ‘Empire State of Mind,’ Sanghyun decided to sing a song like that as well.

In fact, even if he kept the aspect of popularity in mind, there wouldn’t be much change in the musical aspects. It wasn’t like he had to intentionally rap poorly or make easy raps.

It was just about being more considerate so that the public could empathize, and choosing the public when the greed as a musician and consideration for the public conflicted.

Strictly speaking, the judges’ demand for popularity from Sanghyun was a self-deceptive act. It was something they could do because they were judges.

Did all the music created by Simon Cowell, L.A. Reid, Paula Abdul, and Kelly Rowland succeed?

If there were songs that didn’t succeed, was it because they ignored popularity and made those songs?

That could never be the case. They wanted it to do well, but it just didn’t.

No one can make a popular song just by resolving to make one. If there were such a person, they would have to make every song they release a success.

So, the judges were asking Sanghyun to do something they couldn’t do themselves.

Perhaps in their subconscious, they had the idea that the abilities of the musician ‘FiveSix’ were higher than theirs.

‘What song should I sing?’

Sanghyun began to worry, keeping the judges’ intentions in mind. He had never made music thinking about popular success first, so he was quite troubled.

In the end, the music Sanghyun chose after a long deliberation was a song quite familiar to Korean fans.

It was ‘I Just See’ from <56 JFTR>.

‘I Just See’ had the advantage of being able to appeal to the public while also telling his own story.

Everyone has had the experience of feeling small in front of someone they like because they think they are not good enough. Regardless of nationality, age, or gender.

However, ‘I Just See’ had the problem of using the similar pronunciation of ‘아저씨’ (ajussi, meaning ‘old man’) to give meaning to the song. The meaning could be lost to Americans who don’t know Korean.

But Sanghyun thought that if he used this part in reverse, the ‘me’ in the lyrics could come alive and give more vitality.

In Korea, a man like me call your 아저씨

Old and a man less attractive to another like me

So, aren`t any courage. ain`t try`n to talk you

Just stand here, Endlessly. I just see.

Sanghyun finalized ‘I Just See’ as the song to compete with Hime and immediately started working on it.

He didn’t have much time because he had to rework the beat and revise the lyrics in English.

Fortunately, it seemed like there wouldn’t be a problem because it was a song he had worked on to some extent when he had a lot of time while working at Bebo Records.

Sanghyun finished working around 3 a.m.

The competition was at 6 p.m. the next day, so he would have plenty of time to prepare for the stage after waking up.

However, he didn’t feel refreshed.

A strange sense of unease and a lingering feeling continued to envelop Sanghyun. And this feeling was not something that suddenly arose, but something he had felt throughout the work.

Sanghyun, who wouldn’t know if someone grabbed him from the side once he was immersed in music.

‘What is it?’

After a long time of worrying about the identity of the unease, Sanghyun came out of the room in frustration when he couldn’t find an answer.

When he came outside, many people were unable to sleep even though it was 3 a.m.

Some were pacing around memorizing lyrics, and others were sitting still listening to songs. Team-based participants who had prepared a dance were checking each other’s movements.

But the most noticeable among them were not those who were practicing. It was the people who were laughing excitedly and dancing strangely.

It seemed like they were joking around while practicing.

Sanghyun realized the identity of the unease at that moment.

The identity of the unease was ‘sense of purpose.’

Sanghyun had clearly participated in The X Factor for a collaboration with Eminem. Others might doubt it, but Sanghyun’s motive was nothing but pure.

And this purity did not include the proposition of popularity.

‘If I get into the Top 12 and collaborate with Eminem, what would I think?’

Would I want to compete with Eminem to see who sells more albums?

Or would I want to challenge him with rap itself?

These questions of Sanghyun soon branched out in another direction.

Did Jay-Z really make Empire State Of Mind for the sake of sales?

What was Eminem thinking when he made Lose Yourself on the set of the movie 8 Mile?

Sanghyun was swept up in extremely obvious questions.

In fact, these questions were too late for Sanghyun to ask. It was a concern he should have started when he first started making music, or when he first recorded a popular hit.

However, Sanghyun had never been defeated in terms of music, as Hime thought. He had never fallen, so he didn’t know what to do when he fell.

But Sanghyun was not making music alone.

From the time he returned to the past in 2005 and started making music until now, they were always by Sanghyun’s side.

“Ah……”

‘Let’s compete thoroughly with content. This is a huge opportunity.’

‘So, you’re saying we should make a song that’s good to sing at a baseball stadium?’

The musician FiveSix could not come up with an answer to the current problem.

But 888 Crew could.

They had already experienced this situation and came up with an answer.

By choosing Lonely Road instead of Strong Swing.

‘This song is not it. I won’t perform with this.’

‘What? Why? Is the song bad?’

‘The song is good. But if I sing this song, it feels like something that 888 Crew has built up will collapse. I don’t know what it is… I can’t express it… but I’m sure of it.’

If Sanghyun had made music alone after the regression, could he have done what he is doing now? Could he have conquered Korea, made a name for himself on Billboard, and appeared on The X Factor?

Absolutely not.

Even if Sanghyun stole other people’s ideas and preempted future hit songs, he would not have the same skills as he does now.

Because he would not have had the experience of being beaten by show business and rolling from the bottom.

He would not have had the time to struggle with the 7 members and promote their music even a little bit.

Sanghyun accurately understood the judges’ intentions. They were telling Sanghyun to become an eternal musician, not an outstanding rapper.

And 888 Crew had already come up with the answer to this.

*

Therefore, our ultimate goal is very simple.

Forever 888.

For everyone who knew 888 Crew to remember us for the rest of their lives. For the current complete 888 Crew to remain in everyone’s memory forever. Just like The Beatles and N.W.A. To do that, we have to work harder.

*

The judges were not wrong.

You can’t become an eternal musician just because you’re incredibly good at rapping.

But it didn’t matter.

The rapper FiveSix might fail, but 888 Crew’s FiveSix won’t fail.

Sanghyun finally realized why he came to America.

Because he wanted to collide with the home of hip-hop, America, with all his might?

Because he wanted to compete with his idols with rap?

Because Oh Kyung Media put pressure on him?

All of that is true.

But the top priority was different.

Because there’s a place to return to. Because I’m curious about what kind of accident we can cause if everything I experienced in America is passed on to 888 Crew.

Sanghyun made a decision.

Even if he gets eliminated from The X Factor, he will aim for higher places with only rap.

Even if that place is a lonely road located higher than the public’s taste, it didn’t matter. At least 7 people will be by his side.

***

Keyboards and violin VSTs [Virtual Studio Technology, software plugins] began to lead the sound amidst the orchestra harmony.

What appeared above it was a heavily mixed 909 drum kit.

The person who played this keyboard was Miju, and the person who made the beat was Minsik.

Holding the microphone, Sanghyun thought that Miju and Minsik were standing right next to him.

The microphone felt light today.

‘But isn’t the microphone supposed to be light?’

Sanghyun had such silly thoughts while feeling the eyes of the judges and participants.

Because he thought that this was nothing compared to the Mudeung Stadium where 12,000 spectators were watching him.

The majestic orchestra that calms people down and the 909 drum kit mainly used in dance music were strangely intertwined.

The moment Sanghyun’s rap was added was the moment the two sources, which seemed to match and not match, danced slightly and became completely one.

That’s how Sanghyun’s rap began.

***

“Uh!”

The 888 Crew members, who had gathered together in the studio to watch The X Factor, exclaimed.

Because the all-too-familiar beat of Lonely Road was flowing out of the TV.

‘That’s so you.’

Junhyung realized at that moment that Sanghyun had chosen musicality over popularity.

No, to be honest, it was obvious.

The words musicality and popularity were being expressed as if they were opposites, but Sanghyun was just doing what he had been doing all along since he started making music.

And Junhyung realized that he wanted Sanghyun to make this choice.

He wanted Sanghyun’s music to still be rooted in 888 Crew’s music.

‘Aren’t you jealous?’

Junhyung sometimes met people who compared Sanghyun and himself and asked this question.

And every time that happened, he thought that others might think that he was in a situation where he could feel jealous.

But in reality, he had never been jealous for even a minute, no, not even a second.

Because Sanghyun’s music ultimately develops and is completed by 888 Crew. It was no different from having his own music in it.

And Sanghyun was answering his thoughts like a ghost.

That he was the same.

“Keu……”

Inhyuk let out a short exclamation.

The 888 Crew members were in a state of completely understanding the message Sanghyun had delivered.

“Uh!”

At that moment, another shout erupted.

It was the moment Sanghyun started rapping.

The rap that Sanghyun was spitting out now was something new that they had never heard before. The beat was familiar, but as the language changed, the rap itself completely changed.

But the rhymes that made up the rap were very familiar.

‘Lonely Road’ and ‘Call me Lord’ were rhymes that Junhyung had matched, and ‘Call me Lord’ and ‘Gulliver’ were rhymes that Hayeon had matched. The ‘Excalibur’ that followed was a rhyme that Sanghyun had written.

The structure and flow of the rap were completely different, but the rhymes they used were included in the elements.

“Wow, this is the keyboard I played exactly as it is.”

“I mixed this violin and drum kit.”

“Hyung [older brother or male friend] did the mixing, but I recorded the drums.”

“Bass is me.”

Not only that. All of the L&S members were involved in this beat.

In the meantime, Sanghyun’s rap was heading towards higher ground.

***

The X Factor participants who were watching Sanghyun’s performance began to have strange thoughts.

Hime’s performance was perfect. It felt so strange to even imagine her being eliminated. Therefore, no matter how well FiveSix rapped, it seemed difficult to beat Hime’s Scot.

These thoughts did not change even as FiveSix’s rap progressed.

Of course, FiveSix’s rap was really amazing. They had never met someone who rapped so well.

Participants who were affiliated with famous labels and had worked with major rappers were also thinking the same thing.

But Sanghyun’s performance felt uncomfortable somewhere.

They didn’t know what it was.

However, the participants’ thoughts gradually began to change in a strange direction.

‘Why doesn’t it feel like he’s competing with Hime?’

Even if they consciously tried to compare Hime’s performance and FiveSix’s performance to compare the advantages, they couldn’t compare them.

Even if they tried to evaluate the two performances based on their own standards, they couldn’t evaluate them.

If Hime’s performance was 100 points, FiveSix’s performance was in an N/A (not applicable error) state.

< Verse 41. Streamline > End

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