The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 264

< Verse 41. Streamline >

If Hime’s performance was a perfect 100, FiveSix’s performance was N/A (not applicable).

An N/A error occurs when a value cannot be calculated based on the set criteria. In other words, Sanghyun’s performance was beyond the judges’ ability to rate within the established framework.

At the same time, the contestants were able to realize the true source of the ‘discomfort’ they felt during Sanghyun’s performance.

It was inferiority.

Hime’s performance was perfect within a level they could comprehend. They could think, ‘I want to do a performance like that someday,’ or, more negatively, ‘I could easily do that much.’

But not with Sanghyun.

How much inferiority did musicians who lived in the same era as the Beatles feel? No matter how hard they worked to make albums and promote them, all the spotlight was on the Beatles.

Sanghyun’s performance felt that way to the contestants. Facing an insurmountable wall, they could only feel negative emotions. The only positive emotion they could muster was, ‘I live in the same era as this musician,’ but the X Factor was a survival show that only picked one person.

That’s why it was uncomfortable.

In fact, the emotions that these musicians were feeling are difficult for the general public to empathize with.

If the public were asked to compare Sanghyun’s performance with the other contestants’ performances, they wouldn’t necessarily perceive this ‘wall.’

Most would feel that Sanghyun’s performance was outstanding, but some might even prefer the other contestants’ performances to Sanghyun’s.

Because the public are people who listen to and enjoy music, not people who dissect it.

That means this wall can only be felt by those who are deeply involved in the music industry, and ultimately, the path Sanghyun has chosen is clearly revealed.

“He chose the path of a rap star rather than a musician.”

LA Reid shook his head at Simon Cowell’s words as he watched Sanghyun’s performance.

“Cowell, we need to rephrase that.”

“Rephrase? How so?”

“I think FiveSix chose the path of a rap star rather than a musician.”

“Not a rapper, but a rap star?”

“Yes. He’s just too… brilliant to be just a rapper.”

LA Reid, who had dedicated his life to black music, suddenly thought of a musician who had walked the same path as Sanghyun.

It was Notorious B.I.G, better known as Biggie, the king of East Coast hip hop.

Biggie was also someone who chose the path of a rap star rather than just a musician.

Even before his debut in 1994, Biggie was considered a genius rapper among musicians. Although he didn’t have much public recognition yet, he participated in Mary J. Blige’s “Real Love Remix,” which reached number 4 on the Billboard charts, and he was featured on many other Billboard-charting tracks.

Biggie signed with a new label, Bad Boy Records, and had many disagreements with his manager while preparing for his first album.

The manager emphasized the need for a ‘single rap song featuring a female vocalist’ to be produced for radio play, but Biggie didn’t like the suggestion.

Biggie eventually followed his manager’s advice, but not completely.

He didn’t write any lyrics until the scheduled recording date, and he hadn’t even listened to the beat a few times.

Biggie was known for being a musician who didn’t write lyrics in advance, but that didn’t mean he did all his raps impromptu [unrehearsed].

To be precise, Biggie was the type to write lyrics in his head. He would create a large framework for the rap and insert impromptu words into hundreds of sentences he had already memorized.

However, Biggie, who didn’t like the manager’s suggestion, produced a single rap song for radio play completely freestyle [improvised].

This song was included in Biggie’s first album, *Ready to Die*, and was released as Biggie’s first single.

So, did this song fail?

Not at all.

This song was the first single, “Juicy,” that laid the foundation for Biggie’s success.

“Juicy’s” sales weren’t very high initially, but it still went gold (500,000 copies), reached the top 10 on the Billboard charts, and played a key role in driving the success of subsequent albums and singles.

In other words, it was the starting point for Biggie to become a rap star worldwide.

LA Reid smelled the scent of ‘Juicy’ in ‘Lonely Road,’ which FiveSix was singing now.

If “Juicy” declared Biggie’s musical direction, “Lonely Road” felt like it was declaring FiveSix’s musical direction.

However, Biggie failed to achieve mainstream popularity with his music alone during his lifetime.

People who know Biggie’s album sales might question that statement, but Biggie’s record sales largely accumulated after he became a ‘Die Legend’ [posthumous icon] after his death.

In addition, the sales of his second album *Life After Death*, which was ranked as the best East Coast album in history and topped the Billboard charts, were also greatly influenced by the tragic story of his death a few days before the album’s release.

That’s why he was able to debut at number one on the Billboard album chart.

Of course, this is just speculation.

No one knows if Biggie would have accumulated even more sales if he had promoted his second album while he was alive. In addition, hip hop was less popular then than it is now, so it’s difficult to simply compare it to current sales.

But according to Reid, Biggie didn’t break through to widespread popularity with his music alone.

‘But isn’t it possible for FiveSix?’

Even though he knew it was a crazy idea, LA Reid somehow found himself having this expectation.

That’s how brilliant FiveSix’s performance was.

In the meantime, Sanghyun’s rap continued.

***

Sanghyun was continuing his lonely road and feeling emotions he had never felt before.

The musician FiveSix, so far, had been greatly influenced by the knowledge of the future that he couldn’t share with anyone.

Eminem’s album, which would be released in a few months.

Jay-Z’s single, which would be released in a few years.

Musicians such as Big Sean, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Drake, and Kanye West, who would dominate the mainstream later on.

‘FiveSix’ was a musician who brought together the best aspects of this music that only Sanghyun knew.

Of course, Sanghyun didn’t steal anything from the future.

Eminem’s album maintained Eminem’s style, and Jay-Z’s single wasn’t musically groundbreaking either.

Big Sean, Kendrick, and J. Cole are also great musicians, but they don’t make music that is completely separate from their predecessors. They simply learned from the past and made better music.

But it was undeniable that Sanghyun had received a cheat sheet. The ‘things of the future’ that he had been pursuing were essentially summary notes highlighting only the advantages.

But the feeling of singing “Lonely Road” now was different.

It felt like he was rapping 100% authentically, without being bound by anything.

To be honest, he didn’t know exactly what had changed or how he felt different from the past. However, he could tell that ‘something hard to express in words’ in his rap was now at the forefront.

Until then, this something had been subtly hidden beneath layers of sophistication, but now it had become the main weapon.

Sanghyun felt joy.

And he realized that he had achieved his purpose in coming to America.

He had also thought about it while rapping at Amateur Night, but Sanghyun was someone who placed great value on fairness. That’s why he had an uncomfortable feeling in one corner of his heart.

‘Is my success in music and my evaluation as a top-tier rapper in Korea all thanks to the advantages of regression? Knowing the trends of the future?’

And this discomfort was something that he couldn’t unconditionally dismiss as long as he was in the Korean hip hop scene.

The Korean hip hop scene was still growing, a place where they were finding the answers while making mistakes, but Sanghyun already knew the answers that others would eventually discover.

But America was different.

The local swagger of Gwangju Up.

The colloquial and everyday songwriting of 888 World.

The trap sound of Eight Eight Eight.

These were all elements that had been fully utilized in the United States since 2005.

In other words, in the United States, he could be evaluated solely on his skills, without any advantage from his regression.

Only the talent that the person ‘Lee Sanghyun’ was born with.

And the efforts of FiveSix added to it.

A place where no other factors were involved other than these two.

A fair place.

The home of hip hop, America.

And finally, Sanghyun found his answer.

He didn’t know exactly what had changed yet, but once a child gets up, they can walk soon, and once a child starts walking, they can run soon.

Sanghyun spat out the rap as if possessed.

Sanghyun originally boasted amazing delivery, but now the level was different.

A narrow road, or a lonely road.
Engrave two letters behind the road with my footprints, Five and Six. Got a god of things, God’s Blessing to Kiss.

Word choice, the flow of expressing words, the groove that leads the flow, and even the expression of emotions that encompassed all of these.

Everything about the rap was conveyed to the listeners.

In an interview after the performance, some contestants jokingly and enviously said, ‘I think I would have understood about half of it even if FiveSix rapped in Korean.’

A strange silence swept through the arena.

Some contestants were admiring, and some were deep in thought. The former were usually vocalists, and the latter were rappers.

But the judges were the ones who maintained the heaviest silence.

They had finished preparing to give the genius a ‘trial’ if FiveSix didn’t choose popularity. So that the genius could aim for a wider and higher platform through these trials.

But the moment they saw the current performance, their determination wavered.

Kanye West compared himself to a new Jesus and called himself Yeezus, and Jay-Z compared himself to Jehovah and called himself J-Hova. And Sanghyun was also claiming to have God’s things.

Got a god of things, God’s Blessing to Kiss.

Had God’s things and kissed God’s blessing.

Of course, the god they are talking about is not the real God, but the god of black culture and music, but the judges thought Sanghyun’s metaphor wasn’t absurd.

And humans couldn’t give ‘trials’ to God.

‘Is this the trial that the black-skinned god that FiveSix serves is giving us? It’s really difficult.’

The judges maintained their silence while even contemplating this.

They didn’t want Sanghyun’s song to end.

But the song had a set ending, and the time for selection was inevitable.

“Wait a minute. Can you give us some time?”

Paula Abdul said, looking at Sanghyun and Hime, who were standing on the stage.

That’s how a very long meeting began.

Even the contestants, who were initially curious about the results and watching the judges, began to panic when the time exceeded 30 minutes.

In the meantime, the judges were sharply divided.

“Unfortunately, FiveSix must be eliminated. We clearly established the proposition of popularity, not musicality, when organizing this round. Some of the contestants who were eliminated in the previous performance lost because of the proposition of popularity, even though they had a skill advantage.

We cannot make an exception only for FiveSix.”

“But there was no case where we exceeded popularity in the criteria we set. FiveSix is eliminated? The whole country, no, the whole world watching X Factor will laugh. They’ll question what the show is even looking for. FiveSix didn’t prioritize popularity, but his performance is clearly something the public will be enthusiastic about.”

“Well, will the public who hate rap feel that way too?”

“Absolutely. I assure you. Even the public who hate rap will applaud FiveSix. And the public is always just the majority. It’s not 100% of the members, but the largest segment. There are more people who like rap than people who hate it. Therefore, this performance is one that the public will like.”

Even if they voted, they were deadlocked at two to two.

Finally, when an unprecedented situation occurred in which an evaluation of one performance lasted for nearly an hour, high-ranking officials from Sony Music and EMI Music attended the meeting at the request of the judges.

But the problem wasn’t solved.

Sony Music was advocating for Sanghyun’s elimination, and EMI Music was advocating for his acceptance.

“I’m going crazy. Simon Cowell, can’t we have simultaneous acceptance? Hime’s performance is definitely not at a level to be dropped.”

“I cannot concede this point. The principle must be adhered to.”

In the end, no decision was made, and the competition proceeded after 1 hour and 30 minutes. This was because it was judged that the contestants had been waiting for too long.

As time passed, around 2 a.m., 31 of the 64 contestants were finally selected.

And 30 minutes later, the thirty-second successful candidate was finally announced.

“The contestant who will advance to the next stage, Judges’ Houses, between Hime and FiveSix is…”

The eyes of all the contestants and staff were focused on Simon Cowell’s mouth. Cowell even imagined he could see the public watching him on the camera’s LCD screen.

And the announcement was made.

“It’s Hime.”

The thirty-second successful candidate announced by Cowell was Hime.

***

< Verse 41. Streamline > End

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[modify by CRAutoFix  beta2 ver 2010.7.7]

[Text modified date: 2016.3.21]

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