The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 275

< Verse 43. Touch The Sky >

In Korea, singers typically follow a fixed process for releasing new songs.

They usually pre-release the music video on their company’s website or YouTube channel, then release the song on music streaming platforms, and finally begin official promotional activities with a comeback performance on a music program.

However, in the United States, the release process for singers varied depending on the promotional strategy.

This was largely because the U.S. lacked the kind of nationally broadcast TV channels common in Korea, and music programs were virtually nonexistent on the few national networks.

Therefore, label heads often struggled when their artists had to release an album and begin promotions.

The promotional options were overwhelming, and the results could vary significantly depending on the choices made.

However, Hadel Raines wasn’t particularly worried about launching the promotion for this album, even with three albums being released simultaneously.

From the moment the three albums began their pre-release procedures, various media outlets had been inundating them with inquiries.

Consequently, two companies had their names attached to this showcase event, titled ‘H&R Brainstorm’.

And both of these companies were in the broadcasting business.

-KTLA

-KSCI

In other words, KTLA and KSCI were sponsoring this showcase and broadcasting it on their respective channels.

Both broadcasting stations were based in Los Angeles, California, but they catered to different audiences: KTLA primarily targeted American viewers, while KSCI focused on Asian immigrants.

KSCI’s channels included Korean and Japanese broadcasts with the highest viewership in LA, such as and , respectively.

This meant that H&R INC’s showcase would be broadcast to a very diverse audience.

The executives of the broadcasting stations had initially been hesitant due to the numerous conditions Hadel demanded, but now they were all smiles.

The popularity of Golden New Era among Asian immigrants, especially Koreans, was so immense that all the advertising slots were sold out at premium prices.

Similarly, KTLA was also pleased, having leveraged its connections as an American broadcasting station to sell the transmission rights of H&R Brainstorm to various regions, generating a substantial profit.

‘Were these guys really this popular?’

The executives at both broadcasting stations were surprised by the popularity of Kendrick, J. Cole, and Sanghyun, which far exceeded their initial expectations.

But this level of popularity wasn’t surprising at all.

In fact, it was quite natural.

The Golden New Era team were musicians who had garnered significant national attention following the Grammy Awards.

Sanghyun, in particular, had contributed to Eminem’s Billboard number one song and received widespread acclaim for the live version of MTB REMIX.

Numerous TV programs had extended invitations, and countless performances had been booked.

It was a moment where anything seemed possible.

A moment everyone envied.

However, Sanghyun turned his back on that moment and disappeared to work on his album.

Some magazines specializing in musician gossip speculated that if FiveSix had remained active after the Grammys, he could have earned at least $5 million, the prize money of X Factor. They even referred to him as ‘the real owner of $5 million’.

So, curiosity was inevitable.

Just how incredible was the music he was trying to create that he would forgo so many opportunities?

Was FiveSix truly uninterested in money and solely dedicated to pursuing his music?

And now, the public was about to have the chance to find out the answers to these questions.

Through , his first solo studio album released in the United States.

And it all began with H&R Brainstorm, which kicked off at 7 PM LA time.

The showcase venue was packed with people.

About half of them were residents of Los Angeles, while the rest had flown in from various parts of the United States.

There were even spectators who had traveled all the way from Australia.

Of course, the people who had come from the farthest distance were the reporters dispatched from Korea.

The audience was filled with anticipation for the performances, but they remained patient.

This was because the showcase was scheduled to begin in earnest after the rookie singers, whom the label planned to promote next, opened the show with a few of their past hit songs to build up the atmosphere.

However, the audience’s expectations were completely upended.

Pour Hennessey, I always start the party like this

Play Bob Marley, not that I’m doing marijuana

And then what do I do?

Represent your area, man.

At precisely 7 o’clock, Kendrick Lamar’s a cappella rap, erupting from the darkness, unexpectedly ignited the stage.

H&R Brainstorm was a storm, living up to its name.

There was no prelude, no warm-up.

That’s because the three musicians unleashed 39 songs from their three albums.

They had so many songs they wanted to perform, and so many scenes they wanted to showcase.

So, they had no choice but to hit the ground running from the very beginning.

“This album is a human album. It tells the story of a human who grew up on the streets of Compton and experienced conflict, not just a rapper.”

After the opening performance, Kendrick provided an album explanation that was characteristically Kendrick.

“So, what I mean is that the biggest enemy while I was making the album was ‘Golden New Era’. Because it’s the biggest image that Kendrick Lamar has built as a rapper.”

Kendrick, J. Cole, and Sanghyun didn’t collaborate on features while creating these albums.

With the exception of one track that appeared on all three albums, each album strongly reflected the individual artist’s unique style and connections.

Sanghyun believed that their actions stemmed from a desire to become the undisputed number one.

Kendrick and J. Cole were rappers who had dominated, or were poised to dominate, an era. It would have been surprising if they didn’t harbor such ambition.

And Sanghyun shared that ambition.

Therefore, their friendship remained intact, but they consciously avoided each other’s influence on these albums.

“Then everyone, let me introduce my dear first enemy. J. Cole.”

There were no flashy theatrics, no exaggeration.

J. Cole, emerging from the darkness, bumped fists with Kendrick Lamar.

And then the rap began immediately with the beat.

She likes a man with a big necklace

Riding around the neighborhood in a big Range

The audience cheered softly as J. Cole’s rap commenced.

If Kendrick is a rapper with a distinct and unwavering style, J. Cole is a rapper who has experimented with transforming his style multiple times.

J. Cole began to be considered a complete artist from the release of , but prior to that, he had showcased raps with diverse sensibilities.

Discographically, his style underwent significant changes from ‘underground – major debut – 2014 Forest Hills Drive’.

Especially after his major debut, while still pursuing a smooth sound, he enjoyed filling that sound with very explicit lyrics.

He incorporated swear words and sexual language in a subtle way.

This aspect unexpectedly became a strong source of sex appeal for his female fans, contributing to his growing popularity.

Just like right now.

Even Sanghyun, a man, found J. Cole’s Work Out, which was currently being performed, attractive, and the female fans appeared mesmerized.

‘What Billboard ranking did this song originally achieve? Around tenth?’

Work Out, appearing two years earlier than it originally did, was not lacking in any way. Rather, it possessed a more fluid and sophisticated quality.

This was because it was created in competition with formidable rivals like Kendrick and FiveSix.

After a while, J. Cole’s rap came to an end.

-Kyaaaaaa!

-J. Cole!

J. Cole grabbed the microphone with his signature grin, acknowledging the cheers of the female audience who had been familiar with him since his days as Therapist.

“If Kendrick made an album as a human, I just made it.”

The audience erupted in laughter at Cole’s words.

But his words weren’t entirely a joke.

“It’s not a joke, I really just made it. If I wanted to tell a love story, I told a love story like the one I just did, and if I wanted to talk about rap, I talked about rap. I made a beat that I wanted to rap to, and I wrote lyrics that I wanted to sing. I even thought about making a track dissing my two friends. I listened to my two friends’ tracks after I had half-finished my album, and I was so angry because they were so good.”

People chuckled again.

“I believe you know who’s next. It’s that unlucky friend who filmed the BMW commercial. Five, are you ready?”

In response to J. Cole’s question, Sanghyun’s voice echoed from the darkness.

“Anytime.”

And as soon as the voice was heard, the venue buzzed with excitement.

Kendrick’s rap was undeniably flashy, and J. Cole’s rap evoked a sense of nostalgic excitement.

So, what about FiveSix?

The three artists’ albums had been released at midnight yesterday.

This meant that they were available for purchase at record stores this morning, October 1st.

However, almost none of the people gathered here had visited record stores. This was because they wanted to experience the joy of hearing the three rappers perform and explain the songs themselves in advance.

Additionally, the approximately 2,000 spectators attending today’s showcase were given the opportunity to buy signed CDs at a discounted price compared to record stores after the performance.

Therefore, the audience had no choice but to focus all their attention on the darkness from which FiveSix’s voice had emerged.

At that moment, the beat began to play.

***

KSCI and KTLA were broadcasting this showcase, but it wasn’t a live broadcast.

The showcase was intended to introduce new albums, which inevitably involved sharing anecdotes related to the album’s creation, making it unsuitable for live broadcasting.

Therefore, KSCI and KTLA, who jointly held exclusive transmission rights, were collaborating to edit the showcase in real time by assembling a team of experienced professionals.

To be precise, the broadcast was being aired with a delay of approximately 30 minutes.

Consequently, the broadcast didn’t begin with the showcase stage itself, but with the MTB REMIX performance from the Grammy Awards. This was intended to capture the attention of viewers who were unfamiliar with the artists.

In the meantime, the veterans from the two broadcasting stations were preparing to edit the showcase stage.

But they had been preparing for quite some time.

“What should we do about this?”

“I know. There’s no place to cut.”

They had known from the outset that there wouldn’t be any opening congratulatory performances. Still, they had hoped to find sections that could be trimmed.

However, Kendrick Lamar’s performance was impossible to cut anywhere.

After struggling to cut about 30 seconds from the end, the time allocated to J. Cole and FiveSix’s performances was now approximately 8 minutes.

There were numerous commercials scheduled to air after the first three songs, so there was no possibility of exceeding the allotted time.

“I guess we can allocate about 4 minutes each.”

However, J. Cole’s subsequent performance proved even more challenging to edit than Kendrick Lamar’s in some respects. Work Out, with its blend of pop-infused sophisticated sound and hip-hop elements, seemed destined for popular success.

If Kendrick Lamar’s rap appealed to hardcore fans, J. Cole’s rap was a song that would resonate with the general public.

“Wow, I’m going crazy.”

“But the song is really good.”

“I know.”

Ultimately, the engineers were unable to cut J. Cole’s song significantly. They only removed a very short bridge and outro in the middle.

In the end, it ran slightly over 4 minutes.

And then FiveSix’s ‘I Swear’ performance began.

The moment FiveSix’s performance, titled ‘I Swear’, commenced, the three engineers responsible for monitoring forgot their duties.

This was because FiveSix’s voice, coming through the monitoring headsets, was so perfect, so beautiful, and so filled with sorrow.

I swear, I will not forget you.

I swear, my life will shine brightly.

I swear, there will always be a microphone in my hands

I swear, this song will reach you

It was a peculiar thing.

FiveSix didn’t explicitly state who ‘you’ referred to while singing the chorus.

But before they realized it, everyone listening to the song was thinking of their parents.

Sanghyun’s greatest talent was his ability to draw others into his emotional state. And there was no greater asset for a rapper.

Even when Sanghyun rapped about the theme of ‘discrimination against Asians’, black musicians were reminded of the discrimination they had faced.

But this was different.

The feeling for parents was universal.

Therefore, it was easier to become immersed, and it was possible to immerse oneself more completely.

Touch The Sky, I can touch the sky

Because there are you reaching out from there

When my music rings, people scream

I wonder if you heard that sound

Grammy and Billboard, BET and AMA

I’m going to make that place ring, no, I’m going to tear it up

Tell me if all my verses and rhymes and metaphors and symbols

Make you happy Papa, Mama

I now drive your dream car

I even filmed a commercial a while ago

I’ll fill my surroundings with flashlights

Being the brightest person on earth, so you can see me well.

Sanghyun’s rap resonated deeply with everyone.

No, it resonated with their hearts.

Just as Sanghyun had wept in the middle of Times Square after listening to Kanye West’s Only One, those who cherished the memory of their parents were quietly shedding tears at the showcase venue.

In that way, Sanghyun’s album , which would be regarded as ‘the most personal, yet the most universal’, was revealing itself to the world.

***

< Verse 43. Touch The Sky > End

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