The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 283

< Verse 44. The End >

***

The unofficial capital of the United States.

A city known as the Big Apple.

A city that never sleeps.

New York.

However, New York had, by this point, become more readily associated with hip-hop musicians, earning nicknames like ‘Biggie’s hometown’ or ‘the birthplace of East Coast hip-hop’ rather than those other monikers.

This shift began with the release of Jay-Z’s “Empire State Of Mind.”

Me I’m up at Bed-Stuy

(I’m in Bed-Stuy)

Home of that boy Biggie

(In this place, Biggie’s hometown)

Now I live on Billboard

(Now I live on Billboard)

And I brought my boys with me

(And I brought my boys with me)

Since his regression [referring to Sanghyun’s time-travel experience], Sanghyun had experienced the disappearance of songs from his memory several times.

For example, the disappearance of his favorite song from Caliph’s second album, or the appearance of a song with the same title but different rap on Stars Records’ third album.

In fact, musicians are sensitive people, so it was natural for new songs to emerge and existing songs to subtly change or disappear.

Nevertheless, there were a few songs that Sanghyun desperately hoped would be released, songs he would blame himself for if they didn’t come to fruition.

Songs like Kanye West’s “Only One,” J. Cole’s “Apparently,” and Jay-Z’s “Empire State Of Mind.”

And fortunately, one of them was released in November 2009, allowing him to listen to it upon entering New York.

It was “Empire State Of Mind,” a love letter to New York.

“Do you like that song that much?”

“Doesn’t everyone have a song that resonates with them? Come to think of it, what song does Hadel like the most?”

“Me? ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit.'”

“Kurt Cobain, no, a Nirvana song? That’s unexpected.”

“Why is that?”

“Isn’t it time for you to look at rebellious teenagers with a sense of nostalgia, rather than trying to rebel like one yourself?”

“A man is a teenager until the day he dies. It’s just a matter of being an early, mid, or late teen.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Early teens don’t know they’re immature and are immature, mid teens know they’re immature and are immature, and late teens want to be mature but aren’t.”

“Oh, that makes sense.”

Hadel listened to Sanghyun’s quiet laughter and thought of Kurt Cobain for the first time in a while.

The eternal rock star who ended his desire to create an eternal rock star by rejecting LA metal [a genre of hard rock and heavy metal that was popular in the 1980s].

The person who exemplified how an eternal star is born.

It’s better to burn out than to fade away.

Hadel wondered if Sanghyun could become an eternal rock star, or rather a rap star, in a way that differed from Kurt Cobain’s path.

Just then, Sanghyun interrupted Hadel’s thoughts.

“Come to think of it, Hadel, you must have seen Kurt Cobain in person?”

“Did I just see him? The alternative rock that Cobain ushered in effectively ended the era of LA metal. To us, he was like the Great King Angolmois in Nostradamus’ prophecy [a figure whose arrival signifies great upheaval and change].”

“That’s amazing. To me, Cobain is just a figure in videos or records.”

“Kurt died in ‘94… weren’t you six years old? We lived in the same era.”

“Oh, ‘94. It didn’t really register until now, but I see that CEO Ha is truly an old-timer.”

“Are you done preparing for the performance and resorting to this?”

“Aren’t I doing it right now?”

Sanghyun tapped his earphones, which had the volume turned down, and hummed a rap under his breath.

Hadel sometimes forgot just how great a musician and how big a star Sanghyun was.

Because there was no discernible difference between Fivesix the musician and Sanghyun the person, whether Sanghyun was actively making music or not.

In that sense, Sanghyun was unlike any of the other stars Hadel had encountered so far.

But now, even in that quiet humming, he could sense it.

That he was a brightly burning being.

At that moment, the door to the waiting room burst open.

“What? Weren’t you partying with Gossip Girls?”

“Standard!”

It was Standard who entered Golden New Era’s waiting room without knocking.

“Where did Cole and Kendrick go?”

“Smoking weed.”

“But why is the waiting room so gloomy? Have you just been stuck with Hadel throughout the tour?”

“The staff and Attorney Im were also there.”

“Yeah, that must have been great. I’m so jealous.”

Sanghyun chuckled as Standard said that and plopped down on the sofa.

It was Sanghyun who had called Standard from LA all the way to New York.

Musicians are rewarded for their efforts with the cheers and adoration of the audience, but producers are not.

Unless they are truly famous figures like LA Reid or Simon Cowell, their names remain unknown to the public, forcing them to fight a constant, lonely battle.

So Sanghyun called Standard.

As the commander who would guide their sound on today’s significant stage.

In truth, arriving right before the performance like this was far from ideal. He should have arrived yesterday to rehearse and make sure everything was in order.

However, the heavy snowfall and strong winds had grounded his plane, and he barely made it in time.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to rehearse. The performance has already started.”

“It’s a bit 불안하긴 하지만 [unbulanhagin hajiman – I’m a bit nervous but]… we’ve played in the LA studio more than once or twice.”

Standard was intimately familiar with all three album beats that had been released this time.

Standard was the general producer of Sanghyun’s album, and he served as the final mastering engineer for the other two albums.

“Standard!”

“What? How did you get here? I heard the plane couldn’t take off?”

Just then, Kendrick and J. Cole opened the door to the waiting room and entered.

“Let’s talk later and at least try to coordinate the basics.”

That’s how the four musicians began preparing to shine brightly in the city that never sleeps.

If you were to ask most American musicians what the most glorious or coveted achievement was, there would be two common answers.

Winning a Grammy Award or topping the Billboard charts.

But in reality, there was one more place where American musicians yearned to etch their names.

This place differed slightly in character from the previous two, the Grammys and Billboard. While those two were related to ‘music,’ this place was solely related to ‘star quality’ and ‘popularity.’

The third place where American musicians want to make their mark is the Times Square New Year’s Eve Countdown event in New York.

“WASSUP NEW YORK CITY-!”

“MAKE SOME NOISE-!”

The New York Times Square Countdown event, which boasts a tradition of over 100 years since 1907, wasn’t a venue for musicians with ‘good music’ like Billboard or the Grammys.

Rather, it was a place where musicians that ‘people wanted to see’ appeared.

Those who amplify the joy of welcoming the New Year for the crowds gathered in Times Square, making the Happy New Year celebration even more exciting.

Stars.

And the Golden New Era members were among them.

J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, and Fivesix were currently the hottest musicians in the United States.

They were also the musicians that people most wanted to see.

However, as far as Hadel knew, no musician of Asian descent had ever performed at the countdown event.

‘Well, is this all? The path Fivesix is ​​walking now is all about being the first and setting records.’

That’s how the Golden New Era team’s performance began, less than an hour before the arrival of 2009.

The opening act was J. Cole.

Hey, we got a good thing

Don’t know if I’m a see you again,

see you again

From the moment J. Cole appeared on stage and sang his super-hit single “Work Out,” enthusiastic singing erupted from the audience.

Steam rose into the air due to the frigid temperature of minus 5 degrees Celsius, but the cheers of the crowd showed no signs of cooling down.

And then came the moment that amplified the cheers even further.

“Work Out” was originally a solo song performed by J. Cole, but not tonight. At the end of the chorus, Sanghyun suddenly appeared from behind the stage and launched into the second verse.

-Kyaaaaaa!

-Fivesix!

The people gathered in Times Square screamed at Sanghyun’s appearance.

I’ve seen you before

On the street a few days ago

Walking in front of me

A beautiful curve that is not a person, that itself

That was you.

I stole a glance. But it’s your fault, SHIT!

Lyrics that anyone proficient in English and familiar with the <56 JFTR> album would shout out with delight.

The song that Sanghyun was rapping to the beat of J. Cole’s “Work Out” was “High-Hill,” the 4th track from 56 JFTR.

Sanghyun often recycled sources and lyrics from the raps he had created in Korea, adapting them to suit the American style.

Some people claimed that Sanghyun simply liked to reuse hit songs, but in the rap genre, where rhyme and flow are paramount, changing the language was akin to creating entirely new music.

In fact, the process of adapting the language while preserving the existing lyrics or rap sources was sometimes even more challenging than creating a new song from scratch.

Nevertheless, Sanghyun’s continued recycling of Korean material served as a message to the 888 crew and his friends back in Korea.

A hidden message conveying that he was able to be here thanks to the time they had spent growing up together, and that not only he, but everyone, could achieve this together.

High-Hill Light

Line from waist to ankle

What went down accordingly was not my gaze, but my heart

Your name is pretty too, we live quite close

J. Cole’s “Work Out” was a rap about seducing an attractive woman, and Sanghyun had developed his rap accordingly.

Finally, Sanghyun’s verse ended, and another hook returned.

At that moment, another figure appeared.

-Kendrick Lamar!

The crowd welcomed Kendrick Lamar, whom they had somewhat anticipated thanks to Sanghyun’s appearance, with enthusiastic cheers.

That’s how the Golden New Era team’s performance, which had brought them together for the first time since the Grammy Awards, continued.

The song that followed “Work Out” was “Nigga, Yellow Monkey, Flip.”

Even before the Golden New Era team, many musicians had been heating up Times Square.

But it seemed that the loudest cheers of the day erupted during the Golden New Era team’s performance.

They were beings that awakened the city that never sleeps, and beings that illuminated the city that never sleeps even more brightly.

“Make it Hot! DJ. STANDARD-!”

And there was also a competent commander who was stoking the fire even higher.

***

-Three!

-Two!

-One!

The moment the crowd’s powerful countdown finally reached Zero, the countdown display installed in the center of Times Square flashed the phrase ‘Happy New Year.’

Fireworks exploded everywhere, painting the sky with vibrant colors, and families embraced while lovers kissed.

Finally, 2010 had arrived.

Sanghyun suddenly wondered what he had been doing on New Year’s Day in 2010. He couldn’t quite recall, but he thought he had been working a part-time job unloading 택배 [taekbae – delivery packages] during the vacation.

At that time, he had desperately wanted and needed money.

So he had tried to earn money, even at the expense of neglecting Sangmi.

But not anymore.

At 0:00 on January 1, 2010, he was the brightest person shining in the brightest place on earth.

‘I guess she can see it well from the sky at this point.’

Sanghyun gripped the microphone tightly.

The Golden New Era team’s performance was over, but his performance was not yet complete.

The ending performance of today’s event, which would begin before the lingering feeling of Happy New Year had faded.

That remained.

“Are you ready?”

“Of course.”

And there was also a musician who would be performing alongside him.

If someone asked Sanghyun who his favorite rap musician was, he might say Eminem, Big Sean, or Kendrick Lamar.

However, if he changed the question and asked who the most talented rap musician was, Sanghyun would undoubtedly name this person.

A rapper who had started on the streets and, with just one rap, had become the CEO of 5 labels, a businessman with 2 companies, and the owner of a team investing in 2 sports teams.

That was Jay-Z.

The two musicians responsible for the ending of today’s countdown event were Jay-Z, who was receiving tremendous love for “Empire State of Mind,” and Fivesix, who was rewriting history with his own music.

< Verse 44. The End > End

ⓒ