The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 295

Verse 46. Rapstar

***

After a long silence, Eminem’s comeback album, *Relapse*, was considered excellent and, with the exception of Sanghyun’s *No Color*, became the best-selling rap album of that year.

However, the album sharply divided public opinion.

Songs like “3AM” were excessively hardcore, and the lyrics lacked Slim Shady’s signature playfulness, replaced by purely psychopathic themes.

Critics and fans alike acknowledged Eminem’s rapping skills remained sharp, but many felt his psychological state had been altered by drug addiction and the death of Proof [Eminem’s close friend and fellow rapper].

But a few months later, a single was released that completely reversed these assessments.

It was Drake’s “Forever,” featuring Eminem, Lil Wayne, and Kanye West.

In “Forever,” Eminem undeniably outshone Kanye West and Lil Wayne, who were considered his peers, and even overshadowed the popular newcomer Drake, who was still building his career.

Eminem’s verse was simply that incredible.

“Incredible” was an understatement.

That’s why Eminem later wrote these lyrics:

But Jesus, I can just see why people quit callin’ me to do features

And them cyphers on BET cause if I wasn’t me

I probably wouldn’t want to play with me neither, shit

Afterward, Kanye West reportedly went on stage drunk at the AMA awards and ranted.

‘Eminem ruined everything! I rewrote my lyrics countless times. It was so frustrating. From the moment I heard that verse, I couldn’t stop thinking about it!’

Drake said in an interview, ‘Em stole the song from me. Sadly.’

And Eminem’s response was even more amusing.

He was asked by an MTV interviewer after performing “Forever” at an awards show:

‘They say the Rap God sent Lil Wayne to teach people how to rap. What do you think about that?’

‘I didn’t send anyone like that.’

Eminem’s remarks sparked considerable discussion and further boosted his fame. From then on, he began to be widely referred to as Rap God.

That was a year and a half ago, when “Forever” was released.

And now, after the Golden New Era Tour in Detroit, Eminem was asked a similar question again.

‘What do you think about the Rap God sending FiveSix to promote rap culture?’

Only the subject had changed.

Eminem paused, considering the interviewer’s question, and then said,

‘I remember Hadel Raines saying on the radio, “While staying at Eminem’s studio in Detroit, it seemed like FiveSix saw the end of rap.”

‘So?’

‘As everyone knows, what I said about Lil Wayne was a joke. Everyone laughed, right? But if you ask about FiveSix, I’d say I’m proud that I influenced his musicality.’

‘Does that mean…?’

‘I didn’t send FiveSix, but if I had, it would have been okay.’

‘So, is FiveSix becoming your protégé?’

Eminem shook his head at the interviewer’s persistent questioning.

Then he left, saying,

‘No. We both God.’

The headline that filled the first page of MTV Magazine the next day was, ‘War of the Gods.’

***

Snoop Dogg and The Game in Los Angeles.

Eminem in Detroit.

Jay-Z, Nas, and KRS-One in New York.

Kanye West in Chicago.

TI and Gucci Mane in Atlanta.

In addition to these, numerous other major rappers represented their respective states.

The Golden New Era Tour was nicknamed the ‘Golden Lineup Tour’ because it featured so many rap superstars on stage.

The public was amazed at the extensive network of H&R INC’s musicians, but the reality was simpler.

It was just that Hadel Raines’s recruiting skills were exceptional.

And Hadel’s recruiting skills were on display again in San Francisco.

‘Wassup!’

‘How does it feel to come back as a big shot after three years?’

He had recruited Franco and Slum Thug, San Francisco’s leading rap stars, who had given Sanghyun the nickname ‘Real Yellow Nigga’ during the Curtain Call Tour.

But that wasn’t all.

There was another San Francisco rap star.

It was Plan Paper, more commonly known as PP.

‘Look who’s here, that son of a bitch.’

‘Good. Should we scare him a little?’

‘Stop it. We’re past the days of shooting guns in Compton streets, right?’

‘Who’s shooting a gun?’

Jay Rock and Schoolboy Q brushed off Kendrick’s attempts to dissuade them and approached PP, who was standing awkwardly in the distance.

Sanghyun wasn’t the only one who had a bone to pick with Plan Paper.

Kendrick, who had been excluded from a previous tour due to Plan Paper’s jealousy when he was active as K-Dot [Kendrick Lamar’s former stage name], and the members of Black Hippy [Kendrick Lamar’s hip hop supergroup], Kendrick’s friends, felt the same way.

In fact, Schoolboy Q and Jay Rock, who were gang members at the time, had threatened PP, warning him he’d have to wear a bulletproof vest if he ever came to LA.

As soon as Sanghyun saw PP, he understood Hadel’s intentions.

Until now, they hadn’t given the opening stage to the leading stars of each state. It was difficult to ask big names like Eminem or Jay-Z to open, but it was a matter of respect.

But today’s opener was PP.

‘Hadel is a really persistent person in some ways.’

Honestly, Sanghyun had completely forgotten about PP.

Of course, that didn’t mean his resentment towards PP had disappeared.

PP had treated him poorly, engaged in racism and verbal abuse, and tried to discourage him in every way possible.

But for Sanghyun, it was all part of the journey.

He was able to use PP’s actions to seize the opportunity of “No Color” and showcase his skills.

After that, PP became a minor figure, barely registering in his mind.

So, he didn’t pay much attention to PP in *The X Factor* either. It might sound arrogant, but they simply weren’t on the same level.

But it seemed that wasn’t the case for Hadel.

He had been secretly plotting to get revenge on PP someday.

Because PP had ruined Kendrick’s opportunity.

Because he had made personal attacks on FiveSix.

Because he dared to try to block the future of his musicians.

‘I guess that’s why he spent a year and a half scouring the United States and the United Kingdom to find a musician to burn his last flame [give one last chance to shine].’

But Sanghyun wasn’t criticizing Hadel’s actions.

Rather, he felt a sense of satisfaction that someone was taking revenge on his behalf.

Of course, he would intervene if Schoolboy Q or Jay Rock went too far.

At that moment, Hadel approached Sanghyun.

‘What are you doing here?’

‘Don’t be so obsessed with me.’

‘What?’

‘You’re persistent.’

Sanghyun said that and quickly walked away.

Hadel muttered with a dumbfounded expression at Sanghyun’s sudden words.

‘Is he under a lot of stress…? Did I schedule things too tightly?’

***

The tour continued.

It had been 36 days since the tour started, and they had passed through 8 cities. There were a total of 24 performances.

In reality, these were relatively modest numbers for what could be called a national tour.

The schedule allocated to the tour was just over a month, and 24 performances in 8 cities were far from enough to be considered truly ‘national.’

Nevertheless, the Golden New Era Tour had two key indicators, besides the star-studded lineups, that justified its national scope: ticket sales and the total number of attendees.

The ticket price for the Golden New Era Tour was about 30% higher than the average ticket price. Compared to tours that deliberately set low prices, it was sometimes twice as expensive.

Despite this, no one complained that the tickets for the Golden New Era Tour were overpriced.

This was partly because the performances were exceptional, but also because the resale prices were so high that fans felt they had gotten an incredible deal if they managed to secure tickets.

The Golden New Era Tour booked the largest venues in each city, but even so, the number of tickets available never met the overwhelming demand.

As such, the Golden New Era Tour, which was about to perform in New Mexico, the last city in the United States, had already sold 950,000 tickets.

The Embudo House in Bernalillo County, where the Golden New Era Tour was scheduled to take place, was the facility with the largest standing capacity in New Mexico.

The number of tickets released for the scheduled two performances was 53,000.

In other words, if the Embudo House performances sold out, the Golden New Era Tour would surpass 1 million tickets sold in just 26 performances and conclude its US leg.

Hadel received a report from the accounting team a few days before arriving in New Mexico.

The number of people vying for the 53,000 tickets was 120,000.

And that wasn’t the only report Hadel received.

***

-Golden New Era Tour Conquers the World

When the Golden New Era Tour launched in June 2011, few doubted its potential for success.

Critics, industry insiders, and the public alike predicted that H&R INC would achieve significant success and envisioned it as a groundbreaking hip-hop world tour.

But their predictions fell short.

Not in direction, but in magnitude.

Just as the Beatles didn’t fully grasp their fame when they left England for the United States, no one anticipated the Golden New Era Tour would achieve such phenomenal success.

Perhaps the country that underestimated H&R INC’s potential the most was the United States itself.

And this sentiment was reinforced yesterday when news broke that the Golden New Era’s Mexico tour tickets had completely sold out.

The Golden New Era Tour sold all 400,000 tickets for the scheduled 6 Mexico tour dates.

Their minimum revenue is estimated at $30 million.

However, this is the minimum revenue calculated solely from ticket sales; if sponsorship deals and advertising are included…

(Omitted)

***

-The Amazing Power of Popular Art Demonstrated by the Golden New Era Tour

Mexico is a country with deeply ingrained structural and historical racism.

After the Mexican Revolution, which began in 1910, the revolutionary government faced the challenge of unifying a population divided along numerous lines during the revolution.

This was due to the constant cooperation and conflict among various groups, such as the military, local landowners, the liberal bourgeoisie, indigenous peoples, farmers, and foreign-dependent factions, throughout the 10-year revolution.

I won’t delve into further complexities.

My point is that Mexico adopted ‘Mestizo race [Mexico’s main race] supremacy’ as a solution to this situation, which has unfortunately evolved into extreme racism in modern times.

However, the Golden New Era Tour sold out all its scheduled performances in Mexico. Not only did they sell out, but the city is also buzzing with activity as people seek resale and additional tickets.

And at the heart of this phenomenon is FiveSix’s immense popularity. *The X Factor* and *No Color* sold a staggering 420,000 copies in Mexico, where American rap albums typically have little impact.

Is it an exaggeration to view this phenomenon as an example of how powerful art can reshape the foundations of a culture?

Is it an exaggeration to compare the Golden New Era Tour to Michael Jackson’s ‘Dangerous Tour 1992’?

Michael Jackson’s Dangerous Tour was a tour that broke down the cultural barriers of communist countries.

The people of communist countries, who had previously viewed Michael Jackson as the ‘King of America,’ recognized that times had changed when Michael performed in Russia.

Michael Jackson in 1992 was the King of America.

Then what is FiveSix the king of in 2011?

***

Mexico, Canada, France, Sweden, Australia…

The Golden New Era Tour created a sensation in every country and city it visited, achieving sell-out crowds and generating astronomical profits.

The broadcast of the Canada tour, acquired by HBO, achieved a high viewership rating of 9%.

In the meantime, the calendar turned over four times, and the seasons changed.

Well, perhaps the expression that the seasons changed isn’t entirely accurate, as the climate varies from country to country.

And then came October.

The Golden New Era Tour arrived in the UK, the last Western country on the tour.

< Verse 46. Rapstar > End

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