The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 296

더 랩스타-296화(296/309)

< Verse 46. Rapstar >

***

영국은 신사의 나라, 축구의 나라.

For Sanghyun, like most Koreans, England was strongly associated with gentlemen and football.

However, after actually arriving in England, another perception arose.

It was the land of rain and fog.

It seemed like the weather was nice in the morning, but when the sun began to set, it rained, and on days when there was a lot of fog from the morning, it seemed like it would rain almost 100% of the time.

Perhaps because of this, while the tour schedule so far had included quite a few outdoor performances, there were no outdoor performances scheduled in England.

However, there were no complaints at all.

This was because the performance venues in England chosen for the Golden New Era Tour were not the kind of places one could simply decide to book.

Rather, they were places where, even if you inquired and made countless offers, you would have to give up the moment they said ‘No.’

The New Wembley Stadium, which could accommodate 90,000 people and would mark the start of the UK tour, was especially so.

“Wow……”

“It’s huge, isn’t it?”

Sanghyun and the members of H&R INC visited the New Wembley Stadium for a dry rehearsal two days before the upcoming performance and were overwhelmed by its scale.

The size, with a circumference of 1KM [approximately 0.62 miles], was enormous, but the ‘holy ground of football,’ equipped with a dome designed to protect the 90,000 seats from bad weather and two large screens the size of 600 televisions combined, was more splendid and magnificent than any place they had ever encountered.

A simpler way to explain the enormity of the New Wembley Stadium was to say that there were 2618 restrooms inside the stadium.

However, by being chosen as a performance venue for the Golden New Era, the New Wembley Stadium was now transformed from a ‘place to watch’ to a ‘place to see and hear.’

Therefore, it wasn’t just about being fancy and cool.

“Hadel, can the roof be completely closed? It doesn’t look like it can.”

“No, it can’t. It’s a building that was originally made with a partially retractable roof. It can’t be completely closed.”

“Then the sound won’t resonate, but will leak upwards? I don’t think there will be any reverberation. I wonder if the synesthesia [a perceptual phenomenon where stimulation of one sense evokes another], which is important in rap performances, can be conveyed.”

Hadel thought for a moment at Sanghyun’s question and then responded with a question.

“There have only been three performances that have sold out Wembley Stadium so far. Who do you think the main artists of those three times were?”

“Hmm? Michael Jackson, The Beatles?”

“The New Wembley Stadium opened in 2007, so how could The Beatles have come? Michael Jackson was originally scheduled to come in 2009. If he hadn’t met his death.”

“Then who is it?”

“Metallica, The Rolling Stones, Muse. Actually, Muse is the only one that completely sold out, and Metallica and The Rolling Stones didn’t use all the seats and standing room.”

“But why is that?”

Sanghyun listened to Hadel’s words for a moment and then tilted his head.

However, Hadel’s words were not over yet.

“And there’s one more team. Golden New Era.”

As Hadel said, the name of the Golden New Era would now be engraved in the record of .

They even sold out all 15,000 standing tickets and 75,000 seats. This was the maximum audience size that Wembley Stadium could accommodate when used for concerts.

Of course, there were some British critics who viewed the Golden New Era team not as a single artist, but as an entire label.

They argued that because this performance was a joint performance, the name of the Golden New Era team could not be listed in the Wembley record books.

But no matter what the critics said, it was certain that this Golden New Era tour was the first full house at Wembley Stadium since 2007.

However, Sanghyun still tilted his head.

“But Hadel, are you perhaps dodging the question? A trick to boost morale because the sound isn’t perfect? A passionate message that we can overcome equipment defects with your passion?”

Hadel frowned and smiled at Sanghyun’s words.

“Listen to the end. Then what do you think these Metallica, Rolling Stones, Muse, and Golden New Era have in common?”

“You said they all sold out.”

“There’s one more thing.”

“That there are handsome singers?”

“……That the stage production company is the same. The most famous production company in England. England Pro Sound.”

“Ah?”

“Our staff has never produced a venue this big and semi-open. Even if they have, it wouldn’t be exactly the same shape as New Wembley. So, we can just call the experts here, right?”

Sanghyun had also commissioned stage production to an outside company while planning 888 Crew’s solo concert.

However, four years later, they were outsourcing to E.P.S [England Pro Sound], the most famous production company in England.

“Put down the habit of running a label in Korea. You just need to rap well. That’s what 90,000 spectators want.”

“Yes Sir!”

Sanghyun saluted Hadel.

Sanghyun was confident that he could fulfill the mission Hadel had given him to just rap well.

However, the moment he heard the sudden news at the restaurant after the rehearsal, he realized once again that the world was not so easy.

Early September 2011.

The hidden card that would decorate the stage of New Wembley Stadium, Amy Winehouse, had passed away.

***

If you asked the British people to name their favorite singer, probably many singers’ names would be mentioned.

This was because people’s tastes were diverse, and each person was bound to have a different style of music they liked.

However, what was clear was that the name ‘Amy Winehouse’ would definitely be in the top ranks.

Also, if the scope of singers was limited to ‘female singers,’ it was a fact that Winehouse would be one of the top two along with Adele.

Amy Winehouse was a genius.

Not just a mournful modifier attached to dead musicians, but she was always followed by the modifier of genius even when she was alive.

With just two albums, she became a global star, and in 2008, she swept three of the four main categories at the Grammy Awards, winning five awards.

Her direct, self-deprecating, and self-mocking lyrics have been praised as a ‘combination of soul music and hip-hop lyrics,’ and thanks to this, Amy Winehouse was also famous for inspiring many rappers.

Sanghyun also knew quite a bit about Amy Winehouse, even if he didn’t know other pop vocalists well. He also owned her album.

However, he did not know that Amy Winehouse would die in 2011.

Even if he had known, there was nothing he could have done.

“What’s the cause of death?”

“There are no signs of suicide or homicide, and it seems like a drug overdose… We’ll have to wait for accurate news.”

“What about the performance?”

“We have to proceed for now.”

Jay Cole, who especially liked Amy Winehouse and was excited to be on stage with her, nodded with a gloomy expression.

Amy Winehouse was a very difficult singer to cast.

More than 50 singers were cast for the Golden New Era Tour, which toured around the world, and she was the most difficult and challenging singer to cast.

Hadel’s efforts to cast Amy Winehouse, who repeatedly started and canceled her own tour due to alcohol addiction, were truly enormous.

In fact, the Golden New Era Tour was a tour that could have created enough success even without guests.

Even if it had been held without a single guest, it would have sold as many tickets as it does now and received as much attention as it does now. Rather, it might have been more highlighted as a result achieved without any help.

However, there was one reason why Hadel traveled around the world to cast great musicians.

It was the desire to create a legacy.

To be precise, he wanted to leave the talent and impact that Golden Nu-Era had in 2011 as a permanent record through this kind of DVD.

So, he wanted to pass it on to future generations.

FiveSix, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, DJ Standard, etc…….

To show how great the musicians in front of them were.

‘Eternal Rock Star.’

Sanghyun, Kendrick, and J. Cole didn’t seem to have any thoughts about it, but Hadel was concerned that H&R INC had become a company that had crossed the Grammy Awards and the Rubicon River [a point of no return].

Of course, it wasn’t because the evaluation of the Grammy Awards was more important than their musical self-esteem.

However, he thought that in 10 years and 50 years, the only thing that could prove the glory of the past was ‘records.’

‘Maybe it’s because I’m an old man.’

They were already beings completed by music alone, but Hadel, as a manager and as a fan, wanted to leave a great record.

That’s why he went around looking for the best musicians of the time and planned a stage together.

And that’s why he experienced such a heartbreaking thing in England.

In Hadel’s opinion, Amy Winehouse’s death was by no means a light matter for the Golden New Era Tour.

First of all, there were quite a few stages with her.

For example, Sanghyun’s Lonely Road Part 2 was originally a song with a melody. However, it had been decided that Amy Winehouse would be in charge of the female vocals on the UK stage.

Not only Sanghyun, but also Kendrick and J. Cole’s songs had one featuring each.

Amy Winehouse’s performance was 4 songs as solo songs, and if you consider the collaboration stage, it was a whopping 7 songs.

This was quite a fatal problem.

Losing 7 song scenarios on a stage with 90,000 people gathered, where each song is important, was no different from having to rearrange the stage.

Even in a situation where only one day was left until the performance after midnight.

But what was more important than this was her death itself.

Hip-hop performances were closer to a festival format than other performances.

Of course, the reason why Sanghyun, Kendrick, and J. Cole are highly praised is because they show great musicality and high-quality lyrics even under the condition of ‘having fun,’ but anyway, when the public comes to hip-hop performances, they have expectations for high tension.

So, if the shadow of ‘the death of a lineup musician’ is cast on this stage, the shape will inevitably become strange.

To some of the public, it could be seen as having fun at a funeral.

‘And if that musician is a very beloved figure in England, and a figure who has been generating a lot of anticipation for her first stage in a long time.’

Hadel pondered how to solve the physical constraints of 7 songs and the psychological constraints of Amy Winehouse’s death.

Of course, the public would understand that the Golden New Era Tour was proceeding as planned.

They couldn’t help but know how complicated a world tour becomes once the schedule is twisted.

Nevertheless, it was certainly a pretty troublesome situation from the perspective of the producer in charge of the tour.

Then Sanghyun opened his mouth.

“Hadel. Then are the songs that we were going to do with Winehouse canceled?”

“I’ve called the owners of the original songs. Melody and Natalie should be on a plane to England by now. Much is impossible due to his schedule, so Kendrick’s stage will inevitably have to use AR [augmented reality].”

Natalie was a female vocalist from New York who was featuring on J. Cole’s album, and Much was a male vocalist who was featuring on Kendrick’s album.

“Then what about Winehouse’s solo songs?”

“I have to think about it from now on.”

“How about this? How about opening with Winehouse’s song?”

“Who’s going to sing it?”

“We should play the music video.”

Hadel was taken aback by Sanghyun’s suggestion.

“You’re suggesting we open with a music video? And not even ours, but Amy Winehouse’s?”

“Is there a problem? Kendrick, what do you think?”

“If we have to shout her out, I think that would be better? Death is a heavy thing. The picture of us having fun and then mentioning her is not very good.”

“Um……. Okay, tell me about it first.”

Amy Winehouse’s songs are self-deprecating, self-deprecating, and sometimes self-deprecating.

Therefore, in Hadel’s opinion, if you start the opening with Winehouse’s song, it would not be easy to reverse the atmosphere.

Of course, it wouldn’t have been difficult if she had sung it herself, but now there was a problem because death was involved.

However, Hadel had no choice but to nod after listening to Sanghyun’s story.

In fact, Sanghyun’s story was not special.

If you think about it, it was a very fundamental and obvious story. That is, Kendrick and J. Cole were also presenting similar opinions to Sanghyun as if it were natural.

However, there would not be many musicians who could choose this fundamental and obvious method.

“I don’t know. If that’s possible, do whatever you want.”

“Isn’t that statement a disqualification as a production manager?”

“Fire me if you don’t like it.”

The busiest person since the Golden New Era Tour began was Hadel. He had memorized almost all of the H&R INC members’ songs, and there was no place he didn’t interfere with, from stage production to rehearsals to the main stage.

But not this time.

He had no choice but to leave it to the musicians.

The day that Hadel left everything to the musicians passed like an arrow.

And the day of the performance dawned.

7 p.m.

The Golden New Era Tour’s Wembley Stadium performance began, facing a gloomy, foggy sky.

< Verse 46. Rapstar > End

ⓒ