The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 299

< Verse 46. Rapstar (The End) >

***

While it might seem unusual in South Korea, where music programs and broadcasts are plentiful, it wasn’t uncommon in Western countries with fewer music broadcasts to either broadcast large concerts live or air them after editing.

Therefore, the UK performance of the Golden New Era Tour was broadcast on HBO, achieving an average viewership of over 3% and a peak minute viewership of 8.3%, significantly boosting H&R INC’s brand recognition.

However, what truly elevated H&R INC’s brand was something else entirely.

It was the Amy Winehouse tribute performance, which occupied a substantial 30 minutes at the beginning of the concert.

The audience members who directly experienced the Golden New Era Tour were deeply moved by the tribute performance, considering it unforgettable. They sought out the tribute songs performed by Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and FiveSix, honoring Amy Winehouse’s memory.

Those in the music industry also offered their praise.

British pop stars, including Noel Gallagher, hailed the Golden New Era members as ‘musicians to watch in 2010, transcending the hip-hop genre.’

Hadel Raines was not one to miss such an opportunity.

He no longer needed to force opportunities as he had in the past, but he was always ready to seize any chance that came his way.

He actively engaged with the media.

-Q: Some reports suggest that the Amy Winehouse tribute performance at the Golden New Era Tour was put together in just one day, given the time constraints.

However, others find it hard to believe that such songs could be created in such a short time. Hadel, what’s the real story?

-Hadel: FiveSix, J. Cole, and Kendrick Lamar were genuinely saddened by Amy Winehouse’s passing. And as everyone knows, they are artists who can express their deepest emotions through their music.

-Q: Are you saying that all three songs were written in a single day?

-Hadel: If you’re really curious about the timeline… yes, that’s correct.

-That’s hard to believe. Were the lyrics perhaps adapted from songs that were originally intended to be performed with Amy Winehouse?

-Hadel: No. All the songs were created from scratch.

-Q: Can you tell us more about the circumstances?

-Hadel: (Pauses for a moment) Originally, we had scheduled two rehearsal sessions with Amy Winehouse. Because she was such a unique and iconic singer, we were planning to be very accommodating.

However, a few hours before the first rehearsal was due to begin, we received a message from Winehouse’s management team stating that she was unable to rehearse that day due to personal reasons.

And then, after midnight that night, we heard the tragic news.

-Q: It was such tragic news.

-Hadel: It’s a regrettable and somewhat embarrassing story, but as the general producer, my immediate concern was the stage performance rather than her death. When we heard the news about Amy Winehouse, there were only about 19 hours left until the performance at New Wembley Stadium.

-Q: If the performance had proceeded as planned, how many songs was Amy Winehouse scheduled to perform?

-Hadel: A total of 7 songs. We could quickly replace the collaboration tracks by urgently recruiting the original singers, but there was no way to cover the 4 solo tracks.

So I was stuck in my hotel room worrying, and the three musicians were also silent. At that time, I assumed the other three musicians were worried about the performance, just like me.

But that wasn’t the case. They were genuinely grieving.

And that day, three deeply meaningful songs were born.

-Q: So you’re saying they conceived the concept for each song, wrote the lyrics, memorized them, and rehearsed them all in one day?

-Hadel: There was a powerful motivation. Perhaps time wasn’t such a significant constraint for them under those circumstances.

-Q: Was FiveSix’s song also created in the same way? Many musicians find it hard to believe that FiveSix’s ‘Rehab’ could have been written in a single day.

-Hadel: I was also surprised. I’ve been watching him for a long time, but I can’t claim to fully understand FiveSix.

(Omission)

Normal promotions typically blend about 70% fact with about 30% fiction.

The reason for including fiction is not to deceive, but to make the promotion more dramatically appealing to the public.

However, Hadel didn’t need to add any fiction this time.

The story of three rappers who created songs in just one day to honor a musician who had passed away the day before the performance was already dramatic and compelling enough.

‘Should we amplify the situation a little?’

And Hadel also understood a fundamental truth.

That negative news spreads faster than positive news.

Kendrick Lamar’s ‘You Know, She is Good’.

J. Cole’s ‘Love is a Losing Game’.

FiveSix’s ‘Rehab’.

The live performance videos of the three songs began to accumulate tremendous views on YouTube.

Just a few days after the start of the UK tour, they surpassed 100 million views, and by the tour’s midpoint, they had far exceeded 500 million views.

This was partly due to the shock of Amy Winehouse’s death, but also because the tagline ‘songs created in just one day’ sparked immense curiosity.

About half of the YouTube comments were tributes to Amy Winehouse, and the other half praised the talents of the Golden New Era members.

However, a few days later, the comments section began to fill with criticism.

-I feel like a fool for being moved by the lyrics. Does this mean all the lyrics were fabricated? It wasn’t about commemorating Amy Winehouse after all.

-Not necessarily. That might have been their mindset when they were creating the songs, but perhaps their motivations changed after they gained popularity.

-Could this be Hadel Raines’ decision, not the Golden New Era members’ choice?

-Still, it doesn’t change the fact that the musicians didn’t object.

The criticism began when the three songs were released as singles.

The singles were released in two versions: a studio version and a live version.

So a total of 6 tracks were released simultaneously.

People criticized H&R INC for releasing the tribute songs as singles, accusing them of being obsessed with money. Some even suggested that this might have been the plan from the beginning.

But ironically, the louder the criticism, the more momentum H&R INC’s singles gained, and they began to climb the UK charts.

Perhaps people were listening to them more because of the controversy.

And two weeks later, H&R INC finally secured the top three spots on the UK chart.

*The Official UK Top 40 Chart

1. Rehab(Live Version) – FiveSix

2. You Know, She is Good – Kendrick Lamar

3. Love is a Losing Game – J.Cole

Not only did they place all 6 songs in the Top 40, but they also swept the top three positions.

Interestingly, Kendrick and J. Cole’s singles, which took 2nd and 3rd place, were studio versions, but Sanghyun’s single was the live version.

The studio version of Rehab was stuck at number 6.

Sanghyun was dissatisfied with this.

Some argued that it was a positive thing because the live performance was being recognized, but he felt it meant that his best performance couldn’t be captured on a CD.

According to Professor Kim Woon-cheol, who had studied his voice, CDs only contain sounds within the audible range, so the true essence of the sound cannot be fully captured.

‘I can’t accept this. I have to release an album on LP [long play record]. Sales will be low, so I’ll have to release it without any promotion.’

Sanghyun began planning a new strategy while looking at the UK chart.

When the chart results were announced, with Rehab at number one, the Golden New Era tour was in Liverpool.

The UK tour was nearing its end, and they were scheduled to leave the UK after two performances in Liverpool and Middlesbrough.

Every performance was met with sold-out crowds and enthusiastic cheers.

The media had been critical for the past two weeks since the single’s release, but it didn’t seem to affect the performances at all.

In some ways, it seemed like H&R INC was ignoring the controversy.

But not today.

Hadel, who had to fly to Singapore immediately after the Middlesbrough performance due to scheduling commitments, held his official final press conference in Liverpool.

And there, Hadel revealed the conclusion of his promotional strategy in the UK.

-Amy Winehouse Foundation.

Although it wasn’t widely known, Amy Winehouse had been planning a children’s welfare foundation since the end of 2010. She had a strong interest in children’s welfare because she had experienced an unfortunate childhood.

She had planned a European tour in early 2011 to properly launch the foundation’s activities, but it was canceled due to her struggles with alcohol addiction.

In reality, Amy Winehouse wasn’t a particularly wealthy musician compared to her fame.

She had only released two albums, and she didn’t actively promote her first album because she was unhappy with the agency’s control.

That’s why she was interested in starting a foundation, but she couldn’t launch it properly. Now, however, a real initiative was about to begin.

Because H&R INC had made a substantial donation.

“Originally, I wasn’t going to disclose this publicly. Amy Winehouse also preferred to keep it private. But I decided to reveal it because leaving the UK without doing so would negatively impact the label’s image.”

“Then……?”

“Yes. As you might have guessed, all proceeds from the single sales will be donated to the Amy Winehouse Children’s Welfare Foundation. We plan to operate transparently by hiring an external auditor, and we appreciate your continued support.”

The reporters looked embarrassed by Hadel’s statement.

They had come prepared to criticize and find fault, but there was nothing to attack.

However, not all the reporters seemed to feel that way.

A thin reporter from Life magazine raised his hand and asked.

“Isn’t this a rushed attempt to mitigate negative public opinion, which has been worsening?”

“We’ve had a dinner appointment with Prime Minister Cameron booked for two weeks. Why do you think that is? It’s probably because of the amount we donated to British children’s welfare. Oh, dear. I guess my behavior is a bit swaggering because I’m spending time with rappers.”

Hadel smiled as if he were embarrassed.

Hadel’s promotion, which initially gained attention through negative publicity and then transformed it into positive sentiment, appeared to be a resounding success.

Because single sales skyrocketed from the next day.

***

The Golden New Era Tour, which began in the United States in June 2011, left the UK, its last Western stop, in early October.

“When I think about it, isn’t it amazing that I had dinner with the Prime Minister?”

“But the Prime Minister was a bit boring.”

“I was thinking the same thing.”

“Originally, those types of people have to make jokes in a boring way, even if they think of something funny.”