The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 30

< Verse 3. 888 Crew >

Sanghyun grinned, revealing his teeth, while Junhyung had already struck up a friendly conversation with Yongjoon, discussing the symbiosis of bass and rap.

“Alright! Let’s practice!”

After a brief flurry of activity, practice finally resumed.

This time, Miju on keyboard and Yongjoon on bass stepped back. The stage was set for a performance by guitar, drums, and two rappers.

Sanghyun placed a microphone on the stand, sat on a chair, and positioned a djembe (a goblet-shaped drum from Africa, often used in celebrations) between his legs.

“A djembe. Can Sanghyun even play the djembe?”

“Judging by the way he struggled to carry it in, I’m guessing he can… barely?”

Yongjoon answered Miju’s question.

“Where’s your vocalist? Still stuck in Daegu?”

“He said he’ll be there for a few more days. Something about his business taking longer. Inhyun’s been busy these days.”

“Got a girlfriend?”

“Then he’s out of the band!”

While Miju and Yongjoon were gossiping about L&S vocalist Cha Inhyun, the stage setup was completed. Bang Minsik signaled to start.

Miju watched Junhyung more closely than Sanghyun. She trusted Sanghyun’s performance, having already witnessed it at Sejong Instrument Store, but she had zero musical faith in Junhyung.

Miju had high expectations for this performance: a crossover performance in Gwangju, a musical wasteland!

Therefore, Junhyung’s role, responsible for one axis of the crossover, was as important as anyone else’s.

‘He looks really nervous?’

Junhyung seemed quite tense.

“Junhyung, are you ready?”

“Oh, okay.”

“What’s with that weak ‘okay’? Are you ready?”

“Okay!”

Although he looked nervous, Sanghyun trusted Junhyung.

Without the ‘cheat code’ of ’20 years of experience’ gained through regression, Sanghyun knew he had much to learn from Junhyung.

“Here we go. One, two, three…”

Let’s go.

Starting with the sound of Sanghyun’s djembe, a gentle acoustic guitar was layered in. Following that, drums, smaller, drier, and more delicate than usual, began to drive the rhythm.

As soon as Miju heard the intro, she immediately thought of the Eagles’ legendary song, “Hotel California.”

‘A sense of desolation, like facing a sandstorm in a barren desert.’

As she recalled, this beat was a song that Standard created using the chord progression of “Hotel California” as a motif.

Sanghyun, Bang Minsik, and Hwang Insoo were playing that Standard’s song live. They boldly excluded the keyboard and bass from the existing beat and tried to evoke a dry and melancholic feeling by adding a djembe.

Djembe, guitar, drums.

The song began with Bang Minsik’s humming, cutting through the sounds of the three instruments. The humming was quite long, almost like a harmonica solo.

Miju and Yongjoon, who were watching, got goosebumps at the completely different feeling compared to the existing L&S music.

Immersion born from unfamiliarity.

“Ah…!”

Minsik’s humming wasn’t about perfect singing; it was a raw, plain feeling that had a strangely captivating power.

Miju wanted the humming to continue, but Junhyung’s rap suddenly jumped in between the humming.

A timing when no one expected rap to enter at all.

An offbeat rap that cut off half of the measure and came in.

Miju could see that the audience, who had been immersed in the humming, would instantly be drawn into the rap.

Planting seeds in wet soil and watering them

Shining light on them, and if they don’t die, they sprout

Everything is the same

Striving to achieve something

I fall asleep today, but I’ll open my eyes again tomorrow morning

Junhyung’s voice was a stark contrast to Sanghyun’s.

Sanghyun expands his vocal range from high tones to mid tones, allowing him to deliver the emotional line with clear lyrics.

In contrast, Junhyung’s voice resonated deeply. A low, carved-out tone.

However, Junhyung’s voice was deep but not heavy. It had depth, but it wasn’t oppressive.

Besides, Junhyung’s voice sometimes soared to mid tones, giving strength to the clear delivery of lyrics.

A pleasant low-tone rap continued.

I’m the guy who stretches and doesn’t dawdle in bed.

The guy who doesn’t gossip behind someone’s back while envying them.

“Heh!”

Yongjoon was impressed by the brave idea of these two guys who put the message ‘You have to move’ in such a depressing beat.

How should I express it?

Yeah, it was like fighting the beat.

Usually, vocalists pursue the perfect harmony of ‘beat’, ‘vocal’, and ‘message’. In simple terms, it means singing a sad song sadly and empathizing with sad people through sad lyrics.

This has become a natural rule of music since the development of popular music.

The reason is only one, a dream I can’t let go of.

I’ll put them in my arms one by one from now on without hesitation.

However, Sanghyun and Junhyung, who planned their first song ‘You have to move’, thought differently.

Even if they didn’t bother to quote Quincy Jones’s saying, “Rap is the most revolutionary expression in modern black music,” they thoroughly ignored the existing order.

No, in fact, they didn’t know. They were just doing what they wanted to do.

The music created in that way was giving Miju and Yongjoon a strong inspiration.

Fetal movement for happiness. Now a fixed attitude

The orbit of everyday life is an unchanging action

Junhyung was trying to win against the beat by throwing words that urged ‘action’ through the depressing beat. He was trying to knock down the beat and crush it.

And this made the lyrics resonate with the audience.

Yongjoon felt envious while listening to the song.

‘It’s a method that can only be done in rap.’

What if you sang about love during a performance of the legendary song “Highway Star” by hard rock band Deep Purple?

I can say for sure that it would be very strange.

Then, what if you sang about peace in Nirvana’s “Smells like teen spirit”, the legend of Grunge?

It’s the same.

However, Junhyung and Sanghyun intentionally prepared such disharmony between beat and vocals.

‘Intentional? Is it really intentional?’

Yongjoon shook his head after thinking about it. Let’s think about the complicated things later. Let’s just enjoy it for now.

“Woo-hoo!”

With Yongjoon’s shout, Junhyung’s verse was running towards the end.

The number of people who can’t be fooled has increased

Mom and Dad asked me again

Even if you go in a rough direction, won’t you regret it?

The answer is “Yes,” I’ll embrace even trials and frustrations.

At the same time as Junhyung’s verse ended, the djembe, drums, guitar, and Minsik’s humming stopped all at once. The sound that filled the ears disappeared instantly, and there was a moment of silence.

‘How greedy can they be.’

Miju laughed. How many devices did they prepare to focus the audience’s attention?

Breaking through the silence, the drums and djembe were removed, and only the sound of the acoustic guitar rang out brilliantly. And then Sanghyun’s voice comes out.

movin’ it. move it.

You have to move.

movin’ it. move it.

You have to move.

Easy and melodic hook.

A popular melody that everyone can hum along to after hearing it just once.

Sanghyun liked the hook of ‘You have to move’ very much, even though it was a hook he made himself. In his personal opinion, the simplicity of the chorus was never a weakness in rap music.

movin’ it. move it.

You have to move.

movin’ it. move it.

You have to move.

The hook was repeated once more, and finally Sanghyun’s rap began.

Yongjoon was surprised enough by Junhyung’s rap in one verse, but after listening to Sanghyun’s rap, he had no choice but to blurt out a word he had been holding back.

“You crazy bastard.”

***

< Verse 3. 888 Crew > End

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