The Rap Star [EN]: Chapter 306

The Golden New Era Tour, which began with Indie Kid’s opening act, steadily gained momentum.

The Golden New Era Tour wasn’t structured with distinct segments like typical tours.

Unlike regular tours where a musician (or group) appears, performs, and exits in repeating sets, the Golden New Era Tour lacked these clear divisions.

This was because the musicians of H&R INC shared a complex, interconnected musical universe.

If someone finished their part and left, many songs simply couldn’t be performed properly.

As a result, the concert felt wonderfully chaotic.

Kendrick, who delivered an emotional song as if it were his last, suddenly went wild with the Black Hippy members in the very next number. Sanghyun, after performing an energetic track, immediately jumped in to add a verse to J. Cole’s lyrical piece.

In some ways, this setlist seemed to completely disregard the conventional flow of a concert.

Which, in fact, it did.

It prioritized the synergy between different musical combinations over the smooth continuity of the performance.

And this choice was rooted in unwavering confidence.

The confidence that they could excite the audience even without relying solely on upbeat songs, instead playing what they truly wanted to perform. The confidence that they could pursue independent artistic completeness, separate from the preceding act.

J. Cole shared this very confidence.

J. Cole was pouring out his story from the rooftop of his house in Forest Hills, his hometown in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Of course, they hadn’t brought an actual house rooftop.

It was meticulously recreated as a stage prop.

But as J. Cole rapped, he genuinely felt like he was back in Forest Hills, and the audience felt it too.

Sitting casually on the roof, J. Cole calmly delivered his rap.

My homies chasin’ liquor store dreams
A dollar and a quarter it seems
Turn on the TV, what do I see?
A Rolex and a Bentley coupe
This is what I’m talkin’ bout
I swear that was my life
A nigga with no money to lose

The song J. Cole was performing was ‘Love Yourz’.

Sanghyun knew that Cole’s ‘Love Yourz’ was originally released in 2014. He remembered it vividly because it was a standout track from his favorite album, <2014 Forest Hills Drive>.

However, J. Cole had seemingly recreated this song during the tour.

It was almost exactly like the original version Sanghyun remembered.

Sanghyun was genuinely happy.

No matter what anyone said, J. Cole’s skills truly blossomed in the <2014 Forest Hills Drive> album.

The artistic qualities were evident right from the intro.

The unique ability to use vulgar language with surprising elegance.

The flowing transitions that exquisitely crossed the line between singing and rapping.

All of this culminated in a true masterpiece of an album.

In fact, art is often subtle, so Sanghyun had been slightly worried that J. Cole might choose a different artistic path.

Perhaps influenced by himself, Kendrick, or other collaborators.

Of course, that wasn’t to say that a different path would necessarily be bad.

The style J. Cole chose according to his own creative impulses couldn’t be inherently bad.

But Sanghyun desperately wanted J. Cole’s original artistic feeling to remain in the world. It was a unique feeling that no one else could truly imitate.

And that feeling hadn’t disappeared.

You could clearly hear it in ‘Love Yourz’.

J. Cole was confidently walking the same path as he had in the past.

Only faster and better.

‘Cole’s gonna devour the hip-hop scene next year, huh?’ Sanghyun thought.

In the meantime, J. Cole continued to pour out the story of ‘Love Yourz’.

Always gon’ be a bigger house somewhere, but nigga feel me
Long as you got love, you alright

J. Cole’s voice, which had been flowing smoothly, began to rise in intensity, and J. Cole, who had been sitting on the roof, jumped to his feet.

Then, walking along the sloping rooftop, he spat out Sanghyun’s favorite verse.

Always gon’ be a whip that’s better than the the one you got
Always gon’ be some clothes that’s fresher than the ones you rock
Always gon’ be a bitch that’s badder out there on the tours
But you ain’t never gon’ be happy till you love yours

“Love Yours!”

J. Cole, having finished rapping, shouted ‘Love Yours’ several times, and the audience enthusiastically echoed him.

-Love Yours!

“Love Yours!”

-Love Yours!!

This particular song wasn’t widely known because it had been created during the tour itself. So Sanghyun and Kendrick joined J. Cole on stage to help with the final chorus.

Soon, J. Cole, Kendrick, and Sanghyun’s voices blended together harmoniously, creating a powerful and resonant chorus.

No such thing as a life that’s better than yours
No such thing as a life that’s better than yours
No such thing, no such thing

Sanghyun was always deeply impressed when he listened to the rappers’ stories.

They seemed to already understand what he had only realized after living two lives, while they had only lived one.

They already knew that his past self, who had relentlessly pursued ‘a bigger house,’ had been foolish.

‘There’s no such thing as a life that’s better than yours…’ Sanghyun mused.

As Sanghyun was savoring the chorus of ‘Love Yourz’ once again, J. Cole’s song drew to a close, and the outro began.

J. Cole opened his mouth amidst the outro, signaling the end of the song.

“It’s not easy to love yourself. My weaknesses always bother me. But weaknesses are strange; they lose their power the moment their true nature is fully revealed.”

With that, J. Cole smiled, revealing his teeth.

Sanghyun quickly translated J. Cole’s words for the audience.

“As you can see, I really used to hate my crooked teeth. I wanted to get them fixed as soon as I made money. But from the moment I made money and charted with the song ‘Crooked Smile,’ I stopped caring at all. If someone asks, ‘When are you going to get them fixed?’ I would answer, ‘Why would I do that annoying thing!’”

By the time J. Cole’s words were conveyed to the public, the outro of ‘Love Yourz’ had also finished.

But the end wasn’t truly the end.

It seamlessly transitioned into a new beginning.

The outro of ‘Love Yourz’ began to connect with the intro of a brand-new beat.

“The song I’m about to sing was the starting point of this realization. I spat it out in rap and forgot about it. So I hope you all spit it all out today too.”

The audience soon recognized the identity of the new song.

A song that perfectly embodies the identity of MTB [Most Talented Bastards, Sanghyun’s former group].

The perfect black color created by the combination of three distinct colors.

The song that marked the starting point of announcing MTB to the world, reaching 12th place on the Billboard charts.

It was ‘Nigga, Yellow Monkey, Flip’.

The audience’s shouts, as if spitting everything out just like J. Cole had encouraged, continued without pause.

***

Park Hyeyeon, who was friends with the 888 Crew, felt a deep sense of disappointment while watching the stage from the audience.

Of course, it wasn’t that the rap itself was disappointing.

After being captivated by Sanghyun’s undeniable charm while watching the filming of Hip Hop the Vibe 2, she had made a point of seeing numerous performances by the 888 Crew.

She had also hosted the showcase of , and invited the 888 Crew to her radio program <20 O'Clock Station>.

She had even sought out and watched their performances at The X Factor, the Grammy Awards, and the BET Hip Hop Awards.

And, despite having seen so many performances, Hyeyeon had never once felt disappointed in Sanghyun’s rap.

Sanghyun was, after all, only human, so it seemed inevitable that he might make a mistake at least once, but instead of making mistakes, he only seemed to improve and develop day by day.

Therefore, the disappointment Park Hyeyeon felt wasn’t about the rap itself.

The disappointment she felt stemmed from the absence of the 888 Crew.

Park Hyeyeon firmly believed that the musician Lee Sanghyun was at his most 멋있 [meotissda, coolest/most stylish] when he was with the 888 Crew.

It was undoubtedly 멋있 to dominate Billboard, sweep various awards ceremonies, and perform in Times Square in New York, but she thought he truly shined the brightest when he was on stage with the 888 Crew.

So she had really wanted to see the 888 Crew and Sanghyun together on stage today.

And she had genuinely believed that she would see it happen.

It was a conviction she held because she didn’t believe the rumors of discord at all.

Park Hyeyeon’s expectations had been shattered a few days prior.

‘Junhyung, are you guys really not going to be on the Golden New Era Tour? Are you secretly preparing something?’

‘Uh… no, noona [term of endearment for an older sister or female friend]. We’re not going up.’

‘Why? Doesn’t your schedule match?’

‘It’s not a schedule issue; it’s just that other things don’t quite align.’

‘Other things? What do you mean?’

‘Sanghyun and us are a bit…’ Junhyung trailed off.

Park Hyeyeon, who had stopped by the 888 Sound Factory near the beauty salon because she had some free time, wore a surprised expression.

She couldn’t believe that Junhyung had used the expression that he didn’t quite ‘match’ with Sanghyun anymore.

‘Why? You said you met him right after he returned to Korea, right?’

‘That’s true, but 5 years is a bit long.’

‘Did you guys fight?’

‘We didn’t really fight. There’s just some difference of opinion. Musically and personality-wise. Anyway, we’re not going up on this Golden New Era Tour. And… I don’t know if the 888 Crew will continue as a group.’

Hyeyeon was greatly shocked by Junhyung’s words.

It was an even bigger shock than when she had heard that an idol had been cast in the drama she had been vying for, and that the idol was twenty years younger than her.

So Park Hyeyeon said to Junhyung in the same forceful voice that she had used to argue with the director, saying, ‘The female lead in the original novel is 35 years old?!’

‘Aren’t you going to try to get along?!’

Even though she knew how useless it was to meddle in other people’s relationships, she felt compelled to intervene.

Because she liked the 888 Crew that much.

Park Hyeyeon, who had unknowingly recalled what had happened a few days ago, shook her head and shouted loudly.

There was no point in dwelling on the disappointment while watching the performance.

Now was simply the time to enjoy it to the fullest.

At that moment, Hyeyeon, who was shouting, and Sanghyun, who was on stage, made direct eye contact.

It seemed like he had spotted her because Sanghyun had arranged for her to have a seat close to the audience.

“Hey! Lee Sanghyun!”

Park Hyeyeon, who had made eye contact, shouted and waved her hands wildly, and Sanghyun smiled and waved back.

-Kyaaaaaaaaak!

-Oppa [term of endearment for an older brother or male friend]!!

-Over here!!

At that moment, the female audience members near Park Hyeyeon screamed. A scream like a bomb exploding erupted.

Sanghyun smiled awkwardly at the unexpected intense reaction and lowered his hand, and Hyeyeon laughed at the sight.

It seemed like he should be used to it by now, but he was still unfamiliar with the intense reaction of female fans.

Sanghyun hadn’t changed at all.

‘But what kind of trouble was there between them?’ she wondered.

When she looked at the clock, it was already 11 o’clock.

The running time of the Golden New Era Tour was 210 minutes, and it had started at 7:30, so it was now nearing the end.

The last bit of expectation she had was just that – an expectation.

At that time, the voices of the audience reached Hyeyeon’s ears.

“But is the 888 Crew really not coming out?”

“I guess not? It’s already 11 o’clock.”

“I thought they would do at least one or two songs… I guess the rumors of discord are true.”

The performance was undeniably perfect, but it seemed like the Korean fans all harbored some lingering disappointment.

‘There will be another chance next time,’ Hyeyeon thought.

Hyeyeon was absolutely sure of it.

The 888 Crew she remembered was not a team that would simply disappear due to a brief disagreement.

In the meantime, the stage of ‘MTB Remix’, which had been released as a live version and certified single platinum, came to an end.

J. Cole and Kendrick, who were panting for a moment, soon expressed their gratitude to the audience.

“I really enjoyed the month I spent in Korea for the performance. As it is Sanghyun’s hometown, I think I will be back soon. I hope to see you then too. Thank you!”

When Sanghyun translated J. Cole’s words, the audience shouted, ‘Come again!’

Kendrick then opened his mouth.

“All my memories in Korea are good memories. Of course, the best of them was the cheers you sent me. So I won’t say it vaguely like Cole; I’ll just say it. I will hold a solo concert in Korea within 2 years. I hope to see you then.”

Sanghyun, who had been interpreting simultaneously, stopped talking in surprise.

Then he said to Kendrick.

“Hey, if you say things like this and can’t keep your promise, you’ll get a lot of hate? Your Facebook or Twitter will explode. Korea is an IT powerhouse.”

“Shut up and translate.”

“Really?”

“I told you to do it, didn’t I?”

At Kendrick’s urging, Sanghyun continued, and soon the audience erupted in thunderous cheers.

The shouts of people who said they would definitely go were endless.

J. Cole said, looking at the scene.

“You opportunist. You’re doing a concert because you’re coming because of Five anyway.”

“Then you should make a promise too.”

“No. I’m going to do it too, but I’m not going to say it now because it looks cheap.”

J. Cole and Kendrick bickered for a while before saying their final goodbyes to the audience.

“I’ll leave the ending to the rapper who represents Korea.”