RAP STAR

Chapter 37 [verse 4. Cross Over]

"Alright, everyone! Gwangju!"
"UP-!"
"Gwangju!"
"UP-!"
"Shining city of light, Gwangju!"
"UP-!"
"The city of culture and art, Gwangju!"
"UP-!"
Gwangju, where we live, UP!

Sanghyun had wanted to create a track like Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" with Gwangju as the theme for the performance. Generally, the lifespan of hip-hop songs isn't very long, similar to ballads or metal. However, the significant difference is that rap music typically doesn't get "remade." For instance, a classic hit like Eminem's "Lose Yourself," which spent 12 weeks at the top of the Billboard charts, hasn't been remade except for band covers.

So, which hip-hop song has the longest lifespan? Which song will still be played even after the musician's passing? In Sanghyun's opinion, it was undoubtedly "Empire State of Mind," a love letter to the Big Apple. When Americans are asked about a song that represents New York, most of them think of Jay-Z's track.

Capturing the beauties arriving at Gwangju Station,
Dressed sensibly like the city of fragrance,
A city where the spirit of Mt. Mudeung settles,
Resulting in a stronger accent than other places.
Tonight, everyone gather on Geumnam Road,
The largest furnace in Jeollanam-do,
Mudeung Mountain bomber, gracefully as always.

The guy had swagger, and everyone, whether older brother, older sister, or younger sibling, had personality.

The lively rap and cheerful lyrics of Sanghyun got the audience excited. If moving on was like drinking Yangju, then this song was like drinking Makgeolli. And not just any Makgeolli, but Makgeolli from Mt. Mudeung.

In fact, there was an original version of "Gwangju UP." From Sanghyun's perspective, there was a slightly unfair aspect to it. As soon as he heard the standard beat, Sanghyun thought of "Gwangju UP" and came up with the chorus first. And while writing the verses, he kept feeling like something was lingering on the edge of his mind. However, he couldn't quite grasp it until the day after he finished the work, when he belatedly realized there was a song called "Osaka UP."

Perhaps it was natural for Sanghyun to forget, as "Osaka UP" was a song he had casually encountered and passed by. A Japanese rapper had written a rap representing Osaka's landmarks and culture, and the music video had stimulated rappers from various parts of Japan to produce numerous remixes, such as Tokyo UP, Shinjuku UP, and Kanagawa UP.

Sanghyun had stumbled upon "Tokyo UP" on an old hip-hop blog and had briefly listened to the original song "Osaka UP" posted on the blog. Since he couldn't remember the year of the song, he searched on Google and Yahoo, but nothing came up, indicating that it was a song from much later.

Unbeknownst to Sanghyun, "Osaka UP" was a song released by Shingo Nishinari in July 2012.

Anyway, Sanghyun felt quite uneasy about it. "Gwangju UP" was clearly a song he had worked on, but it felt like he had stolen a song from the future, and denying it felt like he was influenced by the subconscious "Osaka UP." Nonetheless, despite these feelings, at the time of creating the song, he had never thought of "Osaka UP" at all.

In the end, Sanghyun decided to use "Gwangju UP" only for performances and not for commercial purposes such as releasing it as a single or including it in an album. He decided that if the original creator ever made "Osaka UP," he would just pretend it was a coincidence.

In fact, songs like Busta Rhymes' "New York Shit," released in 2006, had been widely used in the underground scene even before their official release.

"It's amazing how this guy keeps swaggering around."
"He acts all cool, but he's just swaggering."
"The reins are already loose, after spitting out the dialect."
"Counting jersey numbers, we're all 062 (Gwangju area code)."
"Yeah, this proud Gwangju, love."
"In October, there's the Chungjang Festival and the Biennale."

Every time Sanghyun sang "Gwangju UP," he felt awkward about his dialect. Nevertheless, despite this, the song overall was crafted to incorporate the Gwangju accent, and most of the audience didn't feel any discomfort thanks to the lively rap rhythm.
"One more time! Gwangju!"
"UP-!"
"Gwangju!"
"UP-!"
Every time Sanghyun shouted "UP!" he bent his knees and then sprung up, swinging his right hand energetically without holding the microphone. Soon, the audience started to follow suit.
Junhyung didn't even hold the microphone, instead, he raised both hands dynamically, as if dancing.
The audience's gestures made the stands ripple.
"Light Gwangju, love! Gwangju!"
"UP-!"
"The city of culture and art, Gwangju UP!"
"Gwangju UP, where we live!"

While creating "Gwangju UP," Sanghyun had another ambition besides sending a love letter to Gwangju.
That was to create a "hook song."
A hook song refers to a song with an addictive melody that loops multiple times.
In Korea, the Wonder Girls' "Tell Me" in 2007 was the first song to popularize the hook song trend.
With its disco retro dance and addictive chorus, "Tell Me" brought a sensation to the Korean music industry, as everyone knew.
Since then, hooks in Korean music have evolved to be simple, repetitive, easy, and melodious, causing addiction. And whether knowingly or not, this influence has extended to hip-hop.

Sanghyun wanted to introduce a highly addictive hook in "Gwangju UP" by slightly advancing the trend. Of course, in 2005, there were songs with hooks. It's just that they had slightly longer repeating melodies, a technique often used in trot music and especially in theme songs for cartoons and movies, like the theme song of the animated movie "Fly, Superboard."

"Gwangju UP! Gwangju UP!
The light, Gwangju, the city of culture and art, Gwangju UP!
Gwangju where we live, Gwangju UP!"

Sanghyun evaluated that he had created an addictive chorus in "Gwangju UP," something easy for people to follow along. After the hook, the verses began.

"In the hometown of Mihyang, in the province of Jeollanam,
Try eating until your legs break, one table of food,
Oh, there's a lot of swearing here,
People here know it's not cursing.
Duck soup, rice cake patties, eat and then go,
It's not just about the cooking, it's about the real side dishes, the side dishes.
Blood sausage with vinegar, soybean soup with sugar,
Once you try it, you won't believe it's gone, 'No way.'"

Sanghyun's rap wasn't as flashy as when he sang "Move." At first listen, it felt similar to Junhyeong's verses in "Move." But Junhyeong felt a lot while listening to Sanghyun's "Gwangju UP."

"A feeling like he's speaking."
It really felt like he was talking to the audience. When Sanghyun asked, "Is blood sausage with vinegar and soybean soup with sugar right?" the audience loved it.
Even if Sanghyun didn't emphasize the rhymes as strongly as Junhyeong did, the rhyming in his rap naturally fell into place. If Junhyeong's rap forcefully inserted rhymes on the beat, Sanghyun's rhymes seemed to naturally find their place.

"When did he get this good?"
In fact, he didn't know when he listened to the recording.
He thought Sanghyun was a bit better than himself.
But he could see it on stage. There was a gap between listening to the live performance and hearing it. However, Junhyeong didn't feel jealous or bad about it.
He felt certain that if he followed Sanghyun's lead and made an effort to surpass him, he would definitely go in the right direction.

"When I want bread, I go to Gungjeon Bakery,
Gwangju's paradise market, Sejong Musician,
Chamisul is good, but in our mouths, it's Ipgaeju,
Rank doesn't matter, We love Gwangju Tigers,
Gwangju UP. Gwangju UP.
Yes, proud hometown, Gwangju LOVE,
The place in my heart is always next to Gwangju,
We live and complete Gwangju UP."

"This is what rap is."
Audiences unfamiliar with rap were clearly feeling the difference between Sanghyun's rap and singing. If songs appeal to "emotion and sentiment," then rap appeals to "logic and perception."
Could they have enjoyed it to this extent if they didn't understand every single lyric?
Gwangju!
"UP-!"
Gwangju!
"UP-!"
Even middle school girls, Sangmi's friends, 888 Crew members, Editor Hwang, and indie band people were all shouting "UP!" together.
The light, Gwangju, the city of culture and art, Gwangju!
"UP-!"
Gwangju where we live, Gwangju UP!

<verse 4. Cross Over>