Exclusive Interviews

Yellopumpy

Yellopumpy, “I just want to be free and go my own way” (Exclusive Interview)

Our guest writer Amy visited Hongdae to meet up with the upcoming Korean artist Yellopumpy. The two had a chat about his current music, his experience with Show Me the Money, and his upcoming projects.

The Interview

For those who aren’t unfamiliar with you, can you introduce yourself.
Hi I’m Yellopumpy (recently changed from Lil Mind). I’m a rapper in Korea, my hometown is Mugeuk (무극) but I came to Seoul 2 years ago. And, I just really love hip hop!

Can you also describe your music for those who haven’t heard it before.
My music is for having fun and giving good vibes to many people.

Which of your songs would you recommend to first time listeners?
Slay

When and how did you become interested in hip hop?
When I was in middle school, I became interested in hip hop because I discovered Michael Jackson and Eminem. Then one time, whilst on a school trip, I performed Epik High’s song “Fly” and so many people who were watching loved my performance, I remember the girls screaming for me (hehe).

Who are your favorite artists and how have they inspired you in your own music?
Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Big Shaq (recently). Lil Wayne inspired me because he really started the bottom with no money and built himself up.

Nowadays hip hop is getting increasingly popular in Korea, why do you think that is?
I think because of the media, there are so many TV shows which display hiphop nowadays. Also, I think that a large amount of pop songs just talk about love whereas hip hop talks about various topics and it makes people feel comfortable to use more expressive and harsh language. It’s more sincere and upfront.

Were your family always supportive of you wanting to pursue a career in the music industry?
Yeah they always supported me.

What advice would you give to young people who feel like they can’t pursue their dreams due to societal pressures (particularly in Korea)?
If you want to achieve something, if you have a dream, don’t follow other people’s thinking. Just go your own way. Because those people are not you. You are you.

You passed the first round of auditions for SMTM6, can you describe your experience with the show and why you chose not to go back?
On the first day of auditions Tiger JK failed me but on the second day DEAN passed me. On the first day, I didn’t understand why I was failed by Tiger JK. I was proud of myself and I know that I’m a good rapper so that’s why I went again on the second day- and passed and got a chain. (Also DEAN hugged me!) However, I chose not to go back after the passing that audition due to personal reasons that I can’t say.

Would you consider auditioning SMTM again?
Yeah, sure.

You were previously working under a company but quit to start your own crew, can you give more details on this?
I just want to be free and go my own way. If I follow other people and get successful it’s okay but later I may feel regretful because I followed someone else’s way, compared to if I did it my own way and became successful. Also, I want to make a crew with people I’m close with.

Who would you choose as the ultimate dream collaboration?
Chance the Rapper because he has good vibes and I feel so happy when I hear his songs, so I want to collaborate with him. 

Can you give us any details about upcoming projects?
I’m working on a new single about love, but it’s not about a romantic love, it’s the kind of love you give to someone to cheer them up. Because I feel like a lot of people these days are feeling down or sad so I want to cheer people up when they hear this song.

Any upcoming performances?
Not until after releasing my next single and album.

Lastly, is there anything you want to say or express to our readers? Express yourself!
Because of doing the things I want to do I have a lot of things I feel sorry about to my family and the people close to me. Though, when I commit more and more to doing what I want, I can give back everything to them eventually.  I am not different from other ordinary people but, amongst the many people who want to be different, if you could know about me it would be good! From now on, please listen to my music a lot and love me.

Follow Yellopumpy:

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HeeSun Lee

HeeSun Lee, “Being a part of Show Me the Money sparked an interest to learn Korean”

Check out our exclusive interview with Korean-American artist HeeSun Lee, who recently released her album Beauty For Ashes and competed on Show Me the Money 6.  In this interview, she shares her story on why she chose music as her career, and sheds light on her experience as a contestant on the Korean hip-hop survival program.

 

Please introduce yourself to the international Korean hip-hop listeners.
My name is HeeSun Lee, I am a rapper/poet/mother/wife. I live in Staten Island, New York!

 

Your music career first launched in 2008 with your debut album Re:Defined.  What made you pursue music as your career?
I always loved poetry and writing stories, ever since I was young. When I was around 14, I owned a karaoke machine, and I used to listen to rap songs and rap along to them. I started realizing how much I loved music and the whole concept of being a rapper. So I decided to write my own lyrics, and by the end of my high school years, I had a little demo tape I made that I distributed to some of my friends. As my craft kept developing, I started using my songs as ways to express things that I was going through. It was an outlet for me, and helped me get through a lot of tough times. It just came natural, that this is where I was supposed to be and what I was supposed to be doing with my life.

 

Your latest album, Beauty for Ashes (2016) was released independently.  What was your biggest challenge with producing an album without a record label?  Will you remain independent?
The biggest challenge was probably finances. This was my first time putting an album out completely on my own, with no support from any labels, industry people, etc. So, going hand in hand with the finances, would also be the support system. It is very challenging to put an album out when doing a lot of it on your own. But as hard as it was, the benefits of being independent are worth it. I have the freedom artistically and creatively, and I’ve learned so much through the process. It made me a stronger and smarter artist, and that is why I also believe a lot of artists are going the independent route. Hey, if a great offer comes on the table, I’d be dumb to pass it up, but as of right now, I’m content with being independent.

 

What made you choose to participate on Show Me the Money 6?
As long as I’ve been rapping, I never got into the Korean/Asian [music] scene. All of this is new to me. Recently though, I’ve noticed how big and influential Korean music has become in our society, and that realization sparked something in me. I had friends telling me about the show, so I looked into it and felt like I wanted to try it out. It was a great exposure and an opportunity to introduce myself to my own race and country.

 

Can you provide a recap of your Show Me the Money 6 audition experience?
Preliminary Round 1 was super exciting. I was still in my hometown, so I felt more comfortable and at ease, but as soon as I saw Swizz Beats, I was like “OMG!”  I was hoping I would get judged by him because he was American and [as such] would better able to understand my lyrics. But he was also very intimidating because he is so well known in hip-hop. It was a blessing to be judged by Gaeko, because I’ve heard great things about him. I was truly honoured that he was impressed with my performance even if there was a language barrier.

Round 2 and 3 in Korea were intense, and more emotional for me, because I was in a new setting and against rappers that I felt really different from. But the love was real and everyone there was very respectful to me.  And if anything, we all learned from each other.  Being a part of Show Me the Money sparked an interest to learn Korean, and I plan to incorporate the language in my rhymes now.

 

Are there any Korean hip-hop artists you want to work with in the near future?
Gaeko & Tiger JK! The two producers showed a lot of love and sincerity towards me. I think that’s whats most important; feeling accepted by artists, regardless of circumstances or situations. They are both genuine, humble, and most of all, OG’s!

 

Can you tell us anything about your upcoming album or related projects?
I’m trying to work on an EP, hopefully it’ll b out by the end of this year or beginning of next. I have a single and music video coming out very soon, though!

 

What are your goals as an artist for 2017?
I just want to broaden my horizons and explore different paths now. Ive been doing music for so many years, and I feel like I need a change, especially if I want to grow.

 

In closing, is there anything you would like to say to our readers?
Thank you to all of my new followers, and to everyone who has continued to follow me along my journey as an artist. It is truly humbling! There is more to come from HeeSun Lee, so please don’t go anywhere!

 

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XXX at SXSW 2017

XXX (Kim Ximya, FRNK) Exclusive Interview at SXSW 2017

During the 2017 SXSW Conference and Festivals, I had the opportunity to sit down and interview with hip-hop duo XXX (Kim Ximya and FRNK), who performed at ScratcHouse in Austin, Texas on March 15, 2017.

Introduction

Hip-hop group XXX is an up-and-coming and internationally recognized duo signed under the Korean label Beasts and Natives Alike (BANA).  The first member of XXX is rapper Kim Ximya, who made several headlines when he was first noticed as the sole featured artist in E-Sens‘ critically acclaimed album [The Anecdote] (2015), which took home “Best Rap & Hip-hop Album” and “Album of the Year” at the 2016 Korean Music Awards.  The second member is a young producer named FRNK, who surfaced to the Korean music scene through his production of E-Sens’ single “Sleep Tight” (2015), as well as the official remix of K-pop group f(x)’s track “4 Walls.”

The combination of rapper Kim Ximya’s “brutally honest” rap and producer FRNK’s avant-garde beats was spotted by BBC 1 Radio, Apple Music and Hypetrak, even before the release of their debut album [KYOMI] (2016).  In addition, the duo has worked with international artists including the Paris-based animator and illustrator Mattis Dovier, who is recognized for his “gruesome yet beautiful” 8-bit dot animations.  The music video for the track “Flight Attendant” takes place in an airplane, which “symbolizes today’s consumer society expressed in a beautiful yet gruesome way with [a] spine-tingling twist.”

 

The Interview

What’s been your favourite about Austin, Texas?  What’s been your favorite food here?
FRNK: Most definitely, the weather.  It’s been pretty cold in Korea.  My answer [to the second question] is very ordinary, but for me: In N Out.  It’s my favorite burger joint.

Kim Ximya: For me, Gus’s chicken.

 

What inspired each of you to pursue music as a career?  Which artist(s) has/had the greatest impact on you?
Kim Ximya: I started [rapping] because I wanted to get attention from the girls.  For me, Jay-Z has had the biggest impact.  I first discovered Jay-Z through his track “Tom Ford” from his album [Magna Carta… Holy Grail].  And then I went back and listened to [The Black Album] as well as [The Blueprint].  I first thought “Tom Ford” was the best track but now I think it’s “Takeover.”

Jay-Z’s Magna Carta… Holy Grail dropped back in 2013… does this mean you only started rapping 4 years ago?
Kim Ximya: Not exactly.  I started listening to trap music before I discovered artists like Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar.  Nowadays, I don’t really listen to trap music because they sound the same.  For Jay-Z, I thought the [Magna Carta… Holy Grail] album was very experimental and I like beats that are hard to rap on, which is why I can work well with FRNK.  I always knew who Jay-Z was, but the album is what got me into listening to his music.  [The Blueprint] is a real classic.

FRNK: For me, J.Dilla has been my biggest inspiration [during their first show, the artist wore a T-shirt that read ‘J.Dilla Changed My Life‘].  It was through his music that motivated me to learn how to produce beats and take music seriously.  Although our beats are nothing alike, it was his forward-thinking and willingness to invent new styles that pulled me into music.  Though I enjoy all his albums, I’d say my favorite album has to be [Donut] (2006).  What attracts me to this instrumental album is the messages included between tracks, as well as the fact that the album started with an outro track and ends with the intro, like the shape of a donut.

 

Did you two know each other before forming this group?
Kim Ximya: Initially, we were in the same crew.  We actually started as a trio, which included a vocalist, but that eventually turned into a duo comprising of FRNK and myself.

 

Let’s talk about the group name “XXX” — I remember reading a series of tweets by fellow label-mate E-SENS regarding the name.  Knowing that some fans have trouble discovering your music because of the name, have you considered changing the name?
Kim Ximya: We weren’t very concerned about it… until we came here to Austin, Texas for SXSW.  Earlier this week, we were at In N Out and met this guy who was apparently a friend of the rapper xxxtentacion.  While exchanging small talks with him, he asked us what our group name was.  When we said we are a group called  ‘XXX,’ he suddenly became defensive and told us not to f*ck with him because he ‘was a friend of xxxtentacion.’  I guess he thought we were pretending to be xxxtentacion.  There’s also a handful of other group names that includes the letter ‘X.’

The name ‘XXX’ does not have a specific meaning to it.

 

The music production is industrial, raw and hard-hitting, like an organized chaos. What’s your process of creating music?
FRNK: In the beginning, I would create the basic drum and bass lines to establish a rhythm.  This is then passed onto Ximya, who would write his lyrics over the preliminary beats before passing it back to me.

Kim Ximya: When the basic bass/drum line is complete, he comes up with five or six variations of it.  Once I establish a structure for my lyrics, FRNK and I would get together and piece the different versions to my lyrics.

FRNK: Although the rhythm of the drum line remains the same throughout the track, the rhythm of Ximya’s rap keeps changing.  I would then challenge myself to insert varying beats over his lyrics.

 

Your debut album [KYOMI] (2016) features contributions by producer 250 and mastering engineer Vlado Meller, as well as French animator Mattie Dovier.  Any other international artists you want to work with?  How about domestic artists?
FRNK: There’s a lot of producers I would like to work with.  If I had to choose one, I’d like to work with Kanye West.  If I could revive J.Dilla, I’d definitely work with him *laughs*

What’s your favorite Kanye West album?
I like all of his albums, but the one that stands out is [Yeezus].  Coincidentally, our EP [KYOMI] was actually mastered by the same engineer who mastered Yeezus!

Kim Ximya: I’ve got two answers for this.  From the production aspect, I would work with a group/team called They, who performed a show last night during SXSW.  Although I was a fan of them before I came to Austin, but when I saw their live performance… If I could be their fashion stylist, design their album cover, or direct their music videos, I would work with that team.  If collaborating as a rapper, I would choose to work with Clarence Clarity, which is a band also with an industrial sound.  I’m a huge fan of them.

 

Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) member and producer D.Sanders recently signed with BANA. Have you had the opportunity to work with him on a project?
Kim Ximya: I’ve been working on a mixtape with D.Sanders.  I’m hoping to drop the mixtape this summer, provided everything works out.  I’m not sure though, because he’s been busy with his overseas activities.  We still got the mixing left, so we’ll see.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BO_0uQ4DB03/?taken-by=sondaehyun

 

Any upcoming projects (albums, singles, etc)?
FRNK: Following our EP KYOMI (2016), we’re planning to release our first full-length album by the end of the year.  At this time, we’ve only nailed down the concept and the promotional aspect of the new album.

Follow BANA, FRNK & Kim Ximya

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FRNK    [icon type=”instagram”]    [icon type=”soundcloud”]
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