Interviews

Nochang (by Hiphopplaya)

Genius Nochang joins “Idol Audition” program and talks about Swings’ army enlistment

Hip-hop label Just Music‘s producer Genius Nochang (천재노창), who recently signed to be part of the upcoming Starship and MNET collaborative audition program ‘No Mercy‘, has been very active since the drop of his label compilation album [Ripple Effect (파급효과)].

In this interview, HIPHOPPLAYA interviews Nochang about the audition program ‘No Mercy’ as well as the enlistment of his fellow label artist (and CEO) Moon Swings.

Dok2

Dok2 x HIPHOPPLAYA: ‘Come Here (이리와봐)’, ‘DON (돈)’ Video, and YKYB Concert

1LLIONAIRE Records CEO and artist Dok2 (도끼) wraps up his YOUNG KING YOUNG BOSS (YKYB) concert with great success. 2014 has been a huge year for Dok2, who continues to “turn up” with his fans through his music. Below are his responses with regards to his latest events.

HHP (HIPHOPPLAYA): What are your thoughts on your latest YKYB concert?
Dok2: Unfortunately due to so many recent activities I wasn’t able to perform at a 100%. That being said, the audience really enjoyed the show which featured a number of great guest artists!

HHP: Even though you are used to all the sold-out shows and concerts, it must still be surreal to be able to perform in front of such a big audience.
Dok2: I’m always thankful. I am one of the few Korean hip-hop rappers that a lot of people come see, so I try to make every show unique and memorable for the fans.

HHP: The concerts are memorable, especially to those who receive a cash gift from 1LLIONAIRE. (laughs)
Dok2: We started this special event a long time ago. Indeed we gave away $200 and $250 cash to audience #11. (laughs)

(YKYB was a two-day event. $250 was probably given away on day 2.)

HHP: Is there a reason why you released ‘DON’ music video instead of your latest single ‘Chicki Chaka Choco (치키차카초코)’?
Dok2: ‘DON’ is not a music video. What I’m saying is that it should not be categorized as “cheap” or “expensive” music video. ‘DON’ is a popular track that we were featured in, so The Quiett hyung and myself decided to showcase our new vehicle purchases through this video. This is common amongst American rappers.

HHP: Does The Quiett own the Mercedes Benz featured in the video? I thought he purchased a Bentley instead.
Dok2: His Bentley is actually in the works right now. He purchased an ‘SLS’ which was showcased in the video. Currently I own an ‘S500’, ‘G63’, ‘Rolls Royce Ghost’, and ‘Lamborghini Murielago’. The Quiett owns ‘SLS’, ‘SLK’ and his upcoming Bentley. Beenzino owns a ‘Porsche Cayenne’, and ‘Audi R8’. The funny thing is that with the exception of one, all of our vehicles are white – if we line up all our vehicles it would almost be a Dubai motor show. (laughs) illionare we the millionaires.

HHP: What can we expect from your upcoming MAMA performance?
Dok2: We will be performing track of the year ‘YGGR (연결고리)’ with Bobby as well as the remix track ‘Come Here (이리와봐)’ by Masta Wu. I’m planning on making history with all my gold and diamonds. (laughs)

HHP: ‘Come Here (이리와봐)’. Can you tell us more about the YG Hip-hop Project?
Dok2: As a member (not label artist) of YG, the track ‘Come Here’ was actually just a fun remix that me and Masta Wu hyung recorded previously, but we decided to use it as a YG project.

HHP: Any tour plans for the winter and next year?
Dok2: I will be performing in Canada this month and will be preparing for 1LLIONAIRE’s fourth anniversary concert next year… big things coming!

[ Author | HIPHOPPLAYA ]
[ Translations | HIPHOPKR ]

Kirin, The Quiett, and Dok2

Kim Bong-hyun’s Hip Hop Reserved Seat Episode 7 with The Quiett (and Dok2)

Read the talk about The Quiett’s album ‘AMBITIQN’ in Kim Bong-hyun’s radio show from February 2013.

Translator’s note: please know that this is only a rough summary, these are no quotes!
The questions (in bold) were posed by Kim Bong-hyun (KBH) and Kirin (please excuse if they got mixed up).
Comments are written (in brackets) and additional words for a better understanding [in squared brackets].
Q: The Quiett
D: Dok2

(The picture shows Kirin with The Quiett and Dok2.)

KBH: Please introduce yourselves.

Q: Hello, I’m The Quiett. Illionaire, baby.

D: In charge of the reactions today, I am Dok2.

KBH: First, explain the title ‘Ambitiqn’, which reminds of Wale’s album of the same name.

Q: ‘Ambition’ was the only word that expressed and saved the feeling of my album the best. It has a different nuance than the Korean word for it, ‘yamang’,((The Korean word can also mean ‘greed’.)) plus I like it. It gives the feeling of doing all for one’s dream. I have also considered several other variations and combinations of the word, like changing it to ambitious and asking myself “What ambition?” but in the end I decided that only ‘Ambition’ fits my album. The letter ‘o’ changed to ‘q’ makes it a bit difficult to read.

KBH and Kirin (read it letter by letter): Ambitique-ion.

Q: Several readings are possible. I also remembered Wale’s album while thinking of a name, so I listened to the tracks while working on them to see if there might be similarities, but as there weren’t I went with ‘Ambition’.

KBH: Introduce the album.

Q: First of all, although it is named a mixtape, I don’t think of it as one. The term mixtape has extended a lot. I wanted to make a complete album, like J. Cole’s Friday Night Lights.

KBH: The download link for the album is blocked now.

Q: No, with the release on music portals I just put down the [Mediafire] link but on DatPiff.com it is still available for [free] download and streaming.

KBH: The reason you released it for free was because you want more people to listen to your music.

Q: Yes, that would be good.

KBH: I think it is just a mixtape from the outside, because the album actually contains new songs and was released on music portals, so I think it can be called a full-length album.

Q: Yes.

Kirin: The album cover is quite interesting, when I saw it first I thought it looked like you’re about to push a red button to set off explosives, because of the red ‘Q’.

(Laughter.)

Q: No, the picture just turned out that way while shooting and it looked good, also with the watch on it.

KBH: To me it looks as if you’re about to take off your watch and throw it at someone.

(Laughter.)

Q: You can see it that way too.

D: That’s quite gangster-like.

Q: I actually didn’t think deeply about that picture, it was just the one I liked best after the photo shoot.

KBH: A mixtape can either be a mixtape because it is released for free, like Dok2 did, or because its music, its style is quite free and loose.

Q: Originally, I wanted to include many tracks of that mixtape in my full-length album that I’ve been working on all the time. But the reason I released them on the mixtape is, that first the trends changed and secondly, many songs have been piling up. And it seemed like the time had come to, kind of, empty all these.

KBH: So the album can be seen as a full-length album, that’s what I felt while listening.

Q: Yes. I actually can’t work on songs just roughly, the same goes for my mixtapes. Although I start on them thinking “I will do this relaxedly” .. I feel uneasy if I don’t work on them properly.

KBH: So just like your EP Friday Storm, you released this mixtape for free and later on music portals. That is like a present for your fans.

Q: Yes, it is for my fans as well as for me. I was also influenced by American rappers, for example J. Cole’s mixtape I mentioned earlier. It was released on CD and you can buy it on ebay. Anyway, the fans need the CD to get the right feeling. It’s the same for me. I often listen to music in my car but it does feel totally different when I listen from the CD than from just plugging in my iPod.

KBH: I think that is quite a good mindset.

Q: Thank you.

KBH: In the album you tell your own stories. It seems to be a trend in the hip hop scene these days to tell people how well off you are, like saying “I came all this way from the bottom.” For example in Drake’s album. Did you receive any inspiration from that trend?

Q: Yes, of course. I’ve been watching the scene for a while and that trend in style and lyrics has started some years ago. So I thought I should do the same. But instead of copying others, I-

D (drops a CD): I’m sorry

Q: Anyway, that trend fits my musical plan, my style. I have thought a lot for several years to make this album ‘Ambitiqn’. So that’s the reason I kept pushing back my full length album. I think ‘Ambitiqn’ is a well expressed album.

KBH: I felt that the stories in your album are very realistic but are also wrapped in some kind of musical and theatrical package. I mean, you don’t just say “I’ve earned money, so I’m better now” but you give it a concept and make more out of it. It’s not like a simple documentary but it has artistic and musical points that make it alive.

Q: Yes, thank you.

KBH: It seems like you cared for those things especially.

Q: Yes, of course. Since I’m a musician I have to make good music, which makes me happy and there are things I want people to listen to. Every track has its own strong image, so although I am rapping about money in every track, they can’t help but turn out different. They have various rhythms, sounds and moods and I cared for each. I didn’t want people to feel that one song doesn’t fit in or shouldn’t have been on the album. I didn’t want to make a long album either but a short and intense album, so I think I did care for that point especially.

KBH: I think so too. When the album was released it became a big issue. Some people reacted like “the songs sound all the same” or “the hook of these is similar.”

Q: Yes, I hear that often.

KBH: Nevertheless, I think these words are really easy to say. It sounds like those people just roughly listened to the album. I feel that there is an overall topic: success, ambition, something like that. But there is a difference between the feeling of that topic in every song.

Q: That is right.

KBH: For example on one hand, ‘The Greatest’ has individuality, the beat as well, and the track kind of screams “I’ve succeeded!” while on the other hand in the track ‘A Long Way’ although the topic is the same, it’s like you are taking a break and looking back on what you did, saying: “Ah, I’ve succeeded but I still have a long way to go from now on.” Like this, the topic is a bit different in every track and the music matches them.

Q: Yes, of course.

KBH: Could you explain that difference for every song?

Q: Starting from the first? Well …

(They can’t decide where to start and which songs to compare.)

KBH: Honestly, I’m most curious about track one.

Q: Oh, really? Track number one is kind of the intro of the album, because it has a good mood for starting it off. I tried to make it sound cool and classy.
Track two has a big scale, it was actually nearly included in my full length album, so that’s why its arrangement is well made. If I had made it for my mixtape, I wouldn’t have written that third verse, but the song was already finished to be included in my full length album, so ..
That track is the most popular on the album and it kind of screams loudly “I’ve made it although you said I couldn’t.”

KBH: How about you send those people [who said you couldn’t do it] a message now?
You seem to have been hurt a few times.

Q: Well yes, we Koreans have a culture in which the people who give you textbooks and pay for your tuition say that you cannot make it. So …

Kirin: I was also often hurt by my teachers in school. […]

Q: Hearing Kirin’s story, mine doesn’t sound that bad now .. But anyway, when I started to make music in high school, the teachers wouldn’t acknowledge that. I told them to just leave me alone since I’m writing lyrics and composing tracks but they wouldn’t do that. (Laughter)

D: This is my ambition.

Q: So I went to performances after school and skipped study time. My teachers were quite strict with that and didn’t overlook it though.

KBH: Did something like that happen to you too, Dok2?

D: I nearly didn’t enroll at any school. I went to a foreigner school in Busan and the teacher there actually supported me when I told him I’m going to Seoul to make music.

Q: Cool.

D: In the sense of “since you did well here, you will do well in Seoul too.” In the end I couldn’t transfer to a school in Seoul [I wasn’t accepted]. I think that’s the difference between foreign and Korean schools.

KBH: I was actually quite in the centre of the [education] system. I was a good student until I entered university, I even received awards, but it turned out that all that didn’t help me in life.

Q: That’s true.

KBH: So, that I once was the best student doesn’t have anything to do with me now.

Q: The best in school? (Wow~)

D: I was the best kid at spelling in the foreigner school. As soon as I entered. (Repeats himself.) That’s why, when you take a look at my songs, many have changed spellings [?].

KBH: So anyway, I don’t regret what I did in my twenties but which university I went to and what I learned there doesn’t have anything to do with my life now.

Kirin: Most people are like that. After university, they find something to do while trying to make a living.

KBH: That’s why I think all the money you have to spend on university is a waste.

(All agree.)

Q: That’s why, regarding education, I quite envy what Dok2 did. If I had also just went to elementary school and then did all I want .. Of course I’m doing fine now but .. how should I say it ..

D: But see, there are alumnis and friends you make there. I don’t have one single friend. Not a single one now. All I have are hyungs like Qua-hyung and Beenzino-hyung.((In Korea, only people of the same age are called ‘friends’, older people are either called ‘hyeong’ or ‘nuna’ and younger people ‘dongsaeng’.)) I’m comfortable without friends though, I think. I don’t like it when everyone is living their own life and when you meet again you pretend to care for and comfort each other. They also wouldn’t understand my success. Instead of wasting my time on such insincere actions, I think it is better to be with people who have the same ambitions as me, that does help me.

KBH: I agree.

D: I am also greatly thankful for not having to go drinking with ‘friends’.

Q: That’s right.

KBH: But I saw The Quiett last year with some friends who weren’t musicians and the atmosphere felt quite good.

Q: Well, I did attend school, so I have friends from university.

KBH: I received the deepest impression of this album by the narration in ‘2 Chainz & Rollies’. “Isn’t he crazy?!”
Narration is more like talking than rapping, and I thought that talking was better there in the track.

Q: Alright, I will release a narration album (laughter).

KBH: Also in other songs [of the album], I like it when the tone of your voice shows your personality.

Q: Really? Thank you.

KBH: It is fun to listen to.

Q: Ah, thank you.

KBH: So, coming back to track two .. You mentioned the variation in the latter half. Did you compose the beat and play the keyboard there yourself?

Q: Yes, all the instruments appearing there were played by me. Although I’m not good at it, I just did what I can.

KBH: I remember you told people that you were learning keyboard some years ago.

Q: Aaah! Not back then (laughter). I learned a bit at that time but it was difficult for me to get better at it. So I quit after three months. After that I kept practicing it a bit here and there.

KBH: What was also impressive in track two’s lyrics was the line “I hope you will also identify with my rap one day.”

Q: Yes, honestly, that’s what I hope.

KBH: It doesn’t sound like you’re criticizing [the haters] but instead it sounds like a punchline.

Q: Really? Well, that’s what I sincerely hope. That everyone finds their own way and happiness there. Earn lots of money .. and do something nice to the person they love with that. Driving a good car and having fun, flying somewhere they want by plane. That is a big part of happiness, so that’s important.

Kirin: Actually, when your and also when Dok2’s album was released, I felt one thing. As you’re talking about money a lot, it is different for young people to break free of that thought. I read a comment online that said “I’m only an office worker and I’m really pissed off at this.” Not to hate on anyone, but hearing that you are earning money while doing what you like, they are angry because they are also working hard at what they’re doing [but it’s not their dream job and they’re not earning that much money]. So hearing that line “I hope you will also identify with my rap one day,” those people are probably quite angry.

D (pretending to be angry): Sshh[it]! I’m not doing this!

KBH: Yes, I also understand that line this way: you’re saying “I hope you understand” but you’re actually dissing them like, “try it, try to be like me.”

Q: I have also been in the position of those people. Actually, a rapper is at a disadvantage compared to an office worker. For example, a twenty year old tells his mother: “Mom, I’m going to be an office worker” versus “I’m going to be a rapper.” What would she welcome more? Your friends as well. Because everyone thinks it is obvious that you become a beggar when you do rap. So I can say that I understand that position [of the people who complained about that line]. My family is still nothing but a common family of the working class. Some years ago I didn’t know what would be left for me if I kept doing rap. Would I receive money, fame, respect, would I become a rapstar? I couldn’t know anything. But now I do and that’s why I can say this.
Track number three is an extension to that topic. This album is my eleventh album that was released on CD, so I wrote the lyrics of that track affirmatively, like “let’s work harder! Let’s live better!”
Track three is the only one without swearwords (laughter). And looking at the lyrics, I think track three is probably the nicest track.

D: Track three is the one I like the most of the album.

Q: Because you’re a nice Dok2 (laughs).

D: Yes, I have a bit of an image but I’m actually quite nice and friendly.

Q (laughs): Right. Dok2 never cusses.

Dok2: I don’t drink or smoke either.

Q: I curse even more instead. People see me as quite a nice person, though. I’m a bit rough actually.

D: I really don’t curse. …. Really. (Laughter.)

Q: Anyway, track four is one of those I like the best.

D: Yes, number four is good.

Q: In that track, I am talking about the feeling of me succeeding and spending money again, but .. Rappers often think about tomorrow. They are people who do not receive monthly pay, so they wonder if tomorrow or in one week or some months they might have to quit what they’re doing [because of money problems]. So when I see something I want to buy, I think “Oh, can I buy this? The price is a bit high. How much do I have? I did spend a lot of money lately though.” Other people might calculate “if I earn that much, I can spend this much,” but I don’t do that so I have those thoughts. I think everyone fears tomorrow. So there, my motto in life is that I don’t think about tomorrow.

D: People are uncertain about tomorrow and save things. But we see tomorrow in a brighter light: we could earn more tomorrow. Other people think “I am earning lots of money right now, but I don’t know what will be in one week.” But trust is what we need. That trust isn’t really wrong. If you believe in something, it will turn out that way. The way I see it, the people who think they will fall to the bottom, will fall.

Kirin: A hyung I know thinks similarly, he says “I could die tomorrow so I will use up the whole money in my account.”

Q: This track could become that person’s theme song. Let him listen to it once.

KBH: Yes, the thoughts are different but the outcome is the same.

D: Yes, it’s ‘YOLO’. We don’t think about death but it’s similar.

KBH: Could you explain YOLO to those who don’t know about it?

D: ‘YOLO’ means you only life once, like Qua-hyung has said in “한번뿐인 인생” [Only One Life], but that is the English version of it.

Q: It was quite a hit last year.

KBH: Who used that first, Drake?

Kirin: Drake says he wrote it but honestly ..

D: That word has been used a lot in the American [hip hop] history, take AK for example. He was the first to use that name but many African Americans then used it too.

Q: In America, many ads use ‘YOLO’ as catchphrase.

D: The same goes for the words ‘swag’ or ‘snapbacks’. Anybody can say they used them first but they’ve actually always existed. Tyga says he revived them. I think the same [that they’ve always existed] goes for ‘YOLO’.

Q: I recently saw an interview with Drake and he didn’t say he invented the word. Instead he stated that he is the one who made the word famous.

Kirin: Like Swings did with the word ‘punchline’ in the Korean hip hop scene.

Dok2: And Quiett-hyung made Givenchy a trend. “Rockin’ Givenchy, Benz” ..

KBH: The time most people want to buy brand goods is local time.((Pun on jibangshi=local time, which sounds exactly like Givenchy.))

(Laughter.)

Kirin: Yes, it is very important to be happy right now. (All agree.) I should actually have a lot of money prepared in case I get cancer tomorrow, but still I’m not the type to do that. People think that if they suffer and save money now, they will be happy later. But who knows, you could still be happy later on even without having it hard right now. Our aim is to become happy. Earning money is a means to get there.

KBH: Honestly, when I watch my parents or other people’s parents, I often think this: they keep having it hard with work and it is still hard for them when they’re old-

Q: Yes, parents live for their children.

KBH: Yes. So that hurts ..

Q: Yes, you get the thought that there’s no need for them to do that.

KBH: At the same time I think “Ah, I won’t live like that.”

Q: Right.

Kirin: But it’s good when they take care of you secretly, from time to time.

Q: Yes, right. Although I wish they had a hobby. Like, “I need to see that film” or “I definitely have to see that in 3D,” something along those lines would be nice.

D: People over thirty don’t seem to have hobbies.

Q: So I think that being happy today is the happiness of tomorrow.

KBH: When I hear that, a story comes to my mind. When I eat Bibimbap((mixed rice)) then I usually put the egg in last. A friend of mine then asked me “Why are you putting the most tasty thing in last? You should eat that when you’re the most hungry!” He couldn’t understand me.

D: I think you should eat the tastiest things first. For example, there are people who go to meat restaurants thinking of meat, while others go there thinking of the fancy side dishes. And I can’t understand the latter. You should go there for the tasty meat. Because I think that those side dishes are in the way of my eating the meat. (…) Because you just said ..

KBH: Yeah, so I am trying to change my habit now.

D: Or see it like this: [when you have several tasks to complete,] it’s best to do first what you like to do the most. I think that’s good.

KBH: Yes, I think it’s best to eat the tastiest dish first. And while eating this ..

D: Yes, I am distributing caramels called Juicy Force [?] right now. You should eat the tastiest first, which are the red ones with strawberry flavor.

KBH: Alright.

D: But there’s only one in each packet.

KBH: So we’ve talked about each song having a bit of a different feeling although the topic is the same. So I am curious if you compose the beats first or decide on the topic.

Q: Aah. It nearly never happens that I decide on the topic first. I make the song first, then I find my feeling, my topic for it.

D: Yes, we search for the themes.

Q: Fana for example decides on the topic and writes the lyrics first. He writes them without any beat or on another beat. But I am the opposite of that.

KBH: I was one of the judges for a hip hop contest for female rappers where most of the participants said that they like Illionaire, that their favorite artist is either The Quiett or Dok2. They also wrote lyrics like you.

Q: About earning lots of money and stuff?

KBH: Yes. And there was a participant who really surprised me, she had swag and I thought “Oh, this is no novice.” Lots of them have a ‘bad bitch’ style.

D: What’s the name of that rapper?

KBH: I forgot it.

D: Then we’ll have to stop by, although I usually don’t do that. I never go to other Korean rapper’s concerts.

KBH: Is there a special reason for that?

D: Oh well, the atmosphere in the waiting room .. and I think “I am Dok2.” We Illionaires have that, like “I am The Quiett” or “I am Beenzino.”

Q: We don’t really like meeting people.

D: But we should go to that witch-bitch contest once.

KBH: Yes, do come once. The next is in a week.

D: Oh, then we can’t come. (Laughter.) We’ll be in Japan by then.

KBH: Okay. Anyway ..

Q: I will hurry and explain track five.

KBH: Before that, back to finding the topic for a song.

Q: Ah yes. Well, we rappers, when we hear a song, the song is telling us a story. I listen to it and think “Ah, it’s about this, I have to rap like that.”

D: Many American artists are good at that and it is where you can see if a rapper really has skills. If the nuances of the hook and the bridge are correct. J. Cole does that well. So I think that way of working is the best.

Q: When I let others listen to ‘A Long Way’, they also said it reminds them of the earlier day’s music. Every beat tells another story.

KBH: When I listened to ‘Gettin’ Rich’ first, I didn’t look at the credits and thought Dok2 has made the beats for it. Because you made lots of similar beats, like for Jay Park’s album. But hearing that The Quiett wrote those beats quite surprised me.

Q: Yes, many people thought that way. I just made them, although I usually don’t make those kinds of beats.

KBH: I like the song. Jay Park [he pronounces the p like an f] is featured in it too, I think he is getting better and better.

D: Your pronunciation is a bit .. “Jay Fuck!?” (Laughter.) Jay Fuck!

Q: Yes, I think he [Jay Park] is getting better.

Kirin: It feels that he’s better at expressing lyrics.

Q: Yes. He uses expressions which Korean rappers wouldn’t think of.

Kirin: Jay Park’s album gives off the feeling that it was first in English and then moved to Korean. For example, the lyrics “you are highly sexy.” In our country, we wouldn’t use those words in combination.

Q: Yes, it’s special.

KBH: Is there a special reason you released ‘2 Chainz & Rollies’ beforehand?

Q: First, that song has actually been finished for a long time already and we released it to perform it at our Illionaire 2 years anniversary concert.

D: We think of the concerts.

Q: I wanted to perform that song at that concert, so I released it two weeks earlier.

D: That’s also why the video was released earlier. It was shot in Las Vegas and I wrote the lyrics on the plane. So the recording wasn’t finished but we just shot the video with an iPhone.

Q: Freestyle .. I recorded the song in Vegas. I really like the song.

D: Me too. A lot. I think we show a combination like the Korean Method Man and Redman. The two of us understand each other very well, so that song has a deep meaning.

Q: I think that ‘2 Chainz & Rollies’ is the hip hop version of Gangnam Style. I mentioned that on Twitter. I think it’s a song that everyone can just enjoy, so also the fans from overseas liked that song quite a lot. Other songs are difficult for them because they don’t understand the lyrics. For example, ‘Livin In A Dream’ can only be understood correctly if you understand the meaning of the lyrics.

D: Yes.

Q: And ‘2 Chainz & Rollies’ doesn’t have that, it’s simple. That’s why it’s like a sort of party song you can enjoy anywhere.

D: Yes.

KBH: Was there a special reason you released the third verse of ‘2 Chainz & Rollies’ later?

Q: First it was released until Dok2’s verse, but I kept listening to it after its release and checking people’s reactions. So I thought that it needed a third verse. I actually had that thought before, but it became stronger. I thought the song needed that and that there was more I wanted to show on that beat. If I remember it correctly, I wrote the third verse in only one day. I wanted to make it really cool.
People think we write those lyrics in five minutes. Well, it happens that lyrics come out quickly, but when rapping on a slower beat (about 90 bpm), the flow has to be exact – other rappers would understand – and that takes a lot of time.

KBH: I actually think the third verse of ‘2 Chainz & Rollies’ is the highlight of the album.

Q: Really?

KBH: So, as I said before, although the theme seems to be the same, every single track has its own details and is different, which must have taken a lot of work to accomplish.

Q: Yes, every line has to be interesting and the listener shouldn’t lose interest.

Kirin: In the end you shout like “Aaarrrghh!” And that sounds like “Ah, finally it’s finished” (laughter).

D: People who make tracks with the atmosphere and tempo of ‘So Ambitious’, ‘1llionaire’ and ‘2 Chainz & Rollies’ are only the three of us.

Q: Yes, we three.

D: Slow tracks with a tempo of 73, 71, which were common in the earlier days of hip hop-

Q: That’s even R&B tempo.

D: Doing such a tempo but still making it exciting and fun.

Q: The bounce is the most important, so the listener can keep bouncing until the end we use the rap as an instrument with a bouncy feeling.

D: So if any listener or rapper has bad views about such a rap, I want to recommend them to try it themselves. So they can see how hard it is.
I think a rapper should be able to rap on any beat.

Q: So if anyone records a verse on that beat, we would be glad if they could send it to us, because we’re searching for someone who can rap with us on that beat. There is no one!

D: Really, nobody.

Q: We’re looking for a rapper.

D: When we search for someone to feature, all we can do is feature me on The Quiett-hyung’s album and feature The Quiett-hyung on my album. We need someone to do this with us. Please contact us! (Laughter.)

KBH: The last line left quite an impression: “Although I have a girlfriend, I might get another one.”

Q: I like such expressions, it is what I’m doing rap for, such cool expressions.

KBH: It’s not like you’re saying you’d steal someone’s girlfriend or something.

Q: Yes, and I’m not actively getting myself another one, it’s just that I might [passively] get another one without having anything to do with it.

KBH: That shows a bit more swag and it hit me right away.

Q: My lyrics give a lot to think about. I like such expressions. For example, the line I like – which I recently tweeted – is “After cursing my money you ponder on your career.” People are annoyed at my lyrics about money and when they turn around they think “Hm, what am I doing for a living?”

KBH: I think – no matter the genre – good lyrics are those which create images in your mind, like a video. Like in break-up songs, when they not just say “Aww, I’m so sad”-

D: Like ‘총 맞은 것처럼’ [As if hit by a gun by Baek Ji Yeong]? (Laughter.)

KBH: If I need one example –

D: ‘한 남자’ [One Man by Baek Ji Yeong]? (Laughter.)

KBH: Not that either. There’s an old song, where someone breaks up with his girlfriend and later goes to her neighborhood and calls her number. But her parents pick up and say that she has died.

D: Is it a true story?

KBH: Yes.

Q: That’s sad.

KBH: Yes. And the point is, that in the end of the lyrics there’s a line that says that the mother, who was angry with the guy before and against him dating her daughter, now greeted him friendly. I think that was quite impressive and projected a move in my head. Although there are no details about the conversation.

D: Yeah, there’s one song by Jinbo-hyeong, ‘너 없는’ [Without You] it is very funky but it is somehow quite sad. We also try to show such a nuance in our songs. The power and vibe is important. I think such songs are quite good.

KBH: And track nine is another crew anthem, after ‘Profile’ and ‘1llionaire Gang’.

Q: Right. It doesn’t need much explanation. Zino shows his own style, Dok2 his own, and I also show my own style while rapping as coolly as possible.

D: That song is really slow, I think it’s the slowest I’ve ever participated in.

KBH: There are some aspects in each of your verse, like the rhyme or the pauses, which are similar.

Q: We didn’t talk about that at all. Dok2 finished his verse first and sent it to me, to Beenzino I said “Please finish it by tomorrow” so he sent it (laughs).

D: Our content in these verses is similar, like talking about ambitions. When people listen to it, they will wonder how Beenzino-hyung turned out like that (laughter).

Q: At first, his time was too precious((referring to Jazzyfact’s ‘아까워’ [It’s A Waste])) but suddenly …

D: First he tells sleepy things on tracks like ‘Vibra’ or ‘Smoky Dream’ and suddenly he’s talking about ambition.

Q: But if we give Beenzino such a beat again, he will rap that way again. People misunderstand something, but that’s how you rap on that beat. (Laughter.) If you give Beenzino a jazzy, samba-like tune played on a vibraphone, he will surely rap the other way.

D: And that’s what I am sick of. If we plan the album that way with those beats, then the only lyrical content that goes with them is the one we use. But people always say that the lyrics are all the same.

Q: Right, you have to see it as one musical package.

Kirin: Correct, if you look at those pop songs, most of them are about love. But who told them to sing only about love?

Q: When I was working on my earlier albums, I also got such a reaction from fans, saying that it’s all the same. But I have never been a rapper who searches for themes. I don’t sit there and think “Is there any good theme?” I just listen to the beat and write down whatever comes to my mind, what I feel from it. I write my state of mind in my lyrics. So the theme that dominates my mind is the one that appears in the lyrics. At that time it was youth and people complained that there were no love songs. But I don’t write love songs often.

D: Like people who go to a steak house and complain that there is nothing but steak on the menu. I said from the beginning that my style is South but people complain that there’s only South in my album. “Why are you only talking about women, money and hip hop?” I did say that I’m doing South, though. Seriously. On one hand I can’t believe it and on the other hand it’s sad.

Q: My album cover is quite serious, too.

D: And the title is Ambition. He can’t be talking about his ambition with his first love, can he? (Laughter.)

Q: So, fans think I have stopped [in time] with my last album but that’s not true. I have changed. Just like I look at some hip hop groups and say “Ah, back then I really liked them,” my fans might do the same. Anyway, although the theme of my music has changed, I think that’s good. Plus, I rap better than before. I think I’ve gotten better in certain aspects.

KBH: Well, a musician can’t just do the music the listeners want him to do.

D: I always leave a PS in my lyrics, saying that they don’t have to listen if they don’t want to. But they do and then they complain, which I can’t understand, as I definitely told them not to.

Q: Still, I am happy for reactions of the fans and people, because I know that they’ve listened to my album. And I’d like many people to listen to it. I am thankful for that.

As I already said, music is the first thing I care for. Then I think about the theme. The same goes for Dok2 and Zino. We try to pick out the best music.

KBH: I think it’s boring if you only tell real stories in lyrics. Then it sounds like a documentary.

Q: Yes.

KBH: So, anything you want to say now, before we end the show?

Q: Well, please enjoy listening to my album. And I will keep releasing videos and contents regarding my album, so please enjoy them. And visit our concerts, Dok2’s concerts in Seoul and Busan, come and have fun.

KBH: Will another video be released?

Q: Yes, the first track ‘Ambition’ will get a video. It will be released soon.

Kirin: Personally, I was hoping for [a video of] ‘Livin In The Dream’.

Q: Yes, that would be fun too, I considered that as well. I didn’t expect a lot from people’s reactions when I made that song, but it turns out it’s the most popular track of the album.

KBH: Thank you for the long talk.

Q: Thank you.

D: Thank you!

[ SOURCE | PODDBANG ]

Beenzino for Naver's July Music Special: Up All Night

Beenzino – ‘Up All Night’ Interview with Naver Music

Check out Beenzino’s mini interview with Naver Music about his album ‘Up All Night’.

July’s MUSIC SPECIAL

All night! Beenzino, Up All Night

He personally talks about the stories behind the album

Special – The man who overflows with confidence and loves arts: Beenzino’s Up All Night

Beenzino’s new album ‘Up All Night’ EP has been released. Beenzino made this album together with producer Peejay, expressing the music of designer brand WOOYOUNGMI’s Paris Collection. The concept of their current collection is ‘The man who overflows with confidence and loves arts’. Via Naver Music, Beenzino personally introduces the work on the album.

Resource: CJ E&M | Text: Naver Music

 

Album – Beenzino personally introduces the ‘Up All Night’ EP

‘Up All Night’ EP is a project album that I ended up working on while preparing my full-length album. I was put in charge of making an album with music for the designer brand WOOYOUNGMI’s Paris Collection. I completed the album together with producer Peejay-hyung, with who I worked on my last single ‘Dali, Van, Picasso’ and with who I closely interact regarding arts. Since I always want to show different aspects with different hip hop artists, personally making the music for a fashion show was extremely attractive. The same goes for sitting in the front row at the Fashion Week in Paris as an artist. On top of that, the music was completely up to me so besides the show’s basic concept I had no restrictions and could express the words and the music I wanted. That’s why I enjoyed the work even more. I imagined a so-called wayward “man who overflows with confidence and loves arts,” like the show’s concept says, and who lives fast and free. I’ve described his daily life in the album. Since the album describes one day in his life in order from beginning until the end, I hope that listeners will listen to the tracks in order.

 

Track By Track – Introduction of ‘Up All Night’ EP’s tracks

Track 01: Jackson Pollock D*ck

This song expresses the fast morning of the album’s main character with an allusion to action painting. (by Beenzino)

 

Track 02: How Do I Look?

A song the main character enjoys while shopping. He loves shopping and is looking for a woman who has good style and taste. (by Beenzino)

 

Track 03: 미쳤어 [Mitch as F*ck] (Feat. Don Mills)

At night, the main character goes to clubs together with his friends. Don Mills is one of them. (by Beenzino)

 

Track 04: Up All Night (Feat. Mayson The Soul)

This song explains why the main character stays up all night. (by Beenzino)

 

Track 05: I Don’t Have To Work

Now the main character leaves the club and grabs the steering wheel. This is how the wayward man’s day ends. (by Beenzino)

 

Photos – ‘Up All Night’ EP album artwork

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Left: The cover image that was used for WOOYOUNGMI’s last Paris Collection.
Right: ‘Up All Night’ EP’s album cover was made on the basis of old scribbled drawings. Thinking they would fit the album’s music they were made into the album cover. The drawing is already decorating one wall of the work room.

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Beenzino’s artwork crew IAB was in charge of the album artwork. It was perfected by objects which Beenzino usually likes to use.

03

During work.

 

Video – MV of the title track ‘How Do I Look?’

The music video of the title track ‘How Do I Look?’ was filmed together with contestants from On Style’s ‘Challenge! Supermodel Korea GUYS & GIRLS’.

[ SOURCE | NAVER MUSIC ]

Giriboy (by Hiphopplaya)

Giriboy – ‘Fatal Album II’ Interview with Hiphop Playa

Read Giriboy’s interview with Hiphop Playa from February 2013 about his ‘Fatal Album II’.

Hiphop Playa (Hip): Hello. Please greet the members of Hiphop Playa.

Giriboy (Gi): Hello. I am Giriboy. Ha ha!

Hip: Let’s talk about your debut first. You debuted with the name Giriboy. What does it mean?

Gi: The name Giriboy means “to see the way”((in Korean 길이 보이 [giri boi])), [implying] that no matter what I do, the things in front of me are bright and promising. If I do anything else than music, for example painting, I want to use this name.

Hip: So when did you first start doing music?

Gi: I’ve always liked listening to music. In my first year of high school I saw [videos of ] people rapping on the Internet and thought “I should try this too.” That’s when I started rapping. At first I made short pieces out of instrumentals, then I wanted to compose them myself and received a software from a friend. I started [rapping and composing] in my first year of high school.

Hip: The name Giriboy was officially know after you debuted with the track ‘You look so good to me’. How did it feel to release a song for the first time?

Gi: Good, of course. It was the first song I released and it was made at the time the album was released, so it contained a deeper meaning.

Hip: Then did ‘You look so good to me’ make you want to do music as your profession for the first time? Or did you already wanted to do so before?

Gi: I wanted to do so before. There was no decisive opportunity that made me start doing music, but before that I was already thinking of making music [as my main profession].

Hip: ‘You look so good to me’ was released in December 2011, but I heard you made that song in your third year of high school. Other than this song, are there any songs you’ve made before, that have been released now?

Gi: Yes, a lot. Nearly half of the tracks on the Fatal Album EP are tracks I made in high school.

MV: Giriboy – You Look So Good to Me (Feat. Swings) [12/05/2011]

Hip: After ‘You look so good to me’ you released ‘한잔해요’ [Let’s Have A Drink] together with Lil Boi. How did you end up working with Lil Boi?

Gi: I’m in the same crew as Lil Boi and close to him so we ended up working together. In the beginning I wanted to make five to six songs with Lil Boi and release them as an album, ‘한잔해요’ [Let’s Have A Drink] was among them. But then the album release failed. Then the CEO of Grandline, Warmman, contacted me suddenly. As a result, it is sad for ‘한잔해요’ [Let’s Have A Drink] but he thinks the track will go well so he said to shoot a music video and just release that song. That’s how we ended up just doing ‘한잔해요’ [Let’s Have A Drink].

Hip: So you thought ‘한잔해요’ [Let’s Have A Drink] wouldn’t go well?

Gi: Yes, I was prepared for a total fail (laughs).

MV: Giriboy & Lil Boi – 한잔해요 [Let’s Have A Drink] [01/25/2012]

Hip: As we’ve already talked about Lil Boi, let’s talk about Do’main. Lil Boi and you are both in Do’main. How was it formed?

Gi: Back in the days there were many crews on the Internet. At that time, [we] five crew members met online but then decided to meet [offline]. So we met, had fun, did a few amateur concerts and that’s how it turned out like this [Do’main was formed]. By the time, the people who we hung out with became more. Geeks were hanging out with us so we said “You, become part of Do’main,” Zico hang out with us so we said “You, become part of Do’main.” Only people who had fun together gathered.

Hip: So, don’t you have any plans of a group work under the name Do’main?

Gi: Do’main is just some people hanging out together, having fun, so there’s no musical thing yet where we say “Let’s do something!” We’re featuring in each other’s songs but I don’t think we ever said to release a compilation under our name. Above all we are having fun as a crew, I don’t think we have a certain goal.

Hip: Let’s now talk about how you joined JUST MUSIC. I know that Swings first offered you to join. Please tell us a bit about that.

Gi: Back then I passed my time just working part-time and working in the studio. I dragged my tired body home when suddenly Swings contacted me, saying he liked my songs. That day we met right away and talked and ate, when he suddenly told me to enter his company. I thought it was just a meeting but when he told me to join his company, I got a mental breakdown. I listened to nearly only Swings’ songs while growing up and liked him the most. I was a fan of Overclass. So when he told me to join his company, that of course gave me a mental breakdown. I could have said Yes right at the spot then but I thought that wouldn’t be interesting and told him I’ll think about it. After some time though, it occurred to me that he might change his mind. I decided “I have to tell him today!” went to his concert, skipping my part-time job, and told him.

Hip: Have the songs you let Swings listen to back then been released?

Gi: Yes. ‘한잔해요’ [Let’s Have A Drink] and ‘얼굴에 다 써있네요’ [It’s Written All Over Your Face]. There are many others that haven’t been released yet.

lets have a drinkAlbum cover: Giriboy & Lil Boi – 한잔해요 [Let’s Have a Drink] [01/26/2012]

its written all over your face

Album cover: 얼굴에 다 써있네요 [It’s Written All Over Your Face] [03/02/2012]

Hip: When introducing Giriboy, one can’t not talk about a fusion of several genres. Which musician inspires you?

Gi: A lot of people. For each genre, there’s one musician I like. The one I like the most is Pharrell [Williams], I think I get most of my inspiration from him. To be more detailed, Pharrell’s band N.E.R.D has an album called “Seeing Sounds” and just its title has swag. While I thought “A visible sound!” I thought “I have to make an audible film!” Other than from music, I get lots of inspiration from romantic movies. I like Korean romance movies. I sometimes make music by taking just one line of a film and unpacking it.

Hip: So you don’t limit yourself to the hip hop genre?

Gi: No, I don’t but I like hip hop the most so I try to do hip hop. Using hip hop as basis, I want to express myself in various genres.

Hip: Then do you feel any pressure regarding the challenge of the genre?

Gi: Lately, I am feeling a bit of pressure because of that. Still, I like it and I think that’s why I keep challenging it.

Hip: On to the first question by one of our members. You said you make songs of the conversations in movies. Is there anything else that inspires you? (ID: oo4444)

Gi: There are several other things besides movies that inspire me. I hear a conversation in a movie and think “Ah, it would be fun to expand this [sentence/thought/idea]”. At other times I pay attention when talking to my friends – especially when we’re out for drinks, that’s when I get the most inspiration. For example, my friend says “Let’s go for a second round!” and I think “Oh, second round sounds good” and then I write it down every time that happens. I also receive lots of inspiration from gag programs on TV. Several things came to me during this interview now too. Ah! One incident happened recently, at a bar in Geondae. There, the phrase “It better not be cold, I will buy clothes to wear and buy alcohol to drink” came up. I thought “Oh, that’s good too” and I’m planning to write a song on it soon.

Hip: If there is a song on ‘Fatal Album II’ whose inspiration you got from a movie, then please introduce it to us.

Gi: The title ‘내 몸이 불타오르고 있어’ (My Body Is On Fire) comes from a horror movie. There is a prank call scene in it, which contains the line “My body is on fire.” I used exactly that line.

01

Hip: Let’s officially start talking about the album now. Why did you name it ‘Fatal Album’?

Gi: I could have also named it ‘Good Album’ but I was searching for an attractive term, when I thought “Fatal is good!” and named it that because I like the term itself.

Hip: Then did you think of other titles than ‘Fatal Album’?

Gi: Totally, a lot. If I made lots of songs with electronic sounds, ‘Electrically Shocked Album’, and ‘Horny Album’ for a collection of erotic songs (laughs). Well, that’s the pattern.

Hip: So the album title was planned to a certain extent?

Gi: Yes. I could have changed it but it had been planned to a certain extent.

Hip: Let’s talk about your album again. You released ‘Fatal Album I’ and afterwards ‘Fatal Album II’ as an extension. Did you plan that beforehand?

Gi: I didn’t release ‘Fatal Album I’ because it was planned to be an extended album from the start. While playing video games, [I realized that] Diablo has a sequel and StarCraft has Brood War. Seeing that, I thought it would be fun to release an album like a game, so I put in a few more songs and released ‘Fatal Album II’.

Hip: Is there possibly a theme that connects the whole album?

Gi: I don’t think there’s one exact theme for the whole album. When I released it, it simply contained music of the style I like.

Hip: In ‘Fatal Album I’, ‘계획적인 여자’ [Calculating Woman] is the title track and in ‘Fatal Album II’, ‘다른꼴’ [Different] is the title track. Is there a reason they became the title tracks?

Gi: I think the right answer is because I like them the best. First, the most important thing is that I like them, then that they have popular appeal and people can listen to them easily. That’s why they were made the title tracks.

Hip: You briefly mentioned popular appeal. While preparing the album, did you try to make a song that appeals to the masses even if that isn’t your style?

Gi: Not really. I’ve always liked pop music so I think I’m making songs that do appeal to the masses to a certain extent. It rather happened that some of my songs were too close to pop music, so I had to change them afterwards. I don’t try to make songs that appeal to the masses.

Hip: A music video has been released for ‘다른꼴’ [Different], in which you personally acted. What are your thoughts on that?

Gi: I am just very greedy .. so I also want to keep acting more, that’s all.

Hip: So you decided to act in it?

Gi: Yes.

MV: Giriboy – 다른꼴 [Different] (Feat. Crucial Star) [12/04/2012]

Hip: Is there any song on the album – regardless their popularity – of which you think “I really like this one”?

Gi: I like all, so it’s always difficult to answer such a question. If I have to choose one, I like ‘내 몸이 불타오르고 있어’ [My Body Is On Fire] best. Because I think the melody and the lyrics match in it the most. It has something. A feely feeling.

Hip: Let’s talk more about ‘내 몸이 불타오르고 있어’ [My Body Is On Fire]. Compared to its title, this song has a fresh and not stimulating atmosphere. But the cover version which Swings released is rated 19. As the original composer of the song, what do you think of the cover?

Gi: Honestly, I didn’t like the cover song but they said the reactions to it were good. I didn’t like it that much though. The charm of that song is that it has erotic lyrics but its atmosphere isn’t erotic. Changing that directly gives a bit of a different atmosphere than I had intended.

swings on fireAlbum cover: Giriboy – 내 몸이 불타오르고 있어 [My Body Is On Fire] (Feat. Swings) [11/29/2012]

Hip: We can’t not talk about the featurings on your album. Zico featured in ‘계획적인 여자’ [Calculating Woman] and Beenzino featured in ‘You’re A Chemical’, which became a topic. What is the most important thing for you when choosing someone to feature in your songs?

Gi: The most important thing is that they do well. Someone who does well and who can relate to the feeling of my songs.

Hip: Then what do you think are Zico and Beenzino’s advantages?

Gi: First of all, I think Zico raps well. And ‘계획적인 여자’ [Calculating Woman] is a song that curses a woman who uses me. But Zico has kind of a bad guy and scary image, so I thought it would turn out scary if I’d work with him, and that’s what I did. His bad [guy] image and his skills matched [the song] so we worked together. Regarding Beenzino, I really like his album. Because every single track has a distinct topic. Plus he raps well. I aim to have distinct topics [for my songs] and I felt that my aim and Beenzino’s aim match so I worked with him.

Hip: Is there a musician who hasn’t participated in your album this time but who you want to work with later?

Gi: Pharrell (Williams)! Pharrell and Kim Dong-ryul (laughs)? Limited to hip hop musicians, I want to work with everyone who is skilled. I especially want to work together with Verbal Jint. Everyone wants to work a lot with a variety of people.

Hip: It’s not a featuring, but many people are curious about the dialogue of the woman in ‘얼굴에 다 써있네요’ [It’s Written All Over Your Face]. Is that person also a musician?

Gi: No, she isn’t doing music. She’s my girlfriend. I needed a female voice so I asked her to do it.

Hip: There are also the unfamiliar names Choi Danbi and Lim Sunghyun, please introduce them.

Gi: Choi Danbi is my friend, she plays the piano. She played it in ‘내 몸이 불타오르고 있어’ [My Body Is On Fire]. She cannot sing well, like me, but she tries. In ‘내 몸이 불타오르고 있어’ [My Body Is On Fire] she played the piano so I told her “Hey, you played piano so you sing, too.” That’s how simply she was featured. Lim Sunghyun is the vocal teacher who Swings assigned to me when I first entered JUST MUSIC and really couldn’t sing. As an introduction I can say she appeared on Superstar K, she has somewhat of a soulful voice and .. she sings quite well. Every time I have class with her, she sings me the song I have to learn and she makes me think “Yeah, she does sing good!”

Hip: Since you talked about your vocal teacher, let’s talk about your vocals. You said you sang so bad that Swings assigned you a teacher, but in your album there are many songs in which you sing the main vocals. Do you like your singing?

Gi: I don’t like it yet. But my vocal teacher said that my charm is that I cannot sing so she won’t teach me. Thinking about it, my style would become boring if I could sing as well as a vocalist, for example Kim Bum-soo, so it’s rather a good thing that I quit my vocal lessons. I am satisfied with my singing skills but I think I have to do a bit more than slightly better for live performances. So I’m always practicing tunes.

02

Hip: I will now ask another member’s question. To match the song’s concept, do you intentionally try to lay the focus on your vocals’ individuality instead of on your skills? (ID: p190208)

Gi: That’s not the case. Since I’m not singing professionally it turns out that way. I don’t plan on being as good as a [professional] vocalist, so I’m satisfied. If I did as well as a professional, I think my charm would sink. So I try my best to save the song’s atmosphere instead of singing well. I think my singing has to fit my song but I don’t think it has to be as good as Mariah Carey’s.

Hip: A characteristic of your songs are the conversations in between. How do they come about?

Gi: Sometimes I think of them beforehand while making the song, at other times I think of them while recording. If I think “Ah, I have to put this in!” while recording, I immediately record it. As I said before, I want to make an audible film, so I keep thinking of conversations.

Hip: In the titles ‘얼굴에 다 써있네요 나무ver’ [It’s Written All Over Your Face Tree Version] and ‘시간이 날 기다려 낙엽ver’ [Time Waits For Me Fallen Leaves Version], the use of the words ‘Tree’ and ‘Fallen Leaves’ are impressive. What is the background behind them?

Gi: I rearranged ‘얼굴에 다 써있네요’ [It’s Written All Over Your Face] and ‘시간이 날 기다려’ [Time Waits For Me] with a fall-ish feeling. So while listening to them, I thought they had a feeling of trees and fallen leaves, and named them that way. In the beginning I had planned to call the Tree Version ‘Acoustic Version’ but that was too ordinary. I wanted to use more interesting names so I used ‘Tree Version’. That’s more interesting.

Hip: ‘You don’t look good to me’ is the opposite situation from ‘You look so good to me’ and its atmosphere changes from the latter half on, which was impressive. How did you make that song?

Gi: First, the song ‘You look so good to me’ was extremely dear to me. Because I made it for the entrance examination with the plans of going to university. But as I released ‘You look so good to me’ first, as my debut song, I thought it was just a feeling that would pass by. It’s a song I really treasure so it felt a waste to just send it off like that. That’s why I wanted to reinterpret it.

Hip: So you personally thought of creating a twist to the song’s atmosphere?

Gi: Yes. At first I wanted to make a new song out of ‘You look so good to me’ and went to Psycoban. I had planned to make it a slow jam version. I wanted kind of an R&B version of the track. Right at that time I was listening to songs by James Blake, so Psycoban proposed I should do it like James Blake’s songs. “Oh, that’s good,” I thought and the first part of ‘You don’t look good to me’ came out. Afterwards, I took a break from work for about one month. Then I went to Psycoban again, because I had to release the album. Together, we thought about what to do and I suggested first to make it as if it was mixed by a DJ. Psycoban answered he didn’t think of that at all but that it’s good. That’s how the latter half of ‘You don’t look good to me’ was made. When you listen to the song, you can hear rock in the first half. That’s the part I thought of. After that, it changes to Dubstep […] and ends interesting but that’s what Psycoban thought of. He kept thinking he has ruined the album and was worried but I told him that I totally like that style and we made the song that way. I prefer it interesting and funny instead of serious.

Hip: Out of the twelve tracks, ‘밤이 필요해’ [I Need The Night] had the most different feeling topic-wise. While the other songs have relationships and women and men as their topics, this song tells that someone feels that his nice and bright image is burdensome. Are you actually stressed by your nice image?

Gi: Instead of stress, I feel burdened by people who see me as nice and cheerful. I don’t see myself as someone with a nice and bright personality, but when others think so I feel a tiny bit burdened.

Hip: Regarding the atmosphere, ‘이젠안돼’ [Not Anymore] has the most different feeling. What kind of a song is it?

Gi: As this song has a different feeling than all the other songs I’ve released until now, you might think that “Giriboy wouldn’t make such a song” but songs like ‘이젠안돼’ [Not Anymore] used to be my style. I originally made songs with such feelings and because I like it, I made this song. I like English rock and in English rock, they sing a bit strangely. A bit of an “Uhaa~” feeling. Wanting to make something like that, I wrote the song. Its lyrics are good as well. I made it so that even when elderly people listen to ‘이젠안돼’ [Not Anymore], they get the feeling “Oh, so the lyrics are somehow literary.” I don’t know if that turned out well but my mother likes this song. Another thing is that this song can be interpreted differently depending on the thoughts of the listener. For example, if you think about love while listening to it, you hear it as a love story, if you think of your dream while listening, you hear it as a story of dreams. So I’d like people to listen to this song with various thoughts.

03

Hip: Let’s talk like crazy about the tracks on the album now. The designer Ahn Jungchan has participated in your album design, did you personally ask for an analogue feeling?

Gi: Yes. It’s called 8 bits. I like things like that so I told the designer that I wanted such a feeling. I couldn’t tell him that it is 8 bits, so I tried to explain it to him. Then he said “Ah, 8 bits?” and I answered “Ah yes, that’s it!” and he made it. I am satisfied with the finished design.

Hip: Let’s take a question of one of our members. Do you think ‘Fatal Album 2’ was successful? (ID: elf4192)

Gi: Yes. I think it was more successful than I had thought. But it has to do better.

Hip: It’s been about three months since you’ve released your album. I think many people will listen to it again after reading this interview. Please give them a guideline.

Gi: I’d like you to pay good attention to the lyrics while listening.

Hip: Just like we just mentioned about ‘밤이 필요해’ [I Need The Night], the Fatal Album itself seems to be mostly about relationships and women and men. Are you considering other topics?

Gi: I want to make the topics a bit more diverse in my next album. The Fatal Album is mostly about relationships because I started working on it in high school and during that time I liked romance films. When I work, I turn what I’ve seen or what I think of into the songs’ topics. But as I’ve thought other things and seen lots of other things, I think the next album will contain a variety of topics.

04

Hip: I will now stop talking about your album and ask about mixtapes. You haven’t released one yet, have you?

Gi: No. I haven’t released a mixtape yet, and I am preparing one at the moment. It is planned to be released as an instrumental album. The instrumentals for Fatal Album haven’t been released yet either, because I want to include them in the mixtape too. I can’t say when it will come out but I am continuously preparing it.

Hip: Just now we talked a bit about vocals. You are a multi player who can write lyrics, compose, arrange, rap, sing main vocals and even the chorus. What are you most confident of and which do you think you are lacking among these?

Gi: Except for the main vocals, I am confident about it all. There’s so much to do for me, that I can’t really concentrate on just one thing. The thing I most concentrate on out of them is writing songs, so I am most confident of that. The less I do it, the less confident I am about it, which is the case with vocals. Contrarily, I often write songs and thus am the most confident of it.

Hip: Then I will ask about composing. You composed all the songs in the album. If you have the chance, do you want to receive songs from someone else?

Gi: There are a lot [of people I want to receive songs from]. As people didn’t know me when I made this album, it was hard to ask anyone for songs. But now I’ve gotten close to people and while doing so I want to receive songs from them too, to release an album. The reason for that is that when I do it all alone, the flow of the album might be the same [as this album’s]. I think it would be good if I received songs from others, because that would mix different feelings into the album. So in the next album, there will probably be a few songs I got from others.

Hip: On the contrary, do you think of featuring other people in your songs as a producer and make an album out of it?

Gi: I am thinking of a producer album. It is even in progress. It hasn’t progressed far but I consider making remixes of Swings’ old songs. It won’t be a complete featuring album but I will probably put in some [featurings] into the remix album.

Hip: You once said that you see yourself as a famous composer in five years, are you more ambitious about being a composer than an MC?

Gi: I want to do it all. In Roller Coaster, there’s a person called Jinu. When he was active in a band, he called himself Jinu and during other activities he goes by the name Hitchhiker. He is active in a band and as a composer at the same time, which I think is a good image. Showing oneself as a composer as well as a musician is what I want.

Hip: As shown in the ‘the New Wave’ interview, in which you also participated, many of the other persons that were interviewed with you tend to be young. I think the whole [hip hop] scene is undergoing a shift in generations right now, where the young people are on a rise. How do you see the scene’s atmosphere?

Gi: I like doing things alone, so I don’t know about that well (laughs), but I think the generations are merging well. If I have to choose something I regret, it would be for the veteran MCs to do a bit more with the rising MCs.

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Hip: Now to the last fan question: I think you have enough appeal to go mainstream. Are you thinking of doing so if you get the chance? (ID: fuck123)

Gi: Totally often. But I don’t want to change because of that. Regarding that point, I respect Verbal Jint. And 10cm. They are doing their thing and receive acknowledgement from the public. If the chance I am thinking of comes, I want to go mainstream.

Hip: Please tell us about your plans for 2013.

Gi: I am working on my next album, I think it is about 20% finished. So to speak, three albums are in process. While making my full-length album, I think “I should put this track in a different album” but there are no details, I am just making songs for now. I should do a solo concert but nothing detailed is set yet, I am just thinking of doing so.

Hip: In the end, say something to the fans who love your music.

Gi: Thank you (laughs). I will do my best from now on.

 

Interviewer: Lee Inhye (twitter, facebook)

Photos (and video) directed by: SIN (twitter, instagram)

Related Links: Giriboy’s Twitter | Just Music’s Twitter

[ SOURCE | HIPHOPPLAYA ]

Beenzino

Beenzino – Memories of My Bed

Read what Beenzino personally wrote about his bed in Bazaar‘s February 2013 issue.

The bed that is occupying one corner of my room is a tiresome 118 x 208 cm super single size. It looks quite simple, but as if representing the incidents, accidents and memories within it, my bed is always complex and a mess due to scattered garments, blankets and unidentifiable crumbs. How would it be if my bed was located in a public place where anyone could peep in? Aware of people’s gazes, I’d probably decorate it simply and at the same time coolly, as if it was wearing clothes, but I’d definitely be very stressed by it. For me, my bed is existing only in a blind spot where people’s eyes cannot reach, in a very private and most personal space. When I was small and liked to draw by myself, the thing I wanted more than anything was to become a character inside of my drawings. After finishing drawing after several hours, my bed became a kind of stage. Of course I jumped on it! Based on the script I drew in my sketchbook, psycho-like plays started with innocent imagination. I could jump way higher on the bed than on the floor and even if I threw my body on it hard, due to the synergy with the soft bed, the curtains fell successfully.

During elementary and middle school I lived in Munho-ri, Seojong-myeon, Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do. There were no “plays on the bed” anymore but I had a new hobby. Before falling asleep, I turned out the light and tilted my head a tiny bit [lying on my bed], then I could excellently see the night sky through the window, which was sufficiently exciting for me. I could imagine and dream endlessly. If my bed hadn’t been next to the window, or the headboard had pointed the other way, I don’t know if I would have ever become interested in the night sky. And looking back now it was astonishingly good luck. The night sky I saw through the window pane back then, the combination of the stars and the moon was very dramatic and I let myself be captivated by it and fell for that sight. Good music was assisting my “ritual before falling asleep” like a sauce [accompanies food]. Honestly, I don’t know how often but I nearly cried a few times. But really unfortunately, that happiness couldn’t last long. Soon, a ‘love hotel’ for “other adults’ more secret rituals” was established behind our house and in the end, only a red neon sign was shining flashily into my room.

So during high school I used to sleep mostly in the classroom with my arms on my table. When my friends were sleeping sweetly, I was clutching the phone and fighting with my girlfriend all night. Because of the continuous quarrelling until dawn, my bed became stained with anger. With coming and going telephone calls and studying, I ignored the college I got accepted into with difficulty and only worked hard at music. At that time, I lied on my bed while writing stories about the “creaking” world and ironically wrote the lyrics of “Always Awake” too, which are about sleep refusal.

Looking at my bed now, [I think] “that’s how it was back then:” I was quite young, didn’t know this and that, was excited and wrote, those sweet times. I thoroughly remember very trivial incidents. The secret memories buried in my bed. It has been quite some time but the after-images are vivid and lingering heavily. And on 15th January 2013, I am still doing “something” on my bed. Text: Beenzino (musician)

[ SOURCE | BEENZINO FANPAGE ]
Please note that the website including the post with the magazine scans has been deleted.