Independent artist and R&B singer-songwriter Cherry Coke has garnered a lot of attention over the past year through her music releases and featured tracks. Back in 2014, the artist first debuted under her first name Sunkyung with her single ‘Beautiful Things’ with rapper Eun-P. Two years later, her first mixtape titled Here(2016) dropped on her SoundCloud and comprised of five tracks and featured rapper Mac Kidd. Along with several featuring in tracks by SLEEQ, Andup, J’Kyun, and Nuttyverse, Cherry Coke released her first solo single titled ‘UP‘ which comprised of the tracks ‘Like I Do‘ and ‘Drive‘. Most recently, in August 2017, Cherry Coke released her single ‘Don’t Kill My Vibe‘.
Cherry Coke is debuting with her new single ‘Iloveyourcheek‘ on January 21 at 6PM KST.
We wanted to know more about Cherry Coke so we conducted a short interview with the artist. Be sure to check out her new single and keep an eye out on this up and coming artist!
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.
On October 27, Hi-Lite Records artist G2 was invited back to perform at the 2017 Dallas Korean Festival. Read our exclusive interview with G2 conducted
Meet rookie producer plusNONE who co-produced Primary’s latest mini album ‘Shininryu’. Get to know him and his music and find out about his work with Primary in this exclusive interview!
When I read that Primary collaborated with a rookie producer for his latest album ‘Shininryu‘, my curiosity was instantly piqued. Fortunately, the opportunity to interview the Coliseum Records producer came by soon after and I was able to get answers to all the questions I had.
INTRODUCTION
First of all thank you for interviewing with us. Please introduce yourself to our readers! What’s good everyone, my name is plusNONE.
What is the story behind your artist name? So I actually used to go by the name Sleep2 (2014-early 2017), but changed it recently to plusNONE as I got to Korea due to there being a rapper here that goes by Sleepy. Having to rebrand was tough, especially since I’d been going by that name for a few years and fighting to get my name out there, and having the 2 in my name while performing in America was a big challenge since most people don’t initially understand. As a result, it actually took me a few months to come up with a new name, and by the time I set my mind on plusNONE there were only a few weeks til the album release, ha! As for the meaning behind the name though, simply put it’s my initials (pl) plus nobody else but me.
MUSIC
I’ve heard you used to be a DJ. Is this how you first got into making music? I still am a DJ! But I actually started DJ’ing a year after I started making beats. I had my heart set on making music since I was in high school but didn’t have the equipment and know-how to get started.
[gap size=”40px”]
In addition to DJing, you compose and arrange music. Are these self-taught? I bought my first MPC (drum machine) my senior year of high school and started watching a bunch of Youtube tutorials and kept learning more and progressing as time passed. I knew how to play the guitar prior to starting so I took all the chords I knew and taught myself how to play them on the piano. I also majored in Jazz Theory & Audio Engineering and that’s helped me tremendously.
What music do you usually listen to? Does it influence the music you produce? I listen to a lot of Hip-Hop/R&B, but I’m also really big on Future Beats and so I listen to a lot of producers/artists off of SoundCloud. To get a better idea of what Future Beats sounds like, check out Soulection Radio! Some of my favorite producers in the scene are Sángo, ESTA, & KAYTRANADA. I’m very influenced by everything I listen to and love, and I’d say my style is a direct reflection of that.
SHININRYU
Is ‘Shininryu’ the first officially released album you were involved in? Yeah it’s my very first official release and also my first time working with artists from Korea in general!
How did you meet Primary and get to work with him? I met Primary back in December (’16) while he was doing work in New York for a few months. A mutual friend/mentor of mine invited me to a listening session and told me to bring a folder full of beats with me, and so I got to show Primary a bunch of my demos. We exchanged contact info and a few weeks later he asked if I’d be interested in flying out to Seoul to do some production work for a few months, and so I got to Korea in March and the rest is history.
On Instagram you mentioned that you were amazed when you first heard the ‘Primary and the Messengers’ LP. What did you like about it? “Primary & The Messengers” is what got me so into the K-HipHop scene in the first place. Before listening to “Messengers” I was a fan of a few Korean rappers/groups like Epik High, Tiger JK, & Dynamic Duo but the features on that album exposed me to a bunch of different new artists. What really amazed me though was the beats in general. I was already really into songs with jazzy chord progressions and Primary mixed that together with retro/electronic sounds on top of hiphop/R&B drums and I hadn’t heard anything like it at the time.
Title track of ‘Primary and the Messengers’ LP: ‘? (Question Mark) (Feat. Choiza, Zion.T)’
Did Primary already have a concept or a specific genre in mind when he asked you to work together? I don’t think he really had anything in mind yet. I wasn’t even exactly sure what I’d be working on until I actually got to Korea.
What was it like to work with Primary and how did you approach the production process? As far as the album goes, I’d made a bunch of beats/sketches while I was still in New York. When I got to Seoul I sent Primary a bunch of my project files and there was a lot of space on the beats for him to add his touch, and he sent me some of his beats for me to add to and we kept going back and forth like that. In total we ended up with about 8-10 tracks and so Primary suggested we put them all together and get an album going. The overall style of the album was very different from what Primary normally does, and with me being a new/upcoming producer we thought it’d be a good to set the concept as the “Next Generation,” with all the features being rising/upcoming artists who we think will be really big soon.
An experienced producer like Primary must be a good source of inspiration and skills. Did you learn anything new while working with him? Oh, for sure. Primary is/has been one of my favorite producers and so working with him is an honor. I learned a lot about how the music industry in Korea works, the process behind putting an album together, and of course I’ve improved a lot as a beatmaker.
Did you encounter any difficulties working with him? I wouldn’t say there were any difficulties between us, but there were definitely difficulties getting the album together. There were several other artists we would’ve loved to feature on the album but things didn’t work out due to conflicts like schedules not working out. We were also aiming to release the album much earlier but had some issues receiving a fixed date, which led to it being pushed back, but it’s out now so it’s ok.
Which song is your favorite and why? I love every track, but I will definitely say I’m most proud of the beat for “Baby.”
Are you happy with how the album turned out? Definitely! It’s been a overall great experience and everybody involved did amazing.
FUTURE
You’ve worked with a number of talented singers and rappers for this album. Which Korean or international artist/s would you like to work with in the future? I’d love to work with Crush & SUMIN in the near future!
SUMIN’s latest music video ‘Sparkling‘, the title track of her second mini album of the same name
Do you have any upcoming plans or projects you can tell us of? I definitely have another project in mind that I’d like to get going ASAP.
CLOSING
Any closing remarks for the international fans? Honestly, thank you to anyone taking the time to read all of this. I was just a fan myself not too long ago so this is all very crazy to me. I hope you’ll all get to know about me and stay tuned for my upcoming releases!
New Jersey-based Korean American artist Absint, who recently competed on Show Me the Money 6, sits down with HiphopKR to share his story on how he became an artist, his signing with the music label Cycadelic Records, and his experience on Show Me the Money 6.
On July 13, 2017, I had the opportunity to sit down with Queens-born American artist Koncept who shared his experience in Seoul, South Korea. We discussed topics including his latest album 14 Hours Ahead, his recent signing with Vismajor Company, and his upcoming projects.
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.
Meet Metaphaurus Raps: a twenty-two year old, Santa Clarita-based Korean American rapper. With a distinct voice, Metaphaurus has been making waves. Having recently participated in
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.”
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.
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.
