Name: Benini Korean: 베니니 Previously: Chillin Monster (칠린 몬스터), Urban Boy (어반보이) Real Name: Daekwang Kim (김대광) Date of Birth: September 12, 1988 Hometown: Ulsan
The second article in our Artist Spotlight series is here! This time, fellow Khiphop fan and guest writer Eigell tells us how she discovered a promising artist of the underground scene, and even interviews him!
[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text] Name: DinoSoul Read: dee-noh-soul Korean: 디노소울
HiphopKR’s new series is written by you, the fans! In each part, a fan introduces one of their favorite artists, sharing all the important facts and their favorite tracks! In this first installment, Chris introduces you to Pe2ny.
I am Chris. I am an American living in Korea and have been an avid fan of Korean hip-hop for six years and counting. Now that I am close to the music I enjoy, I spend some of my off-time attending concerts and collecting CDs. If you would like, you can follow me on Twitter.
There lies a large amount of talent in the KHH pool of producers. Even casual listeners are aware of Gray, Tablo, Tukutz, Quiett, Primary, and DJ Soulscape. Big-name artists like Dok2 can have their production talents overshadowed by their rap. Did you know that Dok2 produced music for Leessang, Garion, and made an entire instrumental album? Beyond the big-name producers, other talent regrettably gets glossed over. Producers like Smokie J, Keeproots, G-Slow, or Analozik will be after-thoughts on worn-out CD jackets for many. One producer has maintained my interest for years over all the others. Pe2ny has been producing before KHH ever reached a mainstream audience. He produced music since the MasterPlan albums 1999 and the early 2000s. His style is versatile ranging from hard-hitting diss songs to bangers to jazzy hip-hop. In addition to his impressive range of styles, he also works with a high caliber of artists. Pe2ny has produced for Epik High, Vasco (editor’s note: now Bill Stax), The Quiett, Kebee, Born Kim, Paloalto, Dialogue, MYK, and countless others.
[x_button shape=”square” size=”small” float=”none” href=”https://hiphopkr.com/artist-profiles/pe2ny/” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover”]Check out Pe2ny’s profile![/x_button]
began his hip-hop producing career on the “MasterPlan Hip Hop 2000” album. He participated in the song “Get Down” by Southside Allstarz and in a collaboration with DJ Soulscape under the name “Soul Chamber,” made “Gil.” His first EP “Journey Into Urban City” featured a collection of jazzy instrumentals. This EP is now a collector’s item as it cannot be found on iTunes or any of the Korean music portals. The original master recordings were destroyed in a studio flood, making it difficult to reproduce. I highly recommend picking it up if you can find a copy.
After his first album, Pe2ny worked producing instrumentals for a variety of Korean rappers. He developed a close relationship with Epik High and his tracks can be found on “Map of the Human Soul,” “Swan Songs,” “Remapping the Human Soul,” and “Map The Soul.” He worked with Gaknakunae to produce most “Green Tour” and “Mind Body & Seoul.” My personal favorite work during this era of his career comes from “More Than Music” by Infinite Flow.
In 2007, Pe2ny collaborated with Tablo to make an exquisite instrumental album called “Soundtrack To A Lost Film” under the project name Eternal Morning. This album features upbeat jazzy tracks and jarring instrumentals that might be found in the title-referenced film, assuming it existed. By the time 2008 came around, Pe2ny decided it was time to make a hip-hop collaboration album featuring big-name artists rapping atop his instrumentals. “Alive Soul Cuts, Vol. 1” includes Tablo, Yankie and his brother Akira, Mithra, The Quiett, Paloalto, Leo Kekoa, and more. The entire album has neo-acid jazz vibes and the instrumentals themselves were fantastic enough to get their own separate CD release (“Alive Soul Cuts, The Instrumental Session”). As another personal note, this is my favorite KHH collaboration album of all time.
After 2008, Pe2ny returned to producing instrumentals for other artists along with some other album releases, most of which were digital. He also briefly joined the label Soulime Sound for a few years. He released “Alive Soul Cuts, Vol. 1.5,” “Blue Tape” with former Soulime Sound label-mate Krismaze, “Declassification Beat,” and “Night Whisper.” His only other work to see a physical CD release was his 2014 album “Born To Be Blue.” This album features a collection of jazzy instrumentals that can occasionally feel on the airy side. It has a few featurings from MYK, Jolly.V, and others.
Pe2ny left Soulime Sound for undisclosed reasons in either 2015 or 2016. Now he operates independently and has released singles with Born Kim, Vasco (editor’s note: now Bill Stax), Nuck, and others. Many of his instrumentals are now uploaded to his SoundCloud.
I would like to introduce you to a few of
“장마 (Rainy Season) (feat. Mithra)” is my favorite track by Pe2ny, bar none. This song comes from “Alive Soul Cuts, Vol. 1.” The song samples “You’re Right As Rain” by Nancy Wilson. The lyrics flow wonderfully together. A translation can be found here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbrUVTLdjfQ
“Playa’s Diary” is a Trespass song I find myself listening to often. Pe2ny’s instrumental easily makes it the best song on “Love & Show.” The piano notes on top of the “music supposed to be” sample is memorable for me and gets stuck in my head all the time. The song is quite underrated, to the point I could not find a proper video of it on YouTube.
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The last track I would like to leave you with is “백설공주 (Snow White)” by Kebee on “Poetree Syndrome.” The song has an ominous beginning, progresses to a hollowness, and intensely explodes with a screaming woman in the background as Kebee raps with intrepidity.
[x_button shape=”square” size=”small” float=”none” href=”https://hiphopkr.com/translated_lyrics/kebee-snow-white/” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover”]Translated Lyrics of “Kebee – 백설공중 (Snow White)”[/x_button]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isHMyb9vygA
Many thanks to Chris for his valuable, interesting insights and for being the pioneer of our Artist Spotlight!
You too are a big fan of a Korean hiphop artist, no matter if producer, rapper, DJ, designer, active or inactive, 1st generation or rookie? And you think they are not getting the recognition and attention they deserve, or fans just don’t know much about them? This is your chance to support your favorite artist! Tell us about you and the artist you’d like to write about.
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It doesn’t matter if you haven’t written an article before or if you’re not confident of your English skills, we will do our very best to support you if necessary. It is up to you if Artist Spotlight continues as a series or not – don’t let anything hold you back from showing your love!
[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text] Name: Pe2ny (rap name/previously: Penny) Korean:
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[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”2/3″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text] Name: LK Korean: 엘케이 Real Name:
[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”2/3″ style=”padding: 0px;”][cs_text] Name: Rudeka Korean: 루드카 Aka: Dru
