Korean hiphop sensations DPR LIVE and DPR IAN delivered a standout performance at Coachella 2023, showcasing their unique blend of Western and Korean influences and solidifying their place as leaders in the global music scene.
I wanted this to be a short-ish review. None of the purple dramatics I tend to engage in when talking about music that really impacts me. But Samuel Seo’s latest release deserves the time to dissect. The second in his UNITY series, UNITY II sees Seo crafting and molding a genre he’s connected with into something viable in the landscape of South Korean music. He has quite literally “created” the neo-soul genre in South Korea
All quarantine ain’t created equal. For those trapped in an abusive situation, this self-isolation is hell. What’s more, so few people are actually talking about it that when someone mentions it everyone takes a collective gasp. That almost goes double for women living in South Korea. Keeping quiet because that’s what’s expected. Any attempt to speak up can be met with a societal fist to the face more biting than that of their tormentor. “More than ever,” Man1ac’s collaboration with Ann One and Basick, is both timely and shocking because of just how rare it is.
If you’ll remember from my first exploration of R&B newcomer Syn, I made the observation that she wears her influences on her sleeve. With her latest double single release, “mmm”, she’s shown that even within the space of paying homage she’s a vocalist with some incredible maturity.
Rapper Wonjae Woo, now known as simply Woo, has a reputation as one of Korea’s most unapologetic rappers. He speaks his truth regardless of what people think. His music always has a sort of eerie slant to it. His latest single “USED TO” is no exception. In it he reveals the truth about his past and flings it back in the faces of his detractors. Naysayers and gossipers who don’t care about how he got where he is now.
On August 12, V1NOand West Coast rapper IV released “I’m Lovin’ It.” This is an interesting song choice for V1NO given his track record with more brooding, atmospheric music. However, dig a little deeper. Every part of this song was created with intention.
After Hours is a very interesting collective. The overall color and style of each MC doesn’t really differ that greatly. Each rapper seems prime for a fight. Ready to scrap at the first hint of someone showing them or their circle disrespect. “What Are We Doing” is an album from a group itching for a brawl. The kind of piss and vinegar on display at certain points of this album is actually breathtaking.
Pure Aggression
How does one describe “What Are We Doing”? In a word: Aggressive. The young men of After Hours don’t do anything by halves. Whether that’s a product of de facto leader Aydioslio’s personal drive and ambition or a need to prove a point. Without a doubt, these MCs hit fast and hard.
From first note to last, the pacing, delivery, and lyrical content is full throttle. “Hard Rock” and “Gyarados” set the tone almost recklessly. After Hours introduces themselves with a series of gun bars that would make the MCs in the Gun Titles crew nod their heads in surprised approval. (“Hit them with that two-two-three, I hit ’em out. You can’t talk that shit with that shit in your mouth”; “Hard Rock”)
Yes, lyrically After Hours doesn’t stray too far from their peers as far as composition and even lyrical content. Trap conventions with bits of rap-sing to perhaps soften the more combative lyrical content. Even the playfulness in GRP-produced tracks like “On Mama” and “Slob on My Nob” fill the listener with a feeling of unease. (“Shut that mouth. Watch me flip your insides out”; “On Mama”) There’s a threat in nearly every lyric. It makes the relative sameness in the production less of an issue.
Crocodile Tears
Indeed production-wise, the album is pretty one note. The backing tracks all pretty similar with little variance. The musical aspect doesn’t really start in earnest until “Monsoon.” Then again, the music very obviously takes a backseat to the MCs in After Hours. As with a great deal of contemporary hip hop, the music is just a vessel.
It’s interesting, then, that just when the album begins to explore a different production perspective, the song style and lyrical content becomes less assertive. From the violent promise of the first third, “What Are We Doing” moves into heavily Drake-inspired crooning. Songs about sexual conquests, pseudo-affection, and crocodile tear-stained laments of momentary heartbreak.
The sudden shift from men ready for a brawl to a young man who fashions himself a sensitive lothario is jarring. It threw me enough out of the album that I had to listen to it in pieces over several days afterward. This second third of the album feels less genuine. There’s less at stake and even less emotional weight. (Even if that emotion is just raw and unfiltered hostility.)
Then the last third of this album… Damn!
Ruthless!
Beginning with “Wayne Popskiii” After Hours is out for blood. Each song is so aggressive, it might influence some listeners to make dangerously foolish choices.
“Wayne Popskiii” drives home just how nasty these guys are on a beat. A song that gives me serious “Groovy Tony” vibes. Perhaps not in terms of how lethal it is. But certainly in how dark it is in tone and delivery. That sensation that someone’s watching me creeping up the back of my neck. I believe the MCs.
They go for the jugular. Each word slicing like a serrated knife. (“I got a sweatshop worth ethic. I don’t give a single fuck. You cannot get a dollar outta me. I’m a p-i-m-p. And I feed my family. Lookin’ at you little motherfuckers, and I cannot understand why none of y’all can’t be authentic. Ode to your mama and a your daddy a bitch. And they had them a bitch. Man, ain’t that bitch?”)
Meanwhile, “Pyr.exe” has some of the album’s most interesting production choices. Carrying the conceit of a “cursed” or corrupted computer program so far as to influence the way the MC delivers his bars.
“Okay, Alright” re-introduces LATE LEE. I’ve talked ad nauseum about this young man’s continued evolution. He’s leveled up in an almost sinister way on this track. He doesn’t raise his voice a la “Bitch.” But he doesn’t rely on overexaggerated growling as with “Who Dat Boy.” Instead, he opts for quiet. Subdued. His delivery exerts its authority in a way I’ve not heard from him. There’s something dangerous in the quietness. Something that lurks in the shadows ready to attack.
“Warriors, Come Out to Play!”
“What Are We Doing” as a whole is a bit disjointed musically and thematically. However, there is a thick red line running throughout each track. The MCs. These young men know they’re bad. When they decide to get really serious, ladies and gentlemen, watch out. The last four songs on this album… I just have to shake my head with a snicker.
It goes without saying these gentlemen are smart MCs when inspired. For instance, note the intelligence of the double meaning of “Pyr.exe.” A funeral fire for all their victims meets the durability of Pyrex against any kind of heat.
I’m reminded of cult film “The Warriors.” A gang called the Baseball Furies. They enter the scene quietly, menacing, with malicious intent on their faces. Bats swinging a warning to their foes. Their presence alone gives one directive. Run. That same unease, fear for one’s safety oozed thick and nasty through the final third of this album. Even the album artwork is foreboding. A combination of the Dead Tree from “Pan’s Labyrinth,” Cerberus, and the goat horns of an archaic demon!
“What Are We Doing” they ask. The most, After Hours! You’re doing the absolute most. I tell you what. I’m here for it. Keep on like this. The sheer bravado and ballsy brashness shown here suggests there’s more up your sleeves.
I’m going to keep this short and sweet: The KODE82 remix to track “POSSE” goes. so. HARD! It’s like the first time you listen to Schoolboy Q’s “Groovy Tony” or Dr. Dre’s “Talk About It.” When I get in the mood to hear just straight bars and I watch a Loaded Lux or Iron Solomon battle.
When I first heard there was a Korean hip-hop group going by the name LOS LOKOS, using Mexican imagery, I was hesitant. Of course, this was before I realized a member of the group is, in fact, from Mexico. The knowledge that an integral part of their existence is their producer and beatmaker, PhreDdy M., softens the side-eye. It also helps that PhreDdy M. makes use of musical elements from his culture to add some genuine dimension. Elements not often seen in mainstream Korean hip hop.
Fast forward about eight months later, PhreDdy collaborates with Korean rapper Mckdaddy. The single makes its way to my inbox. I open the file, and… I don’t quite know what I expected when I pressed play. But I assure you it wasn’t this.
“WILD” is a song plucked straight from the 1990s. A song sculpted from Chicago’s inner city. Its saxophone foundation pays clear homage to the likes of Queen Latifah’s “U.N.I.T.Y.” (Which in itself sampled The Crusaders classic “A Message from the Inner City.”) It has the same eeriness of a song like Quincy Jones’s classic “Summer in the City.” Oppressive heat bouncing between monolithic buildings made of metal and glass. Seeping into the concrete of the sidewalk. Clothes sticking to the skin, adding another layer of weight to the backs of people stuffed into an overcrowded neighborhood.
Of course, these are just the images I get from PhreDdy M.’s saxophone sample. The rest of the track still carries a heavy ’90s influence. That being said, there’s a bombardment of sound. From the saxophone, to the wind effects, to the roar of a lion, to what sounds like a James Brown squall, it’s a cacophony. All these added effects almost cover up the typical trap stutter beat that much of today’s current Korean hip hop relies on. It nearly drowns out the actual vocal. But Mckdaddy does have an aggression to his delivery that manages to coincide with PhreDdy M.’s zealous production.
“WILD” is a decent track. Certainly makes use of heavy nostalgia to appeal to someone like me who grew up in hip hop’s “Golden Era.” Broken down to its barest elements, it’s nothing different than what’s currently trending. I can certainly appreciate how PhreDdy M. makes use of sampled brass and Mckdaddy’s bite. Once the nuance fades and the nostalgic excitement settles, however, we’re left with a song that relies on too many competing elements. Sax. Growls. Yelps. Wind. Heavy bass. Trap beat. Aggressive rap delivery. It’s a wall of sound that seesaws between anthemic banger and overstimulating noise. It just depends on the listener’s mood which one it is.
“WILD” is being released tomorrow, June 19 (Friday).
At this point you must be sick of me saying it. But I can’t help myself. Samuel Seo does NOT make bad albums. Every time he releases something it just reinforces my claims. His most recent EP, D I A L, taps into something earthier in the artist. While The Misfit was mostly bright, this five-song album is drenched in darker hues. Every bit of it’s just swimming in the earth tones of classic neo-soul.
