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.
My first experience at the KB RapBeat Festival was certainly a stark example of expectation vs. reality. Let’s just say it was a bitter pill to swallow.
There was a lot of expectation for the ERR;OR Showcase. With the lineup it was easy to believe it was going to be quite a spectacle. Some of the performances were just that: exciting, tantalizing, outrageous. Others… not so much. When it came time for MKIT RAIN to hit the stage, there was a tangible anxiousness in the crowd. As it turned out, the crew was the perfect way to close the evening.
There are few artists who live up to the mystery they project on camera. I can say unequivocally Colde is such an artist. It’s more than just the signature cap he pulls over his head (a seeming trend among artists of this new wave of R&B crooners from Korea).
He’s completely wrapped up in the persona. His aura is tinged blue, thus the deep purple hue he emits under the harsh red stage lights. As the third act of ERR;OR NYC’s showcase at SXSW, the mood of the night changed completely when he stepped up to the mic.
As someone who writes a lot of critique, there are times when you just don’t know what to say. Words quite literally fail you. This is especially true for moments when an experience leaves you so utterly awe-inspired, so emotionally moved the prim professionalism of a music journalist seems petty. This is what happened to me following Epik High’s Austin stop of their North American tour. At times like these there’s really only one thing to say:
Thank you.
Dear, Tablo, Mithra Jin, and Tukutz,
You couldn’t have known this, but April 18 was my first time seeing you live. I didn’t quite know what to expect. I knew you’d blow me away. Word of mouth is the most powerful promotion. Every friend of mine who’d ever been to one of your shows informed me I was in for a wild ride. My day had already been unreal. My Lyft driver was a huge fan of yours. Plugged in his MP3 player, and we jammed to your older music until we pulled up to Emo’s Austin. So (to borrow your words) my high was already epik.
As with every concert of an artist I’ve never seen before there’s a certain level anxiety going in. The atmosphere is electric, to borrow a cliché. Trite as it may be, that’s not an exaggeration. The audience is buzzing with so much excitement, the energy in the room is almost overwhelming. Then comes the flutter. You know, that flutter that burrows in your stomach when you know something magical is about to happen.
The opening act, Yoshi Flower. Anyone who knows anything about Epik High’s musical journey (basically every person in the audience) understands the choice. His sound straddles multiple genres, ranging from the surging popularity of trap to the heartache and clever scorn of Kurt Cobain and even the prettiness of Kate Bush in his vocal tone. The choice to use him as an opening act makes sense. A clear reflection of the type of variety found in your music over the years.
But that’s not what I’m here for, talented as the young man is. I’m here for you. For Epik High. For the group that invented K-pop.
As soon as the music starts, the bass shaking the floor and blasting its way through my limbs, I’m completely transfixed. There’s a certain amount of detachment behind a camera. I see you, but I don’t see you. You’re there, but in another dimension. Trapped in seconds I capture with the click of the shutter. It’s safe, a way to remove the fan from the professional. I have to say, you guys made it damn hard for me to do my job. Yes, I’m here to take pictures and eventually write my impressions of the show. But after a while, none of that matters.
I remember the exact moment when the show stopped being a “job” for me. The first tripped vocals of “Burj Khalifa” stutter through the speakers. Then everything just freezes. I’m transported back to the moment I first heard the song. My first listen through of SHOEBOX. The second song of the evening, and I am blessed with the ability to time travel. The entire show is like this for me. Each song takes me back to a moment in my life where your music was the soundtrack.
This is also the first time I realize something about you. Epik High is more than music. Obviously there’s the humor. The interaction between all three of you is magical. Because you allow us to be a part of it. For the two hours of the show, every member of the audience is a member of Epik High. This is our Wu-Tang moment: We’re all a part of the group, a part of history.
But that’s the thing, isn’t it? We’re all a part of something special. The commentary between songs solidifies an undeniable truth: Epik High is precious to us, and we are precious to Epik High. The moments when you interact personally with fans in the audience. (I’m sure April’s soul left her body when she realized you were speaking directly to her, Tablo.) The entire case of water you empty on the first few rows. Hell, even the outrageous moments of obviously rehearsed but utterly ridiculous choreography. (Tukutz is the true dancing king. No idol even comes close!)
However, the epitome of the Epik High experience. What makes it such an unforgettable night for me? Those moments of utter silence. When the music sort of lingers there like a rain cloud full to bursting. You talk to us. Really talk to us. Sure, we can all sense the humor. But there’s something so sincere, so earnest that it leaves me breathless. Even declarations of not coming out for an encore hold so much weight. Because it’s just you and us. The shouts of “Encore! Encore!” The screams. The seemingly unending chorus of “Epik High! Epik High!” As an audience we are united, a collective family, if only for these couple hours.
Epik High is precious to us.
When you do inevitably come back out to perform “Born Hater,” obviously the crowd is in an uproar. Then the music just stops. Right before the chorus, Tablo reaches within the depths of who he is. With the grace and eloquence of a poet, he expresses the kind of love for his audience that transcends the music. When Tukutz finally lets the beat drop again, Tablo imploring us to join him in his ultimate love word, “WOW!” there’s a feeling in the audience. Excitement is easy. What I feel wash over each and every one of us is acceptance.
We are precious to Epik High.
You all accepted us. Accepted our adoration, but more than anything else accepted our humanity. That’s something that I’ve not felt at a concert before. That I am part of something with depth and meaning. I am part of something magical. You wanna know the feeling I left that show with? Peace. I wasn’t overexcited, wasn’t babbling like a teenager. I was at peace.
So I simply want to say thank you. From the bottom of my heart. This is an experience that I’ll never forget and one that has set a standard for any concert I’ll attend in the future.
Yours truly,
Cy
There’s a certain amount of pride in seeing artists you’ve watched grow get the recognition they deserve, even in small ways. XXX debuted at SXSW performing at the ScratcHouse, a medium-sized venue that houses a stage big enough for a DJ table and a back patio. Fast forward two years. They’ve matured in both sound and musical vision. Their growth doesn’t go unnoticed by the organizers. They land a spot on the largest stage for any Korean act at the festival: the Korean Spotlight hosted by Austin City Limits at the Moody Theater.
On May 4, hiphop label H1GHR MUSIC held their US Tour at 333 Live in Los Angeles. Read our concert review written by guest writer Yasamine (of Pixeletry).
Before we get into the wildness that was the H1GHR MUSIC Los Angeles tour stop, I feel it’s my duty to make for damn sure you all understand just how important this music label is. In the world of Korean hiphop, everyone spends a hell of a lot of time spouting comparisons between K-hiphop and North American hiphop. Understand that there will always be comparisons. That’s what people love to do.
“You can get with this, or you can get with that” – Black Sheep: The Choice is Yours
It’s expected. What wasn’t expected, was Jay Park and Cha Cha Malone bulldozing their way through the barrier not just bringing Asian artists to the forefront, but starting from the ground up, with a foundation solidified in diversity. There are no barriers for H1GHR MUSIC.
The label itself is one that is a strong mix of Seattle-based (and now all over the US) underground rap, hiphop and R&B artists mixed with South Korean artists and producers building a bridge between two worlds that was desperately needed. You see, beyond just bringing Asian artists here to North America, they planted roots here and created an exchange program of sorts, importing and exporting sounds and creativity that are so infectious, that birthed tour that housed sold-out shows and a wild rollercoaster experience beyond language barriers, beyond etiquette barriers, and held together with brotherly love, mutual respect and a damn good mix of talent. Now all they gotta do is bring on some Femcees and Latinx love up in this mix and my world would be complete.
Now that we’ve cleared the air, let’s talk about this wild crazy long night at the H1GHR MUSIC Tour LA stop. Hold on to your hats–this is gonna be an adventure!
The night started with Ted Park, fresh off his chaining at SXSW earlier this year, he’d just cut his long hair and dyed it cherry-bomb red. In his purple track jacket and white sweat band, he pranced around the stage with his adorable dance moves and humble genuine joy to be performing. He hyped the crowd with the tracks ‘Me oh My‘, ‘Me Love‘, and the viral sensation ‘Hello (Who Is This?)‘. It continued throughout the entire night as he popped back up later in the show to perform his newest collab, ‘Hands In The Air‘ featuring Jay Park.
The night was on a strict schedule as Avatar Darko stepped out on stage. Earlier this year he’d dropped the juggernaut mixtape Young Lomachenko with 14 tracks of pure fire. He stood on stage with his long dreads and designer sunglasses. He dedicated the night to his recently passed friend and proceeded to turn up hard to tracks like ‘Putin Work‘, ‘Never Comin’ Down‘, and ‘Xanny Pacquiao‘.
I don’t think anyone prepared me for Woodie Gochild and his … Pants. In his Kelly-green polo shirt and hand-designed super tight mom jeans, I don’t think anyone in the front row breathed throughout his entire set. Dude is small, but he really packs a … punch.
Ya dig?! Most of us stared slack-jawed as he saucily maneuvered about the stage, busting out Latin moves to tracks like ‘Let’s Get It‘, and ‘Muse‘.
Just as the I thought the crowd was about to spontaneously combust from the hotness, Phe Reds took the stage. His gentle lilting voice talked about how he’s working on his first album and only had a few songs for us that night. And then he began to sing. I could almost feel the cool, calming breeze from him. The entire sold-out venue sighed as they fell in love with him. He sang ‘Smile‘ and my personal favorite, ‘We Are The Stars‘, his guitarist taking us through an acoustic performance that dragged us through our feels.
Raz Simone took the stage and sucked the coolness right out from under us … I wasn’t ready as he pounded us with hard-hitting rhymes and his oh-so-sultry voice. With tracks like ‘Clout‘, ‘The Lights‘, and ‘Sometimes I Don’t‘, we rode his wave of energy. At one point he parted the sea, splitting the audience into two sides and performing on the floor with the audience as he ran up and down that makeshift aisle. As the barrier pressed into my ribs, I questioned my life, but it was worth seeing his explosive performance live.
I’m gonna take a moment and just scream at the realization that those of us who caught this performance, got to experience Cha Cha Malone on the mic. Not just as the MC but performing as well. We got a full set of unreleased tracks from his upcoming EP, and let me tell you! They are pure fire! Who knew the producer extraordinaire was hiding such raw talent under his belt! The man can produce, bboy dance, sing, rap … He can probably do my damned taxes!
Jarv Dee is probably one of my personal favorites. I was so surprised at his ability to flip between laid-back and turnt-up demeanor as he spat 4/20 friendly rhymes that had the entire crowd jumping to the beat. His expressiveness, not only in his lyrics but in his face and entire stage presence, is really all the reason you need to see him live. Seeing ‘I Just Wanna‘, and ‘Smoke 2 Much‘ live was pure craziness. The man is just fierce with a mic.
pH-1 exudes dominance. Straight up. There’s no other way to describe him. He seems quiet on stage until he brings that mic to his lips and lets you know the party is on! He takes over your whole world for his set time and you have no choice but to let him drive you through some of the funnest and most poppin’ tracks on the set list. I’ll be honest … I seriously lost my mind when he performed ‘Donut‘. It was really all I needed but of course he did ‘Perfect‘, ‘Game Night,’ ‘Christ’, and others!
Sing it with me now! Iffy Iffy Yah Yah Iffy Iffy Yah! Sik-K took the stage with pH-1 and had the entire audience doing the dance! Let’s be real. I’ve been worshipping the ground Sik-K has walked on since he dropped his first single back in 2015. Seeing him live was the epitome of this show for me. I seriously screamed myself hoarse and sang every song. This ain’t no joke. Seeing him live was it for me. I can die now. And he brought out the big guns dear lord he did not hold back! He performed ‘Party‘, ‘Rendezvous‘, ‘Ex’ (with Cha Cha) ‘Yacht‘, ‘Ring Ring‘ … I mean I could go on! I was hoping for ‘What The Hell’, but unfortunately it didn’t make the roster which is probably a good thing because it would have killed me.
With a finale that included the incomparable Yultron taking to the turntables as a curious DJ Summit stood glued to his hip, watching every move he made on that mixer. The night finished with the H1GHR MUSIC anthem and every member taking the stage. Every artist reached for fans, from pH-1 to Jarv Dee getting out there with those high fives and big smiles. At one point Sik-K reached out, passed the hands next to me and took my hand. This could have been a hallucination as I was in the process of being smashed between the stage and the barrier, fans clamoring to reach their faves. Everyone turned up hardcore and by the time it was over … the rush of adrenaline was just enough to get us through an insanely packed after party.
All in all, I think about the fact that this show was in multiple languages with a talent lineup just as diverse as the packed audience that had started to line up for the show at 9AM that morning. To me, nothing can beat that type of immersive experience because it promotes unity and acceptance. Be prepared, H1GHR MUSIC is just getting started and they’re out to change the game.
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pH-1 captivated the crowd at SXSW’s H1GHR MUSIC Showcase last month. HiphopKR was there–relive the event with us!
Also known as: the time Cy almost died at SXSW.
To be fair, that’s not pH-1’s fault. On the contrary, the first half of the show was a thing of beauty. Honestly, all one needed before entering that show was respect for Jay Park’s vision and an honest-to-goodness appreciation of music. The premise itself was simple: keep an open mind. However, neither the organizers of SXSW nor the company that sponsored the event could’ve predicted what was about to happen at the Main on March 17.
Though this is a look back at a particular performance, I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least mention the show’s host. Jay Park has such an immense vision. Love or hate his music, there’s no way you can deny that his heart’s so incredibly entrenched in music. He has a mind for it like almost no one, an eye and ear for talent that’s enviable. With his lifelong partner in crime, Cha Cha Malone, he’s created a home for untapped potential and underrepresented talent in their global record label H1GHR MUSIC. Being Jay’s second enterprise, it’s safe to say that he certainly knows what he’s doing when it comes to exploring the edges of music’s periphery and bringing some of its lesser known acts to light.
Thus we have pH-1. Though not exactly unknown, his visibility was relegated to longtime fans and followers of the relative underground of Korea’s hip-hop scene. He’d already been spoken of with reverence among and had high-profile collaborations with artists such as Owen Ovadoz and, of course, Jay Park. His signing to Park’s H1GHR MUSIC last year comes as no surprise to those who know him musically.
His reputation far preceded his performance at SXSW. Before even entering the venue, the line rounded two corners, from the east and west, all those in attendance waiting with bated breath for the chance to see some of their favorite artists–among those pH-1. In fact, prior to doors open, the showcase’s artists and hosts made it a point to come out and tease the crowd with a glimpse. Park, Malone, Ted Park, and pH-1 all made small appearances, reveling in the controlled chaos of fans doing what they do best: fangirling.
We come to the opening of the show. Obviously fans are already in an uproar as soon as Park and Malone make their introductions. These two young men certainly have a palpable passion for what they’re doing. Despite Park’s star power, there’s a level of surprise coloring his tone when he realizes the magnitude of the showcase of his label’s namesake. As each artist makes his way to the stage, the energy has an enormous spike. This tremor of excitement reaches a peak once pH-1 begins his set.
In speaking with him, it’s clear just how passionate this man is about his music, about his message. As soon as he alights, he is a marvel. His message is positivity, a vision contrary to the typical subject matter of almost all of hip-hop’s most popular. There’s nothing shy or wilting about the man, let’s be frank. However, his dedication to giving hip-hop a different color, an alternative outlook, could seem to compete with the raunch and raucous of a rap showcase.
Let the record show pH-1 isn’t shy of a little turn-up. In fact, from the first note it’s clear he favors quite heavy turn-up should the occasion call for it. Most certainly, the H1GHR MUSIC Showcase definitely called for it. He ascends from backstage, mic in hand like a hammer, and he goes to town. There’s not a moment of quiet, a moment of the zen chill one expects from someone so dedicated to his message of positivity. He’s all piss and vinegar, this one. A side of snark and a hell of a lot of the flirtatious troublemaker we saw when he made his brief appearance outside the venue, what we have here is a man who knows how to manipulate a crowd.
The crowd isn’t complaining, believe me.
When he goes into some of his more popular hits, the crowd is practically inconsolable. pH-1 certainly has a style that speaks to an audience, a message that resonates. His set at the H1GHR MUSIC Showcase has all the energy and power of his peers. So infectious is his stage presence, Jay Park finds his way on stage during pH-1’s last song of the night, the indisputable bop “Donut.” Their chemistry is amazing, making the stage a playground. Their smiles are so genuine. pH-1 donned a toothy grin from the moment the music started.
I suppose you’re wondering about the whole near-death experience I alluded to at the beginning of this write-up. As I said, not pH-1’s fault. As I also stated, organizers weren’t prepared for just how raucous a crowd of very devoted Korean hip-hop fans are (even considering the diversity of the lineup). Things got out of hand. But not before I got to see just how much control pH-1 has over a captive audience. That is the takeaway from this showcase: pH-1 is a Class A performer.
Edited by Lena
Uzuhan lights up the Kollaboration stage at SXSW. He’s everything you’d want in a rapper and more because so much of who he is is displayed without reservation when the lights are on him and the crowd is at his mercy.
On April 6th, Mad Clown & San E made their second stop at the Highline Ballroom, New York, as part of their month-long “We Want You” Tour.
