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).
Review of LATE LEE’s ‘SHOES’ EP
“SHOES” is a solid piece of work from up-and-coming Korean-American rapper LATE LEE. A valiant effort from a young man just scratching the surface of what he can do.
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Release Date: March 31 (SoundCloud)
Label: Empty Sunrise
Available on SoundCloud, Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, and more[/x_toc]
LATE LEE, formerly As If, founder of collective Odd Folks, has been poking around the underground rap scene for a few years now. Through multiple transformations and life-altering experiences the young man has kept a deep hunger in his gut to make a name for himself. That appetite gave way to his first full body of work, the “SHOES” EP.
So much of LATE’s soul is right up front. The Intro’s composition speaks to a life lived in the discipline of music. From the first note there are no surprises. The listener understands that this is going to be an album rife with melodies and an MC’s desire to introduce himself with as much honesty as possible.
A track that saw first light in an Instagram video, “Grungy Love” begins the album in earnest. Jonathan Sim’s production is gorgeous. A dreamy affair, the song creeps over the horizon on a filter-muffled whisper, like sunrise peeking through an early-morning mist. LATE’s delivery is what you’d expect from someone just taking his first steps as a fully realized artist. There are glimmers of a newer MC in him, some baby fat that makes itself most known when he attempts to ride the melody itself. It forces his delivery to come out stilted and unsure. However, when he finds himself involved in the song’s atmosphere, there’s an ease indicative of someone in love with music. It’s the classic dilemma of thinking too hard: trying desperately to cling on to the composition because it’s what you believe you must do.
This lack of confidence manifests itself in the need to devolve into stereotypical ad libs (faux Birdman chirps many Korean-descent rappers rely on to posture as “hardcore” MCs). The sounds distract from what LATE’s trying to accomplish, acting instead as a deterrent for anyone who’ll see through the masquerade and may opt to move on to something different. It’s an unfortunate aspect of his rapping that rankles, mostly because it undermines his potential.
“Sold” gives us our first glimpse of the more abrasive side of LATE. There’s something deceptively playful about the track, as if the listener is on his way to a very sinister carnival. It’s an intriguing melody, both eerie and atmospheric. It would be the perfect platform for an artist like LATE if it weren’t for the intrusiveness of some of the smaller elements.
Again we get more of the manic chirping. The unnecessary vocal effects induce a heavy sigh and eye-roll. Sprinkling them throughout the track does more to annoy than convince any listener that we’re dealing with a serious artist. “Sold” was better left off the EP, released maybe as a standalone if only to dissociate it from LATE’s debut effort. In the future, it’s best he keep the flourishes in the outtakes. “Sold” could have stood on its own legs with the better parts of LATE and AP’s respective verses without the theatrics. The trills just show desperation, a cry to the listener that the MCs feel they have something to prove.
With help from FLANNEL ALBERT, “Star” certainly raises the bar on the EP. Amidst all the brash declarations throughout the album, “Star” stands out because of how understated it is. LATE and FLANNEL have an undeniable chemistry, an ability to mesh voices and visions to create a track that’s as stunning in production as it is in delivery.
LATE is at his most impressive. There are a few false starts, a few moments where the melody outruns him despite his best efforts to keep pace. But overall this is another instance in which the music seemed to speak to him. He seems to be at ease with his surroundings, as if taking a stroll down a familiar street. It makes his delivery more believable. His husky voice at the song’s first bridge is a welcome surprise. With “Star” he allows the melody to be his companion as opposed to a guide holding his hand through the song.
Here too FLANNEL is perhaps at his most musical, just in terms of the tone and tenor of his delivery. Relying mostly on his singing voice here, he pours silk over ferocious lyricism. One can tell that the man was inspired, as if the melody sparked a creative fire within him. His voice is resonant and steady, making “Star” a song that acts as a defining moment on the EP.
The EP’s final song is by far its most aggressive. Taking obvious nods from the Tyler the Creator song of the same name, “Who Dat Boy” gives LATE the opportunity to flex on a track, to give his ego a little room to breathe. Though considering the more melodic offerings prior to the EP’s ending, it may come off a bit disingenuous, an attempt to show that he can be just as hardcore as anyone else. The posturing is unnecessary, but one can’t deny the drive and punch of the track has its merits.
https://youtu.be/YlHXO47pYcw
There’s a nastier edge to LATE’s delivery, a grittiness that may be unexpected for those unused to his music. But take it as a bit of reminiscence on LATE’s part, a look back to his humble origins as trap-rapper Display. The song also acts as another instance in which one can see the ingenious behind LATE’s choice of collaborators. Hoonzie the Cla$$ic matches LATE’s grit with his own sharp tongue. The duo make full use of the production, elevating the sparse beat to a platform for their ministrations.
Conclusion
“SHOES” is a solid piece of work. What does stand out are the collaborations. Not because they outshine him. Quite the contrary. LATE has an ease with those he works with that translates to some truly impressive offerings. There’s the sense that everyone involved is building something special, creating a piece of work that could very well be the tipping point to something monumental for all involved.
The collaborations are effortless, creating an environment on this album of familiarity. It allows the listener to take in the EP wholistically. However disjointed the album may seem at times, there is a story being told here. It’s fitting that its title is “SHOES.” This is LATE taking a journey through his experiences, going through the process of creating his own sound and voice, then following his footsteps back to where it all began. It’s both a walk to who he is now, and then back to who he was as if to say, “I haven’t forgotten you.”
LATE’s flow is indicative of someone navigating his way through the genre, finding his voice, his own cadence. However, Lee is a technician. Make no mistake, this is a man who knows music, has lived with it in his heart since he was a child. His delivery at times seems rushed, a bit forced as if he’s attempting to convince himself of his prowess as an MC. But what he may lack in experience and sophistication he makes up for with vision and a real desire to express himself honestly, no frills or filters.
In that way “SHOES” is the perfect debut. By no means exceptional, what it does is introduce the world to a man with the potential for greatness. It’s the type of drive to improve his craft that endears a rapper like LATE to a discerning public. A valiant effort from a young man just scratching the surface of what he can do.
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Edited by Lena
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Whether he’s mystifying the audience with his live lyricism, or he’s captivating each person in the crowd with a smile that could stop a thousand hearts, DPR Live lives very much in the moment during his performance.
DPR Live is one of those artists whom you hear and never quite believe you’ll ever get chance to see perform in person. At least that’s my assessment. His debut album, 2017’s “Coming to You Live“, was a dream debut for any artist coming out of South Korea’s slew of pop idol releases and hip-hop’s stagnating waters, a combination of both esoteric melodies and rough-ragged MC-ing that was a complete surprise to me when I first listened to it. Anyone who can create something that magical can’t possibly be real. But here we are.
Though not exactly what he intended, DPR Live’s set begins before he even hits the stage. Two words: Christian Yu. Of course, it’s not at all surprising. The “backstage” area was more of an open tent green room that allowed fans in the first row and the photographers in the pit a good glance at whomever’s roaming around. As with many smaller collectives, if one person’s there, the whole family shows up. Likewise, if DPR Live’s giving any performance anywhere, chances are DPR’s founder and biggest advocate is somewhere waiting in the wings (if not on stage). So when a fan standing behind me almost fainted from seeing the lean cut of Yu’s silhouette I wasn’t at all surprised–though I was very concerned for the young woman’s wellbeing.
However, my attention was steadfastly on the stage. The DJ introduces the man of the moment with the ethereal Interlude that was the precursor to the album’s most reflective song: “To Myself.” As the lilting notes of the piano slide through the speakers, the crowd instantaneously reacts, screams and sobs of anticipation arise. Then, after a moment of silence, we get what’s now become synonymous with Hong Dabin’s artistic alter ego: a ’50s radio announcer proclaiming, “Coming to you live!” The roar is incomparable to any other performer up to that point.
DPR Live pulls no punches early on. Clad in a simple T-shirt and a pair of jeans, cap pulled low over his eyes, he’s opted to tease the audience, playing on the waking fantasies of a very estrogen-filled audience. He pauses only a moment, soaking up the adulation from his adoring crowd. Then he launches into the cerebral flirtations of “Laputa.” He’s all intense energy, an intoxicating combination of excitement and ease on the stage that has his audience in fits.
He takes each moment to give reverence to an audience that just over a year ago he wasn’t sure he could pull. Yes, he’s a flirtatious performer, somewhat part-in-parcel for any entertainer who has at least some inkling of his or her effect on an audience. But mostly there’s humility in his swagger. He coasts through his set. There isn’t a track in his repertoire that people aren’t at least familiar with. He takes that knowledge and as with most seasoned performers, implores the audience to sing along with him.
When he does finally remove his hat during the second half of his performance, naturally the audience is both elated and in awe. The sudden surge of adulation does nothing to dim the sharpness of his tongue. As he goes through his newer discography, the audience is there, rooting him on and bolstering his confidence.
It’s when he introduces music that saw him make his first steps into the spotlight where we notice a moment of hesitancy. There’s the question of whether his fame, and by extension the success of his debut album, is a consequence of his collaborations, whether his turn as a viral commodity on YouTube with his participation in the now famous “Eung Freestyle” overshadows his obvious talent.
“This next song I’m gonna play is one of my first,” he says, almost sheepishly. It’s jarring considering all his effervescence and bravado in his performance to this point. When the first notes of “Thirst” ring through, the audience is right there with him. The eyes of many in the front row sort of gloze over, the memory of the first time they’d heard DPR Live almost overwhelming them. The man himself is equally overwhelmed with the knowledge that, yes, his artistry is not only appreciated but loaded as a gift.
Meanwhile, the smile never leaves his lips. DPR Live is a man with an immense joy for what he does. I’m sure every performer that night would say the same thing. His is an abundant happiness. Whether he’s mystifying the audience with his live lyricism, or he’s captivating each person in the crowd with a smile that could stop a thousand hearts, he’s very much in the moment, and his audience happily follows him on his journey.
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