Beenzino is finally returning from his long military service. Refresh your knowledge about this outstanding artist in our Artist Spotlight!
SXSW Artist Spotlight: pH-1
One of H1GHR MUSIC’s newest recruits, pH-1, is making waves as the next Korean-American rapper to bring his brand of hip-hop to South Korea.
About pH-1
Born Park Joon-won (Harry), pH-1 has a readily recognizable style, thanks in no small part to the elegant production of his songs. He wears his influences on his sleeve, citing jazz, neo-soul, and gospel as some of his greatest inspirations. With that wide range of musical interests, pH-1 has managed to create music that’s both cerebral and aurally satisfying.
Growing up in the birthplace of hip-hop, New York, pH-1 certainly had his pick of artists and influences. He first dabbled in music as a singer-songwriter back in 2008. But in 2009 he began to really take an interest in the culture and creativity of hip-hop. He’d write 16-bar raps, record on his Macbook, and continue to hone his craft.
Though he’d always been sure of his path, the criticism from many hip-hop artists and fans that Asian artists face deterred pH-1 from pursuing his passion full-time. He made a conscious decision to move back to South Korea, his home country, giving him the freedom to create his music without judgment. Once there, he found his voice, writing songs that spoke to his experiences and his faith.
Most notable among his tracks were his collaborations with Owen Ovadoz, an artist with whom he formed a long-lasting partnership, adapting the moniker Sous Chefs. Through their collaborations and several tracks (including his official debut single “Perfect,” featuring Owen Ovadoz) pH-1 established himself as an artist to look out for. It was a chance performance at one of Ovadoz’s concerts that garnered him the type of attention he’d need to make a big noise in South Korea.
He certainly caught Jay Park‘s eye. Last year (2017) pH-1 officially became part of the H1GHR MUSIC roster and released his debut EP, “The Island Kid,” in October 2017. The EP highlighted his positive message and dedication to keeping his morals up front and center. It also showcased just how powerful a rapper and artist he is, the acidity of his namesake clearly on display.
SXSW H1GHR MUSIC SHOWCASE
Songs you should know
Sugoi (feat. Rekstizzy)
Perfect (feat. Owen Ovadoz)
Donuts (feat. Jay Park)
Related Links:
SXSW Artist Spotlight: Jay Park
Jay Park is an artist that needs very little introduction. His rise from idol group notoriety to the first Asian-American artist signed to one of
SXSW Artist Spotlight: Keith Ape
He’s one of Korean hiphop’s most polarizing figures, and he plays both sides unapologetically. About Keith Ape Keith Ape isn’t new to music. Back in
SXSW Artist Spotlight: Crush
In the past five years Crush has well established himself as one of Korean R&B’s most creative and sought-after talents. Read about Crush and his showcase at the 2018 SXSW Music Festival!
About Crush
Shin Hyo-seob has been a presence in the Korean music industry for quite some time, making a name for himself as a producer. In 2012, he worked alongside rapper Cheetah, forming the duo Masterpiece. Though their time together was short-lived, it did give Crush the opportunity to flex his musical muscle and really get himself established as a true artist. He released single “Red Dress” in 2012. Quickly word began to spread about this young producer with the eclectic vocal style.
Crush’s official debut came with the release of “Sometimes,” a complex R&B track that blends traditional construction with synthetic strings and a subtle 808. His name continued to crop up in Korea’s underground scene, and eventually he caught the attention of Simon D. All his hard work paid off, and in July 2013 he signed to Amoeba Culture. As the youngest member of the Amoeba Culture family, Crush brought a refreshing mindset to his music: bright, intelligent R&B that manages to be innovative and layered yet still capture the essence of what makes popular music pop. His nuanced approach to R&B meant that those he worked with were also innovators of the genre. Most notable at the time was his work with R&B/Soul singer Zion. T, a man whose name is synonymous with R&B rooted in tradition yet somewhat esoteric in delivery.
He put that attention to detail to work in 2015. Crush’s first full-length album, the aptly titled Crush On You, highlighted his R&B inclinations. However, there was something deeper in his music, a sound that was more well-rounded and grabbed for something deeper than the quick and drippy music that defined the genre in Korea at the time. With high-profile collaborations with the likes of Jay Park, Gaeko, and Simon D, the album propelled him into public notoriety in a big way, garnering both commercial and critical success.
Crush continued to stretch his musical vocabulary with subsequent releases. Between releasing hits between 2015 and 2016, continuing to rack up collaborations (most notably with DEAN and Jeff Bernat on track “what2do” in 2016), he was still pursuing his college degree in music composition. His education was on full display with 2016’s Interlude. The album saw him take a new approach to his music, branching out from the typical R&B that initially garnered him attention and opting for more experimental sounds. It was a bold statement, departing from what was making waves in Korea at the time of its release. But Crush handled that with the same earnestness that brought his name to the forefront.
He continued to form meaningful relationships, establishing his own “crew” with artists Elo, Gray, LOCO, and longtime friend Zion. T. He then became part of the now semi-infamous Fanxy Child crew with ZICO, Penomeco, and the founding members of club e$kimo, DEAN and producer Millic. Following the experimentation of Interlude, Crush released the Wonderlust EP. While Interlude was Crush as an ambitious artist, Wonderlust focused more on Shin Hyo-seob the technician — and most importantly, the man. Fans were given a deeper appreciation of his jazz and old-school soul inclinations, borrowing a bit from the stylings of artists found on the legendary Blue Note label.
Crush continues to be an artist fans of honest-to-goodness music flock to. His sound is ever-evolving, but he always maintains his foundation. Though not his first visit to the States, this will be his first time on a South by Southwest stage. He’s sure to gain much more attention and win the hearts of music lovers.
SXSW KOREA SPOTLIGHT (18+)
Location: The Belmont
Date: March 18, 2018
Time: 10:10 PM – 10:50 PM
Official article: Korea Spotlight
Songs by Crush you should know:
“Red Dress” (feat. TakeOne) (Dec 2012)
“Sometimes” (April 2014)
“Hug Me” (feat. Gaeko) (Jun 2014)
“Sofa” (Oct 2014)
“Just” (with Zion. T)” (Jan 2015)
“Don’t Forget” (feat. Taeyeon) (Jan 2016)
“In the Air” & “Woo-Ah” (live)
“Nostalgia” & “Fall” (Oct 2016)
RELEVANT LINKS:
SXSW Korea Spotlight
SXSW Artist Profile – Crush
Follow Crush:
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SXSW Artist Spotlight: DPR LIVE
One of the most dynamic debuts of 2017 came compliments of rapper DPR LIVE, who will be performing at the upcoming Korea Spotlight during the
Artist Spotlight: offonoff (Colde and 0channel)
In this episode of Artist Spotlight, guest writer Amy shares her passion for the HIGHGRND collective offonoff.
Artist Spotlight: Benini
Pascal is a huge fan of rapper/producer Benini and decided to share his passion for Benini’s music with you via HiphopKR’s Artist Spotlight. Read on and discover the surprisingly great number of famous artists Benini has worked with.
Artist Spotlight: G.Nine
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!
Artist Spotlight: Pe2ny
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.
Hello,
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.
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Pe2ny
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
my favorite Pe2ny tracks.
“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.
“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]
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!