We are delighted to begin accepting questions to be incorporated in our next exclusive interview with hiphop/R&B artist Rico! See within for details.
Signed to hiphop label Daze Alive along with Jerry K., Sleeq, and Don Malik, Rico has announced that he will be releasing a new single later this week. Until that track drop, we will be collecting your thoughts and questions to be used in the interview (deadline: Sunday, September 20th).
Here’s the details on how you can have your questions on our next interview:
Info: ‘작두’ (jakdoo) are old Korean straw cutters on which shaman’s walk barefooted (as can be seen on the artwork of RHYME-A-‘s remix) to show off their divine power.
Both remixes were well-received by fans. Jerry.k commented on his remix: “That person suddenly came, so I tried this,” implying that he was being ‘possessed by god’ like a shaman and thus tried ‘walking on the jakdoo’. Jerry.k’s remix received attention for his expressing his opinion on Show Me The Money, especially the controversial ‘cypher’.
Listen to Jerry.k’s remix that came out yesterday and RHYME-A-‘s remix that came out today!
Hook)
I get ma energy from ma inner G
I get ma energy from ma inner gang
I get ma energy from ma inner galaxy
Nobody can even fake it, can imitate
I get ma energy from ma inner G
I get ma energy from ma inner gang
I get ma energy from ma inner galaxy
Nobody can even scheme it, can imitate
Verse 1)
The top keeps spinning, my dream will never stop
Your head is my totem, I don’t stop
So I get ma energy from moving
up, and down again, my fingertips ride waves
they make me get up, I just wait
uh for the sun to set. PM and AM
are interchanged on my watch. A huge cerebrum
I vomit out the right part, ah, ah, I made it again((Wordplay: “vomit out,” “made it again,” and “more to achieve” (see following line) all sound similar in Korean))
Ah, there are still way more things to achieve
Boom boom, I fly while just exploding my potential
A shower of cheers like light above the clouds, they growl
That is my energy, my guarantee, that is my power
Climb)
I get ma energy from ma inner G
Hook)
I get ma energy from ma inner G
I get ma energy from ma inner gang
I get ma energy from ma inner galaxy
Nobody can even scheme it, can imitate
I get ma energy from ma inner G
I get ma energy from ma inner gang
I get ma energy from ma inner galaxy
Nobody can even fake it, can imitate
Verse 2)
Ma energy ma flow
I don’t ever confine you, I just let you flow
Following that blood vessel there, making natural movements
The greatest feeling possible of being moved by music
I brag all the time, I brag lika python
Music is my asset, so I am rich alright
The most expensive amongst my accessories are
ma energy, ma flow
Outro x4)
Uh uh, you just follow ma energy ma flow
//
Hook)
I rap I swag I brag lika python
I rap lika python
I swag lika python
I brag lika python
I rap I swag I brag lika python
I rap lika python
I brag lika python
Ay
Verse)
daze alive,((Sleeq’s label)) lil colossus,((= Sleeq; reference to her song ‘Little Colossus’)) we’re ready
Jerry((Jerry.k is the CEO of daze alive)) got the python,((= Sleeq)) the rarest item
It’s a role that nobody in this game can manage to play
Not a bitch not a hoe, cause I’m not a prostitute
My occupation is being a rapper, an iron bowl((Implies that she / her presence in the scene is strong; also see here))
I do not take off my clothes, I told ya I’m not a prostitute
I’m making a living by using my voice, right, uh
It’s a commotion, “Who’s that kid?”
Uh, yes I’m small and spicy, jalapeño
After listening, everyone is astonished((Pun; in Korean, to be astonished lit. means ‘to brandish the tongue’ → because she’s spicy (see previous line) ))
But I still have a lot to do, like Al Pacino when he finished ‘The Godfather’
After that: Scarface, Montana shit
One out of all kinds of rumors:
people talk about which female rapper is the best these days
Stop talking about looks, in this scene
there is exactly one proper female rapper
Without a break, I run, I run, I run like a marathon
The bastards who thought it was short-distance now have a stomachache
They’re jealous of what I do((Pun; in Korean, jealous lit. means ‘to have a stomachache’ (see previous line) ))
Now their heads hurt from looking up at me
This battlefield is like The Matrix,
virus vs. vaccine((Implies that Sleeq is the vaccine to the viruses aka the other (female?) rappers.))
I’m the one player that will survive
I fight until the end, I never withdraw((Pun; in Korean, “not withdraw” here is ‘안철수’ (ahn cheol soo), and Ahn Cheol-soo is a businessman and politician who ran for presidency in 2012 but dropped out))
I’m curious about my next verse
My greatest trait is that I get better and better
Since I first grabbed the mic, it has never changed
Like a knitted sweater you’ve worn for a long time, it just rucks up((In Korean, “to ruck up” lit. means ‘to go up’, ‘to get better’))
When I go up, your senses decline
I’m sorry, my cellphone will apologize instead((Pun; in Korean, apologize (사과) can also mean ‘apple’ → reference to her cellphone being an iPhone))
When my lyrics are innovative, expectations are a component
Like a dog that is losing its baby teeth, I’m biting everything
Read the exclusive Q&A with Sleeq from June 2014 where she answered questions by fans. The original post can be found here.
Hello. I am Sleeq. I am a hip hop artist with daze alive music. Through this interview, I hope to be able to communicate closer with listeners from outside of Korea. I sincerely thank everyone who sent in questions.
@swirlsof asked: What and who inspired you to join the khiphop scene and be a rapper?
In middle school, I received an mp3 player for my birthday. Back then, around 30 songs could fit on the small mp3 player but I found fun in filling it with songs and then removing them again. I wanted to listen to songs that were far from mainstream and started to search the internet. The album I got at that time was Soul Company’s The Bangerz and the moment I listened to it, I fell for the rap genre. So I searched for more hip hop music to listen to, tried writing similar rap lyrics and that is how I ended up here. Out of Soul Company’s artists, I listened a lot to Loquence and Choijeokhwa’s((Choijeokhwa (최적화) was a rap duo consisting of Fana and Kalnal.)) music so the lyrics I wrote at that time are extremely dark and full of rhymes. The rapper I listened to the most is, as expected, Jerry.k and now I am making music together with him!
arbeloaman asked: What’s it like being a girl in a primarily male-dominated scene? @swirlsof asked: Have you ever felt intimidated?
Instead of feeling intimidated, it is quite difficult to be tender and affectionate. Many people are more at ease with people of the same gender than of the other gender and can communicate closer with them. That goes for me too, so I think I cannot get closer to male rappers than being their colleague, if I do not purposely act friendly and close to them. I rather stand more on ceremony when talking to them and treat them as colleagues. However, when I meet a female rapper, I am happy and try to get close to her.
arbeloaman asked: Do people tend to treat you differently for being a girl?
I think that is something that cannot be avoided. Since I am a woman, male rappers cannot treat me like their ‘brother’. However, in a way, my unsociable personality is one reason too. If I am more successful in the future, I want to have the courage to approach and greet them first.
@swirlsof asked: Do you feel pressured to perform better in order to succeed as a female rapper?
I always try hard to overcome the weaknesses I have because I am a woman. It is a huge burden and, just like anyone else, I feel uneasy about the future everyday so I am concerned about trying to do better. Nevertheless, on the other hand there are not many female rappers in Korea, which is why I also think that if I just do my best, I can very well be successful.
@bangnimed asked: Do people ever underestimate you as a female artist?
I am not sure. That might happen after my full-length album and a lot more of my music has been released for people to judge me by, but I do not think I have been underestimated until now. Since there are not many female rappers in the Korean hip hop scene, I think I rather get overestimated(?).
arbeloaman asked: Who are some of your favorite hip hop artists (American or Korean)?
There are countless. I like nearly all the artists that you like.
@SeraPJFR asked: Are there any plans to make a music video?
Yes. I want to shoot a music video one day. I am working hard on my full-length album at the moment and I want to shoot music videos for a couple of its songs. However, I do not know yet when exactly it will be released, so I want to take my time thinking about music videos.
@SeraPJFR asked: Are there any plans to make a collab with a rapper, like with Ugly Duck before?
I have never featured on one of Ugly Duck’s songs but he featured on my mixtape before. I like featuring very much and I hope many people will contact me [to ask me to feature on their songs]! As long as it is not inevitable, I am doing all [the collaborations] I can.
sugamoanster asked: What are your TOP 5 favorite songs of the moment please?
The Weeknd – Adaptation
Christon Gray – Roses 101 After All
HS87 – Grindin’ My Whole Life (feat. nNo, B. Carr, Hit-Boy, Big Hit, Audio Push, Bmacthequeen & Kent M$ney)
Conner Reeves – Ordinary People
Bruno Pelletier – Le Temps des Cathédrales
And the songs of my full-length album that I am working on!!
@itsmydari asked:How do you normally write lyrics and where do you get your inspiration?
It happens so often that I get inspired to write lyrics, that there is no “normally”. Sometimes I suddenly think of a first line, sometimes of the hook first, sometimes of the subject … I am making great efforts to get inspiration by all imaginable means. And when I write the lyrics after having been inspired like that, I place the greatest importance on the sense of rhythm.
Note: We would like to thank everyone who sent in questions and of course we also thank Sleeq for taking her time to answer the questions and even write her own introduction! We wish Sleeq all the best and we are looking forward to her full-length album!
After the disbandment of Soul Company, artist Jerry.k officially announced his new label daze alive music and introduced two new members Rico and SLEEQ. To celebrate the creation of
