On January 29, Masstige of Busan-based label Alive Music has pre-released the single ‘멋 (Feat. G2, Jang Youseok)’ off his first full-length album that will be released this month.
“멋” translates to coolness, style, or swag. In the song, each of the rappers expresses their thoughts about the true meaning of coolness in his own way. The featured artists are Hi-Lite Records’ new member G2 who has recently released the single ‘식구‘ [Family], and Jang Youseok of DIPCOIN and AVLX who has been active as part of ILLAP and Wavisabiroom and recently released his first full-length album ‘장유석’ [Jang Youseok]. Sway D, who has also joined Hi-Lite Records very recently, lend a helping hand in composing and arranging.
Four artists with distinct individualities and strong characters meet on this track. It fully satisfies fans’ expectations for Masstige’s first full-length album that will be released soon.
Credits:
01 멋 (feat. G2, Jang Youseok)
Lyrics: Masstige, G2, Jang Youseok
Composition and arrangement: Sway D
Hook)
At the table is only our family (B-Free: Hi-Lite)
When I eat, my whole family eats too
By any means, me and my team
We gon’ get it, get it
B-Free)
Wit my team, wit my team, wit my team
Wit my team, yeah
Wit my team, wit my team, wit my team
Wit my team, yeah, yeah, yeah (G2: Hi-Lite)
Verse 1: B-Free)
At the table is only our family
Getting cream, riding with my team, The Fast and the Furious
If you’re not part of my team, fuck off, my mood right now
Who the fuck are y’all, who the fuck is you? (Hah?)
We don’t know y’all, we be getting mula
We be getting big like we doing pull ups, line up behind us
You don’t want us to pull up and start a problem
Our family, we’re our own cooks, yeah, like Samsung
Hi-Lite, we’re like a major company
Give it up, all you mutherfuckers better ante up
We eat tasty food, y’all eat shit
Good fellas getting that chedda man, why you haters jealous
Verse 2)
A group with one thing in common
When I’ve eaten my fill then my family has to be full too, logic
When I eat, my family gotta eat too
We’re not blood-related but we’re a family sharing the same livelihood
We’re not blood-related but we bleed for our team
If you mess with my team, I’ll do something you can’t handle
In our squad we trust, victory is ours
God is on our side, we clink glasses and shout “Hallelujah!”
Sorry to y’all but I’m not sorry
If you mention our name, your name will be on our menu
A banquet on the table for life
Welcome to our house, welcome to Hi-Lite, yeah
Hook)
At the table is only our family
We look after all our family members’ meals, uh
When I eat, my whole family eats too
By any means, me and my team we gon’ get it, get it
B-Free)
Wit my team, wit my team, wit my team
Wit my team, yeah, (G2:) we gon’ get it, get it
Wit my team, wit my team, wit my team
Wit my team, yeah, (G2:) we gon’ get it, get it
Verse 3: Okasian)
We don’t share any blood
but we have the same father((This and the following two lines are similar to Okasian’s lyrics in ‘Turtle Ship Remix‘: The rest remains and we have the same father
We stole the loser rappers’ money and divided it all
We shared all of it, we hold a party, you’re uninvited))
All the rest remains
and we shared it amongst us
Fuck the other side
Till the day I die
If you’re fake then just tell me the budget
Fucking beggar, I know what you’re about
Verse 4: Reddy)
Check out who’ll be driving in my Mohenic next year
I told you I’ll let my brothers drive with me
One after the other, I make my wishes come true
On concert-free weekends I go to Haeundae to chill
High like our company, that’s my mood lately
Different mothers but they’re all members of my family
We ignore the retards and keep winning, man
Everyday you deny and hate this situation
With my team, with my team, having fun no matter where
Palo-hyung has found wild ginseng,((“심봤지” (shim bwatji, “I’ve found wild ginseng”) is an exclamation used by ginseng diggers when searching for wild ginseng in the mountains. They used to go around in a group and when someone found wild ginseng, that person would shout “shim bwatji” three times and could then claim their finding. The others had to keep their hands off of it, unless they had previously agreed to share.
Here, this is used as a metaphor to describe the value of Hi-Lite Records which Paloalto is the CEO of.)) I contribute to that belief,((Implying that he is a precious discovery)) yeah
I walked slowly and came until here
I’ll keep heating things up, just like long pants in midsummer
Verse 5: Huckleberry P)
The size of the rice bowl or how to hold the spoon,
that’s all up to the individual. But more important is
that we only put on our table those who we’ve personally caught
That is the difference between us and any Tom, Dick, or Harry
They live in one house and eat together: family
The reason why I sit on my ass here:
I feel pride, [as] one part of these great people
Your guys’ envy and jealousy can’t change my mood
Ah yeah, H.I.L.I.T.E. y’all
You know you can’t fuck with my team((Reference to B-Free’s ‘My Team (Feat. Reddy, Okasian, Huckleberry P, Paloalto, Keith Ape) ))
You will never be able to put your spoon on our table
As someone said, everyone except my family is my enemy, fuck all y’all
Hook)
Verse 6: Paloalto)
My phone is ringing again, it’s Djanga-hyung’s name [on the screen].
This week again, like last week, we go up on stage
I feel sorry for my wife, for leaving her alone with Monk((Their dog who got his name from jazz pianist Thelonious Monk))
The three of us are going to have fun together next week
Fuckers who weren’t interested before keep provoking me
because they don’t have anything else to do
There’s a lot I have to look out for, I love the members of my family
Love is always number one, oh, God
I pray, grateful for all of this
Even though life gets better, I don’t settle for that
Just like in the past five years, I won’t be stoppable from now on either
Love, hate, they coexist at the place we’re going to
Our goal is the whole world, yes I’m an asshole
A guy like me starts a car with an AMG engine
My cousin has gotten more friends thanks to me((Paloalto once uploaded a screenshot of a chat with his cousin to proof to his cousin’s friends that they’re cousins.))
I use my fame to look after my family
Outro: Sway D)
Sukhyun((Song Sukhyun is Sway D’s real name)) is my friend
G2 is my friend too
Hi-Lite, my family
We don’t share any blood but [we live] under one roof, family
G2 has released M/V for the new track ‘Shikgoo (Feat. B-Free, Okasian, Reddy, Huckleberry P, Paloalto, Sway D, and DJ Djanga)’ produced by B-Free.
The track ‘Shikgoo’ meaning “family” in Korean, features the entire Hi-Lite gang, including the newest members G2 himself and Sway D.
The track centers around the strong bond the artists have with one another in Hi-Lite Records and solidifies the sense that the members are truly a genuine family rather than a dry record company. Hopefully this does not change in the future. SQUAAAD!
On Tuesday, November 17, the global city of London was the place to be for European fans of Korean hiphop. Hi-Lite Records’ Okasian and B-Free had come for a visit, joined by a “Very Special Guest” in their quest to “spread peace and love,” as B-Free put it.
Read on for a detailed review of the Currency Exchange Show #1 organized by Cult of Ya which I attended as part of the press.
The show was Okasian and B-Free’s first time in London, yet it was not London’s first time hosting a Korean hiphop artist as Dok2 had already performed there in 2011. Scene of the event this time around was Ace Hotel‘s night club Miranda with its dazed but somehow cozy atmosphere.
Entrance to the venue started a little late due to a malfunctioning DJ kit from Korea, which “got […] sorted McGuyver style,” as the organizer stated on the event’s Facebook page. Luckily, as part of the press I was already inside the venue one hour earlier and thus able to escape the hassles of waiting in line outside in the cold.
As the club started to fill with people, the elegant Red Pig Flower got everyone in the right mood with her smooth DJ set.
Next up were more local artists: Jungle Gang, Joe Jas, Zone 17, and Macca Wiles. Several among them were sporting Hi-Lite hoodies, which made me nod along to their music in envy (sadly, no Hi-Lite merchandise or CDs were being sold at the show). I did not know any of the artists as I mainly listen to Khiphop, but many others in the audience did know them and screamed and rapped along full-throatedly, and I must say I did enjoy most of their performances, especially those of Jungle Gang and Zone 17.
While I was standing in the very front row at the beginning of the show, as time passed and artists went on and off stage, I was pushed back farther and farther, as you might have noticed while watching the footage above. The crowd was not very civilized; soon I found myself elbowed, headbutted, and barely escaping the fist of a girl next to me who raised her arms eagerly. Before I knew, I was standing at the back of the crowd and had missed the performances of Freshberry and Darq E Freaker because I had been too concentrated on staying unharmed. Mind you, I have no idea if they even performed at all (no, I was not drunk).
At the latest when Macca Wiles came on stage, joined briefly by the main acts B-Free and Okasian, the crowd went completely crazy and people were pushed on the nearly ground-level stage which had no barriers of any sort. Security personnel had to rush in to help, and even B-Free’s countless friendly requests to “Calm the fuck down” were of little use.
Visibility-wise, the venue itself was very good so that one should have been able to see the artists on stage even from the far back. However, by the time “Green Kawasaki” resounded from the speakers, phones and arms blocked the front view and overzealous cameramen had surrounded the artists on stage, blocking the sight from left and right. In the end, all I could see was the face of the very tall security guy rising above the crowd who did not look too amused in his position. So I made myself comfortable on one of the soft seatings in the back, watched people dance, cameras flash, and enjoyed the music.
However, fear not, I did take some videos of the Hi-Lite members! Thanks to Cult of Ya, I had the opportunity to watch the rehearsals which were sheer luxury as I could unobstructedly film full shots of DJ Djanga, Okasian, B-Free, and the special guest. Although the video is missing the crowd and the turned-up atmosphere of a concert, you can instead get a taste of what happens behind the scenes, something which we fans do not get to see every day.
If you would like to see videos of the performances and behind-the-scenes pictures of the artists in London, head over to Cult of Ya’s Twitter. There are also links to other reviews so you can form yourself a better view on the event.
Yes, you might have already guessed it from the blurry picture above: the “Very Special Guest” was none other than Hi-Lite Records’ CEO Paloalto! He DJ’ed at the afterparty into the early morning.
The Korean artists brought us the best of their latest releases and hits, from “It G Ma” (which they played at least twice if I am not mistaken) to unreleased (!) songs produced, written, and performed by B-Free. Against my faint hopes, they performed lots of trap and none of their older tracks, aside from Okasian’s “Spread the Word“.
B-Free did not miss out on giving away free t-shirts and the crowd went nuts as he distributed them, making him shout: “It’s just a shirt!” He also stated his solidarity with Paris along with the message that they simply came to London to spread peace and love, which the crowd embraced with appreciating cheers and applause. One guy in the audience who was standing in the front must have had a few drinks too much or was just overwhelmed by all the love for he attempted to reciprocate it in form of a kiss. It was crazy.
Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the afterparty due to logistical issues, but several people said that they had had a great time.
Although I did miss out on some parts of the event, and organization-wise there was room for improvement here and there, it was a great experience. The venue staff were all very friendly and helpful; needless to say, but the artists were super nice as well; and despite some people being slightly “violent,” the overall crowd was fun too. I met a bunch of wonderful European Khiphop fans; shout-out to Maria, to Soompi’s Cream (if you know French, read her insightful review here), and especially to Tiffany for supporting me spontaneously by being my photographer! Merci les filles !
It is not an actual part of this review, yet I cannot not mention the extra “intimate” show which took place at Visions Video Bar on Sunday, November 15, two days before the Currency Exchange Show. The event was announced on very short notice (only three days earlier) with actually very good intentions: since the Currency Exchange Show was sold out and many people did not get any tickets, the Welcome Party was supposed to make up for it. For some reasons however (most probably the short notice, not enough promotions, the event taking place on a Sunday), very few people attended. At one point there were more people on stage than in front of it, so calling it an “intimate” show was no PR stunt. Probably everyone came the artists very near at one point, either when everyone stood outside of the venue, smoking in unison, or when Okasian and B-Free decided to get off stage and jump around in the middle of the audience. All kinds of things flew through the air, from cellphones over blood (luckily no serious injuries were inflicted) to sparks of love.
Judging from what I have heard and read so far, the great majority of everyone who attended had a huge load of fun at the Currency Exchange Show (and at the Welcome Party). And I can only agree, despite having preferred better security and organization for the sake of the audience and the artists. That way, I would not have had to worry about surviving the crowd but could have fully enjoyed all the performances instead. Actually seeing the artists during the show would have been a plus too, but to be honest I am in no position to complain since I got to meet and watch them at the extra “intimate” show and during rehearsals.
Last but not least, huge thanks go out to Cult of Ya for making this review possible!
I dare claim that Europe wants more Khiphop, and I cannot wait to find out what Cult of Ya have got up their sleeve for us next!
On November 24, Just Music PD Lee Hyuk-Jin released the first episode of the Linchpins series, which is a project revealing the true side of Swings. English subtitles included!
The MV for Huckleberry P’s new single ‘Everest’ has been released.
With a mellow and solemn beat, Huckleberry P raps about his personal struggles for success and reaching the final destination of the laborious journey to victory. The climb on the mountain ‘Everest’ towards the peak symbolizes the lonely journey. Towards the end of the track, Huckleberry P’s rap reaches an intense climax.
The music video captures Huckleberry P’s struggles and challenges he has and continues to encounter.
Huckleberry P is a member of the label Hi-Lite Records. His latest album ‘gOld‘ was released in 2014.
https://soundcloud.com/paloaltongue/paloalto-thank-you-and-sorry New track, produced by B-Free, released on Paloalto’s Soundcloud. [Follow Paloalto] Instagram: https://instagram.com/paloaltongue Twitter: https://twitter.com/paloaltongue Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/paloaltongue Source: hiphopplaya