The New Wave
#1: Geeks, Reddy, & Kkalchang
Geeks
Hip
Hop
Lil Boi: It
was around the winter of second year in high school and I was preparing for a
school festival. While digging through various websites for the MR of Drunken
Tiger’s “Stubborn Person,” I ended up joining a website called “Jungle Radio.”
They had a free board where people were allowed to upload their own recorded
sessions so I thought, “Hrm, should I try too?” With the same mindset, I
started recording and for about a year, I was constantly working on music that
it became a naturally thing for me opposed to coming to a conclusion and
saying, “I’m going to pursue in music.”
Louie: I
first started off writing lyrics and in wanting to record my work, I bought a
3,000 won (roughly $3 USD) microphone at the neighborhood stationary store.
With time passing by up till present day, I guess I’m able to tell the public
that I’m pursuing in music because of the habitual routine I made myself go
through in recording and composing lyrics.
Nickname
Lil
Boi: The
nickname means “little boy” and I ended up using this because I’m short
(laughter).
Louie: The
CEO, Rimi nuna, and Gamja hyung thought of this nickname together for me after
putting much thought into it. They gave it to me because they said I look like
an heir of France but I’m not so sure about it.
Crew
Lil Boi: I’m
under the crews Do’main, Buckwilds, and Cookiz. For Do’main and Buckwilds, I
joined the two crews naturally while for Cookiz on the other hand, I joined
through an audition.
Louie: I joined
JUJUBE which is where I first started exchanging music with my peers. I joined
Cookiz with Lil Boi and my friends in Do’main are those I chatter with when I
go to Hongdae and nod my head along with to hip hop songs. I’m not really the
type to go out and play but whenever I meet up with these friends, I become a
person who can be an outgoing whenever. We’re not just a bunch of cool peers
that exchange music together, but a group that can talk about the deep aspects
of life. For Buckwilds, I went to perform at one of the South Town Shows in
Busan and I met up with Jtong hyung but I can’t remember exactly since I was
pretty drunk but I remember him telling me, “Be a part of Buckwilds. You’re
a true lunatic that I even approve of” so since then, I became a part of
Buckwilds. They’re my colleagues who are very warmhearted people and sincere
towards music so to me, they’re very, very important.
Representative
track
Lil Boi: For
my personal representative song, I think the track “Once” off of my personal
mixtape, “Good Time” and the reason being that I composed the lyrics truthfully
in regards to my family, friends, and music.
Louie: …
Actions
Lil Boi: To
not do music for business, and that’s something I should abide by till I die.
Louie: An
artist needs to have an efficient mindset for art and for a hip hop artist, I
believe that they have to work hard for the art genre that is hip hop. I
haven’t accomplished much in order to be prideful, but I always know that one
thing I need to keep habit of is “sincerity.” Your motive relies on the
responsibility of what you accomplish is how I look at it. As an emcee, you
need to take actions that aren’t embarrassing as written in your self-composed
lyrics, but also reflect over yourself once again and share that path; I myself
am working hard to become an amazing artist who can direct others into this
better path.
Respect
Lil
Boi:
I just set foot into the scene so as a fellow artist, I believe that paying
respect towards previous generation artists is a given fact. Of course, I
respect my fellow friends who started at the same time around as me as well as
to the younger generation also.
Louie: I always feel
gratitude towards the older generation artists of Korean hip hop. If it weren’t
for them, I think it would’ve been harder for me to be able to tweak my rhymes
or organize them. It’s given for awesome hip hop artists to be given respect
and for me to share the same backstage room as them is an honor, as I’m unable
to hide my overwhelmed feelings most times.
Role
model
Lil
Boi:
Kanye West.
Louie:
Like
the lyrics by my friend TakeOne, I want to consistently pursue in music in an
honest matter to the point where I don’t need to mention “honesty.” Many lines
of his lyrics inspired me and I want to be able to compose lyrics and make
music like that in return.
From
now on
Lil
Boi:
Geeks is preparing for our official 1st album. In order to put out
the best quality, we’re still trying hard to earn more inspiration.
Louie: I’m working hard
with Lil Boi and we’ll try to have it out by this year.
Lastly
Lil
Boi:
For the fans and artists (hyungs, friends, dongsengs) who always keeps interest
in us, we thank everyone and I’ll always keep a student mindset of growing and
working hard to make music. Peace.
Louie: One love.
Reddy
Hip
Hop
Reddy: To be
honest, I didn’t really engage into it but more so started off working on my
mixtape alone because I enjoyed listening to hip hop. I think that’s when I first
started rapping – I used to have more interest in singing so I bought more
R&B artists’ albums…but thanks to a friend who I got to know in the
military, my spectrum in hip hop music broadened; I used to listen to mainly
Korean hip hop before.
Nickname
Reddy: My
real name is Kim Hong Woo. People tend to have fun with the spelling of “hong.”
For example, younger friends would call be Hong hyung before…the “hong” doesn’t
mean the bright hong but the representative definition for it is usually red.
Also, I do happen to like red so I thought of the term “red” but in order to
make it easier for others to call me by, I added the suffix “-dy” so it became
“Reddy.” There’s no special meaning behind it.
Crew
Reddy: I’m a member of the crew called
The Cohort. At first, I was contacted through Twitter and the friend who had
contacted me was in America but he had heard of my mixtape and saw clips of me.
Since there are limitations to the internet, we decided to meet up the next
time he’d be in Korea so we set up a date and when I first met them, I had a
good vibe from them. The directions of our thoughts were headed in a similar
direction, and so I thought it’d be fun to hang around these guys. We’re not a
rapping crew – we’re a crew that likes culture. We also have different roles as
well. In Cohort, it’s only Jiyong (Okasian) and I that rap.
Representative track
Reddy: I’ve only had one
single and two mixtapes out, so there isn’t a lot however if I had to choose
one, it’d be the track “Buzzer Beater.” It was extremely difficult for me to
work on the single. While working on it alone, I felt pressured with the
feeling that this became a job almost and there were a lot of parts I was stuck
on. Though later on, it was like pricking my fingers and feeling really
relieved from the constipation when I worked on this track you can say. Rather
than the other tracks I held onto longer, I liked this track more for how it
turned out. To me, it still feels like a very refreshing track.
Actions
Reddy: Even before the day
I received the interview offer, I thought a lot in regards to actions and it’s
kind of baffling. Before then, I didn’t think much of my opinions and I guess I
just went with the flow of things? And with my actions flowing in that direction,
I began to see that my thoughts began to drift further away as well. I guess
you can think of it as a good experience to put it optimistically, however now
I kind of want to organize my actions and plan to work with the first feelings
and determinations I enjoyed and felt to when I first started producing. I
think that I’m going to work on awesome stuff from now on.
Respect
Reddy: I released a single
without knowing anything and it’s been about a year now. I feel the utmost
respect towards the artists who I listened to since elementary school and
junior high that the fact that they’re still involving music in their lives is
respectable. I feel at times that this is a very difficult lifestyle and to put
a lot of time into hip hop and not any other genres, that itself deserves
respect, hands down.
Role
model
Reddy: I don’t have a role
model, and I don’t have an ideal type either. I think that having a role model
and to become like someone narrows my vision. I want to be able to see as
broadly as I can and I don’t think that having a role model can do that – I
want to become an artist. A true artist.
From
now on
Reddy: I want to work on
things that can keep me thinking about myself more. If I think about it, I
don’t think I have much interest in myself. Anyway, I ask for much support
either way.
Lastly
Reddy: I’m at a stage of
just starting off and working hard to enjoy producing. Whether it’s illegally
or officially, I hope many of you can listen and for many of you to listen is
the most joyful result. Also, if you don’t like it, then you don’t and if you
do, you do – but make sure to tell me. I want as much feedback as I can get and
I ask for much support, not just for me but for Korean hip hop as well.
Kkalchang
Hip Hop
Kkalchang: If I can remember, the time when I
really had a big interest in hip hop was my third year of junior high
(equivalent to 9th grade in U.S. school systems). My friend was singing MC
Sniper’s “Korean” at the karaoke near the arcade and I think that’s when I came
across hip hop and developed a huge interest in it. Since then, I enjoyed
singing along while listening to it and around the end of high school, I met
Jtong through a friend and I think I really started getting into it. At the
time however, I didn’t have a set plan nor did I think that the hip hop culture
would take a great toll in my life – it just happened. It was about when I was
twenty going on twenty-one years old that this hip hop culture took a great
chunk of my life.
Nickname
Kkalchang: Everyone probably knows it as the
insoles people put in shoes to make others taller, but it was actually given to
me by the friend who had introduced me to Jtong. We used to joke around in
saying things like, “Hey~ that’s hella tight” whenever someone did
something and my friend had shortened the phrase to “Kkalchang, kkalchang.”
I got used to it and when it came around to me choosing a rapper name, I was
debating until I decided to go by what I was used to, Kkalchang.
Crew
Kkalchang: I’m currently under the crew Buckwilds
and it’s a crew led by Jtong. In this crew, there are probably a lot of members
who also did this interview. I think how I came to be a part of the crew was
that I met Jtong when the crew was starting up and naturally ended up joining,
and I’m still a part of the crew today.
Representative track
Kkalchang: I really like the 5th track titled
“About Me” from my mixtape “From the Ground” that I released this past
February. Not only do I enjoy performing it, but the hook itself is very, very
simple and even though a lot of people listen to it for the first time at my
performances, they end up singing along as well. And it’s also the track I
listened to the most off of my mixtape which is the reason I chose it.
Actions
Kkalchang: There’s a phrase I really like and it’s
“Keep it real,” which I think depicts me perfectly. But for one’s
actions, I think you have to keep cool too, both on the inside and out. I want
to give off the vibe where if someone comes across listening to my music, I
want them to feel that I’m a cool person and that they’ll give me respect.
Respect
Kkalchang: I think those who put out a lot of
albums are really amazing. I think Jtong was the first person I saw up close in
how a musician works on their album and I don’t think it’s an easy task.
Although those are tasks that I will have to face later on, I think those who
have already crossed these experiences many times are truly amazing in my eyes.
As much as I respect them, I feel that I should work just as hard.
Role model
Kkalchang: I used to have a role model, but now I
don’t necessarily have one. There are great artists out there and rather than
choosing one of them and becoming like them, I’d rather earn inspiration from
them and make something of mine.
From now on
Kkalchang: I’m working on an EP right now. I’m in
the stage of just sketching out for my EP, so I don’t have a big picture but
I’m planning on working just as hard to make good music. Before the EP release
however, I’ll most likely be coming out with a single.
Lastly
Kkalchang: Although I don’t have a big hit or
much in my discography, I plan on constantly releasing music so anticipate for
me and Buckwilds!! BUCKWILDS!!!
- - -
Source: Hiphopplaya
