Standart Music Group announces disbandment of their label

Having started off their label with an incredible lineup of artists such as Eluphant, Noise Mob, G-Slow, Soul Dive, and R-EST, it was unfortunate when the label had announced their disbandment on December 30th, 2013.

The label was determined to show an improved image of their artists, whether it was through promoting them individually or together with one another, and that this would progress the image of their label overall. The charm of the label was that most of the artists were in the same crew Speaking Trumpet and have been colleagues in the industry for a long time.

Standart Music Group kicked off the launch of their label in February of 2013 with a celebration concert and rolled out with releases from R-EST's single to Soul Dive's win on 'Show Me the Money 2' and their single 'This Young Night,' and G-Slow's digital album '#ing' and Kebee's official album not too long ago.

Source: Hiphopplaya


I would say most people saw this coming the moment they released news of the label when it was just Minos, RHYME-A-, and Kebee. Everyone called it a Soul Company 2.0 and how the label was pretty much a disgrace to Soul Company. Then RHYME-A- left a few months ago saying there were differences in the musical direction he wanted to take versus what Standart had wanted. And last but not least, everyone (and I'm sure the artists of Standart themselves) had expectations of the responses from the public since after all, more than half of them were from Soul Company and Soul Company swept off every label back in the day. It'll be interesting to see where everyone goes and signs off to now.

Kebee releases free track 'Room Inside the Whale' from upcoming new album

Kebee releases track 'Room Inside the Whale' for free from new upcoming 4th album.

Kebee, known for playing a pivotal role as the representative of Soul Company with his promotions as well as leading independent music in the Korean hip hop scene, released the single to tell his inner emotions through a speedy rap and to renounce his comeback as a solo artist after 4 years through Standart Music.

The track 'Room Inside the Whale' tells metaphors on top of a low key rhythm. It's said that Kebee played all the instruments involved in the making and this track serves as an extended production of his sentiments from his previous tracks. From the track, one can take a guess that through this new approach in music style, this will be what he will be pursuing as a music producer.

Meanwhile, with the release of his new song 'Room Inside the Whale,' Kebee also unveiled his official website http://www.kebeesoul.com. He claims that he will update contents pertaining to his music promotions consistently through the website.





If you wake up after having fell asleep, open your window and you'll see the outdoors
Floating on the ocean throwing up salt water in the dark is a child
There's a song playing slower than my heartbeat on the hand that switched off the alarm
The morning scenery, the sound of music humming in the background, and the room floor thickens even more
This room is always floating on top of the planet
I'm leaning against the wind that's pushing me
A simple refuge from the times when my heart was poor
In seeing the shifting facial expression, I see the hook of the fishing rod stuck on the mouth

Even if you feel relieved of yesterday and your entire life, the knife that falls down on today is even violent
Those who flutter from dreams everyday and to those who can only let out their bound hands
Although I've pushed you away in trying not to pull me into this, I say to myself,
"If I continue to live like this, then I feel that everyone will forget me"
Of course it'll be like that but it doesn't comfort me so don't crane your neck
The dark room that I found with my own two feet
Should I lay on the floor where no stray of light is shined on?
For a moment, pull up the fence and open the windows - the moon is up

With all your strength, swim inside the whale, whale, whale (with all your strength, swim)
So with all your strength with all you've got alright, alright, alright (push me with all you've got)
Shout with all your might; really, really, really (shout with all your might)
The hook from the fishing rod that's caught on my mouth, no one pulls on it
That stray of light from the moonlight shining on me may be my only escape exit

In pulling over the ocean water entirely over me till my entire body's wet
I'm wide awake from my sleep and now I'm hastily rowing after having found an oar
During the long time that has passed by, all I've talked about was to find that shining North Star (on top of the roaring running machine)
Hope is ammunition; what if this were the opposite case where my passion, burned out from being overheated for too long, pierced through my body? 
Then this isn't inside a whale's stomach but I've already become a person in paradise
My goal endlessly grows further away and I missed it again; I can't find the u-turn

A detailed soul, an ambitious experience
A sharp defense, a grand excuse

When the sun is about to set in the evening, I kneel at the sign of my hook being pulled on and I pray that I need you
Can a half human like me escape from this maze
The waters are strong and I quietly raise myself from the trap I've fallen that is myself
I'm desperate for the path that'll save me

With all your strength, swim inside the whale, whale, whale (with all your strength, swim)

So with all your strength with all you've got alright, alright, alright (push me with all you've got)

Shout with all your might; really, really, really (shout with all your might)

The hook from the fishing rod that's caught on my mouth, no one pulls on it

That stray of light from the moonlight shining on me may be my only escape exit

My breath's too short to hide deep within

I've borrowed too much just inhaling

I can't pay off for my behalf 

My breath can't be an anchor

I've borrowed too much just inhaling

My breath can't reach it

My breath can't become an anchor

Source: Hiphopplaya

Standart Music Group recruits Soul Dive and R-EST.

Announced about 2 days ago on Hiphopplaya, Standart Music Group (previously known as just Standart Music) released their new logo after the renewal of their website as well as the new members that are to join the label. After much hype (and much speculation from hip hop fans already knowing who the new members were), it was announced that Soul Dive (comprised of members Nuck, D.Theo, and Zito) and R-EST will be joining Standart Music Group.

Soul Dive was already known to have been the top candidate for joining the music label since the news of Nuck joining 불한당 (Hooligan) – a new, uprising crew led by fellow label-mates Minos, RHYME-A-, and Kebee – were in it also.

When Standart Music Group had initially launched with the news of Noise Mob, a duo unit formed by Minos and RHYME-A-, the label was under fire from fans calling them the "second Soul Company" due to the majority of artists under the label having been in Soul Company, and the accusations heightened when the news of former Soul Company producer G-Slow joining the label was announced.

But with Soul Dive and R-EST joining the label, one could see it as balancing the amount of former Soul Company artists and producers, a gateway to mainstream since Soul Dive has broke into mainstream ever since their 'debut' with the song "AOAOA," or a desperate reach for revenue considering Noise Mob, the only artists promoting at the moment, aren't living up to the expectations of hip hop fans.

What makes me even more curious is that Soul Dive was doing fine under J2 Entertainment, expanding into mainstream in releasing singles and collaborating with artists like Younha. So what made them join Standard Music Group? Could this also be a balance for them to guard their title of being underground while J2 Entertainment quietly backs them up as their mainstream supporter?

Regardless, as a fan of Nuck, I haven't been really impressed with the route he's been going in (aka his mainstream route) but if he's joining Standart Music Group, I expect that solo album he's hinted at to be better than dancing on Music Core with idol clothes and hair.

Meanwhile, Standart Music Group will be celebrating the renewal of their label and begin their official promotions as a label by hosting their first label concert, "Standart Music Concert - ST.ART," which will be held at the Sang Sang Madang in Hongdae on February 23rd. Pre-orders for tickets will go on sale on January 30th through Interpark and details of the concert will be released at a later time.


Source: Hiphopplaya

G-Slow joins Standart Music & releases "Yallah" featuring Noise Mob

G-Slow signs with music label Standart Music.

After having released recent beat tape “Elsewhere,” G-Slow kind of went under the radar again after thanking everyone for all the downloads off of his Soundcloud account, occasionally popping up on Twitter to RT his friends and their whereabouts, specifically the artists of Standart (RHYME-A- & Minos mainly). I should have known.

I should have known that if G-Slow were to sign somewhere, of course it’d be Standart. I guess it was natural of him to transition to the label since it was established by none other than Soul Company artists themselves. And looking at the paths that most of the artists (and DJs) in Soul Company went down, it’s hard to imagine G-Slow under a music label like Grandline Entertainment (housing Crucial Star and DJ Dopsh), Illionaire (The Quiett), or Jungle Entertainment (Loptimist, to which I still question every single day). If anything, I feel like G-Slow wasn’t doing so bad producing on his own as a sort of “freelance” producer in putting out his beat tape on his own or contributing as a producer for his friends (to name a recent few, Jerry.k’s “Love Stories” EP and RHYME-A-‘s recent single “Jealousy Says”).  

But more than him needing a music label, I feel like the situation is reversed in this case. I feel like it was Standart who needed G-Slow more than he needed them. Why?

Because Standart hasn’t been doing the best in the market you can say. When the label first kicked off, they got a lot of shit for it from the public as the three artists (Minos, Kebee, and RHYME-A-) were viewed as trying to make the “second Soul Company.” Not only that but their so-called “in-house producer” Electrue is rumored to be a cover-up for people to get off of Standart’s case that the label is trying to be the second rising Soul Company. In addition to that belief is the rumor that people believe Electrue is actually Kebee in disguise. Not only that but you can probably say that Noise Mob (unit promotion for Minos & RHYME-A-) necessarily hasn’t been doing well either in comparison to the others promoting and/or performing as a unit (i.e. Geeks, GetBackers, etc.). And with Kebee enlisted in the military, it looked like Standart needed a stable producer till Kebee discharged for him to fully participate in Standart.

Maybe I talked too much about the negatives. There has been some positive light for Standart too, Eluphant coming back with their album “Apollo” and RHYME-A- breaking hits with his recent digital singles for both the respective original and acoustic versions for “Jealousy Says,” “Smile,” and “When I Feel Alone.”

Going back on topic with G-Slow, it looks like Noise Mob contributed to the celebration of G-Slow joining Standart by rapping over the track “Yallah” from G-Slow’s beat tape. The beat itself is sick as hell and just…bless Minos and RHYME-A-. Take a look at the lyrics below and listen to the track, you’ll definitely love it. It makes me wish Noise Mob put out hard tracks like this as they did in the bonus track “Noise Mob” for Minos’s album “Minos in Nuol.”



*T/N: I tried translating the holy lyrics of Minos and RHYME-A- and I'm sure however I translate it won't ever justify the quality of their rhymes, wittiness, and just everything in general so I apologize beforehand. 

 





[VERSE 1 – MINOS]
Without a pulse (Mac) on my iPhone, the screen is written with the words “My galaxy, I go” and I write “Jobs” kind of things
The apple I’m biting onto, it’s the fruit of art and I leave a poem (seed) which is A+; my semen is thick (jeah-)
My white earphones that are shiny – a bundle
Tired of the monotonous color that’s bundling nowadays, STANDART eventually conceived G-Slow
“Happy *uckin’ B-day!!!” I ate my seaweed soup
If my skilled that are tempered are written, then everything becomes a rhyme
An inborn force in writing; struggle every night & day
"Oh, God!!!" They won't let it be on the test
Even starting with my last name is “Choi,” (the best) and my name means HOV, matrix
What can I do? What can I say? Here is Xenadu and I’m Hemmingway
Even if I leave my weapons, I’m Fitzgerald.Gatsby-Heavy weight
This grand loneliness, don’t even touch “Dokdo”
Noise Mob holds up the flag and the only route is to move forward for this mob
Choi Min Ho, the raps that he spit for fun are now making him into a working ant
The act of engraving the stories I easily put aside on top of the notebook. La renaissance (x2)


[HOOK]
Who’s going to stop me. Who gon stop me now
Who’s going to stop me. Who gon stop me now
Who’s going to stop me. Who gon stop me now
Who’s going to stop us. Just back off and leave.
YALLAH, YALLAH, YALLAH, YALLAH
YALLAH, YALLAH, YALLAH, YALLAH
YALLAH, YALLAH, YALLAH, YALLAH
Now's the time it's goin' down


[VERSE 2 - RHYME-A-]
The golden tower of language that was built again after being broken down
We S.T.A.N.D.A.R.T now we're on the top
A place that I can’t reach no matter how much I stretch out my hands
A place where if you’re not one of the chosen ones, you can’t enter
Watching down up from the highest peak
In trying to imitate me, you get hurt and you’re trapped inside a rut called limitations
With that said, you plummet to the bottom
Fools who are like dead skin cells falling apart and crumbling
The fake swag created with alchemy 
No matter how much you powder metal scraps with gold, even as to tempering it, it'll still be just a metal
Your leftover pride is just a bluff; I see it all
Whether it's a dog or a cow, it's sick and you can suck my dick. You just look sick
This beat is making me stronger
Trust me and hold on tight to me. To those who can't seem to communicate:
You wanna be me?
Look carefully
While you’re in the probability to fail, I’m off to multiply to infinity
Does it hurt? Are you suffocating? Then take a rest
I’m off to brew some poison to put into your mic to cut off your oxygen
You can’t even catch up to the half of what’s half of me
Even if you just look, the sky is too high up
Even when I rap nonsense, this high and mighty flow is here to slit your throat
Suckers protect your neck
With G-Slow alone, he put me on top of your entire crew
While you’re panting to raise your voice higher, with just a few rhymes I take off the respirator you’re holding onto


[HOOK]
Who’s going to stop me. Who gon stop me now
Who’s going to stop me. Who gon stop me now
Who’s going to stop me. Who gon stop me now
Who’s going to stop us. Just back off and leave.
YALLAH, YALLAH, YALLAH, YALLAH
YALLAH, YALLAH, YALLAH, YALLAH
YALLAH, YALLAH, YALLAH, YALLAH
Now's the time it's goin' down
Who’s going to stop me. Who gon stop me now
Who’s going to stop me. Who gon stop me now
Who’s going to stop me. Who gon stop me now
Who’s going to stop us. Just back off and leave. 


[OUTRO (Minos & RHYME-A-)]
G-Slow got ma back
Standart got ma back
A fashion victim that awkwardly messes everything up
Tooniverse is what kids watch
We're man on the earth
But ma verse goes to the universe
We Standart M.I.N.O.S m*uckers
We Standart RHYME-A- m'*uckers
We Standart G-Slow m*uckers
High frequency vol.2 m'*uckers