Musical Tastes (Part I: Hip-Hop)

A friend recently asked for a few asian musical suggestions, so I thought I'd sift through my iPod and recommend a few tidbits that I personally enjoy. Gonna break it down into genre, with one additional genre I'm gonna call embarassing. Lesse...

Let's start off with hip-hop, shall we?

I've been really impressed with the hip-hop scene in South Korea as of late. I had mostly stayed within the English speaking realm of things, considering that the lyrical content in rap is the most important aspect of the track, beats and flow secondary (at least in my eyes). However, I couldn't help but get drawn into the Korean rap scene after reacquainting myself with Drunken Tiger and finding other impressive acts. The sound is just so raw at times; unlike the American market right now, which is saturated with a third-rate sound and even worse lyrical content, Korea's stepped up the quality with meaningful lyrics and a sound that is at times gritty but powerful, or smooth and refined.

Of course, there are plenty of other good asian rappers out there; the whole spiel on Korea was just me rambling on about my latest fixation, is all.

Drunken Tiger: Even with Tiger JK going solo in the later albums, the strength behind the lyrical flow is still there, and I cannot think of a better way to introduce someone to Korean rap. I posted 8:45 Heaven in an earlier entry, so let's put up one of their earlier works instead, "Do You Know Hip-Hop."



Thai Ngo: One of my favorite Vietnamese rappers, although he can sometimes come off sounding more than a bit... fobby. ^_^;; This man has a crazy flow... "Around My Town."



MC Sniper: I don't really know what else to say except... well, damn. That 7 minute collab track he did with those other Korean rappers is epic as fuck. There's probably a better way to say that, but whatever. "Better Than Yesterday."



Outsider: Fastest Korean rapper alive! One of the fastest in the world, if not the fastest. You can really hear it on this song. "Alone."



m-flo: I absolutely adore their <3 series of collaborations. This is fun hip-hop at its best. Their songs just put me in such a good mood. The fact that their collab songs introduce me to great singers I might not have previously heard about is an awesome bonus. "Summertime Love."



Honorable mention: Jin. First Asian rapper signed onto an American label. His first studio album wasn't very impressive, but I did enjoy his freestyles. Check him out if you're so inclined.

Those are just a few Asian artists that I enjoy (and that readily come to mind).

I'm thinking... rock next.

~ Kesshi, FXC

That Beautiful Flow

// It's a shame that the hip hop scene is represented by so many idiots and bad artists that people generalize and paint the whole genre as noise. You just have to sift through the rubble to find the diamonds in the rough; sometimes, you have to go a bit farther than you'd think... \\

I wonder why people tend to question the existence of pain, as though it doesn't make sense that a God who supposedly loves us would do such a terrible thing like allow suffering. If life was being in a state of constant bliss and euphoria, with nothing to dampen our hearts and minds, how then could we appreciate how beautiful life really is?

8:45 Heaven. A pleasant departure from all that swag talk that's become to new annoying catchy thing to say OVER AND OVER AND OVER again. I don't really know how to go about describing this song. It's undoubtedly laden with such raw emotion that, even before I read the translation, tears threatened to well up unbidden as I sat there listening to the track. You can hear Tiger JK just let loose on the track with his sorrow and frustration at the loss of his grandmother, and nothing in it sounds hollow or forced. People talk down about Drunken Tiger's music since DJ Shine's departure from the group, but JK proves that he's a strong solo artist here with this baring of his heart and soul for all to see.

It's not your normal rap fare, but diversity is a good thing, especially in the musical community. It vitalizes the scene, keeps things from becoming stale, repetitive. It's also another indication that the hip hop community worldwide should turn their attentions away from mainly focusing on the United States, which has fallen into such a slump as of late, and perhaps look abroad. Talent is international.

Getting my posting... SWAG... on... <_<;;

~ Kesshi, FXC