Korean freestyle Friday part 1: Huckleberry P and SOOLj

[koganbot]

Just spent an hour on YouTube listening to freestyle raps in Korean, a language I don't understand. Here's Huckleberry P.

"Korean Freestyle Rap - Huckleberry P" (Watch on YouTube)

And here's Huck and SOOLj. Don't know if they're debating or organizing or what, but on the basis of their flow and demeanor, they've got my vote. Mayor and deputy mayor.

"Mic Swagger - 5편 Huckleberry P" (Watch on YouTube)

(Just beginning to explore this, but something seems to go wrong when Huck gets in an actual-for-real recording studio, usually as a guest rapper. He'll be spittin' fine but he'll be caught in a lugubrious arrangement, or the whole thing will be in tedious sincere-style rapping, the bane of Korean hip-hop. In contrast, this year's SOOLj EP, Electro SOOLj, is quite good - maybe 'cause it's fundamentally dance, and SOOLj has tendencies towards the other freestyle, the '80s one out of Miami and New York dance clubs.)

Comments

[askbask.livejournal.com]

tedious sincere-style rapping, the bane of Korean hip-hop

I hear that.

Here's the junior club open mic night of rap battles (that's the impression, anyway): http://pann.nate.com/video/217276726 See several of these uploaded each week. Never any beats.