It looks like with all the photos and videos, I’ll have to divide this into 3 parts.
J returns to the stage, ironically hyping the crowd up for the next act: himself. He starts the set with “Liquor Shotz,” followed by “Thumb,” and “Do You Know Hip-Hop?” The first 2 songs warm the crowd up, but somehow “Do You Know Hip-Hop?,” though nearly 11 years old, always gets everyone jumping.
Between sets, he introduces !llmind, a hip-hop producer from New Jersey. He’s produced tracks for some of the world’s well known rappers: LL Cool J, Wutang Clan, Eminem, and 50 Cent. J gives props to !llmind for supporting Jungle Fam.
set continued (Stylez still tweeting)
Roscoe steps into the crowd and grabs this from a fan. Representin’ DT crew.
Up close and personal.
And then the final treat – JetPack (English), ft Roscoe, and Stylez.
This segue leads into Tasha’s set, who starts with “True Romance.”
To my own surprise, she wears the shirt that I almost wore to the show. It’s a simple top from the American brand, Forever 21, which has gained popularity here with even the most famous in Korea (Lee Hyori also wore a sparkly dress from the store in a recent soju ad.)
She rocks out a mixture of hip-hop songs from her most recent album, YoonMiRae, and her 2002 hip-hop album, Gemini. Her upcoming album will revisit the edginess of this album, and while the original debut was suppose to be this month, it still looks like it’s still in the works.
However, whenever these two lay even a hand on each other, cameras rise out of nowhere to take photos. They’re perhaps Korea’s most envied famous couple.
In the midst of her set, Stylez steps off to fully immerse himself into the crowd. Tasha tries to pull him back up, but only induces madness. She later fed into the madness by pouring a bottle of water on JK’s head, a new habit she’s become fond of doing.
At the end of her “Pay Day” performance, she poses with J and Bizzy.
And I will finish this half of the post with a video of Tasha’s “G Hwa Ja,” from her “Gemini” album.
After sifting through my photos and evaluating the night, I decided it’d be best to divide this into 2 posts. [warning: long post ahead]
It’s 6:30pm when I first arrive. Already, there is a line forming outside the club. There are 2 DT fans from the UK who were waiting since 4pm. One of them mentions he was a fan since 2000 and said he had never seen JK live. He couldn’t miss this opportunity. Long time dedication like that is truly beautiful.
JK and crew arrive at 7:30pm. Their infamous black van catches immediate attention as they are rushed inside the club. The fans are teased with the sound of their rehearsal booming from inside. They are given some relief as ticket sales start selling at 8:00pm (an hour later than the scheduled time). Most of the relieved fans go off to dinner before the show starts.
After 15 minutes of waiting, the crew finishes their set and are on their way to get ready. We head off to YangLee Hair, a Hongdae spot that they frequent on occasion. Yang, the owner, is the stylist for a number of celebs and was there to personally handle their beauty needs.
As we enter, we see a wall of photos of celebs. At the elevator door is a picture of JK, and we laugh as he stands right next to it during the elevator wait. At the back of the salon is a wall of signed CDs, and 2 shelves filled with autographed Movement CDs.
(pictured: YoonMirae 3, Drunken Tiger 5, DT 7, DT4, and Bobby Kim’s 3rd)
The crew is rolling deep on this night. On top of the headlining performers, almost JK’s whole 8th album line up is present. Those who aren’t getting prettied up have to find ways to kill time before the show. Stylez is drawing on his iPad and mentions its is his lifeline on the road. Roscoe and !llmind talk about their time in NYC (Roscoe just finished rocking Radio City Music Hall with Donnie Wahlberg). Roscoe raves about the crazy double decker tour buses there and NY pizza (made me miss home!) Tasha, determined, finds the one English magazine hidden on the shelf and peruses through the fashion ads. Other major players in the crew, i.e. JK’s producer, Techbeatz, Jason Park, and rapper Loptimist, browse the internet or play games. While this is going on, JK and Rakaa are in the next room doing lines of interviews (almost 2 hours of it)
Halfway into preparations, everyone stops to take a group photo. [Pictured Left to Right: Rakaa, Loptimist, JK, Stylizstik Jones, Yang, Roscoe, Techbeatz, !llmind, and Tasha].
As the group puts the final touches on their show, some of us go back to the venue and claim our spot for the night. At 10:30pm, the loyalists of fans have already packed in. It’s a strange scene — a pillar divides the stage. On the left are primarily Korean fans, while the right are a group of non-Korean fans. They are there to see not only Rakaa, but some came primarily for JK or Tasha. They’re a sure sign that Jungle has gone truly international.
The DJ spins a strange mix of hip-hop and trance. Fans try to dance the time away, but they slowly become impatient and tired. Some are so tired that they choose to sit on the stage. Finally, at 12:30pm, JK comes out to introduce and MC for the night. He chooses to be the official translator as well.
J gives the crowd chants to practice and hypes them up. He introduces Bizzy and in pure Bizzy fashion, he jumps on the stage with crazy energy. As he performs parts of YDG’s “RUN” and his single “After the Night We Broke Up (해어진 다음 날),” he rocks the stage with a fire that fills the room. He had just finished a commercial shoot right before the show and couldn’t even go to the rehearsal, but he somehow rocked it out with 4x the energy than usual.
Roscoe’s up next with Stylistik Jonez. For those who don’t know, Roscoe’s been collaborating with JK since the 2nd album (2000). The two met through DT’s old DJ, DJ Jhig, who asked Roscoe not only to drop verses on the 2nd album, but to also help produce it. Roscoe admits that many of the tracks were produced and mixed down in his old house in a few short weeks. Stylez is a member of the LA collaborative hip-hop crew, Likwit Crew, who are also responsible for recruiting rappers Xzibit and The Alkoholiks.
Stylez steps off the stage to say what’s up to the fans. [The bodyguards are not happy apparently.]
This is what I dubbed “the hat trick.” They brought on a stack of 8 hats and Stylez went through all 8 saying he hated them all. Meanwhile, the fans anticipated they would get one thrown out at them. All they got was disappointment as Stylez threw them to the back of the stage.
Finally, Stylez decides to film the fans wiling out during their set. I will finish this post with Roscoe’s final song, “Live It Up.”
On August 8, in an interview with the Summer Festival Week & T, Tiger JK said: “I had a dream when I started working with music, so I was always satisfied with what little I had” … ‘But through twitter, I realized that many people (the U.S.) show interest in me and YoonMirae.”
Regarding his recent role in Rakaa’s “Crown of Thorns” album and future US collaborations, JK says that everything flowed naturally. “They showed interest in us and so many artists got to know theirs, but then I was willing to show our music to them too, influencing them to listen to our music.”
On the same day, Tiger JK invited Drunken Tiger affiliate member, Roscoe Umali, to the festival. The both hinted that they will perform with an artist with Korean-American decent on the 15th (surely, this would have to be Rakaa’s album release party).
JK will start his debut joining the underground Hip Hop artists from the United States, performing with “legendary” artists (“who” is the question). He will expand little-by-little, going from cities like New York and LA, where many Korean immigrants, and media show a favorable interest in various types of music.
Another advantage JK has is he spent many of his school years in the US, furthering his bilingual Korean/English skills. Language barrier is one thing that keeps many Korean artists from testing the American market, and JK’s bilingualism has been working in his favor throughout the duration of his Drunken Tiger career. Surely, it has already set the foreground for his entrance into the American media..
Some wonder if JK’s US songs will have a similar sound to “I Want You” (난 널 원해), “Do You Know Hip Hop?” (너희 가 힙합 을 아느냐), and “Monster,” which had an American hip-hop style mixed with the Korean language. However, no one knows how his US songs will sound like and how it will differ from current hip-hop artists.
No one knows what’s in store for JK’s US career path, but we look to Jackie Chan as an example. He suffered very early in his career in show business, considering him as a “Clint Eastwood” type character who had a limited success run. But after returning to the Asian market, he improved his “Kung Fu acrobatic,” and went again to the American market, but this time achieving great success in the United States.
While at Summer Week & T, the artists sat down for an interview and these exclusive photos were released. Pictured above: Tasha, Roscoe, JK, Stylistic Jonez, Miss Info, and Bizzy.
For those who don’t know, Miss Info is a hip-hop news reporter for New York’s hip-hop station, Hot 97. She is most known for her “Celebrity Gossip” segment on the station and also was a vocal protestor of the station’s controversial “Tsunami song” that mocked Asians. She is both a major force in the hip-hop industry and one of the more involved players in promoting Asian Americans in the media industry.
On a side note, a few days after the Naksan concert, Tigerbalm, Korea’s US website, posted an ambiguous news release stating JK is preparing to break into the US industry. No details were provided, but it’ll be interesting to see if this news will unfold at Rakaa’s Album Release party next week.
Last Saturday morning was ridden with insanely terrifying thunderstorms in Korea, topped with humidity off the charts. On top of the unbearable ride it would’ve taken me to get to the Naksan Summer Week & T concert, I was fairly content with my decision not to go and decided to wait out for Rakaa’s Album Release Party next week.
After seeing twitter updates from Naksan and videos popping up on Youtube, a big part of me regrets not having gone.
So I will share the best photos/footage I’ve found from this show and they are primarily from J/Tasha’s/Roscoe’s twitter updates. I am not a fan of seeing JK through “the public eye,” the JK we see just on television, but more the JK that is displayed on his twitter, his blog, DT-LOVE, etc. Because that is the side that I know is the real JK.
So here is the collection of info I put together:
During the show, Roscoe tweets: “This might have been the largest crowd I’ve EVER rocked!!!”
JK shares this with Miss Info:
JK tweets: “목 다쉼. 몸 부러질것같음. 열심히 했다구요 ㅎ. I saw fans from Brasil at the show They got here before I got therrrr”
Seriously, if they really flew in from Brazil, props to these guys. That is a 27 hour flight + the 4 hour bus ride. Truly have topped all my traveling antics put together.
Roscoe shares this last photo with us. He writes:
“Finally back at the Hotel room after a Loooong memorable night…Thanks for the memories Naksan!!!”
Tasha writes similar words of love:
“낙산 너무 즐거웠어요^^ thank you NakSan beautiful energy!!”
There’s fan vids popping up everywhere, but there are only two that stand out to me:
“Monster” performed with Tasha, Roscoe (who broke out of his verse to freestyle), Stylistic, and Bizzy
This one popped out simply because JK broke his own rule and took his shirt off. Drunken followed 2pm’s former member, Jay Bom Park, who made a sudden comeback at this concert and is known for his body. JK was at first hesitant to follow him up and take his own shirt off, but I guess he at some point said F* it.
And while this isn’t Naksan related, I wanted to share this photo to end on a high note.
Goodnight everyone, and I will update you next week with exclusives from Rakaa’s album release party.
For those who can’t make it out to Naksan, Jungle Entertainment is putting together something more convenient and central to DT fans.
For a mere 20,000won ($20), fans are invited to Rakaa’s Korean album release party on August 15th. Drunken, Tasha, IllMind, Roscoe Umali, Stylistic Jones, and Bizzy join the line up to a wild Sunday(?) night. There’s been buzz JK and Rakaa’s twitter about a “special surprise.” Looks like we’ll get to see it on this night!
Directions Update:
From Hongdae Station:
Come out of Exit 5. You will need to get on the road to CLUB COCOON. Follow that road down, but you will need to pass the club. You will pass Watsons, Ho Bar IV, and then reach a side road going RIGHT that has some construction next to it. Head into this road and you will find Club 2NS.
Well, after much hype, Rakaa’s new album “Crown of Thorns” was released on July 20th, with the anticipated “Ambassador Slang.” This is one of the first times that a major American artist included multiple Korean musicians on his album. Check out the track on youtube:
Would you stomach a 4-hour bus ride (no bathrooms) to Naksan Beach for a 2-day concert featuring Kanye West, DJ DOC, Drunken Tiger, Tasha, Roscoe Umali, and Lupe Fiasco?
Believe it or not, there are a lot of people that would.
For a whopping 160,000won ($160), you can get access to probably one of the wildest line ups ever to reach Korea.
For the more sane, you can get a day pass for $120 ($82 if you have SK Telecom phone service).
The costs are quite high, but this concert takes place on one of the nicest beaches in Korea and those who are adventurous can spend $15 for a camp out on a beach (includes tent and the works) instead of the $140/night hotel room. So you can enjoy the scenery for the night on top of experiencing this wild ride of a show.
For Seoulites – There’s a number of express buses that leave from GoSohk and Dongsu bus terminal that will take you to Yang Yang Bus Terminal near NakSan Beach. Costs run about $25 roundtrip. Another alternative is to take the KTX train to Gangnueng Station, an hour away from Naksan. A brief warning though – this option will take you 7 hours instead of the 3.5 hours the bus will take. The only major difference is you’ll have access to a bathroom and food cart the whole way.
To purchase tickets, Interpark has been nice enough to set up an English page for this show (unlike so many major shows that go on in Korea). Click here to purchase tickets.
P.S. If anyone is brave enough to stomach the wild ride to this place, please let me know. I’ve been to so many DT concerts, but none that were this problematic in terms of transportation.
When people talk about mixed Asian artists, Amerie and Tasha are often one of the first names mentioned. However, since the two of them promote themselves in two different places, it’s hard to imagine the two would ever cross paths.
One trip to Los Angeles changed all that.
Recently, Tasha and JK met with Amerie and Amerie tweeted these photos on her site:
Rakaa’s album track list was leaked yesterday and it was revealed that he will feature a track with some of the Movement’s power players. The track, titled “Ambassador’s Slang,” will feature Tiger JK, Tasha, Roscoe Umali, Epik High, and Dumbfoundead. It was produced by Japan’s pioneer hip-hop DJ, DJ Honda. Below is the report from HalfKorean.com:
I recently had the opportunity to preview “Ambassador Slang” from Rakaa Iriscience’s (Rakaa Taylor) upcoming hip hop solo album Crown of Thorns. All I can say is that “Ambassador Slang” matches all that I was anticipating ever since Rakaa mentioned it in our interview back in February. The hip hop posse cut features a variety of Asian/Pacific Islander artists including Korean/Korean-American artists Tasha, Tiger JK (Drunken Tiger), Dumbfounded, Tablo & Mithra Jin (Epik High).
Here is the lineup of MCs that spit fire on this dope dj honda-produced track (in order of appearance and where they represent): Tasha (aka Yoon Mi Rae) / Korea, Tiger JK (Drunken Tiger) / Korea, Roscoe Umali / L.A. via Philippines, Chiefsons – Big Ryzn / L.A. via Samoa, Chiefsons – Moshpit / L.A. via Samoa, Rakaa – WORLDWIDE via L.A., Dumbfoundead / L.A. via Korea, Tassho Pearce / Hawaii via Japan, Epik High – Tablo / Korea, Epik High – Mithra Jin / Korea, Jay Jaballas / L.A. via Philippines & King Kapisi / New Zealand via Samoa.
I can confidently say that each and every MC comes correct on the track! You will NOT be disappointed if you are a true hip hop fan. Trust me. This is a groundbreaking hip hop track full of talented artists, regardless of their ethnic origins. I don’t know that something like this has ever been done before (bringing together artists of these backgrounds) and, if it has, not on this level.
You have to applaud Rakaa for bringing together these artists and featuring them on his first solo album. He is an artist who has gained respect due to his talent, skill and what he has accomplished on his own and as a member of Dilated Peoples. For him to now be sharing the light with other artists on a global scale is truly a pleasure to see and hear and here’s hoping he continues to “build bridges.”
Obviously Tasha’s verse is of interest to us and she opens the track with this line, “The track hit the headphones, pen hit the pad, put MCs to sleep like tryptophan.” The rest of the verse is pure fire and just confirms what I’ve always thought about her ever since her days as part of the Korean hip hop group Uptown; that she is a dope rapper and one of the best in Korea (male OR female).
As usual, Rakaa’s own verse is dope. One thing I’ve noticed recently is that Rakaa has dropped a few Korean-related lyrics within his rhymes. On “Ambassador Slang” he ends a bar with, “… direct vengeance like Park Chan Wook.” Of course, Korean film fans will know that Park Chan Wook is one of the most acclaimed directors in South Korea and was the director of the “Vengeance” trilogy which consists of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. I don’t know about everyone else, but I think it is kind of cool that he would drop those kind of subtle Korean references in his lyrics.
I hope the track gets released as a single or, at the very least, as a B-side. I truly believe that if the rest of Crown of Thorns is anything like the three tracks I have heard so far (“C.T.D.”, “Delilah” & “Ambassador Slang”), Rakaa’s album is going to be monumental!
Rakaa’s Crown of Thorns is scheduled to be released on 7/20/2010 by Decon Records.
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“Ambassador slang. Connected worldwide! Understand we’re worldwide!!!” – Rakaa Iriscience / “Ambassador Slang”
DT MFBTY INTERNATIONAL 
