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Shows & Concerts

Shows & Concerts, Videos

[media] Tiger JK & Yoon MiRae Tear Down Hongdae Station (Musically)

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April 28th, Hongdae Subway Station— With the fastest Internet in the world and a population open to new cellphone technology, many of the world’s wired mobile advancements are first launched in South Korea. The country’s largest cellphone carrier, SK Telecom, recently announced its phones will now offer the largest LTE (4G) data service in the country. SK’s LTE service also allows its members to stream free music from Korea’s largest online streamer, Melon, directly into their phones without using up data. SK teamed with Tiger JK to garner fans to their website, offering free concert tickets to select fans who partake in one of their online promotions.

In an effort to continuously stand out above its competitors, SK held its promotional concert in no ordinary venue. Korea is well known for its timely and convenient subway, but commuters often complain its service is not 24 hours. SK used this to their advantage, holding JK’s show at Hongdae subway station after hours. Of course, fans invited were oblivious as to how the company would pull this off. How and where would you pull off a concert in an ordinary subway station?

Outside the turnstile exits of Hongdae’s airport subway line stood a group of fans and random signage with JK’s face. The exits are wide, but still fans were left in the dark where the actual show would be. Around the ticket tables are pseudo red carpets where concert goers could take pictures with a life size JK cut out.

Fans are distracted by the cutout until 12:00pm, when the subway shuts down for the public. They are then instructed to line up near the East bound train turnstiles. At 12:30pm, the crowd is directed downstairs into an empty train, which a few minutes later suddenly closes its doors and takes surprised passengers to the next station (Digital Media City).

As the train pulls into Digital Media City, fans anticipate getting off and going to a secret location for the concert. However, the doors remain close and the lights suddenly shut off, throwing some into a panic. Dance music starts to play and SK staff walks through the train cars announcing everyone is going to a concert/party soon. Still, fans are left questioning if the concert where the venue actually is.

The train suddenly moves back west to Hongdae station, this time arriving on the West bound side of the train tracks. The doors open and a shrill of screams lets out as concert goers realize the show is on the actual platform. A mad dash to the stage occurs, passing through a now JK branded subway platform.

Fans are treated to promos featuring JK and a DJ building anticipation with recent dance hits. Around 1:30pm, JK’s DJ, DJ Juice, appears on stage and hardcore fans scream knowing the show is starting.

As usual, Bizzy starts the set and builds the energy. Bizzy’s set usually starts with “Run,” a track from  Yang Dong Geun’s  4th album which him, JK, and Tasha featured. Veteran fans know the sight of Bizzy at a show surely means JK will follow, and then after wife, Tasha/Yoon MiRae.

JK doesn’t disappoint as his joins Bizzy to perform a DT’s classic, “Do You Know Hip Hop?” As JK comes out, the barrier holding the fans back shakes. JK is the first to fully step out to the crowd, causing a panic for his bodyguards. After performing “Monster,” and entertaining the crowd with jokes, Tasha joins the crew for True Romance.

The husband/wife duo always treat the crowd to a small dance in the middle of the set.

With its peaceful melody, True Romance calms the nerves of the crowd, but gets them ready to start jumping as the trio starts the hyped “Pay Day.”

However, the highlight of Tasha’s set is her online single, “Get it In.” Regardless of the crowd, “Get It In” guarantees the crowd will be jumping along with the crew mid song. (Warning: I was close to the stage, almost too close. As a result, the lights affected my camera’s focus and there are parts where it’s hard to see. I apologize!)

 

“Get It In,” is the apparent show closer, but fans demand the crew come back to the stage for an encore.

Soon after, the crew comes back to close with another Drunken Tiger classic, “I Want You.” Seeing the crowd enamored in the performance, JK takes the opportunity to step off stage and embed himself into the crowd. Midway through, his adrenaline tells him to take a fan’s cellphone with him, leaving her in uneasy excitement. (Again, light warning.)

 

Fans are always happy that JK is willing to mingle.

The crew leaves the crowd in high spirits. One fan’s love for JK is reignited to the point she wants to kiss his lifesize cut out.

And as the show ends, the subway station empties, but remnants of JK’s presence and a unique concert remain. Kudos, SK Telecom, I definitely will remain a loyal customer after this show.

News & Such, Shows & Concerts

[news] Tiger JK graces the Entertainment section of the LA Times

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The name Drunken Tiger has not headlined a US concert in nearly 7 years. So on the eve of his much anticipated Los Angeles concert, the Los Angeles Times has also taken notice of the artist whose name will be highlighted on The Wiltern’s distinguished marque tonight.

Only a few Korean artists have had the opportunity to have their own feature article in prestigious publications, with the singer, Rain, taking the crown after his frontpage feature in the New York Times in 2006. However, JK’s extensive interview in the LA Times comes close for the win. The article highlights how Drunken Tiger, despite facing censorship in their initial debut in Korea, became one of the first artists to be successful with overseas fans. While the international market’s interest in K-Pop has evolved so quickly and made it easier for fans to learn about him, JK also expresses his mixed feelings about its success.

To read the whole article, visit The Los Angeles Times’ Entertainment section.

-MissDrunkenCamp

News & Such, Shows & Concerts

[show] R-16 KOREA 2011 @ UiJeongBu Arts Center – Free DT Performance

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Being recently named the ambassador for the R-16 B-Boy Festival, Tiger JK will be performing at next week’s Korea eliminations in his hometown, UiJeongbu. Luckily for those fans on a budget, the show is completely free. However, fans are advised to go early as tickets/seating to the show will start being distributed at 3PM. Final competitor rounds will be at 6pm followed by JK’s performance.

Date: June 4th

Time: Best 8 Battle 6:00PM followed by concert (ticket distribution starting 3PM)

Place : Main Theater at ‘Uijeongbu Arts Center’ in Uijeongbu City [see map below]

Price: FREE

Hosts: MC GO , JAZZY IVY

Battle Section : B-Boy Crew Battle / Popping Battle / Locking Battle

Judges:

B-BOY CREW : ORKO (USA) , FLEA ROCK (USA), DYZEE (CANADA)
– POPPING SOLO : ACKY (JAPAN) , CRAZY KYO (KOREA) , A.K.A KIN (KOREA)
– LOCKING SOLO : GEMINI (FRANCE). CRAZY SUN (KOREA), FUNKY LIA (INSANE BRAIN)

DJs:
DJ TEE (JAPAN) , DJ RENEGADE (UK), WRECKX (KOREA)

GUEST ARTIST:
DRUNKEN TIGER

Directions To Venue:

Option 1: Take line 1 (dark blue) to UiJeongBu Station, Exit 2. Take a cab to the arts center. The cost should not exceed the base fair by much. (approximately $4-$5).

Option 2: Take line 1 (dark blue) to UiJeongBu Station, Exit 1 or 2. Take bus #207 to the center.

Credits To: R-16, Korea Tourism Organization (directions)

-MissDrunkenCamp

News & Such, Shows & Concerts, Videos

[report] Freestyle Day: 3 of the Greats, 1 Stage

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Let’s face it–in the past 4 years, JK’s popularity has skyrocketed. His face is plastered throughout Korea, from Giordano billboards, to CJ One Card TV commercials, to Yahoo! Korea interactive advertisements. Despite having their roots in the underground, some artists take this level of fame as an opportunity to go from rags to riches and never look back.

At the 2010 Freestyle Day, an annual freestyle competition/concert for both upcoming and established artists, JK chose not to be “one of those artists” and returned as a guest judge for the freestyle competition. Having fought for almost 10 years to get to the top, JK holds a lot of respect for the undiscovered and hustling rappers in the scene. Despite poster confusion, the competitors weren’t the headliners listed (sorry to disappoint!), but they still provided a moment that can primarily be seen only in Korea’s underground.

Before the winners were officially announced, the judges were brought on stage, giving the audience a glimpse of a rare moment: Garion, Tiger JK, and Sean2Slow (Korea’s most legendary lyricists) standing together on stage.

Pictured: Garion (standing), Tiger JK, Sean2Slow

Pictured Above (Left To Right): Garion, Tiger JK, Sean2Slow

Tiger JK & Sean2Slow (hip-hop legends/fathers of the Movement Crew)

Unfortunately, JK wasn’t performing on this night, so I do not have much footage of him to share. However, for those curious about updates, I asked JK about Tasha’s album release date and sorry to tell you all: it’s still in the works. What I can say is from what’s been said and the comments that have been floating around Twitter, the line up for her album sounds insane.

Special Thanks To: Jungle Entertainment

–Miss DrunkenCamp

News & Such, Shows & Concerts

[show] Nov 6 – Freestyle Day, Club V-Hall (Seoul)

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With Tasha’s album being heavily in the works, the Drunken crew has remained fairly quiet these days. However, for those in the area, JK will be performing at V-HALL on November 6th at HipHopPlaya.com’s annual Freestyle Day.

Freestyle Day challenges some of Korean hip-hop’s best to battle rap, a rarity seen in the mainstream music industry. The show will culminate with a final concert from the artists.

Guests: Drunken Tiger, Sean2slow, Garion, MC Sniper, LEO, Vasco, Eluphant (Kebe and Minos), The Quiett, E.via, Huckleberry P, DJ Skip, DJ Middle K, J Sool, Ultima.

Sponsored by: Freestyle Town [Sool J / LAST / 졍이 Jyeong E / SA] + http://club.cyworld.com/SOOLJ

Ticket: 25000WON / 20000WON early reservation (go to SoolJ’s cyworld to reserve, only available for those with a cyworld account)

DATE: Saturday 06/11/2010 6:00 PM

PLACE: Seoul, Hong Dae @ Club V-Hall.

DIRECTIONS: On Subway Line 2, go to Hongik University Station, Exit 5. Follow this map or below for detailed directions. Be sure you go to V-HALL, not VERA, as the two are often confused.

–MissDrunkenCamp

News & Such, Shows & Concerts

[report] Rakaa Album Release Party – pt 3

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The finale act is none other than Rakaa, and the other performers do a successful job of hyping up the crowd for him. He starts strong with some hard tracks off his latest solo, “Crown of Thorns.”

Rakaa gets the crowd to put their hands up. The crew joins him.

As Rakaa performs, JK steals a video camera and records Rakaa and the crowd.

Rakaa continuously asks the crowd if they’re tired. At this point, it’s already 2:30am. The crowd screams, “NO,” and while some show signs of wear, there is one guy in the crowd that couldn’t put his arms down. Tasha gives him a bottle of water to say “thank you.” Some of the crowd is lost as Rakaa talks about his Korean mother and how much he respects his roots. JK offers to translate and the crowd responds with an overwhelming reply filled with pride.

And as Rakaa finishes up songs from his solo, he treats the Dilated Peoples fans with hit songs from the past.

“Proper Propaganda“ – Dilated Peoples 2nd album

“Work The Angles” –  Dilated Peoples 1st album

“This Way” – Dilated Peoples 3rd album

Towards the end of his set, he brings it back to his solo and does “Ambassador Slang,” which features DT, Tasha, Roscoe, and Stylez. [warning: JK stepped off the stage right next to me and did a short dance in front of my camera, so there is a moment of shakiness due to panicking fans and bodyguards]

And of course, the final treat was “Monster,” with everyone the track. This was truly a moment in hip-hop history.

They end the night with a group bow.

and after all the hard work, some fun in the VIP room. they say the entertainment industry is 90% work, and 10% fun, but in all honesty, the 10% is all worth it. Backstage, we see surprise characters waiting like Palo Alto and JK’s old friends. It’s a small room bustling with at least 20+ people.

Despite chaos, it’s a nice moment between all of Drunken fam. Outside the curtains are fans patiently waiting. Some want autographs, some want to give gifts, and some are just dedicated enough to wait for the artists to come out so they can see them. Patience does not come unrewarded as some of these fans get a shot with Rakaa at 4am.

The crew is escorted out of a back elevator and hop into their van. The site of fans still waiting outside for a glimpse of everyone shows true dedication and the night ends with the crew giving smiles to adoring fans.

-Miss DrunkenCamp

credits to: Danny Oh & CBMassMatics for helping out with this post.

News & Such, Shows & Concerts

[report] Rakaa Album Release Party – pt 2

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‘

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.

photo/video credits to: http://www.rokhiphop.com, Danny Oh

-MissDrunkenCamp

News & Such, Shows & Concerts, Videos

[report] Rakaa’s album release party – pt 1

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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.”

-TO BE CONTINUED-

-L aka Miss DrunkenCamp

Shows & Concerts

[photos/video] Naksan through the eyes of Drunken + fans

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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.

-MissDrunkenCamp

To follow Drunken on twitter:

Tiger JK: http://www.twitter.com/drunkentigerjk
Roscoe: http://www.twitter.com/roscoeumali
Tasha/Yoon Mirae: http://www.twitter.com/yoonmirae
Bizzy: http://www.twitter.com/bizzionary