Tag Archives: Bizzy

News & Such

[Interview] FarEastVibes Interviews MFBTY!

Leave a comment

20150422_MFBTY_1a-660x400

There’s no doubt about the amount of passion for music you guys have not just as MFBTY but also within your solo careers, but music is also a job. With idol groups representing mainstream Korean music and becoming increasingly popular internationally, does MFBTY feel pressured to alter their music in order to chart well?

Tiger JK: Sometimes, but when we get in the studio we all get lost in our music. Since we do basically everything – produce, write, mix, and all that – we don’t have time to feel pressure. It’s a very, very arduous process, but recording is the most fun part. And bumping our songs as loud as we can and just going through our own playlists to decide what makes the cut on the album is exciting. We’re thinking about getting a producer where we could be led for once and just do our own parts to see what comes out.

Yoon Mirae: Not at all. I know people probably won’t believe me when I say this, but it’s true. I really really don’t pay attention to charts. I just want to make music that I can be proud of and that makes me happy. Of course I would like the album to do well, but I don’t believe that I – or we – should make songs for that reason. Hopefully if we put out good music, the rest will fall into place.

Read more here: FarEastVibes Interviews MFBTY

News & Such

[Interview] Falling into “Wondaland” with Korean Hip Hop Group MFBTY

Leave a comment

CC7sHrmVAAAJ5IY

Asia Pacific Arts interviews MFBTY:

At first look, people might simply describe MFBTY as a hip-hop group, but your album is packed with 17 tracks and you explore various genres from not only hip-hop, but electronica, R&B and even reggae. What genres were you most excited to challenge and how was the process of creating a song in that style?

Tiger JK: I love reggae music. It’s always been a root of inspiration for me. If you listen to my old Drunken Tiger records, you will find a lot of reggae influences or me paying homage. Drunken Tiger’s single “Liquor Shot” was dance hall. And Tasha’s “Wonder Woman” single was reggae influenced. Whether it be EDM or rock music, we’re inspired by anything that has soul.

Yoonmirae: Well our DJ/producer/consultant/Feel Ghood Music family friend DJ Smells is really into and good with the EDM side of things, so he was there to help us with fusing our styles together. As JK said, he’s always been a huge reggae fanatic and knows a lot about it, so when JK and Kim Ban Jang from Windy City get together in the studio, it’s pretty much a wrap! When making this album, we just basically showed up at the studio and recorded our jam sessions. We didn’t confine ourselves to one genre or what we thought the people thought we should do. We just wanted to do whatever felt good, made us happy, and hoped for the best.

Read more here: Asia Pacific Arts Interviews MFBTY

News & Such

[INTERVIEW] MFBTY Talks ‘Peace, Love, and Pillow Fights’, Potential English Release, and More with moonROK

Leave a comment

20150422_MFBTY_1a-660x400

Your last album, “The Cure”, had an emotionally heavy focus drawn from real life tragedies, but “Wondaland” seems to establish that you’ve moved on, especially with the first track, “Hello Happy.” Can you tell us about the transition from your last album to this one?

Tiger JK: Most of my songs are drawn from real life. Particularly “The Cure” was my mantra, it was our prayer for people who are suffering. As far as moving on, I don’t think I will ever be able to. I’m moving forward though because time doesn’t wait for me. “Hello Happy” was just the right theme for us. We wanted to focus on something positive and fun. It was like breaking the ice on a first date after a very long awkward silence on a rainy day by a car driving in a puddle and splashing water on us, now we’re laughing and hugging. It all sounds very Korean drama-esque!

Yoonmirae: We just wanted to do music that made us “Feel Ghood.” I guess you can say it was a self-fulfilling therapeutic decision.

Read more here: moonROK Interviews MFBTY

News & Such

[Interview] Tiger JK, Yoon Mi-Rae & Bizzy Team Up for MFBTY Hip-Hop Supergroup

Leave a comment

newphotomfbtyLG

Can you tell us about the origins of the concept of the MFBTY project, how it came about?

Tiger JK: The origin of the concept for MFBTY came from love. And it came about in the loveliest way. Our album “WondaLand” is a K-pop fantasy world where everybody loves Bizzy, Tiger, and Yoon Mi-rae.

Bizzy: People who are lost in their own lanes, they all deserve to be happy in this “WondaLand.” “My Fans Better Than Yours” is what MFBTY stands for.

– See more at: Blouinartinfo Interviews  MFBTY

News & Such

[interview] Tiger JK: “Hip-Hop Comes First Before Business”

1 Comment

[interview by Ten24] 

It’d be hard to find someone other than Tiger JK to fit the title “Korean Hiphop godfather.” Debuting in 1995 with his solo track, ‘Enter the Tiger, then as Drunken Tiger, and now part of his crew MFBTY, Tiger has taken on many forms since his debut.

Tiger JK has traveled on a wonderful musical journey spanning over the past 20 years. He’s witnessed Korea transforming from a hip-hop no-mans land into a country that accepts it with open arms and embrace it, Tiger JK has been through it all and made his mark in Korean Hiphop’s history. Although his age may be slighter higher than some of the other rappers on the scene, his passion and his love for hiphop cannot be superseded by anyone.

jkangelsingle
There is no other person fitting for the title of Korean hip-hop’s Godfather.

The interviewer was curious about Tiger JK. His music, life, and his interpretation of Wondaland. Meeting with Tiger JK was not easy to facilitate. Due to his shy personality and his preference to stay away from interviews, the interviewer was finally able to meet with him after a long wait.

Tiger JK definitely had a natural presence with his charisma. It did not take long for my misconceptions about him to fly out the window. With his corny punchlines such as “Without MiRae, we have no future,” he joked throughout the interview with his witty remarks.

Between all the jokes, Tiger JK expressed his love for his wife, his son Jordan, and the project group, MFBTY. He said “I’m a fool for MiRae, Jordan and people.” However, when it came to music, his tone changed into a serious note. “We are getting love from fans around the world, especially since our album Wondaland released about a month ago.” Although he advised he is getting inquiries about possible overseas concerts, he said, “There are good opportunities for us to earn good money, but shouldn’t the performance and our stage quality be the first priority?” In true Tiger JK style, he still did not want to compromise.

“Yoon Mi Rae? She’s a world-class rapper”

His love for Yoon Mi Rae was second to none. There was also the love for hip-hop blended into it as well. Tiger JK respects Yoon Mi Rae as an artist.

“Mi Rae is seriously a world class rapper. On top of her rapping skills, her lyricism is just mind blowing,” he says while putting his thumb up. However, when it came to actually saying this out loud, he was clearly shy to do so. This was evident in his recent TV appearance on Happy Together 3 Lovers Special where Tiger JK had to make a call to Mi Rae to get her to say a code word. During this phone conversation, Tiger JK struggled to say lovey-dovey words. Reflecting on this, he stated “After that show aired, Mirae had a word with me. I really should’ve gave her the heads up before I made the phone call…”

tashajkhappytogether
JK fails to make Tasha say, “I miss you” during the Happy Together code word challenge

Tiger JK also spoke about his son Jordan and his musical ability, shown in the track enlisted in Wondaland Album ‘Fart Dance’, which Jordan composed all by himself whilst thinking that it was a game. Tiger JK said that if Jordan wanted to pursue music as his career, he was not going to hold him back. “When I listen to Fart Dance, I really believe he is a musical genius. I know he is going to be great. (smiling) However when it comes to a point where I have a critically analyze his musical ability without any biased opinions, I am prepared to do so if need be.”

familyensemble
“Without MiRae, we’d have no future. If Jordan wants to do music, I will not be biased in my criticisms.”

Rapper Tiger JK – a fool with a reason

Tiger JK and Yoon Mi Rae had their humble abode set in UiJeongBu even before they were married. Unlike popular artists setting their nests around the Gangnam area, the hip hop-couple even had their recording studio set up in city-suburban town. This is also the place where MFBTY’s first full album Wondaland was produced. The interviewer was curious about the reasons as to why Tiger JK insisted on staying at UiJeongBu.

“I love the life UiJeongBu. It’s comfortable and awesome. It’s like heaven. This is where MiRae grew up, and I want to live where she feels comfortable.”

His employees & staff members sacrificed a bit due to Tiger JK insisting on staying in UiJeongBu. However, he did not let this one go unnoticed. Bizzy and all of his staff now now reside in UiJeongBu, and he took care of everyone’s rent. For him, they were family – not just employees.

Due to his 20-year anniversary and Wondaland’s success coincidentally happening all at once, he admitted he is continuously receiving invitations for performances especially overseas. With his strong rapport around the world, Tiger JK has the power to negotiate and agree to a more lucrative deal, but Tiger JK refuses to do this. “I am not the type to ask favors on a business level. It is true that we are receiving a lot of offers, but we want to provide a good performance where the music comes first. I didn’t even realize this but apparently it’s been 20 years since my debut. It’s that long ago? I can’t remember when that was. I think it’ll be a great idea to have a meaningful event for our fans. I would want to meet them on a more personal level.”

Source: News24

Translated by JSK

News & Such

[News] Bizzy Bizzionary: An Inside Look At MFBTY’s Third Member

Leave a comment

11081320_1024669794213151_3475070354372774406_n

It is March 16, 2015 and a rapper is seen quietly psyching himself up, saying “I can do it” inside a restaurant in Gangnam. He has his game face on. It’s 3 days before his new track comes out. Is he anticipating taking the number 1 spot onthe music charts?

Not exactly. It’s because he has nominated himself to be the MC for their album release party on the 18th. It is very rare to see the artists themselves MC’ing their album release event. It’s usually a professional MC that manages the event ensuring everything flows smoothly. However this rapper is confident he can do a good job.

He is MFBTY’s Bizzy. Haven’t heard of him? It’s the person beside Tiger JK and Yoon Mi Rae. Yes, it is clear that compared to the other two artists, he is not as well known. This is the reason why he volunteered to MC for the night, as this was an excellent opportunity for the media and the general public to hear and notice Bizzy on the stage. He even visited the promo office to receive 1:1 media training and to practice. All preparations were done. All he could do was wait.

Now let’s switch it up a bit. MFBTY’s first full album “Wondaland” was released on March 19, 2015. They received the top spots on 4 respective music charts. However, there were some comments regarding their results saying they were not as good because fans were not aware of the project group MFBTY. In other words, if they knew Tiger JK & Yoon Mi Rae were in it, people were more likely to reach out for the tracks.

This makes sense. Many people do know Tiger JK & Yoon Mi Rae, but MFBTY, that’s a different story. So why are they calling themselves MFBTY? Because other than “My Fans [Are] Better Than Yours,” it also means, “Mother Freakin’ Bizzy Tiger YoonMiRae.”

10313328_1024669837546480_2930393204707924928_n

Bizzy is used to hearing all the ‘usual’ questions, e.g. “what are you doing between that married couple?” Even the writer of this article (Osen reporter) asked him, “So what do you do in MFBTY?”.Although this might have been hurtful to others, Bizzy politely replied “Oh, this and that.”

Within his record label (Feel Ghood Music, which he, Tiger JK & Yoon Mi Rae created) he is known as General Manager, Mr. Park. As their record label just turned two, they are still in their establishment phase and will be needing hands on assistance every now and then. These days, General Manager Mr. Park, (aka Bizzy) is helping with the promotional team which is a big help to them.

It was the morning of the day when the album,”Wondaland,” was going to be announced for the first time to the media and general public. Needless to say, Tiger JK & Yoon Mi Rae had high expectations.

Unfortunately, the MC for the event was Tiger JK. Bizzy froze midway through and Tiger JK had to step in. However, the short amount of time Bizzy was MCing, it left a positive impression on the media personnel.

Rappers tell their life stories on the stages with their flows. Bizzy, a hip hop veteran is always explosive on stage. However, when he needs to talk, he freezes.

There’s a short video clip recorded from KBS, “Yoon Do Hyun’s Love Letter” that is legendary. Yoon Do Hyun asks Bizzy a question and he does not respond back. One may think it was all part of his character, a certain type of as swag, whereas others deducted that maybe he was unable to speak at that moment because he was embarrassed. Most recently on MNet’s, “4KindsShow” he spoke less than Rap Monster (BTS) who featured on their album.

Those that are in Bizzy’s close circles call him, “The music industry’s nuclear bomb with no explosion” much to Bizzy’s frustration. After the album release event, Bizzy took up boxing again (which he stopped doing for a short time). While speaking of boxing, Bizzy commented, Yoon Mi Rae’s punches hurt the most (to which Tiger JK agreed).

screenshot.5885 (2)

His long awaited solo album

There’s a good chance Bizzy’s solo album will drop in the first half of 2015. With regards to his signature energetic flow and powerful performances, he commented “To survive between Tiger JK and Yoon Mi Rae, I formed a habit of shouting when performing.”

In his solo album, there is an expected music style change. With jazz and R&B on his listening menu lately, he has told the writer that his music style has toned down a little bit. But don’t worry, his powerful performances will not disappear.

Bizzy was offered a lot of Korean idol spots when he returned to Korea from New Zealand. Amongst his nicknames is “Hiphop Gong Yoo,” which might sounds like it refers to the actor Gong Yoo, however this nickname was given to him after people saw him on, “Come To Play.” His positive energy is addictive and one of his greatest assets. He stated that he is at his happiest right now.

Rapper, Sean2Slow gave Bizzy his name a long time ago wishing him to be busy. When asked whether he is busy, he smiled and answered, “Much busier than before!” When you search his name, soybean curd come up first (food product, same Korean spelling as Bizzy written in Korean) he is just happy that there are a lot of “Rapper Bizzy” related posts nowadays.

This is Bizzy, who’s happily single, but would love to raise a family one day.

Source: Osen News
Translated by JSK

-Cheryl S.
YoonMirae INTL

News & Such

[news] Song Description for MFBTY’s “Wondaland”

1 Comment

Rappers Tiger JK, Yoon Mi-rae, and Bizzy  are releasing their first full length album together as group, MFBTY.

March 18, M Academy Concert Hall in Sinsa Gangnam—  MFBTY held a pre-listening conference to introduce their album, “Wondaland.” The album is schedule to be released today, March 19th.

MFBTY previously released a mini album in 2013 called, “Sweet Dream,” followed by “The Cure,” under the Drunken Tiger name, and then a single under Yoon MiRae’s name, “Angel.” All their title singles swept the charts, but they had never released a full length album under the MFBTY name.

“Wondaland” is not a hip-hop album, but a reinterpretation of Korean pop. It holds 16 tracks, and the group will release three title songs (“Triple Threat” Singles) at once. It includes various genres from electronic to rock, completing the spectrum of musical genres. The album features an artists from different areas of music, including legendary rock star Jeon InKwon, TV personality Yoo Hee-Yeol, BEAST’s Yong JunHyung, BTS’ Rap Monster, The Voice winner, Son Seung Yun, Illionaire’s Dok2, Windy City’s Kim Ban Jang, and electronic duo, EE. The album keeps you guessing with its outstanding 16-song track list.

# Happy Hello (Hello Happy)

This is one of the 3 triple threat singles. It reinterprets the chorus from YoonMiRae’s “Goodbye Sadness, Hello Happiness,” and is complimented by a sweet melody played by Yoo Hee Yeol, a well-known musician and TV host in Korea. Yoo did the arrangements for this song. This originally was not a title song, but they kept redoing it and Hee Yeol instantly loved it. YoonMiRae’s resonating vocals along with Yoo, Tiger, and Bizzy will stimulate the senses.

# Hey, hey, hey!

This song intro was originally supposed to be narrated by Yoo Hee Yeol. Tiger JK asked to do a provocative intro, but they could not include it due to its content. The song has a sexy feeling to it and incorporates an EDM (electronic music festival) sound. This is a genre that MFBTY has never tried.

# Bucku Bucku (“Shy Shy”)

The fun does not stop in this song. MFBTY pre-released a music video for “Shy Shy,” which features electronic duo EE, BTS’ Rap Monster, and new rapper, Dino-J. This song comes closer to MFBTY’s hip-hop origins, with every person spitting a rhyme parading their confidence. The hook is extremely catchy, and the hard hitting rhymes will leave you shaking.

# In The Eyes

This is one of the lighter, more fun, songs on the album, and the second “triple threat” single. The song is supposed to evoke getting lost in a disco ball. There is a line in YoonMiRae’s rap where she says, “I only can see my eyes.” The rhythmic beat and stomp will make you feel like you are in a real disco. This became a triple because Yoo Hee Yeol recommended it.

11009908_1555581211390257_6855288039130430534_n

# Holly Who

Tiger JK asked Dok2 to help because he knows the current trend really well. There is a funny story behind this track. Dok2’s white Mercedes SUV surprised JK’s neighbors. “The Quiett” also participated in the track and gave a lot of advice

# Bang Diggy Bang Bang*

This is one of the triple title track with Windy City’s Kim Ban Jang on the drums. Mirae thought of this song while riding 방방 with her son jordan (방방 seems like a name of an amusement ride). It harkens back to the 80s and features a retro tone music video. MiRae also shows off her cool dance moves. Tiger mentioned that Tasha used to be in an idol like hip-hop/R&B group, so she knew how to dance well. I saw her dancing at home so I secretly asked her to come up with the choreography and made the track. The song leaves an impression with its foreign sound and reminds people of martial arts movies. Amongst the three singles, Yoo Hee Yeol suggested this to be the main one.

# Fart Dance

Jordan took part in this song including the song writing, performance, and producing. When jordan saw tiger jk working on a music program, he tought it was a video game and started playing with it. When MV director, Lumpens, heard this track by accident, he thought it was JK’s track and asked him to include it on the album so he could work on it. Currently, Jordan doesn’t like the title and keeps asking to change it to, “Dub Step” (a genre he likes). The dreamy and addictive electronic sound lingers around the ear. and Jordan’s voice saying ‘방귀대장 뽀로로(Fart Captain Pororo)” brings a mother-like smile to your face.

# Let It Go

This is a track with Beast’s Yong Jun Hyung. MFBTY wanted to do a song where they would break barriers, introducing an idol to the hip-hop community and a seasoned rapper to the pop audience. Yong actually hesitated for 20 days. He reinterpreted the song and did not come off as a stereotypical idol rapper. Tasha’s vocals and fast rhymes stand out. She switches back and forth, intensifying the fun almost like a roller coaster. MFBTY’s skill shined here and Yong JunHyung comes off as a brand new artist.

# Love and Peace

This track is with legendary rocker, Jeon In Kwon. Tiger JK and Jeon In Kwon continued to work on the track up until the day of the listening event. It was a reggae track with rap, but the rap was taken out per Jeon’s advice. He wanted to remove everything and only have truth, roughness, and loneliness. It is a minimalistic track with vocals, no gimmicks. Jeon’s trademark voice and MFBTY’s voices come together in this calm harmony.

*Bang Diggy Bang Bang is like an onomatopoeia for hopping/jumping as well, similar to like when you are on a trampoline. Jordan enjoys trampolines.

Source: TenAsia
Translated by Sang K.  

-Drunken Tiger International