Moon Swings: How He Inspired Me

Moon Swings founded Just Music, Indigo Music, WEDAPLUGG Records, and many other business ventures. His desire to keep growing as a person manifests in his businesses. As he expands into new sectors, he always keeps in mind how grateful it is to be in his position. He is constantly seeking for the high he gets when his business and personality grows.

Swings is also self-admittedly flawed like everyone.

_{A tree that is still standing tall.
photo courtesy of Steffen Kastner}

_{A sign that we all want to hear.
photo courtesy of Mark Adriane}

Being vulnerable and admitting mistakes has always been admirable to see from him. On his YouTube channel, Swings has made an effort to post content relating to self improvement and success. From his car vlogs to speaking panels, he has amassed a new crowd of the youth that are growing up with life questions. By watching his videos, you can tell the amount of passion that seeps through his eyes when he talks about learning from the past and coming into terms with your present self. Not only does he share this knowledge with us, he gives his perspective on learning life as a regular guy. As I watched these videos and found moments where I can relate, I became more interested in self growth and felt the need to take more action in my life.

It helps to see someone you idolize show their human nature.

Thank you Swings.

TITLE: How To Compliment Others
video courtesy of Swings

featured photo courtesy of Oscar Keys

BILL STAX and the “DETOX” Mission

Bill Stax (formerly known as Vasco) has made it his mission to legalize marijuana use in South Korea. He has stated in a podcast that his goal is to change the perceptions of what the term “drug” means in the country. Having dealt with the consequences of the law and people, Bill Stax is no stranger to firsthand experience of marijuana usage in the young country of South Korea.

This mission has spawned debates about Korea’s stance on recreational use of drugs and alcohol. With soju and cigarettes being the main substances young adults enjoy, a majority of the country still does not feel safe with marijuana. To a lot of South Koreans, drugs are drugs.

Sign of “party elements”.
photo courtesy of Nick Fewings

The distinctions and nuances in between marijuana and other substances are blurred for them. Having put all of them in the same category, indulging in marijuana is no different than meth in terms of punishment. Many celebrities in the past have had their careers (or lives) ruined due to their name being mentioned with “marijuana” in articles.

Rapper performing on stage.
photo courtesy of Samia Liamani

Bill Stax, having the “drug rapper” label already on him, will not risk much of his image in this venture. As of right now, he fits the bill for the cause as anyone else going pro-marijuana risks negative public perception.

Will this be his “detox” for the country?

featured photo courtesy of Matthew Brodeur

Let’s Talk About Mental Health In Hip-Hop

Korean rapper, Woo (Woo Wonjae), is one of the many leading figures in the Korean hip-hop scene right now. Ever since his surprise run on Show Me The Money 6, he has maintained a loyal fanbase towards his raw lyricism. Being explicit in his battle with mental health, South Korea’s youth began to see something different for once in the culture.

Woo’s struggle to accept himself does not last too long. His lyrics have evolved as his relationship with himself changes in a positive manner. With his releases under AOMG, he has stated that he will write what his current feeling is. It has reached a point where Korean fans even yearned for the “old” Woo.

This asks the question of whether us as listeners are consuming the art and responding to it well. Artists suffer from being trapped with the identity they have crafted for themselves. Mental health and drug use go hand in hand with each other in this industry. In Woo’s case, we must be accepting of him as a person over the artist in this case.

2020 is the year the hip-hop scene takes a serious stance towards mental health discussion. Specifically in the birthplace of hip-hop, America has had the most deaths related to drug use for mental health in the industry. Rappers are raised within the age of social media and lyrics promoting drug use. The youth of this age have grown up with conflicting beliefs of remaining in trend while also being addicted to the substance in subtle ways. The glorified rappers are constantly feeding us the same messages while shedding light on its drawbacks. However, its common to see the shared pain the rapper might have with us and be influenced to want the drugs itself. Rap is beautiful in that that having raw lyrics increases the likelihood of relating to the feelings. Thus, it makes sense how rap ended up here if we take that into account as influence.

As listeners and fans, we must be able to find distinction between the aesthetics of feeling empathy and relating with it. There should not be an aesthetic beauty in feeling sad. Our connection with one another in sharing that pain can be expressed without needing to follow a similar lifestyle. Different people walk different paths in life, but we can all find solace in that we all experience similar emotions.

featured photo courtesy of Finn

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COVID-19 “Quarantined and Lonely Playlist”

With the recent news of COVID-19 taking the world by storm, most of us our left carrying our work and conversations online. The virus has left us with much to think about as 2020 was the year where we go out and appreciate our loved ones. Let’s keep that in mind!

A playlist dedicated to those who spend time at home and collect lonely thoughts.

featured photo courtesy of L N

Did “The Rap of China” ruin Chinese hip-hop?

Shanghai, China
photo courtesy by Hanny Naibaho

“The Rap of China”, a Chinese hip-hop survival show, follows a similar format to the similar show, “Show Me The Money” with contestants rapping to avoid elimination. As a result of the show’s first-season success in 2017, hip-hop swooped the culture of the youth and evolved into various subcultures.

How does the government view this? Well, let’s say they like it only if the
content benefits projecting an ideal image of the country. The Republic of
China is not exactly fond of present day rap lyrics that involve drugs,
partying and especially foreign influence. Rappers in China that do talk about the ‘gang life’ were silenced back in 2018 by the country’s top television regulator. Famous rappers like PG One and Gai had their content removed on streaming sites or were forced to apologize online
for their behaviors.

Fast forward to today- Gai is back and has apologized rapping about the Chinese philosophy, and his original identity is nowhere to be found. PG One apologizes on social media by blaming black culture. Little is known about whether they were told to revise their content or whether it’s passion that led them there.

Will The Rap of China continue to be the same path that rappers want to walk?

featured photo courtesy by Alvan Nee

State of WEDAPLUGG in 2020

Moon Swings is known for his yearning to expand his businesses, especially in music. WEDAPLUGG is his third and youngest music label under the IMJMWDP umbrella that has spawned many musical giants. Featuring many young artists who have yet to reach their potential, the label has been putting out music more frequently than anyone else in the company. As Indigo Music faces a setback with the inactivity of two members, Just Music is also looking at one of its darker times with main member Giriboy enlisting soon. Swings and his young artists will have to do this mainly on their own.

photo courtesy of @kidsstayraw (twitter)

YUNHWAY

Yunhway gained the love of the mainstream audience this past year with her appearance on Show Me The Money 8. While being considered a gyopo, her unique tone and vocal style allowed her to stand out and separate herself from that box. Yunhway is the main force in driving attention to this young collective. Her ability to bring unorthodox styles to songs makes her a phenomenal pick in collaborations.

SAEWOO

Often overlooked by the countless producers and artists in the scene right now, Saewoo remains unnoticed by fans. Despite producing entire albums of tracks and even the company’s compilation album, Saewoo does not have a strong presence as a celebrity artist. His experience in production has only been increasing since joining the company. We can expect to see more collabs with him and Yunhway in the future.

LIL TACHI

Having just put out his latest 29-track mixtape, Boombap Mixtape, Lil Tachi debuted with question marks above his head. His previous work on rap shows and features have been a hit or miss for the Korean audience. His influences from Lil Wayne to Chief Keef are blatantly there; however, he struggles to deliver those styles in a natural way. With one massive project under his belt, he has more experience than most his peers. Thus, there is no reason to write him off yet.

JHNOVR

Jhnovr is talented, and there is no question about it. His soulful singing is a breath of fresh air from the usual rap-singing we get from artists these days. However, he lacks hard-hitting songs that can highlight his full potential as an R&B singer. After featuring on charted songs with NO:EL, he seems to excel the best with pop and rap collaborations.

WEDAPLUGG is looking at a possible bright future with lots of potential. Can they do it?

photo courtesy of Hannah Troupe (unsplash)

featured photo courtesy of Alexandre Debiève (unsplash)

Biggest Fashion Trends started by Korean Hip Hop rappers

Hongdae is the birthplace for much of the youth culture in Seoul, South Korea. Being the home to endless hip-hop clubs and streetwear shops, it is where the latest trends can be seen. Having visited myself in 2016, it is safe to say that the culture that exists within Hongdae is indeed heavily influenced by music and fashion.

Young b at Show Me The Money 6 filming
(photo courtesy of @PinkyAlei)

Some of the most iconic trends that rocked the minds of the youth were seen on hip-hop shows in South Korea. High School Rapper was one of them with Young B sporting his trademark dangling-cross earrings. Having worn it in every episode of the reality show, it was hard to ignore his unique fashion choices while seeing him improve in his craft. Over time, the association with the cross earrings and the eventual final winner of the show became inseparable.

Woo at Project B (photo courtesy of @woo_hi_)

During Show Me The Money 6, rapper Woo polished the growing trend of beanies and mullets. By wearing his beanie shallow enough to cover his eyebrows, it added to his natural, ominous and grim rap character. With most Korean males sporting similar variants of two block bowl cuts, a new medium to long hairstyle was timely appropriate for the growing fashion forward country. Along with the combination of his mullet, it was a different take on vintage and skate culture that South Korea’s youth grew to love.

written by Ryan Xu

featured photo courtesy of Patrick (@astrobound on unsplash)

Hash Swan proves change is possible in latest project ‘Silence of the REM’

featured photo courtesy of Joph

Coming out of his hiatus with a full-length album, Silence of the REM, Hash Swan (Deokwang Han) is looking to turn heads with a brand new sound.

The rapper from the label Ambition Musik, headed by rap veteran The Quiett, has found himself in somewhat of a musical slump in the past year. With fellow peers who started their careers the same way, Hash Swan has inescapably been isolated by the public and labeled as a “Show Me The Money” rapper after his appearances on the show in 2016 and 2017. The small window of time to embed your name into the public’s eye before you are forgotten plagues many rappers to this day in South Korea. Like many others, their career and name usually plateau in relevance as being liberated from the show’s portrayal is just as difficult as staying atop changing trends.

The style of rap that Hash Swan delivers on this project is melancholic and soft in volume and character. Not only does that adhere to most of South Korea’s youth taste, he also demonstrates the ability to evolve and adapt to current trends, which was his problem in the past.

Hash Swan live at RAP HOUSE VOL.4 in 2018
photo courtesy of space_cpmw

Being mainly associated with excessively tight lyrics that are incapable of being performed live, Hash Swan approaches the writing in this album knowing the extent of his rapping ability. Straying further from his usual complex verbiage in his lyrics, the conscious decision to embrace the simple but soulful vocals and catchy hooks allows for versatile features from R&B, indie and pop vocalists. Pop singer Jamie and indie band SURL are some of the unique voices that can be a start to bridge future genre collaborations with Korean hip-hop rappers.

From Teenage in Closet to Olive is Better, the album speaks upon cohesiveness as its strongest point as all the tracks are overflowing with future bass and synthesizer instruments. The genre of the album leans towards a hip hop and electronic dance music mix with hints of R&B, something Hash Swan is no stranger to. He has dabbled in this sound before through features and his latest EP, Peridot. However, its reach was not enough to sway public opinion and prove to the Korean hip-hop culture that he is capable as a rapper. Thus, following his last EP, Silence of the REM seems to be the definitive sequel and reply to the public that change is possible.

written by Ryan Xu

Teenage in Closet by Hash Swan (Silence of the REM)
video courtesy of Stone Music Entertainment