show me the money

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)

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