Chapter 185
Chapter 185
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 186
Chapter Title: Top of Korean Hip-Hop
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Before Elkind Logan met Yeonwoo, he was already drawing attention in Korea and around the world due to his unusually active travels.
He lived in the affluent suburb of Bloomfield Hills, not far from Detroit, even after success—for the sake of his wife who couldn't fly—and aside from two world tours, he hadn't traveled abroad at all. So, it was impossible not to notice when he went to a country called Korea.
-It's definitely because of his granddaughter.
-His granddaughter's a famous Hallyu fan.
-He said he listened to all of NGS's music because of his granddaughter lol.
-He seems to be eating Korean food heartily wherever he goes.
-The greatness of Hallyu...
-The hip-hop GOAT listening to idol songs while domestic hip-hop losers get wrecked. Most of them are too busy dissing idol music? Lol.
-Honestly, is domestic hip-hop even hip-hop? Who recognizes it overseas right now?
-Lol, honestly, isn't NGS Gino the top of domestic hip-hop?
-The domestic hip-hop scene is too busy hating on Gino lol. "Idols aren't hip-hop" lol.
-No, what the hell is this "hero's journey hip-hop insult"?
-Right? Lol. The quiet domestic hip-hop kids are the ones getting trashed.
-But it's still unreal that Elkind Logan is in Korea.
-While he's here, no concert or anything? 😭
-He probably busy playing with his granddaughter.
In Korea, people thought he had made a big decision to come for his granddaughter, who was just a Hallyu fan.
They respected him so much that hardly anyone approached for autographs or caused a fuss.
But overseas, different opinions were emerging.
-Maybe he's there to meet Yuin?
-I was thinking the same. Would Elkind Logan go to Korea for no reason?
-Isn't that too much speculation?
-Yeah, you guys don't just think Korea = Yuin, right?
-True. Seems like people think Korea = Yuin, so Elkind Logan going there means he's visiting Yuin.
-What is this, some new kind of racial discrimination?
-His granddaughter's a Hallyu fan, and her SNS is full of Yuin tags, but couldn't Elkind Logan meet Yuin for his granddaughter's sake?
-Doesn't that feel like abusing power or something?
-As if Yuin would meet him for that reason.
-If Elkind Logan wants to meet, Yuin has to make time. Who is she to refuse?
-Yuin? This era's greatest genius.
-Elkind Logan is the GOAT.
-When Yuin reaches Elkind Logan's age, she'll surpass the GOAT and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Mozart and Beethoven.
-Does this have to turn into a "who's better" fight?
As speculations ran wild and turned into arguments across communities, Elkind Logan's granddaughter, Amelia Logan, posted something new on SNS.
[Photo of Elkind Logan and Yeonwoo having a serious conversation in Yeonwoo's studio from behind]
Grandpa and Yuin
#Collaboration #Korea #Love
The photo of a young boy and a middle-aged man deep in conversation from behind quickly became a hot topic.
-See? Told you he met Yuin.
-I said they met, not that they'd talk music. Who knew?
-But what music would they even discuss? Yuin doesn't do hip-hop, and Elkind Logan only does hip-hop.
-Seeing Amelia's #collaboration, maybe they're exchanging their own music?
-Seems like it.
-Lolololol Yuin thinks she knows hip-hop enough to collab with Elkind Logan? Ridiculous lol.
-Hey! Hip-hop purist detected!
-What lol? Am I wrong? What does Yuin know about hip-hop? Elkind Logan must be done for lol. Clinging to Yuin's popularity.
-I don't get hip-hop purists. Why do they try to drag a GOAT down to their level?
-Lol look at the purists dissing Elkind Logan lol.
-Can't they diss? Lol Isn't that allowed?
-Lol check this guy's posts lol. He's all about praising domestic hip-hop lol. Hyping domestic rappers like crazy lol.
-Right lol. First time seeing someone sucking up domestic hip-hop while trashing authentic hip-hop—and a GOAT at that—lol.
-So many weirdos out there.
-Hey, but are they really working on a track together?
-Wow, Yuin and Elkind Logan. Can't even imagine what they'll drop.
-Fr real lol.
People's attention was pouring in.
One is Yuin, called a once-in-a-century genius. The other is the hip-hop GOAT. What kind of music would come from their collaboration?
While all eyes were on them, Yeonwoo and Elkind Logan were each finishing their beats and lyrics.
Through Elkind Logan and his fairy, Yeonwoo was getting familiar with hip-hop concepts like rhymes and flow.
Yeonwoo thought his steady reading—one habit he'd kept thinking he might write lyrics someday—was a huge help.
He assembled the sentences popping into his head like puzzle pieces to create rhymes.
It might still look like child's play to Elkind Logan or even domestic hip-hop artists, but it was gradually taking shape.
On top of that, Yeonwoo started creating more diverse beats.
Separate from the one for Elkind Logan, he was crafting his own beats.
Even if he couldn't write lyrics, he specified the flow.
"So... you want me to put lyrics here and rap it like this?"
"Yeah, I'm thinking of releasing some hip-hop myself."
Elkind Logan scratched his nose at Yeonwoo's words and examined the beat and flow Yeonwoo had made.
He even hummed along to test it.
Then, looking at Yeonwoo with a bewildered expression, he said,
"This... is way too hard?"
What on earth was this kid?
In that short time, he'd absorbed hip-hop like a sponge and ended up creating his own.
It lacked hip-hop spirit and he couldn't write lyrics, but this was hip-hop.
Very difficult hip-hop at that.
Was there even a rapper who could handle this track?
No, wait.
I have to do it.
Who am I? Elkind Logan.
"I'll... I'll give it a shot."
"So I can record and release it?"
At Yeonwoo's question, Elkind Logan thought for a moment and nodded.
"Yeah. You're working on my track, so how could I not rap yours?"
"Thank you."
Yeonwoo bowed at the waist to Elkind Logan, who accepted readily.
"And let's leave the complicated contract stuff to other people."
"That's the kind of thing adults who love it should handle."
"Exactly."
Elkind Logan burst out laughing and said,
"While we're at it, want to practice a bit and jump into recording?"
Elkind Logan said it lightly, but Yeonwoo's eyes lit up.
He still didn't know about the recording studio—or Yuin.
A few days later, Elkind Logan said to Yeonwoo,
"Yuin in the booth is a demon. You're a demon."
"Everyone seems to think so."
Yeonwoo responded calmly to Elkind Logan calling him a demon.
* * *
August.
Yuin suddenly dropped a digital single.
No prior promotion.
Just uploaded a video to the official SSHIN YouTube channel and released the track on all major platforms that day.
[Raging Waves]
Yuin
Rap by. Elkind Logan
Composed/Produced by. Yuin
It was a track Yeonwoo made, with Elkind Logan on rap. The YouTube video showed Elkind Logan rapping in the recording booth.
-What the hell;;;;;;
-They really worked on a track together.
-What is this;
-What the actual situation?
-Olivia Snow wasn't enough, now Elkind Logan?
-Insane.
-Listened to the track? The track itself is fire.
-Beat is insane. Yeonwoo made this?
-Fuck, it's nuts.
-But honestly, aside from the beat, isn't it all Elkind Logan? Isn't Yuin riding too hard?
-I just saw Elkind Logan's interview. He said Yeonwoo composed and set the flow; he only did lyrics and rapping.
-Fr?
-Elkind Logan dropped his first harsh words in an interview. Called the kid crazy and a demon in the booth lololol.
-The rapper who considers "crazy" and "demon" among his harshest career words lololol.
-Hilarious af.
-But this track is actually good.
-Listened, and it's not just Elkind Logan hyping it.
-Why?
-Style is completely different from Elkind Logan.
-Elkind Logan always stays on beat, but this switches between off-beat and on-beat. Rap style is precise pronunciation in his clean voice, but the chorus gets wavy and rough like raging waves—not his style.
-Fr, above guy's right.
The track Yeonwoo uploaded out of nowhere spread from Korea across the world in no time.
The video of Elkind Logan rapping with his face turning red in the booth hit over 3 million views in a day, with views climbing in real-time at an astonishing rate.
Raging Waves topped not just domestic platforms but also Spotify—popular overseas—hitting #1 on weekly charts in hours. It claimed #1 on real-time and daily charts across all platforms in the US, Korea, and several other countries.
The US reaction was especially explosive.
He hadn't been active for years, but he'd released music—even if featuring on someone else's track.
Plus, the returning GOAT announced this was just a warm-up and he'd drop his own album or single soon, sending fans into a frenzy.
-Wow, the reactions are savage ;;;
-But they deserve to be.
-Even domestic hip-hop and foreign hip-hop galleries are going nuts, saying the track is insane.
-Level is different ;;; Fr;;; Beat, rhymes, flow—all on another level.
-GOAT song of the year is Raging Waves.
-Lol kids, at this point, isn't Yuin the top of domestic hip-hop fr?
-Fr lololol.
-9-year-old achieves global breakthrough no domestic hip-hop could lol.
-Top of domestic hip-hop confirmed. No counterarguments.
-Lol even though he didn't rap it himself, top of domestic hip-hop my ass.
-Those loud hip-hop purists from before crawling back out lol.
-Name one MC or rapper from the domestic scene you stan who's broken overseas? DJs don't count. Not one in the last 10 years?
-Hell, no one's even cracked top 10 ever except NGS kids lol. And domestic hip-hop won't even acknowledge NGS lololol.
-Talentless hacks are pathetic lololol.
-Posing as gangsters when they're not, always whining about struggles while most dodge the military—domestic hip-hop lololol.
-"Hip-hop ain't cool," they say, then throw tantrums and try to leech off it? Lol domestic hip-hop is dead fr.
-Hey, stop bullying. Domestic hip-hop fans are crying.
-Kids, not all listeners are idiots... Don't lump them all together 😭😭😭😭
-But will Raging Waves enter Hot 100?
-Duh? Lol Youngest Melboard #1 + hip-hop GOAT collab— who else could crack Melboard Hot 100? Lol.
-Right lol. I say top 30 first week minimum.
-Then undeniable top of domestic hip-hop confirmed.
People were curious about Raging Waves' first-week Melboard ranking.
And a week later.
Raging Waves shot straight to #1 on Melboard Hot 100, living up to the hype.
-Undeniable top of domestic hip-hop Yuin confirmed?
-Fuck yes.
-Fr.
-Now, if you're debating top of domestic hip-hop, mention Melboard Hot 100 #1 first.
Yeonwoo became the top of Korean hip-hop.