20 years in any business is value celebrating, however Dynamicduo has not solely continued by means of the early, nascent days of Korea’s hip-hop scene however has additionally hit new artistic and mainstream peaks forward of reaching the 20-year milestone.
Since childhood mates Choiza and Gaeko formally paired up in 2004 with debut album Taxi Driver, the pair have trailblazed their legacy after setting data for hip-hop gross sales in Korea, taking high honors at mainstream awards exhibits in music and movies, establishing their Amoeba Tradition label, and collaborating with a variety of stars by means of the many years like DJ Premier, J.Y. Park, Tiger JK, BoA, Rain, Surprise Women and members of Okay-pop teams like BTS, EXO and Monsta X.
Dyanmicduo’s three-part album, 2 Youngsters on the Block, formally wrapped its 10-month rollout with the discharge of Half.3 on March 28, with the brand new tracks documenting 20 years of inside dialogues and progress to in the end resolve to set their sights even increased by the LP’s conclusion. Parallel to the file’s past-meets-present idea, Dynamicduo skilled balancing an previous and new observe, each taking up on social media for a minute in 2023. Their 2014 single “AEAO” that includes DJ Premier” went unexpectedly viral on TikTok (touchdown itself as one among TikTok’s High 10 Tune of Summer time from South Korea), whereas their collaboration reduce “Smoke” with rising rapper Lee Younger Ji for a preferred TV dance competitors additionally took off through dance challenges, incomes the blokes their first-ever entry on the Billboard World 200 chart. Serving to gasoline DD’s 2023 hits have been infectious dance and lip-sync covers from Okay-pop heavyweights like V and Jung Kook of BTS, Minho, EXO, SEVENTEEN, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, ITZY, ATEEZ and IVE, in addition to stars throughout the J-pop and Korean hip-hop scenes.
A day after the discharge of 2 Youngsters on the Block — Dynamicduo’s milestone tenth album collectively — was the disclosing of J-Hope from BTS’ newest solo venture, Hope on the Road Vol. 1, that includes Gaeko on the lead single “NEURON.” Alongside this J-Hope collaboration, the slew of rising and established names in Korean pop, R&B, rap and even performing on 2 Youngsters all level to Dynamicduo’s continued affect and knowledgeable means to navigate completely different musical realms for many years.
Talking completely with Billboard, Dynamicduo mirror on their journey up to now, share their bold imaginative and prescient for the subsequent decade, focus on variations between their BTS collaborations and extra.
Congratulations on the discharge of 2 Youngsters on the Block – Half.3. How does it really feel now that the sequence is full? With 5 full tracks, Half.3 is the longest chapter within the 2 Youngsters on the Block sequence. Was there a purpose for breaking out the components such as you did?
Gaeko: We really feel so joyful to have the ability to launch the album on our twentieth anniversary. The timing was excellent.
Choiza: Our CEO, who had been with us for the reason that institution of our firm, instantly handed away as her situation worsened, and whereas she was right here, she actually appreciated the songs that we have been engaged on from the tenth album. So we wished to present the discharge to her whereas she was nonetheless right here with us. And the present state of the music market makes it unimaginable for individuals to hearken to all of the songs in an album. Even when we launched all of the songs directly, just one to 2 songs would have stood out, so we thought dividing it into components would have individuals pay attention by means of all of the songs. Lastly, this album expresses tales and the historical past of Dynamicduo, so we launched it in a number of components to sequentially inform completely different phases of our lives from previous to current.
You additionally launched a remix bundle for “AEAO” with DJ Premier and “Smoke” for Road Lady Fighter 2, each viral hits, in between components. Was there a steadiness you needed to discover with these singles and returning to the album?
Gaeko: Other than the hits of the 2 singles, we tried to refocus on sustaining the album’s idea and bettering its degree of completion. We took a brief break, about two weeks, firstly of the yr to refresh our minds after which received again to the grind.
Choiza: Really, 2 Youngsters On The Block – Half.3 was initially going to be launched as three songs final yr, however “Smoke” grew to become such an enormous hit, so we couldn’t full the album at the moment. However, because of that, we have been capable of put together 5 songs as a substitute of three with the additional time we got, and we’re glad with the way it turned out. The extra two songs that we added match proper in with the idea of the album.
Your new single, “PITAPA” that includes pH-1 and Junny, is basically spectacular. What impressed the theme of “pizza, tacos and pasta” and what do you hope listeners will take away?
Choiza: “PITAPA” is a music that resembles the aspiration of wanting our music to be interesting to individuals everywhere in the world and to be identified in such a means as pizza, taco, and pasta are as international meals acquainted to everybody around the globe. pH-1 and JUNNY are well-received in each Korea and abroad, so having them on the observe added additional taste and we expect abroad listeners who like Korean hip-hop can have enjoyable listening to it.
Gaeko: We felt that the phrases “pizza, taco, pasta” related nicely and the road simply caught to our mouth. We felt the groove and liked the sound of it, so we have been capable of make the hook straight away. “PITAPA” was the final music we labored on on the album, and it was accomplished shortly with the inspiration we received from our U.S. efficiency that we had simply gotten again from.
Personally, I hear some DJ Premier affect on the manufacturing of “PITAPA.” Did his work encourage you or components of this album after the resurgence of “AEAO”?
Choiza: “AEAO” is a music that gave us the braveness to pursue abroad actions. We labored with an incredible artist, DJ Premier, and when the music resurged on TikTok, it helped herald a wider viewers, giving them publicity to who we’re and our songs. The resurgence inspired us to assume that we now have the potential to do one thing abroad and that the thought of rapping and singing in Korean would nonetheless attraction to the international market. “AEAO” gave us super inspiration.
BewhY offers props to Dynamicduo as inspiration for his profession on the album observe “Love Myself.” This LP has many rising rap and R&B stars. Do you’ve humbling moments like this the place you understand your affect?
Choiza: We’re very grateful that younger artists are impressed by us and the way lengthy we’ve been doing this. We predict one of many causes we’ve been capable of make music for thus lengthy is that we get quite a lot of assist and be taught loads from working with new artists. We wish to proceed working arduous and creating good music collectively.
Actor Jung Man Sik does the intro on “Dramatic,” which was very intelligent. How did he find yourself on the album?
Gaeko: Once we received Man Sik’s half added to the music, it felt like we discovered the lacking piece to the puzzle. We contacted him final minute, like two days earlier than our scheduled combine session. We had no person else in thoughts apart from Man Sik and, fortunately, it was his day without work that day, and he understood precisely what we wished and acted so shortly on it. He accomplished our puzzle and we wish to thank him once more.
Gaeko, you collaborated with J-Hope of BTS on “NEURON” from Hope on the Road Vol. 1 album. Since J-Hope is enlisted and can’t share a lot concerning the music, are you able to inform us about how the observe got here collectively?
Gaeko: J-Hope got here to my studio final yr and we not solely talked about music, but in addition talked about many various issues in life — it was such a enjoyable time and I felt his deep ardour for music and dance. I believe his power transferred over to me as a result of I used to be capable of write the lyrics shortly. We recorded our verses individually, and I went over to HYBE and we recorded the hook collectively. It was a enjoyable venture.
All three verses on “NEURON” categorical a robust sense of positivity and gratitude. Are you able to share the way you approached your verse? Did you hear J-Hope and Yoon Mirae’s verses, or was all of it a shock when the album got here out?
Gaeko: It wasn’t till after 20 years of creating music that I started to grasp that good issues come out solely whenever you chill out and empty your self. I wished to seize these feelings within the verse, and I additionally tried to make the general construction of the verse easy and plain. J-Hope’s verse was already accomplished earlier than I did my half, and I listened to Tasha (yoonmirae)’s verse after it was combined. Their components have been so good so I had second ideas on recording my half once more, however I made a decision to not. If I did it once more, I wouldn’t have been capable of seize the identical feelings from the preliminary recording, so I left it as is.
RM featured on Gaeko’s single, “Gajah” from 2017. How do the collaboration experiences and recording processes differ between RM and J-Hope?
Gaeko: I felt that the musical course they have been each pursuing was related but completely different. I felt that RM had a deep affection, understanding, and love not just for hip-hop but in addition for music itself. And J-Hope had a large ardour for hip-hop and dance and wished to pour all his power into them earlier than enlisting into the military. I additionally acquired quite a lot of power from these two.
As Dynamicduo celebrates its twentieth anniversary in 2024, how do you look again on the 20 yeras? Do you’ve something particular deliberate to rejoice this yr?
Gaeko: Trying again now, we expect that we have been meant to do music. There have been instances once we skilled challenges, pleasure, and frustration, however the truth that the 2 of us have been collectively in all these moments might be the largest accomplishment of our profession.
Choiza: [The] twentieth anniversary isn’t any particular to us as a result of we wish to work simply as arduous as we’ve been and deal with it like all our earlier years. Nevertheless, we can be holding a live performance on the finish of the yr for our twentieth anniversary and we wish to make it huge — we can be working arduous and getting ready a present for all to take pleasure in.
Collaboration has been a big side of your profession and we see it in 2 Youngsters. Whether or not it’s with fellow artists or producers, how do you method collaborations to make them profitable? Is there anybody nonetheless in your bucket checklist?
Choiza: We take pleasure in working collectively, however there are additionally quite a lot of new issues that we uncover when working with different artists. It’s enjoyable to work with well-known artists, however we additionally wish to collaborate with rising, up-and-coming artists as a result of we now have loads to be taught from one another as nicely.
We predict it might even be enjoyable to combine numerous languages into one music. We’re presently working with Thai rapper F.HERO, and we hope to work with artists from the U.S., Japan, Southeast Asia, and different components of the world.
Whereas Okay-pop impacts globally, Korean hip-hop and R&B are additionally rising. Do you’ve any ideas—or hopes—of what it is going to take for these genres and artists to be extra observed internationally wanting ahead?
Gaeko: It’s vital to make an effort to create the perfect work in whichever space we work in and to respect one another. We attempt to not set any excessive expectations for the outcomes and simply do our greatest in our discipline.
Choiza: Our objective is to be good at making music and to do it for a very long time, so we’ll do our greatest to maintain this going. We ask in your continued curiosity, and I imagine that our abroad listeners will discover songs that go well with their tastes after they hearken to all our songs which have been launched to this point. Please take a look at our tenth album in addition to all our earlier ones. We really feel so grateful and honored to participate on this interview. Thanks for having us!
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