If you combine cute, good looks with a made for variety TV dorky persona, and rap-songwriting skills, what do you get? Not an idol, that’s for sure. Or at least not in Giriboy’s case. The up-and-coming not-so-underground-anymore Korean rapper with his big rimmed glasses and soft, melodic flow has been creating a flawless bridge between […]
New York City’s Snowmageddon-that-wasn’t couldn’t keep FTISLAND from performing its first solo concert in the city on January 28th. The Korean quintet FTISLAND (short for Five Treasure Island) brought a dynamic range of energy that K-pop fans have been waiting years to see in New York at their FTXH tour stop. The band headed cries […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/ftisland-hongki-kultscene-.png600800Tamar Hermanhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngTamar Herman2015-01-29 20:49:402015-01-29 20:49:40FTISLAND Give Vibrant Performance in NYC & Announce New Album
If you combine cute, good looks with a made for variety TV dorky persona, and rap-songwriting skills, what do you get? Not an idol, that’s for sure. Or at least not in Giriboy’s case. The up-and-coming not-so-underground-anymore Korean rapper with his big rimmed glasses and soft, melodic flow has been creating a flawless bridge between […]
New York City’s Snowmageddon-that-wasn’t couldn’t keep FTISLAND from performing its first solo concert in the city on January 28th. The Korean quintet FTISLAND (short for Five Treasure Island) brought a dynamic range of energy that K-pop fans have been waiting years to see in New York at their FTXH tour stop. The band headed cries […]
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/ftisland-hongki-kultscene-.png600800Tamar Hermanhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngTamar Herman2015-01-29 20:49:402015-01-29 20:49:40FTISLAND Give Vibrant Performance in NYC & Announce New Album
If you combine cute, good looks with a made for variety TV dorky persona, and rap-songwriting skills, what do you get? Not an idol, that’s for sure. Or at least not in Giriboy’s case. The up-and-coming not-so-underground-anymore Korean rapper with his big rimmed glasses and soft, melodic flow has been creating a flawless bridge between this genre and K-pop since his debut in 2011.
Signed under Swing’s label Just Music Entertainment, Giriboy has been taking the Korean entertainment industry one step at a time by releasing several solo albums, stacking up the featurings on other artists’ songs, and appearing on TV shows. Many might remember him from his participation in the hip hop competition program Show Me the Money 3 and as a mentor and judge on Mnet and Starship Entertainment’s survival show NO.MERCY.
Hong Si Young’s stage name translates to “to see the way” in Korean, which, to him, means that no matter what he does, the things in front of him are bright and promising. “Giriboy” serves as the best metaphor for the multifaceted rapper and singer. Because even if he’s signed under the Show Me the Money 2 fierce winner’s label and on the roster with artists like Vasco, Nochang, CJamm, and Black Nut, Giriboy is the type of rapper the ladies love. No, seriously, he has a big female following…
via imcheol @ Tumblr
As opposed to what’s trending in hip hop nowadays, Giriboy’s style is similar to that of Crucial Star. His flow is soft spoken and tender, and the music and beats he tends to rap over are feel-good with melodies at the hook that are easy to sing along to. Which, in theory, completely clashes with the notion that Swings consistently features on most of his songs, starting with his debut single You Don’t Look Good To Me. And yet, Swings puts the yang in Giriboy’s yin. Swings generally kicks back and delivers a slower paced rap, never diminishing Giriboy’s style. In last year’s Camp, both artists contrasted swag with emotion seemingly effortlessly.
The thick rimmed glasses wearing rapper’s discography includes Fatal Album and Sensual Album, while his latest solo release is Evil Cut. As is accustomed by rappers, many other of his acclaimed peers have collaborated on songs for his albums, such as You’re a Chemical with Beenzino and 계획적인 여자 with Zico.
Last year, critics speculated that his distinct style might have been the reason why he didn’t perform as well as the other contestants on Show Me the Money 3. But even if he didn’t survive long among traditional rap heavyweights, he quickly won Tablo as a fan, who was eager to work with him, but Giriboy ultimately chose YDG’s team and the Epik High leader often sulked about it. Moreover, upon his increasing popularity, the mainstream rapidly jumped on his mellow flow. Some of his K-pop collaborations include Anticipation Note with NS Yoon-G and Arm Pillow with SISTAR’s Soyu and NO.MERCY trainee Kihyun, and this is only the beginning.
Giriboy’s voice and flow are a great alternative to the traditional hard, jumpy, EDM infused hip hop that’s so hot right now. His assertiveness lies in his lyrics, proving that you don’t have to spit aggressively to be a valid rapper.
via huckleberryb @ Tumblr
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New York City’s Snowmageddon-that-wasn’t couldn’t keep FTISLAND from performing its first solo concert in the city on January 28th.
The Korean quintet FTISLAND (short for Five Treasure Island) brought a dynamic range of energy that K-pop fans have been waiting years to see in New York at their FTXH tour stop. The band headed cries of East Coast Primadonnas, FTISLAND’s fans, and flew to Washington D.C. and drove to New York in order to make the concert after a blizzard shut down New York City airports. It was freezing outside, and snow was all around midtown Manhattan, but inside Best Buy Theater, FTISLAND brought fans from all over the region together to forget about the chilly winter.
Lead singer Lee Hongki’s powerful vocals and strong personality dominated the evening, but Lee Jaejin and Song Seunghyun’s backing vocals stood their own, while leader Choi Jonghoon and Choi Minhwan’s skills as versatile musicians were undeniable. Each member of the band was given time to shine, with vocal and instrumental solos dispersed throughout the night. Even though they looked exhausted at times, and made it clear that they were uncomfortable with speaking English to a native-speaker-filled crowd, FTISLAND brought a memorable performance to NYC.
The group has a large following in Asia, and expressed multiple times how shocked they were to discover American fans had been listening to their songs, while fans sang along with Hongki. Even though some fans weren’t able to make it to the show because of the poor traveling conditions, the audience was clearly filled with people who loved FTISLAND’s unique mix of K-pop and instrumental music.
The band opened the show with Last Love Song, and filled the night with hits like Madly, Memory, and switched it up by performing unplugged, acoustic versions of some of their most iconic songs, including I Hope and I Wish. The performances were stellar, and if they made a mistake, nobody in the crowd noticed. But the few non-musical aspects amidst the concert shone a light on FTISLAND’s intimate thoughts, something that is often missing at K-pop concerts in the U.S.
With humorous tones when some of the members teased Hongki mid-show and the female translator wowed Hongki, FTISLAND’s members opened their hearts to the New York City Primadonnas. The lead singer made it very clear that the group only recently had started really performing music that they loved, and that what people saw on television about the five wasn’t always the truth. Even as Hongki brought his large personality to the stage, it was very clear throughout the night that, first and foremost, FTISLAND was there to play the music that they personally wanted to perform for their fans. The biggest surprise of the night was when Hongki announced FTISLAND’s upcoming album, to be released in March or April. The band ended the night with a new song, On My Way for the encore performance, differentiating FTISLAND’s NYC show from recent shows in Europe and Latin America.
The concert clocked in at less than two hours, but FTISLAND’s vigor-filled concert lacked nothing. As the band members walked off stage, throwing guitar picks into the audience, it was clear that even though this was FTISLAND’s first performance in New York City, it didn’t disappoint.
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What’s your favorite FTISLAND song? Have you ever seen FTISLAND perform live? Share your experience in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.
https://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/ftisland-hongki-kultscene-.png600800Tamar Hermanhttps://kultscene.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/KULTSCENE-LOGO-2018-TRANSPARENT-RED.pngTamar Herman2015-01-29 20:49:402015-01-29 20:49:40FTISLAND Give Vibrant Performance in NYC & Announce New Album
