I’ll be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure whether or not I would be attending this concert, largely because I had only the vaguest sense of where it was and a very limited trust in the navigational powers of Naver Maps. But fortunately, as with most events, you only need to find yourself in the approximate area after which you can simply follow the usual suspects, who in this case were individuals such as myself: young with brand name clothing such as Thrasher, I Am Not A Human Being, Obey etc.

So there I was, at ground zero for this music festival I had not really heard about, but had somehow purchased a ticket to anyways. Only, at that point, my ticket was still floating around somewhere in cyber space, and while Internet tickets are common enough in Canada, online receipts for physical tickets are not. Luckily though I was able to track down a seemingly nice foreigner who took pity on my confusion and showed me exactly where I needed to go, and told me exactly what I needed to do.

Success.

Sort of.

Because after all, I still had the concert itself to contend with. And if you have ever been to a festival before then you know that it can be absolutely chaotic. Mainly because there are a multitude of stages with performances happening in tandem, meaning that sometimes you have to make a choice between one artist and another. However, as there were only two stages at this specific festival, which were initially divided based on genre, with one stage hosting more of the R&B based artists, and the other more Hip Hop, the choice of where to go was made far easier.

Until the end of the night, that is.

Which, as concert custom dictates, is when the main artists finally begin their sets.
But I am getting ahead of myself.

Because before the headliners, you have the warm-ups. Which for me included artists such as Won Jang, Junny, Jiselle, Jeon Jiyun, and Niihwa. The latter of which is the only one I would consider worth mentioning. After all, there is a reason most of these artists are placed so early in the line-up, when people are still filtering in. But you would be surprised at how little that fact affects their performance. Whether skilled or not, each artist performed as if in front of an audience of a thousand, instead of a crowd of a mere hundred.

Niihwa, in particular managed to surprise me. An R&B based artist, Niihwa managed to command the stage the moment he set foot on it with an easy confidence unknown to most of the artists who preceded him. But more than that, he demonstrated impeccable vocals and an ability to contrast his angelic falsetto with deep baritone raps.

Following him though was an artist that I don’t even remember watching, Gweon Yeonghun. He could have been a rapper or a singer, and I honestly couldn’t tell you. But what I could tell you, is that immediately following his exit from stage the crowd thickened, multiplying into at least a thousand as everyone in the arena prepared for the next performer.

Zion. T

Even his name distinguishes him, marking him with an undeniable swagger. And as one of the most respected artists in Korea, I will have to admit that my expectations were a bit high. But as always happens with high expectations reality failed to meet them leaving me only with a mild case of disappointment. I say mild, because were I to have been a fan of Zion.T I may have found his performance far better, but as someone merely curious to see how the seasoned performer did…I could only feel underwhelmed. And the feeling persisted as he was followed by amateur crew, Frank Musik, who did possess some talent with rap but lacked the necessary experience to truly work the stage. While both Holmes Crew and Vagabond Tribe, both of whom have experience, lacked the impact associated with their respective names. After all, Holmes Crew once included Hashswan, while Vagabond Tribe continues to be lead by the controversial Changstarr.

Fortunately though, that series of disappointments ended the moment Penomeco took to the stage. Now, Penomeco is one of those artists that I have been keeping a close eye on because like many other artists in Korea, I see his potential, though I have yet to be sold on his actual music. See, while there are definitely songs of his that I enjoy listening to, as a whole, I find that he errs too much on the side of R&B whereas I prefer rap. But whether R&B or hip-hop, his live charisma is infectious to the point where I didn’t even care what song was playing. Though it should be said, that he chose his set-list well. Opening with his feature in the track Fancy Child, Penomeco immediately took control of the room, and from beginning to end delivered a performance that none could complain about.

And that right there, was when the tide turned.

Because from that moment on, the crowds were thick and filled with excitement as well-known artists each took their turn at the lime-light. The first of which, for me at least, was Ash Island whose set I caught the tail end of as I switched from one arena to the other.

Now, Ash Island is one of the more recent recruits to the Ambition Musik Label, founded by the CEOs of Illionaire Records Dok2 and The Quiett. But despite belonging to such a major player in the rap scene, I had never really listened to Ash Island, partially because I had never heard of him prior to his contract with Ambition and felt that there wasn’t enough justification for his success. That people were, in effect, supporting him simply because of the label. And while that may be true, it should not detract from the fact that he is skilled. He knows how to attract the attention of an audience, how to fill up a stage and perform effectively. He is one of those people that I must admit to having judged too early. Because now he is one of those people that I plan on watching more closely.

Whereas in contrast, you have Legit Goons and The Cohort, both crews that have already established themselves in Korean hip-hop, and no longer possess potential. Only talent. They are what some may call seasoned professionals and they certainly showed that with their comfort on stage. But as comfortable as they were with performing, they are not artists that I would personally choose to listen to, for stylistic reasons. Though I must admit, that there is something compelling about the rapper Okasian, who used to belong to the label Hi-Lite Records along with fellow crew member, B-Free. The latter of whom wanted nothing more than for people to party. He kept asking for a mosh pit to form, only to be met again and again by silence, until frustrated, he stepped into the crowd, in the exact spot I was standing.

It was kind of hilarious, especially when the two boys beside me lost their composure, and revealed themselves to be true fans of the hip-hop genre. Even more so, when VMC began their performance. I mean, they knew every song, and every word, and could say it alongside the artists without a single breath lost between them. Though, with VMC that is not that much of a feat. I have seen the label perform twice, and can attest to the fact that their set-list has not varied much in recent years. For as respected and popular as they are, they do not frequently release new albums.

Still, I acknowledge them.

It’s just that I happen to acknowledge other rappers a little bit more. Such as BeWhy, whose rap is without flaw. I mean this is an artist that can spit bars for four minutes straight without the need of a tiring hook to fill in the silence. He packs in his rhymes tight, and writes as much for meaning as he does for impact. And the worst is, he has only gotten better since his stint on Show Me The Money. Having previously seen him perform in Toronto, I was impressed by how much more professional his stage had become, and how well he was able to fill it. No longer did he have to repeat songs to complete a set, or use idle chatter to catch his breath. This time he was able to transition from one song to the next, barely using audience interactions. And when he did he used his characteristic good nature to extract laughter and smiles and raucous applause that rang far louder than it did for any other artist that night.

Including MKIT Rain, who were supposedly the headliners for this half of the festival. But as anticipated as they were, or perhaps because of how anticipated they were, they were just not as good as BeWhy had been. Though to be fair, Behwy is a tough act to follow. Still, you would think with veterans such as Nafla and Loopy in the mix, and a reputation for hype appearances that the label would have been able to deliver a phenomenal show. Not to say that the show was bad. But as a fan of the artists, I personally felt that they were performing under their capabilities.

I mean this is a label known for expertly crafted collaborations, but for some reason, they decided to divide their one hour slot into individual sets. Sure, you had Nafla and AP perform the song “Mercy” together, which was a pleasant surprise since AP is not part of the MKIT Rain roster, and you had Loopy and Nafla performing hits from their combined album, and at the end you had the quintessential “Weathermen.” But there was so much else on top of that, that they could have and should have done. For instance, you have Loopy’s song “No More” which features Young West, and “Broken Hurt” which featues Niahn, and of course you have all the tracks from the MKIT Rain album.

It could have been a MKIT Rain concert. But instead it was a mini showcase of each individual rapper, and unfortunately, in this case, the pack was stronger than the lone wolf.

Overall though, I was pleased with the festival, and should I find myself in Korea another year, will likely attend again.

Only this time, I will be sure to wear comfortable shoes, and drink water (because I didn’t)