With more than a decade of crafting hip-hop masterpieces, Korean rap maestros Dynamic Duo have unquestionably left an indelible mark by bringing the genre to South Korea’s mainstream. Now K-pop veterans, members Gaeko and Choiza altered the course of the Korean rap scene with a milestone achievement by joining forces with one of rap’s greatest producers: DJ Premier.
Back in February, Dynamic Duo blew minds (and maybe some eardrums) during their magnetic, highly energetic set at the second annual “K-Pop Night Out at MIDEM 2014” in Cannes, France. The showcase, supported by KOCCA (Korean Creative Content Agency), meant to expose various Korean musical talents to the world’s leading industry professionals, did exactly what it was meant to do, forming a partnership between two of the greatest hip-hop heads on opposite sides of the globe.
DJ Premier’s manager, present at the showcase, reached out to Dynamic Duo’s label Amoeba Culture, and the rest is history.
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After exchanging ideas and lyrics via email, Dynamic Duo finally got together with the legendary producer in Seoul last month, which then quickly led to the release of its first collaboration album, aptly titled “A Giant Step,” buoyed by two stellar singles, “AEAO” and “Animal.”
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To premiere the hugely anticipated project, Dynamic Duo and Premier launched a live showcase in Seoul on Wednesday. The event, live-streamed by Naver Music, was attended by a small group of die-hard hip-hop fanatics and critics. At 8 p.m., the intimate crowd was transported to musical paradise as beats started blasting throughout the speakers.
When Premier arrived, the crowd erupted, and he continued to fire up the audience with his explosive set. After making a quick tribute to Guru — his late Gang Starr partner — Dynamic Duo took the stage to give one of the most notable performances of 2014 thus far.
Over Premier-produced beats, they performed the first single “AEAO,” exhibiting their signature lyrical chemistry in narrating an inspirational story of dealing with everyday hardships. Later on “Animal,” the duo launched their aggressive rap assault mixed with Preemo’s heavy scratching and fierce loops.
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“We built our dream of becoming rappers by listening to DJ Premier,” Choiza gushed at the showcase. “We’ve never poured out this much energy on performing two tracks. How often would we be onstage with him? You guys are here sharing this very moment with us.”
Although, there has been a number of epic, international collaborations in K-pop, Dynamic Duo’s joint venture with trackmaster DJ Premier will stay as one of the most iconic musical moments in Korean music history…so far.