20 years in any trade is value celebrating, however Dynamicduo has not solely continued by 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 associates Choiza and Gaeko formally paired up in 2004 with debut album Taxi Driver, the pair have trailblazed their legacy after setting information for hip-hop gross sales in Korea, taking high honors at mainstream awards reveals in music and movies, establishing their Amoeba Tradition label, and collaborating with a variety of stars by the many years like DJ Premier, J.Y. Park, Tiger JK, BoA, Rain, Marvel Women and members of Ok-pop teams like BTS, EXO and Monsta X.
Dyanmicduo’s three-part album, 2 Children 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 finally determine to set their sights even greater by the LP’s conclusion. Parallel to the file’s past-meets-present idea, Dynamicduo skilled balancing an previous and new monitor, each taking on 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 Prime 10 Track of Summer season from South Korea), whereas their collaboration minimize “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 gas DD’s 2023 hits had been infectious dance and lip-sync covers from Ok-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 Children on the Block — Dynamicduo’s milestone tenth album collectively — was the disclosing of J-Hope from BTS’ newest solo challenge, Hope on the Avenue 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 appearing on 2 Children all level to Dynamicduo’s continued affect and skilled skill to navigate completely different musical realms for many years.
Talking solely with Billboard, Dynamicduo mirror on their journey up to now, share their formidable imaginative and prescient for the subsequent decade, talk about variations between their BTS collaborations and extra.
Congratulations on the discharge of 2 Children on the Block – Half.3. How does it really feel now that the collection is full? With 5 full tracks, Half.3 is the longest chapter within the 2 Children on the Block collection. Was there a motive for breaking out the components such as you did?
Gaeko: We really feel so completely happy to have the ability to launch the album on our twentieth anniversary. The timing was good.
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 preferred the songs that we had been engaged on from the tenth album. So we needed to present the discharge to her whereas she was nonetheless right here with us. And the present state of the music market makes it inconceivable for folks to take heed to all of the songs in an album. Even when we launched all of the songs without delay, just one to 2 songs would have stood out, so we thought dividing it into components would have folks pay attention by 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 package deal for “AEAO” with DJ Premier and “Smoke” for Avenue Girl Fighter 2, each viral hits, in between components. Was there a stability you needed to discover with these singles and returning to the album?
Gaeko: Aside from the hits of the 2 singles, we tried to refocus on sustaining the album’s idea and bettering its stage of completion. We took a brief break, about two weeks, initially of the 12 months to refresh our minds after which bought again to the grind.
Choiza: Truly, 2 Children On The Block – Half.3 was initially going to be launched as three songs final 12 months, however “Smoke” turned such an enormous hit, so we couldn’t full the album at the moment. However, because of that, we had been capable of put together 5 songs as a substitute of three with the additional time we got, and we’re happy 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 absolutely spectacular. What impressed the theme of “pizza, tacos and pasta” and what do you hope listeners will take away?
Choiza: “PITAPA” is a tune that resembles the aspiration of wanting our music to be interesting to folks all around the world and to be recognized in such a approach as pizza, taco, and pasta are as world meals acquainted to everybody around the globe. pH-1 and JUNNY are well-received in each Korea and abroad, so having them on the monitor added further taste and we predict abroad listeners who like Korean hip-hop could 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 had been capable of make the hook straight away. “PITAPA” was the final tune we labored on on the album, and it was accomplished shortly with the inspiration we bought 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 tune that gave us the braveness to pursue abroad actions. We labored with a tremendous artist, DJ Premier, and when the tune 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 concept of rapping and singing in Korean would nonetheless enchantment to the overseas market. “AEAO” gave us super inspiration.
BewhY provides props to Dynamicduo as inspiration for his profession on the album monitor “Love Myself.” This LP has many rising rap and R&B stars. Do you’ve gotten 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 therefore lengthy is that we get plenty of assist and be taught loads from working with new artists. We need to proceed working onerous 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: After we bought Man Sik’s half added to the tune, 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 one else in thoughts aside from Man Sik and, fortunately, it was his time without work that day, and he understood precisely what we needed and acted so shortly on it. He accomplished our puzzle and we need to thank him once more.
Gaeko, you collaborated with J-Hope of BTS on “NEURON” from Hope on the Avenue Vol. 1 album. Since J-Hope is enlisted and can’t share a lot in regards to the tune, are you able to inform us about how the monitor got here collectively?
Gaeko: J-Hope got here to my studio final 12 months 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 feel his vitality 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 challenge.
All three verses on “NEURON” specific a powerful 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 once you calm down and empty your self. I needed 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 blended. Their components had 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 had 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 an enormous ardour for hip-hop and dance and needed to pour all his vitality into them earlier than enlisting into the military. I additionally obtained plenty of vitality from these two.
As Dynamicduo celebrates its twentieth anniversary in 2024, how do you look again on the 20 yeras? Do you’ve gotten something particular deliberate to have fun this 12 months?
Gaeko: Trying again now, we predict that we had been meant to do music. There have been instances once we skilled challenges, pleasure, and frustration, however the truth that the 2 of us had been collectively in all these moments might be the most important accomplishment of our profession.
Choiza: [The] twentieth anniversary isn’t any particular to us as a result of we need to work simply as onerous as we’ve been and deal with it like all our earlier years. Nonetheless, we might be holding a live performance on the finish of the 12 months for our twentieth anniversary and we need to make it massive — we might be working onerous and making ready a present for all to get pleasure from.
Collaboration has been a big side of your profession and we see it in 2 Children. 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 record?
Choiza: We get pleasure from working collectively, however there are additionally plenty of new issues that we uncover when working with different artists. It’s enjoyable to work with well-known artists, however we additionally need 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 will even be enjoyable to combine varied languages into one tune. 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 Ok-pop impacts globally, Korean hip-hop and R&B are additionally rising. Do you’ve gotten any ideas—or hopes—of what it’ll take for these genres and artists to be extra seen internationally wanting ahead?
Gaeko: It’s essential 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 aim 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 on your continued curiosity, and I consider that our abroad listeners will discover songs that go well with their tastes once they take heed to all our songs which have been launched thus far. Please try 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!