The following is the script I wrote for the first episode of my podcast. You can listen to it here: https://anchor.fm/wonverse/episodes/WonVerse---Season-2-ep1-Woo-Won-Jae-er9sg3
Good day or night whenever you are. It’s your wannabe DJ Smicky with another season of Won Verse. If this is your first time listening, Won Verse is a podcast where I talk about my favourite verses from my favourite rappers. Last season I only looked at verses from Simon Dominic, but this season I’m looking at one artist per episode. Now that we’re all caught up, let’s get into this season and the first episode.
This episode will look at Woo Won Jae. In 2017, Woo gained a lot of popularity through the show Show Me the Money 6, where he finished in third place. Woo made his debut by releasing a single “We Are”, featuring Gray and Loco. The single was meant for Woo’s ‘final 2' stage in the finals of the competition show. On October 31, 2018, it was announced that Woo had signed with hip hop label AOMG. Following the signing, he released a single album titled “Anxiety”, then released his first EP “af” on November 22 and finally, released his first studio album “Black Out” on August 18, 2019. I think it is safe to say, I cannot get away from Show Me the Money. Let’s get into the music:
1. Again
First up is Again. This song came about on Show Me 6 when, then contestants, Woo and Black Nine were up against each other for the final spot in the Tiger JK and Bizzy team. Both rappers opened themselves up for the song with Black Nine revealing a lot about his own mental health issues that mirrored Woo’s almost exactly. But Woo won out and was able to do the song with his producers. It was really a beautiful song and I would love to know what Black Nine’s verse would have been. After looking back at the competition and the development of the songs, I am now considering an ep on Black Nine. Maybe next season.
For now, let’s continue with Woo’s ‘Again’.
DJ Smicky comments:
“The first half of the song sees Woo asking questions and pondering on his life and the kind of person he is. Then the song changes with the addition of Tiger JK and Bizzy.”
- insert last chorus to start of second part
“The second part of the song starts with Tiger JK expressing frustrations while Bizzy gives some needed advice. After this, Woo comes in.”
the verse begins:
Yes hyung, like you said,
I’ve gone through many obstacles
I knew I couldn’t avoid them but
Again today, I face the night
DJ Smicky comments:
“The night in this instance could be the dark thoughts he’s tried to avoid. Bizzy’s mention of taking pills goes back to Woo’s mental illness and the problems he faces.”
the verse continues:
That’s why I depend on it
That’s why I wrote the same lyrics
That’s why I wore the same beanie
That’s why I opened my eyes like this
DJ Smicky comments:
“During his time at Show Me the Money, Woo admitted, he was dealing with depression. While there, he couldn’t shake the image that he had created and kept the same style (as mentioned in the lyrics), therefore becoming dependent on it since he was going up in the ranks.”
the verse continues:
- insert song at the following lines
I’m tired, I’m tired
I’m tired, I’m really tired
DJ Smicky comments:
“There the music cuts and Woo’s voice even breaks at points further depicting his fatigue with the competition, his illness and the box he has been stuck in. ‘
the verse continues:
I don’t want to be needed anymore
I wanna hide far away
It’s been a while since I stopped
But they say that they’re the ones who changed me
DJ Smicky comments:
“The music cuts out again here, but this time, it continues to the end of the verse. You can hear the frustration continue into the end of the verse as he refuses to keep his words within a beat. This sounds a lot like what Kendrick Lemar did in the song u take a listen:”
- insert Kendrick Lamar u
the verse continues:
But that came from a lie
I want you to say that it’s wrong
Even if fake meets fake
I hope it’ll be two fakes
Even if we live individually
I hope philosophy will be important
Even if this night and that night is different
I hope we will truly be us
For this starless city to able to light itself
I hope what brightens it is this night
DJ Smicky comments:
At the end of the verse, MRSHLL comes back with a chorus different from the one in the first half. It is one of reassurance and uplift, reminding us that we’re not alone.”
- insert final line and the entire chorus
verse ends
This is a song filled with frustration and hope. I appreciate what all three rappers did and especially Woo, as he has added to the path for Koreans to take mental health as serious as physical. But, before I get too preachy, let’s move on to ‘We Are’.
2. We Are
Still in the Show Me the Money sphere, we move on to ‘We Are’. ‘We Are’ was made for the competition show before it was revealed that Woo was eliminated. I immediately fell for the song and Woo’s unique voice and rap style. It was also a music style much different from the dark and brooding music that Woo had been known for during the competition and it was a welcomed change.
DJ Smicky comments:
- insert song intro until first line
“Vocals and a piano set up the song to be more uplifting from the beginning, Woo’s deep voiced rap comes in to give dimension along with the bass guitar”
the verse begins:
Spitting words at the monitor all night long,
Before it’s had time to dry,
I have to go to class
Oh right, professor told me to wear long sleeves cuz of my tattoos
DJ Smicky comments:
“Along with studying, Woo spends his night practising his rap to a, possibly, turned-off computer at night. He was in a rap club in the college, the same college that Loco and Gray attended, which is how the two ended up featuring on the song. While I doubt the perception of tattoos is too much better now, this scenario is very much plausible in Korea. On the other hand, it really shows you how people with tattoos tend to forget that they are there and those without make too much of a fuss about it; they don’t become invisible to the tatted, but when you see something every day, it’s no longer new or out of place. Maybe the professor thought the tattoos were distracting?? which still rubs me the wrong way, but…what can you do?!”
the verse continues:
Even before class starts, my eyes are closed,
Cause it’s obvious they think I’m pathetic, so this is better
My morning is a sunset
And my sun rises when the sky is blacked out
DJ Smicky comments:
“Woo talks about his many mental illnesses on the show Radio Star where he mentions his paranoia; this phrase could be a result of what he assumed others perceive of him. Therefore sleeping in class has become a way for him to avoid the people around him and their judgement. This alludes to insomnia, or just the fact that he does a lot of his own work at night. Since he was in a hip hop club in college, he would have been working on his music at that point. The song further heats up as the drums are now added. This makes the song more complete while showing a transition from Woo’s college life in the day to his passion for music at night.”
- insert music from the following line
the verse continues:
Others say I’m a pathetic guy
Hey, hey, while others buy vacations to Paris
I’m living my life in Paris’ time zone
DJ Smicky comments:
“This can be seen as shade or taken as it is delivered because visiting Paris is widely different from being awake when Parisians are. But Woo describes his proximity to the city to show how little sleep he gets while working on his dreams.”
the verse continues:
I’m curious
The clock is round but the hands are sharp
It hurts my time
Everyone is so busy
DJ Smicky comments:
“This phrase expresses how Woo wants to be spending his time doing his own thing. I don’t know if he didn’t like engineering (his field of study,) at all, but his passion for music outweighed it regardless. ‘…everyone is busy…’ further explains his problem with time; because the world depends on it, everyone becomes busy.”
the verse continues:
They learn to be competitive, whatever they do
We have no choice but to escape to our separate time zone
DJ Smicky comments:
“This depicts how people are affected by the things societies force them to achieve. This may be a play on words as different countries have different time zones, but the use of the word ‘escape’ takes away time zones literal meaning and creates little countries for every individual. It’s not a literal time zone, but it is the time that we all take for ourselves to unwind, or focus on the things we want to without being judged.”
the verse continues:
Everyone’s like that outside the door
You gotta wake up early to succeed, right?
DJ Smicky comments:
“A misconception that many are forced to believe. Woo questions this belief, based on the line.”
- insert of the end of the verse into the chorus
the verse continues:
I dreamed with my eyes wide open,
While yours were closed
DJ Smicky comments:
“We hear the music cut as he raps this last phrase, right before getting into the chorus where Grey talks about living in a different time zone. At this point, instead of making dreams, he makes his dreams come true.”
verse ends
I know, that last part was cheesy, but I stick by it. The song tried to continue the hope hinted at in ‘Again’, this time showing that this hope can be experienced despite everything you’re going through. Being a more upbeat song as well, it exposes the changes occurring within Woo himself. Let’s move into ‘I Love You’.
3. I Love You
This is the first song on the rapper’s first EP, af. I hadn’t listened to much from Woo for a while when I decided to check out the album. So when the first song started, I was sceptical but, as it went on, I started to enjoy what I heard. A few more listens made me realise that the song is, despite what I expected, exactly what it should be. It was the first sign that I needed no expectations for the rest of the album. Even as it threw in more curveballs, I was impressed rather than put off — as I hoped I would have been.
DJ Smicky comments:
- insert original version of Breda Lee’s I’m Sorry
- then the intro to I Love You
“The song starts with a sped-up version of Brenda Lee’s I’m Sorry. this sample is then used throughout the song, including the instrumental parts of the chorus and the very beginning of the original song.”
the verse begins:
Where did you come from
Where did you get that dress
How is the weather today?
DJ Smicky comments:
“He is trying to make conversation with a woman he is possibly meeting for the first time. It doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.”
the verse continues
Well, I’m not a bad person, you can talk to me.
DJ Smicky comments:
“A classic line when trying to pacify the object of your attempts at conversation. You can tell he isn’t in the most sober state or at the very least, he can understand that he may appear frightening (however, he does have a myriad of tattoos and an extremely low voice).”
the verse continues
How is this song?
This is my song.
DJ Smicky comments:
“He’s trying to impress the woman at this point. But why does he feel like doing this? to get her to open up, or get her to leave with him?”
the verse continues
You think I’m strange but,
That’s because I’m still an artist.
DJ Smicky comments:
“Another stab at pacifying while still trying to impress. It’s as if he is saying ‘I’m like this because I’m creative’, but does that have any real meaning?”
the verse continues
So you came here alone?
What kind of drink do you like?
Are you interested in books?
DJ Smicky comments:
“She’s not leaving, but she certainly isn’t answering his questions. Without knowing her version of events we assume she isn’t giving any direct answers and therefore giving woo the space to have false hopes.”
the verse continues
Oh, I’ve talked too much I’m not usually like this.
DJ Smicky comments:
“Another moment of realisation hits the narrator, but not enough for him to try and stop.”
the verse continues
Actually, I’ve seen you for a while
DJ Smicky comments:
“The fact that he then mentions this shows he hasn’t fully understood the situation.”
the verse continues
Did you learn how to dance?
Are you famous?
DJ Smicky comments:
“He’s so intrigued by her that he is finding any question to ask.”
the verse continues
In fact, I’m not sure what’s happening at all.
DJ Smicky comments:
“This shows the possibility that woo could have gotten drunk to talk to this woman.”
- insert music break
“Then there is a music break before the second part of the song starts. This could be him thinking of what to say next, or waiting on her responses. The distorted sounds from woo could be the attempts at talking or his mind trying to figure out what to say next. It could also be a depiction of the rapper’s distorted state of mind in the moment.”
the verse continues
Yea, the dance line was beautiful.
DJ Smicky comments:
“He’s complimented her dancing which could have been the thing that attracted him in the first place.”
the verse continues
So, where are you from?
You’re gonna keep ignoring me?
I just want to hear your voice, no other intention.
DJ Smicky comments:
“Another attempt at conversation and another moment of clarity. But it doesn’t seem to be getting through.”
the verse continues
Give me another drink,
DJ Smicky comments:
“Another piece of evidence that he has gotten himself drunk for this interaction.”
the verse continues
I was ahead of my heart
I think it was rude. I’m sorry.
Wait, where are you going? Let me talk to you a little more.
DJ Smicky comments:
“His moment of clarity is immediately cut off by his desire to converse with this particular woman.”
- insert chorus
“Before the use of the sample song’s chorus, we can hear Woo singing, ‘I love you, cause you dance’. This could be the catalyst to Woo beginning to speak to this woman in the first place.”
the verse continues:
So, where are you from?
So, where will you go?
DJ Smicky comments:
“His questions are either being received by now, or he is so drunk he hasn’t realised she’s left him there alone, or, even sadder, he’s been simulating the conversation in his head this whole time. All could be evidenced by the return of the distorted sound.”
verse ends
This song, on first listen, is waves different from the sound Woo started with. It further cements his growth and change as an artist — focusing more on his craft than what the fans would want. He doesn’t shy away from the topics he’s spoken of in the past, but he chooses how he wants to approach his music.
And that is where I leave you, folks. Thanks for tuning in to the Won Verse podcast. Turn in next week for the next rapper, Nada.