Artist of the week - Dynamic Duo

Oct 19, 2008

PROFILE

Choi-ja
Real name: Choi Jae-ho
Date of birth: March 17, 1980
Height: 180 cm
Blood type: O
Hobbies: Reviewing movies, building computers
Education: Sejong University, Hotel Management

Gaeko
Real name: Kim Yoon-sung
Date of birth: January 14, 1981
Height: 173 cm
Blood type: B
Hobby: Drawing, building models
Education: Hongik University

BIOGRAPHY

Dynamic Duo, one of the biggest names in Korean hip-hop, is made up of members Gaeko and Choi-ja, former members of the group CB Mass. The duo gained massive popularity with their first album and are known for their powerful lyrics and rapping, as well as for the diverse musical styles they incorporate into their music.

Rappers Choi-ja and Gaeko are so similar they seem like mirror images of each other. Having grown up in the same block, the two have shared almost everything in their lives – memories, experiences and, most importantly, a love of music.

Choi-ja and Gaeko started out their musical careers as members of the underground hip-hop group K.O.D. Working their way up to the mainstream music industry, they were joined by apper and producer Curbin to form CB Mass in 2000. According to Hanteo Information System’s estimate, their best-selling second album “Matics” has sold more than 120,000 copies in Korea.

However, when CB Mass disbanded after an ugly dispute, their future seemed uncertain. Still, the two lifetime buddies knew that whatever happened, they could always rely on each other. Choi-ja and Gaeko returned to the music scene as a new group, the Dynamic Duo. Choi-ja said they would like to build their own music career free from the past recognition earned during the CB Mass era.

Their debut album, “Taxi Driver”, was released on May 17, 2004 and dispelled people’s doubts about the rappers. According to Hanteo Information System, which keeps track of local music sales records, “Taxi Driver” has sold over 50,000 copies between the release date and June 16, 2004. In their debut album, the Dynamic Duo took the genre of rap to the next level by incorporating storytelling elements, which they said was their boldest change from the past.

In “Two Men”, among other tracks, the duo rap about a father who is about to be laid off from his job and a boy who ran away from home after having been beaten by his father. “Tragedy Pt. 1” is a fictional touch about a young girl who seeks revenge on men after becoming infected with AIDS from her first sexual relationship.

Another big change is that they tried to put together an expanded range of music, such as rock and house, rather than solely depending on samples from old soul music. But they said old-timers like Al Green, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye are still their favorites, which is well reflected throughout the album.

The hip-hop artistes added they are not so happy about the recent surge in popularity of rap music in Korea, thanks to some radio-friendly rap musicians like Cho PD and MC Mong. The two promoted their debut album mainly by performing at clubs and concerts, as well as by playing their music video on cable TV, but they drew the line at going on television, especially entertainment shows.

Their first two albums were highly regarded in the hip-hop and underground scene. But it wasn’t until their 3rd album "Enlightened" in 2007 that Dynamic Duo gained huge mass acceptance. They started to appear regularly on music shows to promote their songs. The title song "Attendance Check Up" became a big hit.

For 2008, they released a new digital single ‘Good Love’, featuring BSK a.ka. Kim Bum Soo. Netizens liked the song because of its soothing sound and different styles. Soon after that, Dynamic Duo released a full album ‘Last Days’. For this album, they collaborated with many talented artistes, singers and producers such as Alex, JYP, J and Supreme Team. The title song "Solo" (featuring Alex) was a top-10 hit.

Despite their success today in both the mainstream and underground scenes, Dynamic Duo’s music remains very "original". They have not made any commercial hip-hop songs just to please mainstream audiences, yet they are still very successful both in their songs and their album sales. We hope more underground hip-hop acts like Dynamic Duo can be recognized by the general public and become successful.

DISCOGRAPHY
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* Taxi Driver (1st album, 2004): Leeruksuh, Skit 1, 2 Men, Excuse Me, Pride, Skit 2, I’m Excited, Skit 3, Superstar, Ring My Bell, Desert Island, My World, We’re Foolish, Insomnia, Tragedy Part 1
DynamicDuo2 PURCHASE THE ALBUM
* Double Dynamite (2nd album, 2005): Confession, Retire (feat. Massive Tone, DJ Friz), What’s Going On, It’s Alright, Funk The World, Skit, Circus (feat. Axe from All-black, Noh Hong-chul), Love Is, Picture (feat. Eun-joo Choi), I Know, Bad News Is Coming, Bonus Track, Let’s Go (feat. Sixpoint from KOD)
DynamicDuosingle
* Fugitive (Digital single for movie soundtrack of “Jjak-pae”, 2006): Fugitive
DynamicDuo3 PURCHASE THE ALBUM
* Enlightened (3rd album, 2007): Attendance Check Up, Complicated, Heartbreaker etc
DynamicDuo4 PURCHASE THE ALBUM
* Last Days (4th album, 2008): Intro "Last Days" (feat. MYK), Solo, Good Love, Trust me, Make up Sex, you back, Don’t say goodbye, Give me the light etc.