Bang Yong Guk on his experience, writing stalker raps, and debuting with a boyband

Ji Eun’s guest rapper, Bang Yong Guk, has turned quite a few heads ever since he first appeared on stage with her for “Going Crazy“. Ever since then, he’s risen as a top ‘rookie to look out for’, especially because his resume boasts extensive underground experience.

Currently, he’s a trainee under TS Entertainment, but before that, he was part of the esteemed Soul Connection crew in 2008 and had toured with his crewmates nationwide.

When told of his increasing popularity, he shyly laughed and stated, “There are so many people more amazing than me, I’m a bit embarrassed that people have taken an interest. I think that the fans probably felt a sort of freshness in the fact that my husky voice didn’t really match my face.”

Turning to his experience, Bang Yong Guk revealed, “I began performing in Hongdae clubs when I was in my third year of junior high. By the time I was 21 years old, I had performed about 200 times; I gained a lot of experience through that. Now I’m working on writing my own raps, and although my composing skills aren’t up to par yet, I’ve been making my own raps and melodies for a while (laughter).”

Bang Yong Guk actually wrote the haunting rap lyrics for “Going Crazy” himself, and revealed how he came up with them: “I watched a lot of movies and read books on stalking about a month before the song’s release in order to come up with the lyrics. I think I’ve seen nearly all of the movies out there about stalking.”


Bang Yong Guk stated, “I began with the name ‘Jepp Blackman.’ I wanted a name that gave a strong vibe and never once used my real name in my work. Through this opportunity, I thought I’d give my name a try and I’m quite satisfied with it (laughter).”

He continued, “Now that people know me by my real name, I’ve been reminded of the hardships I faced during my younger years. I feel really affectionate towards the name, and as it is pretty unique, I’m glad that people are able to remember it more easily.”

When asked about his plans for his future, he stated, “I’m currently preparing to debut as a five member group. Our debut date isn’t set in stone yet, but luckily I received the opportunity to start promoting first, so I’m going to try my best. I’ll make sure to learn everything I can through this opportunity and pass it on to my members. Instead of focusing on gaining headlines, I think it’s more important to just try my best and work hard (laughter).”


source: allkpop