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{OFFICIAL} ♚ iKON 아이콘 Thread ♚ Still under construction

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BOBBY for GQ Magazine HQ [12/2014] + translated interview

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+ interview

Spoiler

Q: It’s past 1 AM, are you going to wake up early tomorrow?

B: At 4. Soon….

Q: 4 in the morning?

B: Yes. Because it’s Men of the year. Haha. Later I have filming for a music video. We filmed half of it a while ago so tomorrow, wait no, in three hours, we are going to film the rest.

Q: Can you stay up all night?

B: I’ll have to try. Originally, I had never stayed up all night. Ever since I became a trainee, it became part of my everyday life. Because growing up is inevitably a fight against time. I think if you are lacking but still go to sleep, it shows that you are content and complacent with yourself. You’re not selfish enough. Honestly, I’ve never felt content with myself.

Q: Even during this year?

BOBBY: Even though I won 1st place on <Show Me The Money 3>, there are still a lot of challenges I need to overcome. Once I cross over one mountain, there’s another mountain waiting to be crossed right behind it.

Interviewer: Mountains? Do you have a specific target?

B: I’m more comfortable with setting a specific goal first. The first mountain I need to cross over is Block B’s Zico-hyung. Jokingly I tell him, “Hyung, one day I am going to beat you. Just wait.” And then Zico-hyung says, “I’m never going to let you catch up to me.” He’s kind of a rival but he’s a hyung that I respect and from whom I can learn a lot.

Q: You even wrote it in the lyrics for the song YGGR#HIPHOP that you performed on <Show Me The Money 3>. “Everybody besides B.I, Mino, Zico, P.O, get out of the way.” Was overcoming those obstacles and reaching the top one of your goals, too?

B: I think reaching the top is ambiguous in it of itself. Above the top is the sky, above that is the universe, and even above that there’s going to be something else. I always want to be growing, higher than the sky and the universe. It’s funny to say, but I want to become legendary like Notorious BIG or Tupac. Later I want to hear people say, “When dad was young, Bobby was the best.”

Q: If you’re aiming to surpass the universe, don’t you think you might run out of fuel?

B: Ha…You’re right. I hadn’t thought about that. However, the people who constantly encourage me and the people who make me feel comfortable are all amongst my iKON members. For me, I think that Hanbin is my biggest companion and my biggest rival. If you look at it like a marathon, we are each other’s pacemakers? Both of us are competitive. That competitiveness can be used as fuel.

Q: Does B.I know that Bobby got ‘Men of the year’?

B: He knows. But we don’t get jealous over these kinds of things, we only get stimulated. Anyway, we are in the same team and are like brothers.

Q: Did you give your <Show Me The Money 3> prize money to your mom, like you had professed earlier?

B: I’m still saving it. I want to make my mom happy in one go. When I was younger I didn’t really know it, but now that I’ve grown up and listened to stories, my mom really struggled and worked hard. I want those memories to go away for her…

Q: Is there anything you want to buy?

B: Just one or two things. I wanted to buy a watch, but Epik High hyungs bought one for me. They said that they were thankful that I featured on ‘Born Hater,’ and it’s a very meaningful item to me. That watch is the symbol of hip-hop.

Q: Your birthday is in December. Even though it’s not official, it’ll be your first birthday after your debut. What are you going to do?

B: I’m going to practice. I don’t really want to do anything special. Seriously. Last year, I had a really good time with the members. This year, I just want to practice. I don’t put a lot of importance on birthdays.

Q: Is it because you’ve become an adult?

B: I don’t know. It’s pretty sad. I feel like I’ve lost some innocence, considering how old I am.

Q: Is it because you’re constantly competing?

B: That could be part of it. In some sense, at the age when I should be studying, I’ve become known to the world, I’ve come to have a specific dream, and I’m chasing after that dream. So I’ve come to taste reality more quickly.

Q: Is this your 4th year since you became a trainee?

B: In two months it’ll be 4 years.

Q: Who’s idea was it for you to appear on <Show Me The Money 3>?

B: While watching seasons 1 and 2, I wanted to go on the show, but when season 3 started, our CEO asked me to go on the show. Rather than showing something off and winning, I went in with the mindset of wanting to see just how far my skills could take me, and to get inspired by meeting new people. Hanbin, who went with me, felt the same. Because we are constantly only with each other, we don’t really know how good our skills are. Even though I won, I wasn’t the best person there.

Q: You’re saying you won even though you weren’t the best?

B: My rap wasn’t the best, but I think I had powerful performances. I appealed to the people who came to see the performances. But for rap, how could I…

Q: You seem like a fighter who knew how to fight. Someone who could defeat the most powerful odds with your attitude. Strong short-term competitors are like that.

B: There was so much against me. That’s why I tried my best to express myself. Things I wanted to say and do, you know that there is a prejudice against idol rappers. I think I was really defensive because of that. Plus there were lots of returning rappers on <Show Me The Money 3>.

Q: You had a totally different image than from when you were on YG Entertainment’s survival show <WIN>. You were the so-called mood-maker there, and it was only a year ago.

B: Well first off, iKON was completed/confirmed as a group, and I am in charge of the rap.If you compare music to a discussion, solo songs give me a lot of time to speak. Within a team, I have less time to speak; I like both. As a solo, I can say everything that’s on my mind, and in a team, the members fill in all the parts I couldn’t even think of.

Q: Now instead of imagining a smiling face, an excited face comes to mind when I think of you. On <Show Me The Money 3> you raised your middle finger right in the front of the camera, and you even cursed.

B: I became a lot stronger after losing to Team A during <WIN>. I became desperate, because here was a chance that I wouldn’t have the opportunity to keep doing music. I had a lot of worries like, “If I want to protect my music, I need to be cooler than this. What would be cooler? Am I just going to keep living like a baby, a smiling nice kid?” When it’s necessary to frown or put on a frown, I need to, but I felt like my charisma was lacking.

Q: How do you feel when people say, “He’s good for an idol.”?

B: Ah… If someone thinks that way, I guess I am good for an idol rapper. And my job is to change those thoughts. It’s okay as long as they don’t say ridiculous things like, “That kid Bobby really can’t rap.” I know I can rap.

Q: Do you think you are good enough to stand on a stage / debut now?

B: I don’t think I’m bad or lame, not from the public’s eyes. But other musicians are watching me too, and the obviously lacking qualities will stand out. That’s my homework for now.

Q: Do you want to be the best of the best musicians?

B: Yes. Like Michael Jackson. I have to keep going until everyone says, “Bobby, he’s a musician.” I like receiving respect. I want to be honored, whether it’s through my music or my actions. I want to hear people say, “He’s a kid who should be doing this stuff.”

Q: Whether it’s being given or received, respect is bound to have specific objects. Is there a specific person you definitely want to be acknowledged by?

B: The people I’m not associated with. Specifically, the people who can see me objectively.

Q: You already seem like a veteran on stage. Rather than doing something pre-planned, you have a natural impression. Do you go up with a plan on how you’re going to move?

B: I don’t like being confined, so I don’t prepare before going on stage. I need to move in the ways I want so that it can be natural. I think that can be a strength for me.

Q: <MIX & MATCH> ended a few days ago. On that show, we saw your ability to enliven your team’s vocals. Like a rejoinder?
[*Seems to be referring to Bobby’s ability to rap in harmony/conjunction with the vocals.]

B: I studied that as well. All we can do is recognize that Korean hip-hop still has a long way to go in comparison to American hip-hop. I researched a lot about the naturalness that African-Americans have, because their lives are hip-hop. Their words, actions, lifestyles, all of it.

Q: Does your experience of growing up in the US help you?

B: Not exactly. I learned a lot through being with the iKON members. Before I came to YG, I didn’t even know that Eminem was white. I rapped myself, but I didn’t study it much. I think it’s extremely important to have companions who share the same goals and interests.

Q: Does that mean it took 3 years to create the Bobby of today?

B: That’s right. For example, when my members tell me that something isn’t very good, or what’s cool, etc.

Q: However, <Show Me The Money 3> was where we witnessed Bobby’s dramatic growth. When you had to fight alone without the team members whom you are always with. I guess you could say it’s the first time you became alone.

B: It was really tough, but it was also fun. The feeling was like, “this is my world, I can do the music I want.” Through competing, I became really selfish/strong-willed. Because I really love rap, and since I was alone, I had a huge desire to show people what my hip-hop was like.

Q: It was also a hard time to promise the future. Because you don’t know when your solo album will come out.

B: During my last stage on <Show Me The Money 3>, I thought that it could be my last solo stage. So on that day, I couldn’t rap because I was too busy looking into the eyes of the audience. Even so, it felt so great. Even if it’s just one time, I want to try doing music that I made myself.

B: It’s like that huge stage is my living room, and as the stage gets bigger, my living room gets bigger. When performing as a team, I can’t move out of my lane because it ruins the look; you have no choice but to abstain. But when I’m performing alone, there is no need to abstain. Well, I mean, to a certain extent you may need to. Like if I’m trying to create a specific pathway, but I can do that based on my own feel.

Q: On <Show Me The Money 3> it seemed like you weren’t restricting yourself at all, so you were even more interesting. You really carried that through.

B: It didn’t turn out how I wanted, but I did restrict myself. I didn’t want to show everything. It scared me a little to think about what I would have left to show after it all.

Q: Even before your official debut, you’ve been on three survival shows. These shows risked your debut, caused you to fight prejudice, and take care of your teammates. What are your thoughts on that?

B: I think survival is the optimal setting to strengthen your skills. You rip each other apart and hurt each other, you learn your own flaws, it’s extremely hard and you go through a lot emotionally, but when it’s all over, you’ve definitely grown/improved.

Q: I’m sure you’ve experienced competition even as a trainee. Do you think the reason survival programs get you so alert is that you’re being observed by random people/audiences?

B: I actually don’t get bothered by that. If you’re going to look at me, then look. I’m going to do my thing. I like showing who I am.

Q: Still, does the weight of an official debut feel somewhat different?

B: It’s entirely different. A solo debut is its own thing, but now I have to do it with my iKON brothers. I think it’s going to be really fun with them. Our music is going to get bigger and bigger, and as a result, I’ll be able to show more of the things I want to say. I’m excited.

Q: Sometimes your relationship with leader B.I reminds us of GD and Taeyang.

B: I’m super close with Hanbin. And we’re huge rivals, like Seo Taewoong and Kang Baekho from <Slam Dunk>.

Q: I guess the high-spirited Bobby will have to be Kang Baekho?

B: Is that so? I guess it depends on the situation, B.I can be Kang Baekho, too. But I don’t think we’re like GD and Taeyang, we’re just me and B.I. There are definitely things we’re inferior in, and from a certain standpoint, I think we can have our own merits, too. To be honest, I’m not sure how the outside world views us since we’re alone so much of the time.

Q: I had expected a lot of talk about GD and Taeyang during the interview. But you didn’t even mention it once.

B: I guess so. I respect them greatly and have learned a lot. But even above GD hyung, there is the universe. I always want to look ahead.

Q: Being a trainee is a position you ultimately just have to endure. Were there any outside temptations?

B: Not at all. I love this work so much, and I firmly believe that I absolutely have to do this. I think the biggest temptation was wanting to eat a hamburger late at night because I was hungry from practice.

Q: Why did you join YG even though you didn’t particularly love hip-hop while living in the US?

B: It was by chance. There were few opportunities for auditions in the US, and I was just an average student who rapped. But my hyung friend told me that YG Entertainment was holding auditions in the US. I applied because I wanted to see how good my skills were, and I passed.

Q: Which rapper’s song did you choose for your audition?

B: A rap I wrote.

Q: Don’t people usually try to perform other people’s songs well? A self-composed song could be dangerous.

B: At that time, I enjoyed writing rap more than actually rapping. And honestly, I had auditioned for fun, so I wanted to take on the challenge in a fun way.

Q: Lyrics often come from experience, especially rap lyrics. Is there anything you really want to do right now?

B: I just want to try getting really big. I want to make a lot of money, have lots of sad experiences.. If I had to pick something, I want to experience something heartbreaking. Not even from a lover, but being left by a friend I loved, or something. On <Show Me The Money 3> I said that I wanted to crush the prejudices against idols. That was all from the heart, and that’s why it was so easy/natural to write.  

Q: On <Show Me The Money 3>, those lyrics matched well with the heavy trap music, and you won with that as well. What can we expect in the future?

B: I originally didn’t really like trap beats, but after trying it out, it was fun. It definitely is explosive when performed live, so now I want to try making some relaxing tracks. Something that’s rough but you can still listen to while going to sleep.

Q: Wouldn’t you need a somewhat different voice to do that kind of rap? Right now it’s a quite rough texture; I guess you could say it’s thick?

B: I used to be really quiet, but I think I discovered that wild voice while doing shows/broadcasts.

Q: On the other hand, the choruses for ‘BOUNCE’ and 'GO’ have a lot of humming. You could say it’s the success secret for rappers like 50 Cent.

B: I would just turn on the track and work with whatever melody came first. First impression is important, the first thing that comes to mind when you first hear it. Choruses that come about like that are the easiest and coolest.

Q: How do you feel about criticisms that it’s hard to hear your lyrics, or that all the content is too similar?

B: I think people say it’s the same content because I haven’t had the opportunity to show different sides of myself. So that’s okay, because I’ve only done powerful hip-hop. But improving my lyrical pronunciation is currently my biggest assignment. I want to hear people saying, “Oh? I can hear Bobby’s rap clearly.” I am taking such criticism sweetly.

Q: From <Show Me The Money 3> to your featuring in ‘Born Hater,’ you consistently talk about haters.

B: When people like a star from a young age and that star grows, they always say that he or she has changed. But I think that change is necessary. You need weight to gain respect and become charismatic. There are people who say, “they’ve changed in ways I don’t want to see,” or “he wasn’t originally like that.” It’s criticizing those people, telling them not to be jealous.

Q: Do you think you’ve gained some importance/weight this year?

B: I hope so. I think I’m still a bit lacking.

Q: In your opinion, what is a cool man?

B: A man without embellishment. Being raw.

Q: Are you a manly person?

B: I’m working on it. My personality isn’t the type to like embellishment. Being superficial and such.

Q: On <Show Me The Money 3> you said that you seriously wanted to beat Vasco, rapper of 14 years. Eventually you did. Have you ever thought about rapper Bobby in 14 years?

B: Human beings themselves are weak. There will be many battles for the next 14 years. If I am able to win all those battles, I think I can gain acknowledgment from everyone. People will say that I’m a really cool and respectable kid… But if I can’t get through even one thing within those 14 years, won’t I become defeated?

Credit to trans cr; deeana and yvonne @ ygikon

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