Oozing charisma, star rapper BewhY made NYC the final stop of his The Movie Star tour that took place across nine cities throughout the U.S. and Canada. His first tour The Blind Star followed his Show Me the Money 5 (2016) win in 2017, and since then his career growth has been non-stop. Before he graced the stage, BewhY sat down with The Kraze to chat about his influences, who he’d like to work with, his struggles and what makes him tick.*  

Q: For our readers who are getting the chance to know you for the first time, can you please give a little introduction about yourself? 

A: Hello. Representing the Republic of Korea, I’m the Rap-Star, BewhY. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.

Q: Who are your main musical influences? 

A: For me, every year / certain period of time, this changes. Awhile ago, looking back maybe 5-6 years ago...I believe I was influenced by the likes of Chance the Rapper and Big Kree, Kendrick Lamar and JZ. But following that, now artists like Kanye West and Daft Punk are the ones from whom I’m drawing inspiration.

Q: What inspired you to get into music and hip-hop when you were young?

A: As a youth I was inspired by artists such as BIGBANG, and I was drawn to rap music because Dynamic Duo.

Q: What is your creative process when it comes to making your music? 

A: To be specific, I created the beats myself for my second album. At the start I think about what type of album I want to make and I look for sounds that fit the feel of that album. I don’t combine songs to make an album, I think ahead and find sounds to match the album, then write the lyrics and this is how the album is formed.

Q: So from the start, you have a style that you’re looking for and the album comes from that?

A: Yes, that’s the case.

Q: Are there challenges and how do you overcome them? 

A: The difficult thing this is there a sound that I want, when I make music, is to make music that I want to listen to. (auto is one of them) - when the sounds that I want to hear don’t come out, that’s the difficult part. One of my mottos is to “make music that I want to listen to.” For me, it’s the most challenging when the sounds that I want to hear don’t come out. This album specifically is a product of my thoughts. 

Q: It’s been awhile, but what was it like to be on, and win, Show Me The Money?

A:  Ahhh, you mean when I won. So when I won, the thought, “Oh, finally I did it” feeling wasn’t it.  For me regarding Show Me The Money 5, from the start, I had the mentality that I was going to win. Because I had the mindset from the start that I was going to win, the eventual win was more of an expectation than a surprise for me then I believe.

Q: Was it difficult?

A: It wasn’t hard, 5... it wasn’t that hard.

Q: Is there any artist you would like to collaborate with? 

A: Kanye West, Daft Punk, artists such as these I would really like to collaborate with.

Q: How about artists in Korea you haven’t worked with yet?

A: In Korea, of course there are many artists that I would like to collaborate with.  I would love to collab with IU, and… there are many in Korea, such as Lee Moonsae.

Q: What was your experience like in pursuing a career outside of the idol industry? Do you see many differences as a hip hop artist vs. an Idol?

A: To start, the idol scene is one where you can’t say what you want in comparison to my music, or hip-hop in general. However, I think that my music wouldn’t really differ from idol music if I don’t do as I think/want. I really enjoy what I’m doing, it’s fulfilling. Of course there are risks involved, every artist has risks, but I don’t think I can be an idol. 

Q: This isn’t your first time touring in the U.S. How was your first experience and what do you hope to gain from this new tour? 

A: To be honest, the first tour was really tough. Physically I was not well. I had a bad cold and it wasn’t fun because I was ill. This time, comparing the crowds, it’s similar, though there were a bit more people at the earlier tour, but.. with this tour, the obsession of achieving high numbers in outcomes such as rankings has gone away.

Q: What are your thoughts on the growing impact of Korean musicians on the global music scene?

A: I think it’s a great thing. To be honest, my dream is also that my music is not just a spark that shines in Korea only and disappears, that it is left behind and remains in this world. It has created a door that opens the pathway for achieving such hopes and dreams.

Q: For the aspiring musicians and producers out there, what is some advice that you can give to those who are wanting to pursue a career in this field? 

A: I’m not sure I can give advice, but take the thoughts that one has values as an individual that they proudly show off and follow that...not to just to believe in themselves, well that too, but more to have confidence in who they are and to follow their path is what I wish for them.

Q: Are there any updates or future plans that you would like to tell readers and fans to expect coming soon? 

A: There are some features coming from Korea, but I currently don’t have plans for my music.

Q: Your most recent track Gottasadae 가라사대 received a lot of attention from both Korean and international fans. With it currently sitting at 7.5 million views on YouTube it is your most popular song/ music video. Did you expect this release to get this much attention? How do you feel about it?

A: To be honest, I’m not really cognizant of that. I didn’t know it was so popular and of course, I’m so grateful to all of those who watched (the MV). In my head it’s not a song that can be listened to lightly. For me, it’s a song that I really like and love, and since the song that I love and appreciate so much has received equally as much love from others as well...simply...it’s something I’m truly grateful for. To say that because it’s reached this hundreds of thousands or that thousands is not the reason that I’m grateful. I’m just grateful to those who have listened to the song and watched the music video. I’m simply grateful to them.

Q: Long time fans of your music are familiar with your Christian background, but for new fans, it can come as a surprise. How do you balance the expectations of being a Christian while also managing the expectations of being a Rapper? 

A: To start, for me, this Christian culture - it’s something I want to have be considered as a norm, though I know this is not something I can accomplish alone. But if I keep to God doing things like this, whether it’s church or Christian influenced...I just want it to be thought of as a cool culture, a beautiful performance and for this is something that I’m working towards.

Q: Any final words for our readers?

A: Initially, I’m very thankful we can do an interview like this. In the future, in the U.S., I have a dream that my music will be more successful and creating dynamic music that people everywhere will be able to enjoy together is something I’ll continue to work on. I ask for your prayers and support. Thank you all.

*translated from Korean and edited for flow. Translations courtesy of Julia Hur & Jean Libert.