When South Korean rapper MaseWonder dropped his first official single "Summer Night" on Oct. 5, immediately transporting listeners into the headspace of soaking in the last moments of summer with your closest friends as the sun goes down, two immediate thoughts came to mind. First of all, doesn't the summer, that seemed a lifetime long during school vacations of camp and beaches, seem to go faster every year? And secondly, that the single marked the arrival of a unique voice in hip-hop, willing to take his music to areas bordering on psychedelia to dial in a mood and who didn't feel the need to use flash or overly wordy rhymes to make you feel what he's feeling. In a wide-ranging KpopStarz exclusive interview, MaseWonder discussed his early musical education, his process in the recording studio and why Kanye and Doja Cat are the greatest.
KpopStarz: How long have you been rapping? What do you think makes someone a great rapper?
MaseWonder: About five years and I think it's all about vibe. Techniques, lyrics, rhymes are all important, but a great rapper delivers his message in his own unique way.
KpopStarz: Who would you most like to collaborate with? Are there any American or UK artists or producers you'd like to work with?
MaseWonder: I'm an ambitious kid. By any chance, with any artist, I'd be grateful to work with them. But I do wish I were lucky enough to work with [Los Angeles-based neo soul vocalist] Doja Cat.
KpopStarz: Please talk a bit about your childhood. Where were you born? Where did you grow up? Were there any defining moments for you during those formative years?
MaseWonder: I was born in Jeonju, a small city in South Korea and it has been my home for 19 years. Since both of my parents are artists, I had chances to visit many countries since I was young. I think I learned to blend all those different flavors I experienced, and successfully brewed them into my own.
KpopStarz: When did you first consider music as a path? Did you study any instruments when you were growing up or participate in any music-related activities formally or informally?
MaseWonder: I listened to a lot of classical music because of my mother, who has been a classical pianist all through my childhood. Ever since I started my education, I played the flute and the piano for seven years. In high school, my friends and I started a rock band. My parents, both artists, supported my passion so they let me use the attic as a studio and provided all the gear---drums, bass, synthesizers, guitars, et cetera. I was just naturally exposed to a wide variety of instruments. Soon the band [named Paper Planes -ed.] succeeded. We won a local high school band competition and we appeared on local media, in newspapers and on the radio. Compared to the rest of my music history, hip-hop has only recently come into my life. Among the friends I'd made from playing flute and being in the band, a hip-hop dude introduced me to this vast, magical ocean of a whole new music. I got a chance to record my rap on a beat at a studio and I immediately fell into it. I structure the song and write the lyrics all by myself? It was so magical. Before releasing "Summer Night," I rapped on the street of Hongdae, which is sort of similar to SoHo, in New York City, for about a year, as a member of an underground crew.
KpopStarz: What was the first music you heard as a kid that really inspired you? Was there one particular moment that you recall deciding you were going to pursue a career within the music industry?
MaseWonder: The first music that inspired me was Doja Cat's "So High." It was so beautiful and dreamy. It's not big names like Eminem, Rich Gang or Schoolboy Q. My hip-hop history isn't that long.
KpopStarz: In some of the promotional material you sent over, you described your music as "making a cliché into a fresh one." Can you please expand on what you meant?
MaseWonder: I think there's been a translation mistake, some poetic expression gone wrong. My intention there was about putting a twist upon some ideas that we are really familiar with, and projecting it from a whole new perspective. "Employing a cliché, but presenting it in a fresh way," it should've been written like this.
KpopStarz: Tell us about Early Nerds. A lot of our readers may not be familiar with it. You describe it as "a creative production team made up of whimsical but charming, cozy and nerdy." Is Early Nerds also your record label? How many people are involved with Early Nerds?
MaseWonder: Early Nerds is my label! {laughs} It's just really simple though, me plus Cozy and Nerdy, who are both producers and directors and Ismxx, the designer. It's just the four of us. Cozy and Nerdy have worked together as a team called Vanbazi. And the adjectives do sound silly, but it's true. Our goal is to create something whimsical, but also charming. We are whimsical and charming people. We are.
KpopStarz: When were you signed to Early Nerds? What were the events that led to your record contract?
MaseWonder: I signed with Early Nerds in August. Previously I rapped on the Vanbazi single and then I decided to join the crew.
KpopStarz: Were there any specific events or people that inspired you to write "Summer Nights?"
MaseWonder: It was a summer night during the weekend. My friends and I were drinking and eating at the riverside. You see them exactly like that in the music video. I think I succeeded in capturing the fever of the night in the video.
KpopStarz: Though aspects of the music video look like standard summer fun with friends, there are also some really surreal moments with the animal masks. The image of you wearing the lion mask out in the field is especially eye-catching. Whose idea was it to incorporate the masks? Do they have a deeper meaning than just friends having fun?
MaseWonder: The masks were of my idea. Sadly, there isn't a deeper meaning than just having fun with my friends. I do like surrealism, but that scene wasn't particularly intended to be at all.
KpopStarz: Have you spent any time in the US? If so, when was the first time and what were your impressions of America? Are there any Western acts that have influenced your own work?
MaseWonder: I've been to the US twice, first in my mom's belly for her honeymoon, and second when I was in middle school. My mom's best friend lives in Las Vegas, so we mostly stayed there. The impression was good. The memory is healthy and fun, buying toys at Wal-Mart, yummy ice cream, hotel buildings and statues looking so cool and most of all, roasting marshmallows. About the influences, I don't know what to say, because hip-hop originated from the US and we just borrowed what's yours and rather localized it so it fits to our taste, yeah? If I said Western media didn't influence me at all, that would be a lie. I just try not to be an African-American wannabe. I try to be different. I'm not sure if it's working well, but anyway, I'm going to keep trying.
KpopStarz: Do you think language affects how the rhythms of rap lyrics are performed? How does the attack of K-pop rappers differ from the delivery of American artists?
MaseWonder: I believe that language does matter simply because it's a verbal activity. American artists have great energy and they show a wider spectrum than us in Korea. Especially Kanye West, who deserves all the respect I could ever show.
KpopStarz: For all of us tech geeks out there, can you possibly describe what kind of recording setup you use?
MaseWonder: I've got my MacBook, Logic and my mic for a [demo]. My producer uses Cubase and Studio One and he is one of those guys who sold all their outboard gear in exchange for software. He doesn't own one anymore, he uses Virtual Studio Technology instruments, UAD plugins and Native plugins.
KpopStarz: What are your thoughts on the Korean underground hip-hop scene today?
MaseWonder: Any society has its flaws. In the Korean underground hip-hop scene, it is hard for newcomers or an indie label to grow bigger and there may be complex reasons behind it that also inhibit the diversification of genres in the music market.
KpopStarz: Please walk us through your own personal process in the recording studio. Do you compose your own beats?
MaseWonder: I try on my own to produce beats and do this and do that, but it's not at a level worth listening to. {laughs} Cozy produces beats in Early Nerds, but we are [always] in search of talented producers.
KpopStarz: How many producers have you worked with and what did each one offer you?
MaseWonder: I've met three producers so far and I tried several tracks with them, but Summer Night was an actual opportunity that I could finally [give my all] to.
KpopStarz: Who are your favorite Korean artists?
MaseWonder: He's not so famous, but he is my best friend and a guru, rapper Kuro.
KpopStarz: What projects are you currently working on? Do you have any additional releases planned for this year?
MaseWonder: "Summer Night" featured my bright side and now, if circumstances allow, we plan to produce another track that projects a bit of a darker side of me. And if we're not late, you'll be able to see me again in December, or if we're late, then early next year.
KpopStarz: What do you think it is about K-pop that makes it different from other nations' pop music? Do you consider yourself to be a K-pop artist or an underground rapper?
MaseWonder: I thought I was an underground rapper until I saw my music on your website! Now I feel like it's okay to add a K-pop tag to my music. I belong to both categories, don't I?
