After the film is done and people start watching it, how are you guys going to gauge your success?
S: I am, and this sounds cocky, confident that there will be people who will want to watch it. I say that because we already have people who want to see the 40 and that’s not going to happen because we want to make it better. It’s not a documentary, and Jaeki said this, with a bunch of talking heads. It’s a story of people who want to succeed in something. At the end of the day, a lot of people can relate to that sentiment of “I am in something where I feel left out and I want to show everyone that I can be good enough.” We know we want to hit the film festivals, probably touring with it. But we know we will be successful in hitting the people we want to talk to.
J: I want to make a lot of money man. I want to get rich off this film. I want to use this film to help start my wholesale business. I think I can get rich and live like Dame Dash in the late 90’s.
So new socks everyday?
S: I was just gonna say that!
J: New Uniqlo socks, man. Not the whack sh*t he had on. New Uniqlo socks everyday. Boxers everyday. Nah, but the barometer of success varies. Right now, to be honest, I thought a lot of these K-Pop fans would throw down mad money but they’re being kinda stingy with it. I think a new Big Bang concert might be happening or something. Like she said, I feel like as long as it reaches a certain group of people that we want to reach, like how old are you?
24.
J: Born in ’90?
’89.
J: So we’re the same age. So I want people like us who grew up infatuated with Rap-like when you see an Asian cat popping out, and you’re like, “Damn, I feel like this kid isn’t bad. I wonder why he’s not taking it to the next level?” I feel like younger kids who are coming up, they could watch this sh*t and be like, “We could kinda take it to the next level.” Even if those four characters don’t take it to the next level, hopefully that torch continuously flickers, not just in Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop is just one example for what this film represents. If you look at guys like Rek who’s super unapologetic, who doesn’t give a f*ck. Then you have Lyricks who’s a f*cking talented a$$ rapper but he has that stereotypical korena American lifestyle of his parents own a dry cleaners and he’s a devout Christian. I feel like a lot of kids can relate to it and if they can be empowered by it…
S: Also I want to reach people who don’t know these people exist. Some people think that all Asians are from f*cking Asia. They don’t now that there are Asian Americans here who can speak English. I showed the 40 to my cousin and my cousin saw Lyricks, and he’s like, “Yo this dude is dope!” I have cousins who have been checking out Dumbfoundead, checking out Awkwafina, checking out all of these artists and they’re like, “How come I’ve never heard of these people?”
Finally, I have to ask how you guys came up with the Bad Rap title.
S: We were literally brainstorming for so long. Can I be honest with you [Jaeki]? My boy mentioned it just off the fly, trying to be funny. I set it aside for a few months and we had written down a whole bunch of things. I remember putting it at the end and we were going through the list and I was like, “What about this Bad Rap thing?” Because it made sense.
J: I thought it was a very smart name in terms of branding, in term of a double, triple, quadruple entendre.
It’s like how America’s perception of Asian American Rap is bad…?
J: That could be one way to perceive it. Another way is that Asian American rapping, that’s a bad rap. Like does your parents support what you’re doing? Writing for a Black magazine?
Kinda. As soon as I showed them my name in the masthead of an issue, they supported it more.
J: That didn’t give you a good rap initially. Asian American partaking in any subculture, they kinda have a bad rap in their own community too. It could be interpreted in multiple ways. Some people may consider their music to be bad rap.
Any last words?
J: Fund the sh*t out of this project. And you should send this to Lord Jamar.
Bryan Hahn (@notupstate)
