Harmony between fresh lyrics and beat, VISS

There are so many people with better rapping skills than mine, therefore I tend to focus more on the music, not the skills. I try my best to exclude any childishness in my music. The harmony between the fresh, non-cliché lyrics and the beat might be attractive to the listeners (laugh). Even if I sing a love song, I try to avoid any outdated elements.

Real name: Jihoon Lee

24 y.o

Q. Hello! Can you please briefly introduce yourself?

Hello, I am VISS, working as a solo artist. My rap name doesn’t have any special meaning but I do love Vismajor (Korean hiphop crew). I wanted to pursue what I love so I picked my rap name from it.

Q: What distinguishes you from other rap artists?

There are so many people with better rapping skills than mine, therefore I tend to focus more on the music, not the skills. I try my best to exclude any traces of childishness in my music. The harmony between the fresh, non -cliché lyrics and the beat might be attractive to the listeners (laugh). Even if I sing a love song, I try to avoid any outdated elements. The style of the lyrics differs from song to song. If there is an audience, I try to be more straightforward but if I am in a contemplative mood, the lyrics are more abstractive. Meanwhile, I still think that I’m in the process of identifying my own style. It will become more sophisticated soon enough.

Q. How did you start making Hip Hop music?

I used to be a vocalist in a hip hop club in my university. I was doing it for 2 years and then I had to join the army. Plenty of people from the army were rappers, particularly from my troop. We started hanging out together and naturally I didn’t stop rapping even when I was in the army.

Q. When was your first performance and where do you usually perform?

Excluding the performances that I did with my university hip hop club, my first performance was this year. Usually my performances take place in ‘Club Livehouse’, ‘Club GOGOS2’ and clubs located in Hongdae.

Q. How do you create your music?

As far as the beat is concerned, I get it from my friend who works with me and then I produce it. As for any special inspirations, I work alone at a studio near my house where everything just comes up to my mind and spreads like a mind map.

Q. What is the most memorable moment of your musical career?

I did this performance, called Blue Magic. The person who hosted this show was quite famous. For the first time, seats were filled with real audiences, not my acquaintances.

Q. Do you perform with any other musicians?

I have been working as a solo artist till now but I am planning to recruit a crew and perform together.

Q. Have you experienced any hard moments while you were making music?

Recently. It turned out that I was expecting too much from myself. My skills have been improving since I started taking lessons, but my level is still lower than I actually thought.

Q. Are you willing to participate in shows, like ‘Show Me the Money’?

It hasn’t been that long since I started preparing myself to do rap. So, to answer your question, no, not yet. However I will be willing to participate around next year, when I will be fully and perfectly ready for the show.

Q. Are there any artists you were influenced by?

I have bad ears so it’s hard for me to walk down the street, put my earphones in and listen to music. I’ll probably say that I wasn’t really influenced by any artist because of that. But if I really have to pick one, it’s Tyga.

Q. Are there any artists you want to work with in the future?

Crush, Taeyang, J’Kyun and Hansolo! Especially Hansol, he’s my bias.

Q. What is your goal as a rapper and an artist?

I have been a solo artist till now, but in the near future, as soon as my close friends discharge from the army, we will organize a proper crew. The three of us have very different ways of writing music so we need to learn how to work together. The ultimate goal is for the crew to receive a positive response.