Published : Jan. 29, 2016 - 16:04
Yezi “Foresight Dream” (Loen Entertainment)
It’s been a long time coming. Yezi of obscure girl group Fiestar made a splash on Mnet’s female rapper competition “Unpretty Rapstar 2” last year, instantly becoming one of the most interesting figures to watch in the Korean hip-hop scene. She carries that momentum throughout her EP “Foresight Dream,” filling each track with the coarse, hard-hitting lyrics that kept her alive on “Unpretty Rapstar.”
Produced overall by hip-hop powerhouse Brand New Music’s lead producer Rhymer, “Foresight Dream” kicks off with a new track called “Cider” in which Yezi lets loose in talking about all the dreams that she’s ready to conquer, naysayers be damned. Yezi’s flow is relaxed, with clean-cut breaths to match the synthesized accompanying notes.
She pays homage to “Unpretty Rapstar” with two tracks that made her famous -- “Dalnara” and “Crazy Dog.” “Crazy Dog” with “Unpretty Rapstar” MC San E, in particular, is a refreshing shock every time, with Yezi’s breathless voice pounding out lyrics about her anger towards everyone who looked down on her punctuated with the words “I’m a crazy dog, crazy dog” and San E backing her up with his own take-no-prisoners lyrics. On “Sse Sse Sse” she reunites with “Unpretty Rapstar” contenders for an impressive female rap collaboration.
“Foresight Dream” is not enough to establish Yezi as a solo artist, because it still feeds off the aftereffects of “Unpretty Rapstar.” However, it is an excellent showcase of her potential and energy, which she must continue to funnel into new twists in her music.
By Won Ho-jung (
hjwon@heraldcorp.com)