Sierize
If you're looking for the coolest of the "underground" Korean-American hip hop groups, look no further than Sierize. The group, Si Joon Le (Si'e) and Shawn Kuk (Rize), specialize in a smooth West coast L.A. sound. The duo met at UCLA and started laying down racks soon afterward. They describe their music as "saram sahnun eeh yah ghee dul, stuff you can feel," which is a good summation of the state of their songs.
Take BOA [MP3], for instance. Soulful doesn't begin to describe the sound. The synthesized layers of music work all the way through the song, and the rapping is just sweet. Because the boys both speak both Korean and English (Si'e describes himself as a "typical F.O.B.-styled generation of 1.2" to give himself some authenticity, I suspect), they understand how to form Korean lyrics to non-Korean beats.
Personally, I found Movement [MP3] a bit fragmented and choppy. The words didn't seem to flow as nicely as they did in BOA [RealAudio], and the style distracts from the content of the lyrics. "Live and learn hip hop to keep from dying in the city" is a 'hood-type of message, and it's this type of sentiment that separates Korean and Korean-American hip hop groups. It isn't cool to point it out, but even the best Korean hip hop groups still sound like they're copying 2pac and Eminem (or someone from long ago and far away, Will Smith). Although it's rough and choppy, Movement [RealAudio] sounds authentic. Sierize tries to take advantage of that fragmented sound for the Movement video [RealVideo], but the result is somewhat amateurish.
The War of Love [MP3] is reminiscent of Drunken Tiger's The Movement with less zip. People wanting to hear more of a Korean sound might like this song--although the content is U.S.-oriented (where else will you find rednecks?), the Korean rapping has a good rhythm.
Also in line with the Drunken Tiger way of doing things is Saturday Night Live [MP3]. Obviously, Sierize has a style of its own, but this song wouldn't be out of place on a DT album. Sierize's strength is in its composition and lyrics. It would be easy enough to turn emotional music into schmaltz, but this duo keeps it straight and soulful.
Sierize isn't really about freestyle rap, so there's not much of it on the album. Of all the songs on the CD, All Ages [MP3] is as close to freestyle as it gets. After a few plays the song may grow on you since the R&B sounds in the refrains take a little time to appreciate. Wasted Dream [MP3] also has a strong R&B style, being much more of a ballad than a rap song.
Although this group is young and raw in places, it would be a mistake to pass over their work.
By Denise Ahn
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