The label Wavy just debuted their new talent Ahn Byeong Woong with the EP ‘BARTOON 24’. You might remember this young artist from ‘Show Me The Money 8’ where he got a lot of attention for his talent. If you haven’t checked it, here is the link from the second episode when he got an “ALL PASS” from the judges.
BARTOON 24
This debut EP starts off smoothly with ‘Midnight Bird’, a track rooted in old school hip-hop, I did not expect anything different from Ahn Byeong Woong. This style completely fits him and at the same time it remains refreshing.
Following with the same vibe we have ‘Click Clack’, featuring Chillin Homie, Deepflow and Simon Dominic. This track is fire! The rhymes are delivered flawlessly and it totally felt like a cypher, intense, sharp and full of the underground vibe I personally love.
‘Mary Jane’ is next, ft. lIlBOI. The mixing and layering in this song was unexpected, the background track kind of reminded me of ‘Dos Gardenias’ by Buena Vista Social Club. I totally dig that mix of underground hip-hop with latin boleros. It is something I haven’t heard before.
Next on this EP is the title track ‘Drown’ ft. GIRIBOY, and this track is just so smooth. It is a total blessing for the ears. There is a lot happening in it and every single element of this song works harmoniously with the rest. I fell in love with the way it was mixed, and I personally felt that this was the perfect track to introduce the vibe and style of Ahn Byeong Woong.
‘Drown’ is followed by ‘Puff Pass’ with a completely different style. I felt that this song is divided into a few different songs, there are several changes in tempo, rhythm and lyrical flow and every single one was perfect for an underground rap battle.
With a similar style, ‘Kill Like’ is next, and this song reminded me of his time in SMTM8, with the same old school flow. ‘Payback’ featuring The Quiett follows it with a lo-fi and instrumental tempo. The rapping is fire but at the same time the tempo is calm and relaxing, making this song a wholesome balance.
Last in this EP ‘회색도시’ (Gray City) feat. Candid Creation. This song is the cherry on top for this release. The intro is really unique and it perfectly opens up the vibe and rhythm of this track. I completely stan Byeong Woong the singer, he is a whole rounder (Natural Talent) and we LOVE it. The outro for this song was basically me after finishing listening to this EP (Clap, Clap, Clap and standing ovation).
I am a fan of Byeong Woong after listening to this release, I really liked what he is going for in his music and how unique and fresh it is. Make sure to listen to the full EP below, and let us know what you thought of it.
