[Exclusive] GD & America’s top rapper Missy Elliott to hold joint performance
[스타뉴스 길혜성 기자] BIGBANG’s leader G-DRAGON (GD) has successfully made an agreement with Missy Elliott, the American hip-hop legend, to hold a joint performance.
The two artists will meet on August 24 and 25 (U.S. time) at KCON 2013 which will be held at Memorial Sports Arena in L.A., and will showcase a performance of the new song together for the first time.
KCON 2013 is a Korean Wave and K-Pop festival hosted by CJ E&M. According to the report by Star News on August 16, Missy Elliott and GD will be appearing together on Mnet’s M COUNTDOWN What’s up LA on August 15, which is part of KCON 2013. Other artists like f(X), EXO, 2AM, and Dynamic Duo are also expected to make an appearance.
GD and Missy Elliott’s performance is already arousing immense attention as the top South Korean idol who boasts global popularity is performing with America’s top female rapper.
The two have come to showcase a collaborated performance, as Missy Elliott featured in GD’s upcoming 2nd solo regular album.
At the end of June, YG Entertainment’s founder Yang Hyun-suk posted an entry on the company’s official blog, YG LIFE, that Missy Elliott was involved in GD’s latest song.
He wrote, “With the 2nd solo album, what we decided to do was to have one legendary foreign artist feature in it rather than have several. There were many male rappers on the list, but what YG was looking for was a female rapper – and there was just one. We found the answer so quickly and we were unanimous on choosing this artist. And she is – Missy Elliott.”
He added, “G-Dragon’s song featuring the female hip-hop legend breaks away from the convention with a hint of Korean taste. The tinge of a voice sample from a Korean traditional folk song “Nilliliya” makes it a one-of-a-kind, classy hip-hop track.”
And now, the two artists are showcasing the very song together.
Due to the distance between South Korea and the U.S., GD and Missy Elliott have only been using the Internet and the phone to communicate with each other. It is no surprise that the two are excited to meet in person and perform together for the first time.
GD, the leader of BIGBANG, is acknowledged for his astonishing musical talents in South Korea for producing all BIGBANG’s songs since 2006 let alone his own solo album. He is also widely known for his idiosyncratic fashion sense.
Born in 1971, Missy Elliott made an official debut in America’s major hip-hop world in the mid 90’s. Her songs like ‘Work It’, ‘Get Ur Freak On’, ‘The Rain’ and ‘Gossip Folks’ are only a few of the many huge hits. She is simply a worldwide hip-hop legend. She is an awardee of the 45th Grammy Awards for the Best Female Rap Solo Performance in 2003.
Meanwhile, GD is scheduled to release his 2nd solo album before the month ends, because he is holding an exclusive solo concert at Seoul Olympic Gymnastics Arena for two days on August 31 and September 1.
GD initially planned to release his new album on his birthday, August 18, but the date has been postponed since he wanted to spend more time and put more thoughts into the completion of the album.
GD’s comeback as a solo is the first one in 4 years since August 2009, when he released his first solo album with the title song ‘Heart Breaker’.
2013. 8. 16.
