A new face hip-hop mc group, Supreme team released first album, ‘Supreme Team Guide To Excellent Adventure’ on July 14. Two members, Simon D and E-sens, had distinctive fame in under ground. They were confident, introducing themselves prepared new face.

What Hip hop Means to Supreme Team

Q1. Both of you started hip-hop in early age, when you guys were in middle school. What made you start the music?
S: I read an article about “Hip-hop Complilation”’s album releasing. I was so attracted by the article. I ran to the record shop right away and bought it. When I first turned it on, it was like meeting a new world. I listened to it all day. From then, I bought many hip-hop albums and listened to them. And one day, I thought I could do it well, so I started writing the lyrics.
E: To me, when I was young, all the man who were doing hip-hop looked so cool. They were like successful grown-ups. Maybe because my father passed away early, I tried to copy and learn from those people who did hip-hop. Before I started hip-hop, I had no dream or goal. All I used to like was watching TV and hanging around.

Q2. People have this belief, that hip-hop musicians are poor. Since you guys came from Pusan and Daegu to start music, was it hard to live in Seoul?
S: I lived my poorest life, right after I came to Seoul. I didn’t have any money, so I had to walk in freezing winter. We have an episode, too. One morning, I woke up, and it was all snowing very pretty. However, I was so hungry that I needed to eat something before appreciating the beauty of it. However, there was not much food in the refrigerator, and even the very little food in it was all rotten. So I had to eat mere rice. E-sense woke up, and saw me eating mere rice, looking out the window. All we could do was to laugh at each other.
E: We called those rotten kimchi the “kimchi of hell.” (Laugh) And the day I saw Simon, I thought he was smoking. He was breathing out smokes, but he was actually eating the mere rice. He really looked very miserable.
We were always poor. Poverty was not a special thing. We did rough works a lot. After we got known a bit, we survived by the pays we got from our performance.
When we went to eat samgyupsal after the performance, I almost ate meats before they were all done.

Why So Special?

Q3. Supreme team is famous for a lot of complements from other seniors. What do you think about your own skill? Even though you guys are getting a lot of complement, have you ever been scolded by seniors?
S: I am not yet satisfied with my own skill. I should practice more. However, I think, I am not deficient compared to others.
 I have never been scolded by seniors yet, but they always give me advices. Dynamic duo, for instance, told me always to be modest, so I always keep that in my mind.
E: I have confidence in my own skill. I believe that I am getting better and better over time. I always try hard to do my best, so it is showing in my skill. So, I believe that, if we keep trying, we will someday be called as the “best”
 I have not been scolded by seniors and they just advised me. I was really impressed when Meta(member of Garion) told me, “You know that a rapper is not only a person who raps, right?” Since that day, I have written lyrics really hard.

Q4. Why did you decide to release album, go to over ground?
S: I planned to go over ground just before the university graduation. Until 24 years old, I have always thought it would be better to have a job, and do music as a hobby. I never thought of music as a real job for me. I thought that by the money I earned from the other job, I could do the music as I want. However, it turns out to be impossible to grab the both, a job and music, at the same time. So I decided to devote 100% myself to music and came to Seoul for music.
E: In my case, from the beginning, I had a desire to make my music known by many people as possible. So, the chance came and I grabbed it.

Q5. What was the difference between under ground and over ground?
S: When we played as under ground, we usually performed in a club or a live stage. That allowed musicians to communicate with audiences freely and passionately. However, broadcasting was quite different. If I did the same way as I did in under ground, it did not look natural. Even my voice was unstable on TV. Also, we had to consider the television audience, so we prepared to show ourselves well on camera.
E: In front of camera, even a single mistake is not acceptable. During the performance, I can not do as I feel like to do. That attitude, like in under, can cause a big accident.

Supreme Team Guide to Excellent Adventure
Q6. Simon and E-sens played individually before this mini album. It looks like preparing the album as a team was not an easy work.
S: It was really tough at first. We had quite different music style. So establishing the identity as a team was challenging. However, as time passed, we got along with well. There was synergy effect and reliable feeling created between us.
E: At first, we insisted one’s own music style to each other. It could have led us to some conflicts. Yet, we have known and understood each other very well for a long time. So the music identity was well adjusted before this album. Of course, it leaves much to be desired. Both of us know that points, so we are already excited about the next new album.
S: Honestly, I hoped to make a solo album someday, even after the Supreme team formation. However, in the process of preparing for this album, that desire was gone. Simon D and E-sense alone does not exist anymore. Now we are Simon D and E-sense in a Supreme team.
E: He might be able to make a solo album if I go to the military service.

Q7. Let us know about your first album, ‘Supreme Team Guide To Excellent Adventure’
S: I define this album as a Supreme Team’s toddle. We focused on the popularity. Music can be heard comfortably and easily communicate with the listeners.
E: A toddle! I love that expression!
S: For me, I tried to develop lyric delivery skills, which have been pointed out throughout this album. I felt my delivery skill improving. I felt so good about it.
E: We considered listeners more than before. This consideration has both good and bad point. The best way would be to achieve both, but, artists always have their own value. We will try to evaluate ours as we work along.

Q8. Both of you participated in every lyrics in the first album. What is the source of writing lyrics and what messages do you want to share?
S: I wish I can deliver message about my honest feelings, things I learned by my experiences, and also about the instinct feelings.
E: I always try to derive inspirations from everywhere. I just stay with it and suddenly something shoots across my mind. Then I write lyrics with it.
I want to write lyrics about a regular life of a standard 24-year-old man, living in Korea. I sometimes write lyrics, thinking about a teenager, who would get the same feeling I got, when I was at his age.
Oh, I think the honest lyric is the best of all. The honest, the best.

What Can We Expect?
Q9. What do you want to attempt in the next album?
S: We had our characteristic which allowed us famous in underground. That style includes both heavy and bright sides, which has been limited in this album. To focus on popularity, we missed some our own natural-born style this time. I would love to show that in the next album.
E: As I mentioned before, I want to put my own style and color, rather than only focusing on the listener’s preference into the next album.

Q10. Is there any special performance you have dreamed of?
S: My goal is to have my own concert at the large hall with excellent acoustics. I also hope to have a big family concert with IK, the crew I belong to.
E: I always have dreamed of having a concert with thousands of fans who knows all of my songs. That is what I have dreamed about since I was a child. Boys should be ambitious (laugh).