President 'a BITCH' in new hip-hop song?
.jpg?w=728)
Scandal-plagued President Park Geun-hye (left) and her longtime confidant Choi Soon-sil are the subjects of rapper San E’s satire in his new song “Bad Year.” Choi allegedly has been using the relationship to meddle in state affairs and prod Korean conglomerates into donating money to her non-profit foundations.
By Ko Dong-hwan
San E
Korean rapper San E has allegedly called scandal-plagued President Park Geun-hye a ‘bitch’ and expressed enmity towards her in his new song that topped online charts Thursday.
San E released “Bad Year,” a rap number composed and written by the hip-hop artist, 31, at midnight Wednesday. Just six hours later, the number dominated Naver Music, Mnet and Olleh Music.
In “Bad Year” ― a homonym in Korean that can also mean “a bitch” ― San E portrays his romance with a cheating girlfriend that ends in a break-up.
Many phrases in the song allude to the scandal involving Park and her longtime confidant Choi Soon-sil. Choi is suspected of meddling in state affairs, being given unlawful access by Park to security-sensitive documents and speeches and allegedly squeezing money from Korean conglomerates to beef up the non-profit Mir and K-Sports foundations that she is suspected of using as her personal banks.
Phrases like “Your tongue harassed my ears every time” and “Change your repertoire with your words of promises that you always break” are said to infer that the President’s promises to citizens made in public speeches have turned out to be lies.
The analogy also reminds that the cheater who stole San E’s girlfriend is Choi. He accuses his lover of “kissing the man and explaining that to me with her dirty tongue” and attacks her as “a marionette controlled by him.” The singer depicts himself arriving at her house and asking her to “come down quickly, and if you took more time, I might catch panic disorder.” It is his message for the President to stop wasting time and step down from office.
Promotional image of San E's "Bad Year"
The song’s brilliant phonetic wordplay in Korean also hints at words like “resignation” and “Choi Soon-sil.”
The song ends with “Not much time left,” a reference to public belief that the President has only days left in office and may possibly be indicted by prosecutors who designated her on Nov. 20 an “accomplice” to Choi, who was indicted the same day on charges of extortion and abuse of official power.
“It totally depends on listeners how they crack the meanings out of this song,” San E said via Brand New Music, his agency, Thursday. Media reports said the artist has been paying attention to the unprecedented presidential scandal ― also known as “Park Geun-hye Gate” ― that started to boil in October.
San E debuted in 2008, featuring with rapper Verbal Jint. He has been appearing as a judge in hip-hop competition shows like Mnet’s “Show Me the Money” and “Unpretty Rapstar,” and as host of JTBC’s “Tribe of Hip Hop.”
San E’s persuasive image recently earned him an opportunity to shoot
Korea Broadcast Advertising’s public service ad that promoted using Hangul, or the Korean language, instead of jargon that frequently used abbreviated forms or mixed Korean, English and Japanese.
The following is the lyrics of "Bad Year."
Bad Year
This year has been particularly hectic,
Especially with bad, unwanted events.
The worst among them
Was meeting that bitch.
I am outside your crib, calling you (Brrrr).
No answer.
I wanted to end it nicely.
That’s right. I guess I am a little pissed off.
Can you come down (hurry).
If you took more time I might catch panic disorder.
People say to make eye contact.
Your eyes are red as red light district.
(So Freaking Red)
Your tongue always harassed my ears.
Can I swear this one time?
Go to hell.
I am an idiot.
But so are you.
I won’t walk you outside.
Here is my farewell to you. So long
Good bye Good bye
Adieu, bitch
Bad year Bad year
Real bitch
(Chorus)
Whoo...Hey...Did I trust you for this?
Change your repertoire with your words
of promises that you always break.
Besides, there was someone next to you,
A man.
You kissed him, and come back to me
to explain with your dirty tongue.
You were just his marionette.
So sick and tired
God, why did you give this bitch, this disaster to me?
Help me Holy Moly
Year of Red Monkey, be gone fast to usher in Year of Chicken
#Bitch #Bad Year
Want to take all burdens off of me to breathe free
The best among them
Was leaving her. Not much time left.