There was a time when BeWhy was the hottest name in the Korean hip-hop scene, having just won the popular Mnet show “Show Me the Money 5.”

“That’s what the title (of my studio album) means: ‘Blind Star.’ Blinded by money and fame,” the rapper said in his first solo concert held at Yes24 Live Hall in eastern Seoul.

After the “bubble” in popularity of the 2016 show had cleared, BeWhy told the pumped up crowd of 1,500 he wanted to thank them, the loyal fans who stayed with him through thick and thin.

BeWhy performs at his concert in Seoul on Saturday. (Live Nation Korea)

BeWhy performs at his concert in Seoul on Saturday. (Live Nation Korea)

“In the past, I was a bit arrogant, but I realized that I didn’t accomplish what I did by myself and became more humble. Instead of showing off my rap skills, I just want to have fun with you.”

After opening up with “Curtain Call” -- ironically -- he followed with songs from his recently-released first studio album “Blind Star,” including “Bichael Yackson” “9UCCI BACK,” and “Red Carpet.”

Joining forces with him were rapper Woo Won-jae, pitching in with songs like “Zinza,” “Pink,” and “Move,” and hip-hop group Rhythm Power who got the capacity crowd jumping and throwing up their hands in the air with hits like “Red Sun” and “Horangnabi.”

The chatty hip-hop star remembered to keep the fans entertained with witty comments, while remembering to thank the fans.

Widely referred to as “rap freak” for his impeccable rap skills, BeWhy also managed to keep the show family-friendly. He is known to refrain from sprinkling his songs with profanity and sexuality, and several child hip-hop fans were present at the venue.

The last segment of the show belonged to his biggest hits. Rapper Dok2 joined BeWhy for a rehash of “9UCCI BACK,” and the pair along with The Quiett blew the crowd away with “Beverly 1lls.”

BeWhy then showed off one of his breakthrough songs “I’m Not The Person You Used To Know,” but not before returning with “The Times Goes On/Day Day” for encore. The BeWhy-mania had the final run with rehash of “I’m Not The Person You Used To Know” before the fans headed home.

Following the Seoul concert, the rapper is to embark on a US tour in November, covering LA, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington and New York.


BeWhy performs at his concert in Seoul on Saturday. (Live Nation Korea)

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)