xikers leader MINJAE breaks boundaries between rap and vocals

MINJAE, the leader of the group xikers, has proven his capabilities as a vocalist, refusing to be confined by his identity as a rapper. Appearing as the first guest on the KBS Kpop music content 'Lee Mujin Service', MINJAE showcased his musical spectrum by moving between rap and vocals.

"Great ambition for vocals"… The challenge of a leader and main rapper

During the broadcast, MINJAE expressed a special affection for singing in addition to his official positions as main rapper and main dancer. Regarding his reason for appearing as the first representative of his team, he stated, "I have a lot of affection and ambition for vocals as well," adding, "I decided to take on this challenge representing xikers." After starting his stage by performing the group's song 'Sanctuary', he spoke about the team's new music. The title track of this album, 'DYNAMITE', is a song in which MINJAE participated in both songwriting and composing; he gave it special meaning, saying, "Including a song containing my DNA in this album was one of my life's bucket list items."

While introducing his identity, MINJAE mentioned "passion, romance, and Chihuahua." He showed a friendly side by picking 'Chihuahua' as the animal fans say resembles him. He also created a pleasant atmosphere by expressing surprise at being told he resembles Kim Min-seok of MeloMance. Regarding how he entered hip-hop, he mentioned his activities in a middle school hip-hop club. He naturally encountered hip-hop music through club friends at the time and recalled that, as a fan of Dynamic Duo, he sang 'You Deserve to Die' every time he went to karaoke. This experience led to a witty moment where he reenacted the role of the girlfriend in the intro of Dynamic Duo's 'You Deserve to Die'.

"There are no boundaries"… Musical views realized through Oasis and Post Malone

MINJAE explained the background of his musical style, which does not place boundaries between rap and vocals. "There was a time when I worried deeply about whether I should do singing or rapping," he said. "At that time, watching the performances of artists like Oasis and Post Malone, I realized that as long as the message I want to convey and the sound are clear, that is all that matters." This realization became the foundation for him to freely perform music regardless of genre. In fact, he chose Bobby's 'Drowning' as his first live song to show a powerful presence as a rapper, and in the following conversation, he showed both his rapping and acting skills by wittily reenacting the intro of Dynamic Duo's 'You Deserve to Die'.

From R&B to Pop, an expanding musical color

Following the intense rap performance, MINJAE selected Sam Kim's 'Make Up' to emphasize his vocal charm. He explained his choice by saying, "I really like R&B style songs and have enjoyed singing them since I was young." His performance, which alternated between the sharp pronunciation of a rapper and the smooth tone of a vocalist, was a specific demonstration of the "music without boundaries" he aims for. In the following stage, he is expected to continue his vocal charm by preparing Park Jin-young's 'You're The One'.

Source: KBS Kpop (YouTube)