When Ash Island took the stage on September 8 at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, Georgia, he dismissed all the current trappings of the modern hip-hop spectacle. There were no pyrotechnics, no entourage, no backup dancers – just a young Korean rapper on a barren stage with nothing but a microphone. It was seminal rapper Nas’ “One Mic” philosophy played out before our eyes – that romantic notion that an artist needs only a microphone and the courage to use it to make their voice heard.
With that one mic, Ash Island delivered each track with an intensity that filled the stage and the venue. Laid-back tracks such as “Erase It” and the ultra-popular “Lonely” were easily handled by the gifted rapper. On tracks such as “Band” and “Beer,” multi-artist features with verses recorded by four or five different rappers, Ash Island effortlessly manned the mic for his own parts, as well as his absent guests. Ash Island quickly switched styles and flows, inhabiting the space that would otherwise be left empty. For his most popular song to date, “Melody,” the crowd took it upon themselves to back the artist up, singing the anthemic chorus and relieving Ash Island of double duties if not for just this one song.
The undeniable highlight of the concert was “OST”. It is one of Ash Island’s most beloved songs, a duet recorded with singer Chanmina whom he had wed just last year. But on this particular night, she was back home, 3000 miles away. As her vocal backing track echoed through the venue, Ash Island put down the mic and longingly glanced to his side as if she were there, on the stage, singing beside him.
On the stage stood one singer and a single microphone, yet his performance resonated with all those in the venue.
