“Forever Jaeyoung” (kyaro. song) – Queen City Sounds and Art

Kyaro2-sm — kyaro., photo courtesy the artist

“Forever Jaeyoung” isn’t just a play on words, it reflects the background and life of Korea Town, Los Angeles rapper kyaro.. Taken from the recently released album The Choom Gang Chronicles, the track has kyaro. spitting bars over downtempo jazz beats about his life and adventures at home and in his journeys living in various parts of the world and picking up local slang and forming observations about culture and society to weave into his storytelling. Apparently kyaro. was once a boxer and some of the necessary combative attitude transformed into the swagger he brings to his vocal deliver. Though a Korean American, kyaro. references “gaijin goons” invoking the Japanese word for “foreigner” but often adapted as an ironic pejorative term for wack white people, inverting the sense of who is a foreigner and where. Featured vocalist Mzee Macharia talks about being tokenized when he was about five, as often happens to people of color in general and articulates an experience that isn’t often addressed in music. But most of the story in “Forever Jaeyoung”is a relatable story of coming up needing to be tough and navigating where one belongs and if indeed one does belong in the context of American society. The specific biographical details of the story, as with any artist worth listening to, are what makes the song stand out but its core meaning about identity and figuring out how to get through life is universal. Listen to “Forever Jaeyoung” on Spotify and follow kyaro. at any of the links below.