skull

Skull Taps US for Stardom

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia Staff Reporter Skull, a Korean reggae artist, is looking to make big in the U.S. market. Reggae singer Skull may not be as popular as Rain or Se7en in South Korea, but like the two K-pop stars, he is attempting to cross over into the American music industry this year. Backed by American music producer Morgan Carey, Skull is slowly generating a buzz in the hip-hop world. He has only been in the U.S. for a couple of months, performing before tough hip-hop audiences and releasing his song ``Boom Di Boom Di’’ as an animated ring tone. ``It's been great to be embraced as a reggae artist first. I don't believe I would have been as well received if I were just a Korean singing pop music. I am a reggae artist, I live and breathe reggae music and I think the American audiences really recognize, and appreciate that,’’ he said, in an e-mail interview with The Korea Times. Unlike K-pop stars who are counting on their Asian American fan base to boost their image in the United States, Carey is taking a completely different approach by promoting Skull in the hip-hop music world. Carey, brother of superstar Mariah Carey, is confident that Skull has what it takes to become the first Asian artist to crossover into the American market. ``When you talk about timeless artists, you have to have a recognizable sound. They have a distinct voice... I knew that Skull’s voice was one that you would hear once, and the next time you heard him, you'd be like, `That's Skull.’ He isn’t trying to be anyone. He has a great sound, great look. There’s no doubt for me that Skull was ‘it,’” Carey told The Korea Times in a phone interview. Carey’s involvement with Skull started when he met YG Entertainment chief executive Yang Hyun-suk in Seoul last year. Yang told Carey about his plans to break into the U.S. market and asked him to check out CDs and videos to see which YG artists had the potential to make it in the U.S. After taking a look at the YG artists, Carey was convinced Skull’s unique voice and unconventional image would click with American audiences. Skull, whose real name is Cho Sung-jin, got into reggae after listening to Bob Marley as a teenager in Seoul. ``He (Marley) was much more than a hero to me. He really changed my life. His music, philosophy, thoughts and life were all so meaningful to me. He inspired me to explore the roots of reggae culture and philosophy,” he said. Cho joined a reggae group in high school, but it didn’t last. He took his music to the underground scene, where his passionate reggae performances eventually caught the eye of YG Entertainment. In 2003, he made his debut as part of Stony Skunk and since then has released three albums. Now, Skull is working with iconic DJs and musicians such as DJ Bobcat and Mighty Mystic. He was also the featured artist of the week at the popular social networking Web site My Space (http://myspace.com/skullriddim). Skull admitted he still has to deal with the initial skepticism from American audiences, who have a hard time believing a Korean can do reggae music. ``For the most part, I am usually received very cynically in the beginning, but my music always wins them over in the end,” he said. Carey relayed a particular incident in which Skull had to perform before a tough hip-hop audience at a club in Los Angeles. At first, the crowd was slow to embrace his music, but Skull ended up impressing the crowd, which fell silent during his a cappella performance of ``No Woman No Cry.” ``Afterwards, he told the audience, ‘I'm so happy to be here, and I really want to be your friend.’ I couldn't believe this hard-core hip-hop audience ate it up. There is so much hate in the music business, but he can win over any crowd because he's that authentic,” Carey said. Skull may just get his big break this year. He has been invited to perform at a concert organized by World Peace One in August. The concert will be broadcast around the world, with an expected audience of 2.7 billion. ``We are very much looking forward to that show. I do believe that Skull has the special combination of qualities which can cross the cultural divide and bridge East and West,” Carey said. cathy@koreatimes.co.kr