- [LXX] There wasn’t much.
Just, “Come through.”
I’m like, “Okay.”
That was pretty much it.
- [LXX] But I just wanted to come to Korea.
- [Saul] And then you jump off the plane—
- [LXX] That was kind of my excuse to come here.
- [Saul] Woahh. - [LXX] But…
- [Saul] You walk in and you’re like, “Goodbye.”
- [LXX] Yeah pretty much.
Because my Korean was so broken.
I’d be like, “Bye.”
- [Saul] Just walk in and it’s, “Bye y’all.”
- [Sam] Are you…
Were born in the states or did you grow up in the states…
Similar to Michael?
- [LXX] So I was born in New York
and then I moved to Jersey and then I came
into Korea back in 2000—
Early 2011. I want to say... Or maybe late 2010.
And then I was an American citizen and I came to do music…
I got scouted by a label.
But long story short—
- [Sam] Can you mention the label?
- [LXX] It was Woollim entertainment.
So they hit me up.
When I was in America…
I didn't know anything about K-pop.
Just hit me up like,
“We got some kind of deal for you.”
I’m like, “Okay cool.”
I came through and then straight from the airport—
It was my first time in Korea.
I went straight to Woollim entertainment…
And then the boss sat me down.
I had a meeting.
I couldn’t understand half the stuff he was
talking about ‘cause my Korean was trash then.
And he was like,
“Alright we’re going to do an audition.”
I’m like, “What… are you talking about?
What's happening?"
- [Saul] And he’s like…
- [LXX] And they brought me to a base—
Yeah pretty much.
Brought me to a basement…
There’s a camera.
He's like, “Alright. Do what you got to do.”
And like, “Can you sing?”
I’m like, “Naw…”
He’s like, "Well can you dance?”
I’m like, “Yeah I can dance.”
So then, “Alright dance.”
I’m like, “Wait… What?”
And then he just turned a song and I freestyled.
And then he's like, “Can you rap?”
I’m like, “Yeah. I do music.”
And then, I just rapped a verse.
One of my verses and…
We went back up and he like slip me like a contract.
He’s like, “Alright. I'm making a group called Infinite…
And I want you to be a part of it.”
And I was just like confused.
I'm like alright, I just landed here two hours ago and
like now you want me to sign a contract.
I don't know why I'm here.
I don’t know what you're even talking about.
- [Saul] And this is 10 years ago...
Before there were like hundreds of rappers on Instagram like,
"Don’t sign the first deal. It’s a run around."
- [Sam] What did they tell you before you got in the plane then?
- [LXX] There wasn’t much. Just, “Come through.”
I’m like, “Okay.” That was pretty much it.
But I just wanted to come to Korea.
- [Saul] And then you jump off the plane—
- [LXX] That was kind of my excuse to come here.
- [Saul] Woahh. - [LXX] But…
- [Saul] You walk in and you’re like, “Goodbye.”
- [LXX] Yeah pretty much.
Because my Korean was so broken.
I’d be like, “Bye.”
- [Saul] Just walk in and it’s, “Bye y’all.”
- [LXX] But I was just like kind of scared out.
‘Cause it was so sus. So like…
- [Saul] What’d you do?
- [LXX] So he went to the bathroom.
“Oh think about it.”
He went to the bathroom and I kind of dipped.
I just like left.
- [Saul] Woah cool.
- [LXX] I was like, “Alright. I’m out. I’m leaving.”
So I just walked out the building and I went back to my mom's place.
- [Saul] You just had a bad feeling about him?
- [LXX] Just… The whole thing…
It was all sudden.
Like I just landed in Korea…
I’m in this like new country…
I don't know anything about this place and…
This guys sits me down and he wants me to sign me a seven-year contract…
- [Saul] Seven years?
- [LXX] Yeah…
For like a K-pop group I don’t even know…
- [Saul] You must’ve ****ing killed that dance.
- [LXX] I don’t know man.
- [Saul] What was it?
- [LXX] I just freestyled.
- [Sam] Seven years is kind of like…
Back then it was a standard deal for a new group.
- [LXX] Yeah yeah.
- [Sam] Infinite though…
Didn’t they have quite a successful…
- [Dave] Yeah.
- [LXX] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah they did.
Actually, I met a couple of them and they’re like…
And then we talked and they’re like,
“Oh yeah, I remember you.
You were supposed to be a part of our group.”
I’m like, “Yeah. I’m sorry about that.”
Yeah I wasn’t ready.
- [Saul] Did you regret it when you walked out?
- [LXX] No… Not at all.
- [Saul] You just totally went, “**** this. I’m not—”
- [LXX] That wasn’t really what I was going for.
Like I was into like more….
Like hip-hop type of music.
- [Saul] What kind of stuff?
- [LXX] So back then I’d just listen to American music.
So back then I listened to a lot of like… Jay Z…
That’s when like…
I want to say like Big Sean…
They first started coming out.
Like Drake debuted and stuff.
But I was into that and I saw what K-pop was.
And I was like, “Alright. I don’t think this is for me.”
It’s cool but it’s not for me.
Bless you.
- [Dave] Thank you. - [Saul] He has cats.