The idea that they would only make strong and aggressive music without bending their will was a misconception. While the image might suggest that, once they speak, there is nothing but ‘pure kindness’.
This is the story of devout Christians, Anondelight (26, real name Hong Yoon-tae) and 50kg (36, real name Lee Chan-young). The two, who deal with music based on CCM (Christian Contemporary Music), formed the team ‘Hadash Music’ in 2018 to share stories about love, happiness, and joy. 50kg expressed, “In the past, we talked about the value of love for others, so we couldn’t sing songs for ourselves. Of course, a major goal is for others to gain joy through us, but we came together to express and spread the happiness we feel as it is.”
Hadash Music released their new album ‘Stephanus’ on the 11th. The album is filled with faith, featuring a total of 10 tracks. When the two met with Maeil Business Newspaper Star Today to celebrate the release, they radiated pleasant smiles and a positive atmosphere.
50kg introduced the album, saying, “We tried to convey the will to live well in the given situation. Isn’t CCM about conveying happiness and joy to us?” and added, “It will be a strength to get through long battles and hardships.”
Anondelight and 50kg have an 11-year age difference. What brought these two, who had no points of contact, together was their unique faith. This faith became an excellent source of motivation for them to express it through music.
50kg praised Anondelight, saying, “He is a truly outstanding rapper. He works on music without rest. And the most important thing is that instead of chasing material and commercial things, he sings deep faith songs with me as promised to God. I respect that he made such a judgment at a young age.”
In response, Anondelight said, “Thanks to the accumulated work know-how of my brother, our songs seem to come out well. He also teaches me how to work on and create music. I think I am growing with a lot of help.”
Anondelight is a talented artist who ranked 6th in the final of the Mnet hip-hop survival program ‘Show Me the Money 10’. He gained public attention and built recognition to enter well-known hip-hop labels. However, it was his firm beliefs and sincerity towards faith that brought him to where he is now.
Anondelight stated, “I make music with the desire to have a good influence on many people while loving and serving God. I want to help someone with my small actions. I want to make a valuable voice.”
Since CCM music inherently has a strong religious tone in its lyrics, there are quite a few who feel averse to it. Anondelight and 50kg are well aware of this. They expressed their willingness to accept any negative reviews about their songs.
Thus, when composing the album, they planned it in two tracks, working on both CCM-based songs and general songs. 50kg explained, “Hadash Music’s songs are for those who can fully listen to our music. It’s okay to criticize what we want to say, anything is fine,” adding, “For general songs, we tend to be more careful with the lyrics to give a more popular feel.”
Throughout the interview with Anondelight and 50kg, their deep faith permeated the conversation. It felt like a ministry. Each word they spoke carried a pure and kind essence. This is understandable as the two study the Bible every Monday. They share the same purpose, which naturally translates into their songs. 50kg revealed, “We have never had a disagreement. It’s just a matter of coordinating opinions; we generally agree and positively acknowledge each other’s thoughts.”
Although they are united as Hadash Music, both do not neglect their solo music. However, they plan to focus on Hadash Music in the first half of this year. Anondelight said, “I want to approach music like a marathon. Rather than frequently releasing music, I want to find stages where our intentions can be well conveyed and communicate with as many people as possible.”
Anondelight and 50kg stated, “Both of us started music based on hip-hop, and that hasn’t changed. However, our attitude and thinking towards embracing people have become much more flexible,” and added, “Finding joy in resolving the situations we are in and those others are in is the greatest joy. Our goal is to convey and share this joy through music for a long time.”
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
