CB Mass () was a
Korean hip hop
Korean hip-hop, also known as K-hip-hop or K-rap, is a subgenre of the South Korean popular music.
It is widely considered to have originated in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and has since become increasingly popular, both in South Korea and ...
group composed of members Curbin,
Choiza, and
Gaeko
Kim Yoon-sung (; born January 14, 1981), known professionally as Gaeko () is a South Korean rapper. He and Choiza comprise the hip hop duo Dynamic Duo, which rose to fame upon the release of their debut album ''Taxi Driver
''Taxi Driver'' ...
. They debuted in 2000 with the album ''Massmediah''. The group disbanded in 2003.
History
Choiza and Gaeko originally met in the sixth grade but before forming CB Mass they began an underground hip hop group named Kod along with Sixpoint and ZASON, who joined in 1998. In the same year, Choiza and Gaeko met a fellow rapper Curbin and created CB Mass. The trio were active in the burgeoning underground
hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
scene in Seoul and were part of the
Movement crew, one of the most prominent crews of the time which included the likes of pioneer
Tiger JK
Seo Jung-kwon (; born July 29, 1974), also known as Tiger JK, is a South Korea-born American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur based in South Korea. He is best known as a founding member of Korean hip hop group Drunken Tiger. He has a ...
of
Drunken Tiger and members of
Uptown and
Epik High.
The group debuted in 2000 and released ''Massmediah'' to moderate success. In total they produced three albums: ''MassMediah'' in 2000, ''Massmatics'' in 2001, and ''Massappeal'' in 2003. Their second album ''Massmatics'' was their most popular, with 120,000 copies sold in Korea.
After the release of their third album, CB Mass disbanded later the same year after a heated and public dispute where Curbin was accused of embezzling money from Choiza and Gaeko, as well as Movement crew members Epik High (who had yet to release their debut album) and
TBNY in what was later dubbed the "VIP controversy" within the underground hip hop community at that time.
At the height of their success however there were continuous rumours that they would break up and their last album added weight to this speculation with just Gaeko and Choiza appearing on most of the songs. In the first song of Dynamic Duo's first album Gaeko raps "He liked standing in front of mirrors than music/ He worshipped cash more than friendship/ What he left with us is only betrayal," in a thinly-veiled reference to Curbin.
Epik High also referenced the controversy in one of the songs on their second album and how it delayed their debut.
[ After CB Mass broke up, Gaeko and Choiza formed Dynamic Duo while Curbin announced plans to go solo but ultimately left the music industry altogether.][
]
Collaborations
Like many hip hop groups CB Mass collaborated with many other Hip Hop groups and individuals. In the song Jinja (진짜, meaning "real") they use the sample of Cheryl Lynn's disco classic Got to be Real for the instrumental. In this music video it features cameo appearances from members of The Movement, an alliance of Korean rappers, which was founded by Drunken Tiger, CB MASS, Uptown and Thanos.Lee Tzsche
Lee Sang-eun (; born March 12, 1970), also known by the stage name Lee Tzsche (), is a South Korean singer-songwriter. She debuted in 1988 and released 15 full-length albums. She won the Rookie Artist Award at the 1988 Golden Disc Awards and Fema ...
, 이세진, dj honda, parrish PMD smith, , Yoo Jin Ah, Lee Ju Han, JK Kim Dong ook, Hey, Sin Ye Won, and Epik High.
CB Mass also featured on the first two songs of Lyn's 2002 album ''Have You Ever Had a broken Heart?''.
Discography
Albums
Awards
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cb Mass
South Korean hip-hop groups
South Korean hip-hop record producers