The Rise Of 1play

1play (원플레이) is a South Korean rapper that will delight your ears if you’re a hip-hop lover like me. I’m writing this article listening to “Sun“, a chill rap song from his album, play the game, and it makes me feel really good. But enough about me, let’s talk about this amazing artist instead.

1play is as comfortable with trap music as with old-school rap. He has been featured in several singles including one with Huntae (섬마을훈태). He’s a versatile artist who can do the recording, mixing, and mastering. I like his flow and writing. If you can read Korean, please check out his rhymes. I can tell he works on his lyrics ✍️! Here’s the first verse of “Turn Back“:

Microphone 을 더위로 got it
내 손바닥으로 하늘도 가림
다들 상관하지 않겠지
악수와 성공을 잡고 늘 goal in
난 서울시 머리 꼭대기
Building 숲을 보며 숨을 죽임
뭘 봐 Worldwide checking
나씩 둘씩 이뤄내 왔듯이

English Translation:
Microphone, got it to the heat
Covering the sky with my palm
I don’t think anyone would care
Shaking hands and holding on to success, always goal in
I’m at the top of Seoul’s head
Buildings, I hold my breath while looking at the forest
What you looking at? Worldwide checking
As I achieve [my dreams] one by one

He also said in the last verse:

꿈이 불러서 있는 걸 / 미래의 내가 날 불러
[My dream is to sing / My future self is calling me]

Let’s make his dream come true 🤩🤜🤛🤩! 1play has released two albums so far: play the game in 2018 and 1Day in 2017. You can find both albums on SoundCloud, but only 1Day is available on Spotify.

1play kindly agreed to answer a few questions, and we thank him again🙏.

Can you tell us more about yourself?
I am 37 years old. I was born in Busan, but now I live in Geoje.

When did you start rapping?
When I was a little boy, I fell in love with RAP. I first started writing lyrics at 18.

What are your influences?
Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Rakim, Dr. Dre, Mobb Deep, RJD2 always make me want to be a great person. They always have a good influence on me.

I think “Self Diss” stands out from your album 1DAY. Can you tell us more about it?
It’s a song I wrote right after listening to the beat, in the morning on my way to the studio after I ruined the recording the day before. In short, it’s almost freestyle. I took my inspiration from watching Eminem’s 8 Mile and the rap battle. I was inspired to see Eminem self-dissing and winning a rap battle over his opponent. So I listened to the beat, and it just took shape. I was proud of the front tracks in the 1st album, so I thought this song should be included. I heard a lot of feedback saying that it was the most honest track.

I really enjoyed listening to “Game Over” from play the game. What’s the story behind the song?
It’s a very deep song. I was talking about my relationships. In fact, about my experiences. In conclusion, getting out of the wrong crowd. It implies that I will go my own way. When I was recording, I wanted to put in a raw voice and emotions to the verse without adding a hook. When I look back now, the lyrics are filled with emotions from that time.