This is a new series, inspired by the thread "Remember to support artists on the come-up" by superyeah and all the users who shared songs in the "Khh and Krnb Appreciation" thread , where non-mainstream or unknown artists are given some time to shine.
Any user is welcome to post a thread about any artists they want to promote and introduce to the rest of AKP.
okeechobee suggested it would be a weekly or bi-weekly series, and I decided to kick it off with DPR
Dream Perfect Regime (DPR): Started in
As said by DPR themselves:
" dream perfect regime (dpr) is a multi-genre music and video group. we create, direct, produce, and edit all types of visual work as well as curate artists that derive from various musical backgrounds and influences. based in seoul, our collective's main focus is to engage all audiences by actualizing a distinctive audiovisual experience "
To put it simply, DPR is an independent label and crew made up of close friends that work to create music, videos and other content produced solely in-house. They started off with no financial backing or support and slowly but carefully worked their way up earning support from their fans called "dreamers".
So who are the faces and brains behind DPR?
Christian Yu also known as Yu Barom, is the founder, chief editor and director of DPR. He was born on September 6, 1990 in Sydney, Australia and used to b-boy before he moved to South Korea when he was 18 where he eventually debuted in the kpop group C-Clown under the stage name Rome as a leader, main dancer and main rapper. The group publicly announced their disbandment in 2015, but behind closed doors Christian had already begun to plant the seeds for what would now be known as DPR. Although he is mostly known for his work as a director in DPR, he has also participated in the making of many videos from multiple artists in the Korean music industry such as:
In 2020, he made his official solo debut with the song So Beautiful
He then dropped his next song, No Blueberries which featured his fellow DPR member DPR Live and the lovely CL
He finally dropped his first album Moodswings in This Order (MITO) in 2021 which came with 3 additional M/Vs, also directed by Ian
I also recommend watching this video to get a sneak peak into his mind and the creative process behind MITO
He has continued to produce videos for DPR while also involving himself in other musical projects such as his collabs with DPR Live and has recently hinted that new music is on the way
Here are some other projects of him that I also recommend people to check out because I actually can't describe how great of a director, editor and artist he is and I respect and look up to him so much
Also if you want to know a bit about his personality: Lots of non-fans always imagine him as this bad boy because of his tattoos but it's funny because they couldn't be more wrong. He is actually a crackhead boomer who knows absolutely nothing about the internet and the only one he can smooth talk is his dog, Lori lol.
DPR Live:
Hong Dabin was born in South Korea on January 1, 1993. When he was 5 years old, he moved to Guam and lived there for 13 years before he moved back to South Korea to complete his mandatory military service where he found the "inspiration to go after his dream" and it was here that he began to write. He continued writing, which eventually led him to grow a passion for music and so he began to pursue his dreams. Eventually, he met Christian Yu and the two became close friends, even having videos showing them dancing together. Eventually, Ian met and introduced Scott Kim to Dabin, and thus the trio formed DPR, with DPR Live being the face of the group, rapping in their first video, Till I Die
While Till I Die was a nice introduction to DPR Live and the crew, it wasn't until their next release that they began to really gain the attention of the public.
The song that introduced many people to DPR: Eung Freestyle
With a collab between multiple k-hiphop artists such as Flowsik and Sik-K, this song went viral after it was featured in a Youtube Music ad and even made it onto a popular reaction channel
Due to the popularity of the song, interest in DPR Live rose and more people began checking out his music. He continued to drop music and released three new songs after Eung Freestyle, including Thirst which is still one of my favourite DPR Live songs to this day.
Although DPR had been producing art and making a name for themselves for a while, it wasn't until two years after his first song that DPR Live finally released his debut album, Coming To You Live - named after his iconic catchphrase that can be heard in the beginning of his songs.
The album includes a range of collabs with some of the top artists in the K-Hiphop and Krnb scene which is insane for a debut album
Collabs include:
The album also includes another one of my favourite songs from DPR Live called Cheese & Wine
The same year DPR Live also released another album called Her, which included some of DPR Live's most popular songs such as Text Me, Martini Blue and Jasmine which was produced by Code Kunst
A year later, he returned with the two singles Playlist and Action! featuring Gray
He then took a well deserved 2 year break after his almost constant releasing of music before he finally returned with one of his most amazing and personal albums: IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?
The album includes some of DPR's best music videos and is the introduction to DPR's universe.
Also I advise people to listen to this album in order because it makes everything flow seamlessly and narrates a story perfectly. One of the best albums I've ever heard. A short documentary video was also released which shows people want goes on behind the scenes in DPR and it shows the effort and hard work of everyone in the team
In the same year DPR Live also released Jam & Butterfly featuring Crush and Eaj
He then returned in 2021 and dropped his pre-release Yellow Cab and fourth album which was also named after another one of his catchphrases: IITE COOL
The album features Hwasa and Beenzino in Hula Hoops
And also fellow DPR member DPR Ian in Boom which features at the end of the Summer Tights M/V
DPR Live is one of my favourite korean rappers and he seems amazing in live performances
And for videos if you want to learn a bit about his personality