Yoon Mi Rae(윤미래) Gemini 2 Album Thoughts(K-rap/Soul)

    The Queen of Korean Rap has finally decided to grace everyone's presence once again with a new album after over a decade of not releasing any solo albums. Her reasons clearly being because of her family. She wanted to spend time with her son and her legendary rapper husband Tiger JK(Formally known under the rap group name, Drunken Tiger.). Tasha(Her real name while Yoon Mi Rae is her stage name.) still released music during her break including her collaborations with her husband, rapper Bizzy(MFBTY), and other artists. She's also done a bunch of drama OSTs that kept her relevant to the newer generation in Korea. Gemini 2 is her first album after a very long wait for her to finally release a compilation of new material.

Track List:
01. Rap Queen
02. 개같애 (Feat. 타이거JK)
03. Cookie
04. You & Me (Feat. 주노플로)
05. 가위바위보
06. 샴페인 (Champagne) (Feat. 주노플로)
07. Peach
08. No Gravity (Piano Ver.)
09. 오늘처럼 (Feat. Double K, WHO$)
10. You & Me (Eng Ver.) (Feat. 주노플로)
11. Peach (Eng Ver.)
12. 잠깐만 Baby (Remix)

    Gemini 2 must be the sequel to her album Gemini that she's done years ago. This continuation honestly feels like she never left the music scene. I often wondered if she still had the charisma to stand on her own anymore. Tiger JK is always with her when she does music so I wondered what kind of vision her new music would have without him around. Fans who don't know much about lady T's background might also get confused on whether she is a singer or rapper because of all the ballad drama OST's that's she continues to gain popularity for. Gemini 2 caters to all these elements that I have mentioned above but with less of the predictability. Natasha seeks the help of her husband for two tracks that are the opening numbers: Rap Queen and 개같애. Rap Queen formulates in the same way that her old hip hop songs have done, It's momentum builds off the strong beats that drop through every section under Yoon Mi Rae's rapping ability. In the matter of one track, this woman reminds us all why she is the Queen of Korean rap. Tiger JK's appearance is more apparent on the second track since he is actually credited as a feature and the lyrics deal with his and Yoon's relationship problems. Not in a alarming manner, instead there's a cute playfulness to the serious hint of frustration in Yoon's singing and raping parts. Tasha constantly crafts her new body of work into something that highlights what she is know for, then slightly rejecting what people would expect. Gemini 2 doesn't have any ballads unlike her previous albums. No Gravity was re-released as a piano version which really brings the meaning of the lyrics to the forefront of the track more. Peach is a med tempo RnB track that everyone with rhythm can slow jam to on the dance floor under the spotlights. The track's sound doesn't feel so outdated due to the production mixture of RnB and Pop. It's pop elements sound cute but chill with Yoon's soulful vocal. You and Me was the promotional track used to promote the album on television. I love the duel meaning of the track in how the lyrics are talking about a girl that just chills with everyone but Junoflo's rap is the view point of a guy that wants be seen as more than a friend to the girl. The track's MV actually has her chilling with all different kinds of people and I believe the song is about excepting everyone while having a good positive energy about life. Junoflo surprisingly appears on Gemini 2 more than Tiger JK. He holds his own too. Champagne is actually my favorite track on the whole album. Both Junoflo and Tasha vibe well with each other on all the songs they do together. Champagne is that high peak of the two artists flexing their chops. Junoflo helps brings Yoon more into the more current popular hip hop style of today in the west. She switches up her flow to a more modern style that rappers such as Cardi B are also dappling into. She does make it her own, stomping on every other Korean female rapper in the process. This might be the complete opposite of what she is trying to promote in her song, 가위바위보. Especially since the song talks about woman empowerment, however, There's no doubt that she's still claiming her title as Queen without being boastful. She goes the hell OFF during the second rap verse of this song as a multitasked rapper that wants to gather all women together. Just don't test her….. I wish some poor rapper would mess with the queen! Cookie as well as the rest of the songs I didn't mention play out similar to the rest of the album. You will never catch T using lackluster rappers in her projects. Double K has always had my respect as a rapper and this was my first introduction to WHO$ but he was holding down too. 잠깐만 Baby's remix was a fun listen. I don't usually like remixes. The reworks of the beat brought a new direction for the track. Plus it was in English along with the English versions of Peach and You and Me. Peach sounds kinda awkward in English, I'm not going to lie. The lyrics just don't flow as well as it does in Korean. Overall, Gemini 2 is a very good album from start to finish though. 

   Tasha's talent speaks for itself through and through. I don't have to write about how talented she is. You can go research her track record for yourself. What I will say is that their has yet to be a Korean female rapper that is anywhere near as good as her. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of good female rappers in South Korea, even some among the idols but none of them have the intensity and voice indiction that this woman possess. I'll go as far as to say that she's better than a lot of the male Korean rappers too. I don't like how it feels like some people in Korea try to gloss over her because she took such a long time off and they low key can't beat her head on. Certain others rappers talk a whole lot of mess about people giving them the chance to be top rapper just because they won Unpretty Rapstar. Tasha wouldn't even go on that show and it was an insult if they invited her to be a contestant when she clearly should have been a judge. When a Korean female rapper comes along that is as good as her then I will give them props. Until then sit down somewhere and eat your kimchi. Sometimes Koreans look at Hip hop and Rap like it's just some cool fad. Like there isn't important culture in the music genre. This is exactly the reason why no female rapper will ever be as good Tasha. Certain copycat rappers forget that Tasha has connection to the culture. Her father is African American(or just black) so she knows our culture first hand being that she grew up learning aspects of it. Many Koreans don't have that same connection or don't try to learn more about the cultural history behind Hip hop and rap. They instead treat my culture like it's a fad, a fashion statement that you can pull on and off while having negative sentiments about my people. Now, do I go around thinking that all Koreans who are into Rap are out to get my culture? No. Not in the least but I can spot the one's who fit into the category I mentioned above from a million miles away. Tasha's experiences shaped who she is as the person she is today. What truly amazes me about her personality is that she doesn't go around being bitter and upset at the world. She actually seems to be a very down to earth person who is nothing but humble and has a positive take on life. I'll always respect her for who she is has a women, artist, and mother. 

   I actually want to check out some of Junoflo's music after hearing him on Gemini 2. I've heard of him before but I didn't know how good of a rapper he was until Lady T showed me the light. Our Queen will always be around to show us what's good.