Psy and Snoop Dog are ‘Hungover’
Less than two weeks since the Korean pop artist Psy earned another YouTube milestone by surpassing two billion views with his “Gangnam Style,” the 36-year-old singer-rapper unwrapped a music video for his much-anticipated new single “Hangover” yesterday.As the title suggests, the song and video are all about alcohol-fueled parties and ways to get wasted, which is not surprising considering Psy’s partner in crime is Snoop Dogg. Snoop Dogg is an American rapper who comes from the first generation of hip-hop music pioneers in the United States, along with Dr. Dre and the late 2Pac, or Tupac Shakur.
Snoop Dogg also has a formidable reputation for imbibing.
But before getting into all that, what’s noticeable is that the song’s musical style is totally different from Psy’s previous two hits - “Gangnam Style” and “Gentleman” - with no explosive hooks or catchy melodies. Rather, the song seemed to have been influenced by his new hip-hop partner, with its pulsating beats and bouncy rhythms. Snoop Dogg repeatedly raps the phrase “hangover” in his signature laid-back style, which gives the song more of an American hip-hop vibe.
Moreover, there are no attempts to replicate the giddy-up dance moves of “Gangnam Style,” which arguably propelled Psy to global stardom in 2012.
But the concept of the five-minute music video is very much Psy, who is best known for cracking up audiences with low humor and absurd yet hilarious plot lines.
The video starts with Psy vomiting his guts out into a toilet after what apparently was a wild night. Snoop Dogg appears from the bathtub, bouncing his shoulders to the rhythms before endlessly slapping Psy’s back to help him clear his stomach.
To get rid of the hangover, the two march out into the street, making their first stop at a convenience store to eat samgak gimbap (triangular rice balls) and cup ramen, followed by a sauna, Chinese restaurant and pool playing.
As the video nears its end, two middle-aged aunties accompany Psy and Snoop Dogg to a karaoke bar and amusement park, implying yet another binge-drinking night. And just like that, the two pop stars wrap up their day by starting a drinking competition at a seafood restaurant.
There are some impressive cameos by other K-pop stars such as G-Dragon of Big Bang and CL of 2NE1, two of whom are represented by the same agency as Psy, YG Entertainment.
Prior to the video’s official YouTube debut, a 10-second sneak peek was shown Sunday on the U.S. talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live: Game Night” and both Psy and Snoop Dogg talked about what it was like to film the music video.
“This man doesn’t take a break,” said Snoop Dogg. “[We did filming for the video] for 18 hours straight.”
After the show, the 10-second video attracted more than 800,000 views within 24 hours on YouTube.
Psy plans to pre-release a lead track “Daddy” soon from his full-length album that is set to be released in July.
BY KIM HYO-EUN, JIN EUN-SOO [estyle@joongang.co.kr]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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