On May 8, BewhY released his new track “SOUTHSIDE FREESTYLE” across various music platforms. This song serves as a pre-release from his third full-length album, “POP IS CRYIN’,” marking his first studio album in about seven years.
Along with the audio release, BewhY also dropped a music video on his official YouTube channel.
The track has grabbed attention for featuring the actual voice of the late former President Syngman Rhee. The song opens with the former president saying, “It is news of life, it is news of freedom.”
The lyrics also reflect specific political ideologies, including lines such as “If I were good, I would have knelt / Before the sickle and hammer” and “The harlot incites / Trying to make love extinct / Success in my voice / In the beauty’s voice, eradi-(beeped).”
This has sparked a heated debate among netizens. Some are supportive, commenting, “A Syngman Rhee shoutout is crazy,” “He’s targeting communism properly,” and “Releasing it on Parents’ Day (May 8) seems to imply both the Father of the Nation, Syngman Rhee, and God the Father.” Others added, “This is what hip hop is all about—the honesty and freedom to boldly express dissatisfaction,” “Patriotic conservative BewhY is the top of K-HipHop,” and “Speaking his mind even about politics is true hip hop.” On the other hand, some expressed concern or criticism, saying, “He’s falling into the abyss on his own,” “Revealing political leanings might not be a good thing. He already closed his label, so I’m honestly worried,” and “It’s great to have conviction, but this conviction is just ignorant.” Other comments included, “Why would he want to do this, sigh,” “Going patriotic conservative like a typical religious person,” and “It feels more like political propaganda than a song.”
Meanwhile, BewhY recently made headlines when he closed his hip hop label, Deja Vu Group, after nine years, stating, “I failed.”
