The Los Angeles County Museum of Art, or LACMA, is not only providing local LAists and visitors with visual art, but they’re now providing the art of music as well. Their new hip-hop concert series, “Through the Mic,” is on the third Thursday of every month through October 2012 at 8 PM. On Thursday, June 21st, for their second event, the Korean-American rapper, Dumbfoundead, along with other hip-hop artists like Gizzle and Medusa, performed live in front of LACMA’s renowned Urban Light sculpture. Before the three hip-hop artists performed live under the night sky, Audrey Magazine was able to catch Dumbfoundead (DFD) and have a little chat with him. When we asked him if he wanted to take picture with a “gangster” pose he turned down the offer and said, “No, I hung up my gangster title a long time ago,” we knew that he was ready to show more of himself than just his rapper image.

Although the interview lasted about 10 minutes we quickly discovered that DFD wasn’t just this tough and swagger-like Asian-American kid who could spit sick rhymes. Instead, within those 10 minutes he revealed that he was quite the hopeless romantic and the “politician.” From talking about his inspiration for his latest EP “Love Everyday” to the politics of South Korea, we thought we were talking to somebody else instead of the usual Asian American rapper we see on YouTube. However, we saw his rapper and entertainer reputation on stage shortly after as he performed songs like “Bubba Kush,” “Cell Phone,” and “Are We There Yet?” Dumbfoundead, along with his band and Breezy Lovejoy, turned up the energy at the usually quiet museum. The crowd of all ages and ethnicities went wild when Dumbfoundead showed his true talent: freestyling.

Continue reading for the interview and for more pictures!

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It’s not often that you come across an Asian American Christian rapper. But Gowe (Gifted on West East) is unique for reasons greater than the myriad of adjectives that describe his background.

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Far East Movement’s hit, Like A G6 has been blowing up everywhere! The catchy single is off the electro-hip hop –dance- rap quartet’s first album Free Wired, with major recording giant, Cherrytree/Interscope record label.

Most main-stream music lovers might assume Far East Movement’s (aka FM’s) only other hit was party anthem, Girls on the Dance Floor but us in-the-know peeps understand that this group, with original members Chinese/Japanese-American Kev Nish, Koreans Prohgress and J-Splif and the most recently added Filipino DJ Virman, have been around for a long time, paving the way for Asian American musicians everywhere.

To celebrate FM’s recent success on the charts, (#1 on iTunes chart and peaked at #2 on Billboard 100 last week!) we’re taking it back old school and introducing you to some of our other favorite FM jams.

Round and Round by Far East Movement & Storm (2006)

Part of the soundtrack for The Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift, this upbeat tune had just one message: to never stop having fun. The mixture of Storm’s higher pitch in the chorus and FM’s playful rap makes this an enjoyable listen.

Folk Music by Far East Movement (2006)

The title of this song definitely raises doubts in our minds. Folk music reminds me of cultural happy tunes with a basic instrumental arrangement; nothing mainstream. What FM means by folk music is definitely not as I described. Instead, they mean that this is a song for their folks, who they referred to as ‘homies’ and ‘homeboys’. This track is rapped throughout, but it has a really chill attitude.

Dance Like Michael Jackson by Far East Movement (2008)

It’s awesome that they honored the legendary Michael Jackson here. Different aspects of MJ can definitely be picked up, such as in the lyrics “man in the mirror” and “black or white.” Since this song is influenced by Michael Jackson, it’s not a wonder that you feel like getting up and grooving to the beat. The video is equally entertaining because it features the ultra-talented Quest Crew.

Fetish by Fast East Movement (2008)

I love the feel and beat of this song. The main tune of this track is relatively simple, but the distinctive musical phrase that you hear throughout the song in the background keeps it catchy. It definitely fits the party/clubbing theme of songs that are making the top hits recently. FM plays with stuttering in their vocals, such as ‘fe-fetish in these jeans’, a feature that seems to be increasingly prevalent.

3D by Far East Movement & Bruno Mars (2008)

This song is actually Bruno Mars’s first musical appearance as a singer. Who knew that the two fastest rising artists of these months had collaborated before? Once again, FM seems to use terms that bring up questions. What exactly is a 3D girl? Nonetheless, this collaboration is the perfect mix, blending Bruno Mars’s soulful voice and FM’s slurred phrasing to create this alluring track.

To check out more of Far East Movement’s tour schedule and music, click here.