Code Kunst just made his debut on the HIGHGRND label with “Parachute“, which features the vocals of Oh Hyuk and the rapping of Dok2, an odd combination that was made to work by sheer force of will.
The slow and dark start to the instrumental is effective because it pays off eventually with an impactful volume adjustment during the chorus thanks to Oh Hyuk’s vocals. And speaking of him, Oh Hyuk’s voice is basically made for tracks and moods like this, and he effectively delivered here again to set the whole tone. It’s hard to explain his appeal, but I just really enjoy listening to him sing on almost anything.
Dok2? Well, he managed not to ruin it despite his best efforts. I don’t know why, but Dok2 starts his verse off by name-checking himself and every label ever, which is distracting as fuck and completely breaks the mood. Luckily, that was temporary, and to his credit he stepped up his rap for this, which helped keep the song in the “awesome” territory. That said, Dok2 just HAS to remind everybody about his bling in the lyrics, but like can’t he just shut the fuck up and rhyme ONE TIME? It would’ve made the song so much more pleasant for him to just feel the fucking beat, play his fucking role, and start spitting instead of trying to stunt on a song that doesn’t need it. Goddamn gremlin.
Fortunately, the song survives his inclusion, but out of all the rappers, choosing Captain Sweg Grillz 69 420 Blazeee Ittt was something that I think costs the song a little something in the end because of the temporary mood shift and tone break. Like if “Gondry” included a three-second section where Minho goes “dibidibidibidis”, it would still be a great song, but fuck if that wouldn’t ruin the setting for a bit, right? That’s how I feel here, especially because the style of songwriting diverges significantly from Oh Hyuk to Dok2.
In any case, I loved the track in the end and this release has only made me look forward to more from Code Kunst.