U.S. DJ hopes to bring more rappers to Korea

This may have been DJ Phalse ID’s first time in Korea, but he assured it wouldn’t be his last.

The 25-year-old performed at Club Circle in Songtan, Gyeonggi Province, and Lucidream in Itaewon over the weekend and said he already had plans to return next month.

“We’re already working on it,” he said.

Growing up in Washington, D.C., DJ Phalse ID played multiple instruments, would make mixtapes for friends for $5 each in middle school, and in high school helped out his aunt at the radio station where she worked. It was there where he met DJs Alizay, 6th Sense and others who became his mentors.

He said his name, Phalse ID, came about as a way to show that there was more to a person than just a label. He said that, as a black kid in America, people were more likely to believe negative stereotypes about him than take the time to get to know him.

“You have a conversation with somebody and they see that they have a little bit more to them, mental depth. … I feel like that is something that is missing in the world,” he said. “I feel like a lot of the world’s problems would be solved by simple communication.”

While a majority of his work is hip-hop, he said he was really into electronic dance music and hoped to do more EDM shows in Korea. But there will definitely be more hip-hop events in the future.

“I’m working on bringing a lot of artists. So anybody who’s reading this right now, please be on the lookout. We’re going to bring all your favorite rappers,” he said.

“Send me a tweet, send me a text, send me an email. Tell me who you want, I will bring them.”

Though young, DJ Phalse ID has been performing all over the U.S. for years, and is working on setting up regular events in L.A. with Interscope Records and Columbia. He said he traveled around the world for shows about half a dozen times a year.

“I enjoy going to another country and being completely immersed in everything they have,” he said. “I don’t know anything and all I can do is just enjoy the next man’s smile.”

He said he enjoys the positive energy of the people around him, even if they can’t speak the same language. It is the simple things that help people connect.

“If you’re having a bad day, if you’re having a bad week. Your girl left you, you lost your job, you can’t pay rent. … I’m alive. I’m smiling. And somebody can relate to that, no matter what country they’re in or what language they speak,” he said.

Follow DJ Phalse ID on Twitter @DjPhaLseiD or on Facebook for more information on future shows.

By Emma Kalka (ekalka@heraldcorp.com)