Song You Need To Know: James An, ‘One For The Old School (feat. twlv)

One of our favorite rising names in the South Korean hip-hop scene is James An. The Canadian-raised rapper fell onto our radar earlier this week with his brand new single, “One For The Old School,” featuring R&B singer twlv. As its title suggests, the track–which dropped on February 22nd– is an homage to old school hip-hop and culture, diving into sounds reminiscent of the Nineties to pay tribute to the music An grew up with.

Written by An and twlv, “One For The Old School” is a nod to hip-hop but also preaches a message of living your life without giving a damn about the haters. An jumps right into his first verse as he states, “One for the old school but I ain’t no kkondae (Korean slang that refers to a condescending individual),” before going on to chronicle his rise as an artist and appreciation for the role rap music has played in his life. He offers shoutouts to the artists who’ve influenced him, primarily Eminem, and his belief in the love and peace hip-hop can bring to the world. An defines his own vision of success while singer-songwriter twlv takes on the chorus to add a little playfulness with his breezy voice.

Produced by Haz, “One For The Old School” lays a foundation of funky hip-hop with smatterings of delicate synth and a firm bass line– reminiscent of the feel-good vibes from the Nineties, particularly close to the likes of The Pharcyde, Wu-Tang Clan and Korea’s own legendary hip-hop originators, MFBTY. The music video keeps it simple, featuring shots of An emerging from a school bus to perform the track, along with clips of him and twlv cruising around in an old-school Merc.

An officially debuted in 2020 with the single “Impressions.” The rapper was also a contestant on Season 10 of the popular reality hip-hop contest, Show Me The Money in 2021 where he first unveiled a verse of the then-unreleased “One For The Old School.”

Check out the previous ‘Song You Need to Know’ here.