Dallas Was Hot as Hell. So Was Amerie's Vocals

Welcome to Golden Dragon, a newsletter by Eric Diep about Asians in hip-hop and my takes on trending topics in AAPI pop culture. Golden Dragon is a rotation of interviews, reviews, news, critical perspectives, and random blogs about music I recommend.

• A recap of Amerie’s set at TwoGether Land

• An album review on Ted Park’s Summer in LA

• Diep Cuts from Ez Mil, B.I, and 7

Today is the last day of AAPIHM and I’m ending it on a high note.

I spent my Memorial Day weekend covering the first TwoGether Land in Dallas. When the lineup for TwoGether Land dropped in February, it featured a good balance of R&B with Saturday headliner Summer Walker, The-Dream, Kenyon Dixon, and of course, Amerie 에므리. She was on my schedule to see live on Sunday.

It has been a few years since I covered a music festival for an outlet. In my breakdown of the Head in the Clouds NY lineup, I mentioned I’m the type of person who tries to see the earlier sets for artists I haven’t heard of before. Josh Levi and Shaboozey were those artists, who made their live performances work in the over 90-degree weather.

But back to Amerie 에므리. Despite the intense heat, the African American-Korean singer looked comfortable and calm. She opened her set with “Why Don’t We Fall in Love.” She shouted out fans who came with their families and waved to the crowd, asking, “How many people got the first album?” All I Have lovers cheered.

My first thought of Amerie 에므리 is she sounds just like how I heard her in 2005. She sings with emotion, letting you take her lyrics to the heart. Her urgent, almost desperate portrayals of pain punch you in the gut, heard during her performance of “I Just Died.” Amerie 에므리’s sweet vocals and confidence were on display when she sang “Talkin’ to Me'“ and “Hatin’ on You,” bringing out the traditional R&B of the 2000s to the 2024 listeners.

I love R&B songs that describe the mess of a relationship, sparking forgotten memories that return, for better or worse, once you belt those lyrics back. “Why R U” was it for me. The song’s edgy production, the hook about the push and pull of loving someone. It felt like the perfect ending to her set.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get “1 Thing.” The people who run production and sound thought she was finished after leaving the stage for a breather, turning off her mic. When they couldn’t cue up “1 Thing,” she asked the DJ, who was about to play her off, for a quick minute and 30 seconds for a singalong we all came for.

We still got one, kind of.

Here’s the set list for your playlisting needs.

If you’re interested in reading my TwoGether Land review, it is published on The Dallas Morning News website.

Ted Park - Summer in LA (TNP Productions, 2024)

Ted Park, a former H1ghr Music artist who has since gone independent, was on my radar around 2017/2018. The Madison, Wisconsin native has been quietly releasing music for the day ones, stating Summer in LA is a collection of songs made over the past two years, in five different cities, and finally released without the pressures of “algorithms, content, and going viral.” Summer in LA runs like a playlist you throw on, with Park experimenting with different octaves in his vocals and adopting modern rap styles into his arsenal. The loose theme is remembering the highs and lows of your grind and chasing your dreams, funneled through songs like “Summer in LA” with Mr. Carmack and “Ted Talk.” “In this music shit, I’m undisputed, I’m the best part/These Asian gatekeepers looking at me as a threat/Telling me that I’m next but won’t answer any text,” Park raps on “Ted Talk.” It’s an album that’s like throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks as far as finding a linear genre, but maybe that's the point. You get to hear Park jump from dreamy R&B ("Used to Be Mine") and country-pop ("Lil Letter") to pop punk ("Say It Again") and drill ("Chop Like Karate"). He’s having fun again.

Ez Mil - “New York” (Pakistan Freestyle)

D-Block Europe, affiliated with The Lox, dropped “Pakistan” last year after fans heard a snippet on IG and wanted them to release the full song. Filipino rapper and Eminem’s new protégé Ez Mil jumps on the beat with a freestyle loosely based on a true story. He even sneaks in some Tagalog bars for good measure. This is hard.

B.I (비아이) - “Tasty”

B.I is a South Korean rapper, singer, and songwriter who was part of the boy band iKON. I’m still processing the line between the pure definition of a Korean rapper and the idols who jump into hip-hop because they have a natural talent and the range to do so. Produced by Malibu Babie (Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Her”), Vaughn Oliver, and Tobias Wincorn, it is a polished track with a big-budget video and choreography to memorize. I think it is catchy but is it hip-hop? “Your boyfriend’s cool but he ain’t top tier” is a bar tho.

7 - “Boss Bitch” (Remix) f/ LANA and Elle Teresa

7, or なな in hiragana, was a finalist on AbemaTV's popular program Rap Star Tanjou. The show will be doing auditions for its new season in June.

I stan for boss bitch anthems and she delivered one for the summer with fellow Japanese girl bosses LANA and Elle Teresa. I need Sexyy Red on the remix.

Angela Yee liked my shirt 🙌🏼 🐆