EP: Dumbfoundead – Rocket Man

The Korean-American Rapper Depicts All Sides of the Immigrant Experience on the Mass Appeal-Premiered EP, Shares “Rocket Man” Visual 🚫 Already Banned in South Korea🚫

12.12.2017

Critical Praise for Dumbfoundead:

“Over the past decade Jonathan “Dumbfoundead” Park has built a name for himself as a rapper, actor, and advocate for Asian-American representation in mainstream media.”– The FADER

“Korean-American rapper Dumbfoundead had been at it for over a decade, both on wax and as an integral member of the battle circuit before frustrations with Asian-Americans lack of representation in greater pop culture inspired him to write the blistering anti-whitewashing anthem ‘SAFE.'” – Passion of the Weiss

The EP:

A respected and influential figure in the L.A. underground, Dumbfoundead wins fans with his wit, his shine, and his battle-honed rap chops. Saluting the nation’s immigrants in a period of heightened xenophobia, Dumbfoundead shares Rocket Man, his latest EP. Though the project features empowering themes and politically-charged lyrics, the project does not dwell in darkness. Instead, Dumbfoundead takes a party-positive approach to our times, celebrating the achievement of immigrants with energetic, electronic-influenced instrumentals soundtracking his tongue-twisting bars. Rocket Man features an appearance from Jay Park, among bangers like the aspirational “Every Last Drop,” which garnered a Complex premiere and earned over 218,000 views on YouTube. Premiered by Mass Appeal, Rocket Man is a lyrical and defiant statement for the Trump Era and a riveting soundtrack for post-apocalyptic parties.

“This EP had me thinking about my dad and mom coming to this country as immigrants. I tried to think from their perspectives – they’ve made a lot of mistakes, so this is not just about the ‘triumphant immigrant’… it’s me turning up, getting ratchet! I don’t want to tell just the immigrant success story, this is about everything going on right now and how we have to survive,” Dumbfoundead explains. “The concept behind ‘Rocket Man’ came from the nickname that Trump gave North Korean leader Kim Jong Un–when you turn on the TV and hear these things, it just doesn’t feel real. I wanted to take this name, and turn ‘Rocket Man’ into a fictional character that’s not necessarily Kim Jong Un. With every project, I like creating animated, ethereal characters. So all the images on this project are going to embody this fictional ‘Rocket Man.’ To be clear, I do not support Kim Jong-Un. Or Donald Trump.”

To accompany the EP, Dumbfoundead shares the invigorating visual for “Rocket Man,” the project’s title track. In the video, already banned in South Korea for its references to Trump and Kim Jong Un, chaotic images of war planes and launching rockets are intercut with shots of Dumbfoundead rocking flight goggles and stalking neon-lit streets. The video ably represents the tumultuous nature of today’s news cycle, with Dumbfoundead in the middle trying to make sense of a world that seems to be falling apart.

“In Korea, musicians have to submit videos to the Censorship Bureau one week in advance in order to get them approved, and usually pretty much everything gets through. I woke up this morning and I found out ‘Rocket Man’ got banned… not just ‘not approved,’ but BANNED. It’s disappointing but tight at the same time. It’s ironic because almost a year ago I put out a song called ‘Banned In The Motherland,’ before I really got banned!”

With Rocket Man out now, fans can also catch Dumbfoundead performing this weekend at Rolling LoudSouthern California.

Stream Rocket Man:
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/rocket-man-ep/1322867518?l=ko&ls=1&app=itunes
Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/album/6HdeItk32sBZ0FLJTU5V53

Watch “Rocket Man”: https://youtu.be/2yGmRXQasRs

Check out the Mass Appeal premiere: http://bit.ly/2AiaaTM

Please contact Michelle or Isabel if interested in talking with Dumbfoundead.

Dumbfoundead Background:

From the battle grounds to the silver screen, Jonathan Park (professionally known as Dumbfoundead) has built up an unbelievably impressive repertoire. Born in Buenos Aires to Korean immigrants, smuggled into Mexico, raised in K-town Los Angeles where he later freestyled at open mics in Leimert Park at Project Blowed and was part of the last generation of Blowedians, Dumbfoundead is now a force to be reckoned with not only in the Los Angeles hip-hop scene but also internationally as a viral hip-hop ambassador.

In 2009, Dumbfoundead started uploading music videos on YouTube and growing his large fan base. His channel has currently over 460 thousand subscribers and more than 67 million views. Dumbfoundead is known for enjoying rap battles, such as the popular one against Conceited in 2015. Dumbfoundead was also honored for his contributions for Asian artists with the KoreanAmericanStory.org Trail Blazer award alongside actress Sandra Oh and humanitarian Thomas Park Clement.

Links:

Rocket Man EP: https://youtu.be/2yGmRXQasRs

“Kill Me”: https://youtu.be/tCygZhK0Sho

“PAAC”: https://open.spotify.com/album/05uGieSh6eACficHurGUKZ

“Every Last Drop”: https://youtu.be/UjI9AaMpjNc

“SAFE”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmvqb9Uzu8k

“Harambe”: https://youtu.be/e7n2VC45-88

“Hyung” ft Simon d, Dok2, Tigerjk: https://youtu.be/sFhNukCXVV4