Queen of Queens
Miss Ko

Make It Real!
GBOYSWAG

The title of Miss Ko’s new album sounds like typical rapper braggadocio.
Then again, she does have something to boast about as she was the first hip-hop artist to win the Golden Melody Award for Best New Artist for her debut Knock Out (2012).
But it also points to her roots as the Taiwanese-American grew up in Queens, New York.
Her third album finds her in fine form and ready to reclaim her throne. Her comeback to naysayers who nitpick over her Mandarin: “Did win a prize, wrote a song for A-mei/I’m not your idol, I’m your idol’s idol”. She then raps smoothly in English on Started From Scratch: “Never settin limits/representin for da women”.
There is a less combative side of this queen as well.
She rails against an inferior offering on Pizza, but also waxes lyrical about the perfect pie. Athletic Shoes Centipede finds her in a playful mood as she raps about her beloved sneakers. Everybody Ride gets into the groove with a piano riff and an invitation to hang out and chill.
It is a more varied album compared with the party-hearty vibe of GBOYSWAG’s album. This is the debut of Taiwanese outfit Magic Power’s DJ Gu Gu and it does not stray far from the dance-floor and radio-friendly electro-pop formula of the group.
He raps in English as well and on Make It Real, he offers to: “Talk n talk n share them thoughts/Maybe chill out for a while.” But I would rather listen to Miss Ko.
(ST)