Getting Real With Korea’s Up-and-Coming Rapper, CAMO

In 2020, South Korean rapper CAMO released hip-hop party anthem “Life is Wet” without any expectations. Today, its music video has over 12 million views on YouTube. A month from now, she’ll be going on her first North American tour, jumping from Los Angeles to Calgary to perform some of her famous bilingual tunes.

“I don’t know what happened, honestly,” the 24-year-old told VICE over a video call from Seoul. “When I released [‘Life is Wet’] two years ago, there weren’t a lot of views at first, and people didn’t know me. But then, I don’t know what happened—the views got crazy.”

CAMO was born Park Chae Ryung in Hong Kong but eventually moved to South Korea at 13. It was only three years ago that she got into rap, which she explored at a hip-hop club at her university in Seoul.

“That was when I first wrote my own lyrics and performed for the first time in my life. Even though it was in front of my friends, I felt so happy. Like, I couldn’t remember when I was that happy,” CAMO said.

She made her debut as an artist in March 2020 with her first EP Ice, catching some attention for her bilingual lyricism and melodic hooks, and then released “Life is Wet” later that year.

CAMO’s musical influences are drawn mostly from the West.

“The first album that I bought with my own money was Avril Lavigne’s The Best Damn Thing,” she said. “When I got into hip-hop, I started to listen to Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, Drake, and Chris Brown.”

These influences are evident in her lyrics. With lines that go, “If you like me, thank you next. If I fuck you, then you’re something, yeah, my life is just too wet,” her edgy style and provocative language break away from mainstream Korean music, which usually riff on safer topics and avoid profanity.

CAMO has a very laid-back—bordering on IDGAF—attitude. She neither hides behind pretenses nor feigns any deeper meaning to what she loves to write and rap about. When asked about what “Life is Wet” means, she simply replied: “It doesn’t mean anything, it’s just a very vibey summer song. I just had fun making it.”

For CAMO, making music is about having fun and creating songs that she likes. She pointed out that in South Korea’s competitive entertainment scene, there are plenty of artists who make music based on what people will like and what they think might sell.

“But I don’t do that. I don’t want to, honestly. I just want to do music that I like, and there’s going to be people who like it [too], so I don’t want to compromise.”

Sudden fame does come with its downsides. CAMO lamented the fast-paced, competitive, and “busy, busy, busy” nature of South Korea’s burgeoning hip-hop scene.

“Everything’s so rapid but it’s still really small and they all try to compete,” she said. “So I think I get my energy kind of drained.”

She said she felt depressed for over a year after releasing “Life is Wet” because she couldn’t handle the judgment and negativity that came with being in the spotlight.

“I had so many hard times because I was just a student. I was a very ordinary person. I was just studying at school and then one day, I just released shit, and then people—I don’t even know their faces—they be talking shit about me and my family and how I look, how I dress. It wasn’t a little, it was a lot.”

Though it was “Life is Wet” that turned CAMO’s life around and propelled her to fame, her personal favorite song is her 2021 single “Wifey,” because it reminds her of those trying times.

“When I was writing ‘Wifey,’ I remember how empty I was and how sad and depressed I was. But still, I tried not to give up. So, whenever I listen to that song, I still remember those days and how I grew this much. Whenever I listen to that song, perform that song, I get proud of myself a little bit.”

After learning how to deal with the negativity that comes with fame and success, CAMO is “past that period.”

“I really, really honestly don’t care [what people think about me or my music] because this is just me and there should be more people just expressing [themselves]. I’m not afraid. I don’t care if they judge me,” she said. “My biggest dreams and my biggest goals [are] just to console and make a good impact or influence on the listeners. Because I was consoled by so many artists through music, too. And I want to do that.”

Now, CAMO is ready to drop her next mixtape, with the same earnestness she’s held for music-making. “I’m preparing my album right now and I’m so excited because it’s so different from what I used to do.”

“I still have little doubts in my head,” she said. “But I still want to show you guys this. I know this is going to change my life once again.”

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