While it is true that G.O has had a lot of experience being the younger brother, much of that experience comes from being the younger brother of two older sisters. Outside of perhaps his peers and well, yes of course, his brother-in-law, he has not been the younger brother to an older brother. And before you Seungholics start screaming that indeed G.O has been and is a younger brother, I will say that I see your point; but really guys, Seung Ho is only three weeks to-the-day older than G.O. I think those two perhaps view themselves on more of an equal playing field. Nevertheless, I believe with all of my heart that G.O views Seung Ho as a brother (and an older one at that) not only in the colleague/peer sense, but in a family sense. Where am I going with this you might ask? Well, since I have been showing Tykeys quite a bit of love as of late, I wanted to touch on an early younger/older brother experience. G.O was Tykeys’ maknae after all and Kim Hyun Jung indeed his hyung. When I look at early pictures of the two, as well as their overall dynamic, I am convinced G.O endeared Hyun Jung as a more than just a band mate, he was indeed family and yes, an older brother.
Hyun Jung was born on 17 December 1985. So, okay, he is not that much older than our sweet main vocal but is older nonetheless. Ironically, Hyun Jung is also blood type A. Hmmm…definitely some symmetry at play there, don’t you think? In performances as well as off-stage moments captured of the two, it appeared they got along well, liked each other and had a decent chemistry, artistically speaking. I think the best part of this big brother/little brother dynamic is that Hyun Jung was perhaps the first rapper G.O worked with. Even though I think G.O has worked with better rappers overall (Mir, for example), I definitely appreciate the fact that his collaboration with Hyun Jung in Tykeys laid the groundwork for him to perfect his ability to effectively buffer rap, often giving it more fluidity by the mere presence of his own very smooth and buoyant vocals.
I am not exactly sure when the following performance was captured. The uploader of the video indicated it was from the Tykeys Showcase. I believe that showcase was around 15 March 2007 which was a couple weeks following the release of their album, Ty Project No. 1. Then again, I am not 100% certain. In any event, both Hyun Jung and G.O (then Jang Goon) took the stage to share their take on Ne-Yo’s When You’re Mad revealing more of G.O’s sweet vocal assist opposite a rapper. The energy, swag and soul of these two young and charming artists is electric.
Whether the collaboration is with a rapper, a female vocalist, a neo-classical pianist or his very own MBLAQ brothers, G.O just brings a certain magic to the stage that is undeniably fresh, soulful and honest. The family he built with both Hyun Jung and Su must have given him the kind of security and support that allowed him to get his footing both on stage and off, nurturing his growth as an artist and yes, also as a man.
I love exploring every aspect of G.O’s magnificent journey, with the Tykeys portion being particularly special because it really was a pivotal launching point for his career. He really did make for one sweet and endearing maknae, too ~ even if it was short-lived.
~♥~
[Video cr. mgoon]