Things I Like: Korean Hip-Hop

Something I really appreciate about people who like music (sometimes I have to remind myself that there are people who just have no interest in music) is when they listen to a variety of genres. I like to be surprised by what people listen to, what gets their attention, what they have on repeat for days. For the longest time I was a snob when it came to what CDs I chose to collect or what t-shirts I decided to buy (from Hot Topic), but these days I like to think that I am at least a little more accepting of new genres. Naturally, because I have been studying the Korean language for almost three years, I really love listening to Korean music. Most recently, I've been pretty into hip-hop and rap as a genre, and after reading some articles about it today, I thought I'd just ramble a little bit.

Obviously (I feel like I don't have to point this out), hip-hop and rap did not originate in Korea, nor was it even popularized or really even listened to in Korea until recently (see: Seo Taiji and Boys in the '90s). Interestingly, the way hip-hop has been adopted into Korean music is as a "trendy" style, but it has also become a way for Koreans to express their problems with Korean society, rather than simply taking the themes expressed in African American hip-hop - because the problems are not the same.

Korean hip-hop is trendy in the sense that more often than not, pop songs, regardless of how well the verse actually fits into the song, raps are incorporated. The members of idol groups are all assigned roles, and most likely, one of those pretty boys dancing around on stage is deemed the "rapper." While I enjoy Korean pop music like nobody's business, I also respect the "real" hip-hop artists a lot more than self-proclaimed (or perhaps more appropriately, company-proclaimed) idol rappers. EXCEPT there is a catch, so be aware of this: I am not well-versed in Korean hip-hop at all, though I wish I was. I'm working on it. I'm just lazy. Give me a break. (Also, give me specific artists, songs, discographies to listen to, and I will definitely make note).

I also appreciate when there is a mixture between idol groups and more authentic Korean rappers, because I think that adds more validity to the talents bragged about by big entertainment companies. Zico (우지호) of Block B is always my current example - he started out in a more underground rap scene under the pseudonym 낙서 and decided, for a change of pace, to also debut in a rather popular idol group. Block B's music is normally pretty hip-hop influenced, which is refreshing, and Zico still does solo mixtape projects on the side (and he's younger than me!). His lyrics are cleverly written, and have more depth than can be seen in popular music (which, seriously, is either a bunch of nonsense, or talking about some cliche love story, for the most part). I am also (perhaps irrationally?) impressed when anyone can speed rap, and I think Zico's does this really well.

Perhaps the most well-known of hip-hop groups both inside and outside of Korea is the trio, Epik High. The face (I guess? Most well-known member, maybe?) of Epik High is Canadian-born, Stanford-educated, Tablo (Daniel Armand Lee), who is legitimately a master of lyricism. If ever you need reassurance that rap is more than just recited poetry over a repetitive beat or something, please refer to Nocturne (composed by DJ Tukutz, written by Tablo), because it is mind-blowing. I think a lot of [old] people are resistant to the hip-hop genre because all they know are the shallow rhymes about bitches and money and booze of the popular American music industry, but [good] rap is a lot more than that, and I think Epik High is a great example of using music to address real problems.

Good hip-hop is not all serious business, though. While I respect artists who speak of important things in a creative and powerful way, I still respect artists who don't take themselves too seriously and can still carry out the genre well. One of my favorite hip-hop groups is Supreme Team, made up of members E-Sens and Simon Dominic. They're fairly well-known and popular, being one of the few hip-hop acts that performs at broadcasted music shows and things of that nature in Korea, but their songs are well-done and are a lot of fun to listen to. They are both kind of ridiculous guys, and I kind of have a crush on Simon D, don't tell Lady Jane they've got a really good flow when it comes to rhymes. One of my favorite songs is 땡땡땡, one of their most popular singles, which, even though it might not be as deep as Nocturne, is great for blasting in my car with the windows rolled down.

I know everyone who is reading this who is into Korean rap is going to tell me that, before I do anything else with my life, I need to get into Tiger JK, and I know. I know I do. Look, I'm recommending that people listen to Drunken Tiger and I've never even done it myself. Really influential, badass guy, all those good things that Korean rappers should aspire to, etc. On that note, I should also listen to his wife, Yoon Mi-rae, because she is also great, talented, establishes a good name for multi-racial families in Korea, etc. etc. and is a female! Shout-out to females in the hip-hop game. On that note, let me introduce you to pretty much the only female rapper I listen to regularly, which is Rimi! I literally know nothing about her, so I can't really explain to you why she's good, but listen to her catchy, empowering (albeit kind of silly) I'm Hot, and I guarantee you will like it, at least a little bit.

I have some guilty pleasure songs as well - most notably Swings' 겸손은 없다 (feat. Rimi) which...as slightly stupid as it is, and as much of a homophobic asshole Swings has appeared to be in the past, I can't stop listening to it - it makes me feel like a badass (another shallow reason why I like listening to rap). I also have an affinity for 한해's cover of Take It Off, because Zico raps Nicki Minaj's part and it's great, and the song is just too dumb not to like, I don't know.

I'm not sure how many people would categorize Jay Park as a rapper necessarily, but I do like the raps he's done (he made me like the song Bedrock somehow, go figure), and I particularly like his and DOK2's Level 1000...which is also another one of those "I am the greatest, you are not the greatest" kind of raps (..I mean hell, it opens with "we on a swagga level thousand!"), but I don't care, it's good (...look up the music video yourself, but I'm just warning you, you may laugh at them, they look kind of pseudo-thug half the time, and...yeah). Speaking of DOK2, I would like to throw this bonus song at you, because it's one of my favorites lately, and even if he's in the most popular boy group in Korea (arguably), I can't leave G-Dragon out of a hip-hop post. Check out Light It Up by G-Dragon, Tablo, and DOK2! I like the beat, especially.

One of the things that fascinates me most with Korean raps, especially, is the play on words and phrases! I may know a bit of Korean, and I may study it more than any of my other subjects, but dang..I wish I could understand half of the hip-hop lyrics just upon listening. I don't even know what the hell English-speaking rappers are talking about half the time, how am I supposed to understand all this word play in Korean?! But it's really amazing to me from a linguistic standpoint (slang is something I really, really want to learn about), and I wish I knew enough Korean to learn raps, ha. Someday! (I also think it's cool when 사투리 is used - I can't think of any examples except for B.A.P's  No Mercy, the use of dialect is also interesting). I know it's partially because I don't understand the lyrics 99% (exaggeration? probably not...) of the time, but in my personal opinion, I find that rapping flows really well in Korean - sometimes (most of the time?) a lot better than it does in English.

So, there you go! My long-winded post about something I both really enjoy, and know very little about! Now go listen to some Korean hip-hop!