Hyun Jin-young | |
---|---|
Birth name | Huh Hyun-seok |
Born |
Seoul, South Korea |
February 3, 1971
Genres | K-pop, new jack swing, Korean hip hop |
Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, record producer, rapper, dancer |
Years active | 1990–present |
Labels |
SM Entertainment (1990-1996) Made by H.J.Y. SidusHQ |
Associated acts | Hyun Jin-young and Wawa, I.W.B.H |
Huh Hyun-seok (born February 3, 1971), better known as Hyun Jin-young (Korean: 현진영), is a South Korean singer, dancer, and rapper. He is known for his role in introducing hip-hop music to Korea.
He has been involved with music since he was a child. When he grew up in Gijichon (기지촌, "Village near U.S. Army Base"), he was introduced to African-American music by his American friends. Then on, he learn how to sing, dance and rap easily from his American friends throughout his childhood. When he drop out oh high school, he decide to become a great hip-hop musician. He eventually met Lee Soo-man, and Hyun passed the audition since he was able to pull of the Toggichum (토끼춤, "the Roger Rabbit"). Then on he began training under Lee-soo man supervision to prepare for his debut.
Debuting as "Hyun Jin-young and Wawa", he began to perform with his hit song "Sad mannequin" and "Sexy lady". Though the sales of the album were mediocre, he gained popularity as a forerunner of hip hop music in Korea, which in that time, it was a shock for most audiences. Wawa consisted of Koo Jun-yup and Kang Won-rae from Clon (1st generation), and later Lee Hyun-do and Kim Sung-jae from deux (2nd generation).
In 2001, Hyun overcame those painful times and returned to the pop music scene with his fourth solo album, Wild Gangster Hip Hop. The response from his fans was favorable, which people consider him to be a music pioneer. In 2006, he released his fifth album called Street Jazz In My Soul. This album contained jazz music, which was a departure from his hip hop roots. Currently, he is a chief producer of SidusHQ.