K-hiphop
 Korean hip hop |
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|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | Hip hop |
| Cultural origins | Late 1980s – early 1990s, South Korea |
| Typical instruments | |
| Other topics | |
Korean hip hop, also known as K-hip hop, is a subgenre of hip hop music from South Korea. It is widely considered to have originated in the late 1980s and early 1990s and has since become increasingly popular, both in Korea and abroad. In 2016, the Korea Foundation cited Korean hip hop as a new trend in the Korean Wave.
In addition to music, Korea's hip hop culture includes a vibrant b-boying scene.
Hip hop first emerged in Korea in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Following the end of authoritarian military rule in Korea, the loosening of state censorship of popular music in the late 1980s and the arrival of 1988 Seoul Olympics brought global musical styles like hip hop, rap, and rhythm and blues through the Korean diaspora. Rock musician Hong Seo-beom's 1989 song about a 19th-century Korean poet, "Kim Sat-gat," is credited as being the first Korean pop song to contain rapping.
Hyun Jin-young, a rapper who debuted the following year with the album, New Dance, is considered to be the first Korean hip hop artist.
The debut of Seo Taiji and Boys in 1992 with the song, "Nan Arayo," marked a revolution in Korean popular music. The group incorporated American-style hip hop and R&B into their music, a move that was so influential that they are considered the originators of modern K-pop, and their explosive popularity paved the way for both pop and hip hop artists in Korea.
Other popular groups who helped spread hip hop into the Korean mainstream in the early 1990s include Deux and DJ DOC.
The Korean hip hop scene grew considerably in the late 1990s and early 2000s due largely to a growing hip hop club scene and the influence of the internet. While K-pop groups continued to incorporate rap into their songs, this time period also saw the emergence of pure hip hop groups, notably Drunken Tiger, "the first commercially successful true hip hop group" in Korea. The group's single, "Good Life" topped Korean charts in 2001, despite the fact that the group was considered controversial due to the explicit nature of their songs. Hip hop duo Jinusean, who were signed to former Seo Taiji and Boys member Yang Hyun-suk's new label YG Entertainment, also found mainstream success during this period with their songs "Tell Me" and "A-Yo," among others.
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