Art doesn’t come from someone who takes the shortcut. Only by taking the longest and most strenuous path can art send forth its fragrance. Truth is only realized and expressed through suffering. Yun Hyong Keun Strictly speaking, Indigo is not Namjoon’s first solo album, as prior to this he had released two free mixtapes, RM…
Category: Korean Hip-Hop
“I Hope That We Can All Do What We Love, But Also in a Way That Can Best Shape a More Equal World.” – In Conversation with James An
While being an independent artist carries some risks, independence is indeed an important aspect for many, especially musicians. Not only does it allow them to communicate directly with their audience, it also enables them to promote their music whenever and however they wish. Frankly speaking, you don’t need to have a label to be a…
MIK Festival 2022: Hip-Hop Day Review
There is no denying that the Korean music industry is mainly associated with K-pop, which often draws on Hip-hop whether this is obvious to listeners or not. What’s more interesting is that Hip-hop has now become an indispensable part of K-pop and, while the latter is the one with the most popular tunes around the…
Will the Real Jung Ho-seok Please Stand Up: “Jack In The Box” Album Review
While Jack In The Box is J-Hope’s first solo album, it is not his first outing without the other BTS’ members. On 2nd March 2018, the triple threat (rapper, dancer, vocalist) released his debut mixtape, Hope World, which peaked on the Billboard 200 at 38, despite being a free mixtape, available on SoundCloud as well…
“If One Person Somewhere Is Affected by the Emotions or the Words of My Songs, That’s Enough Reason for Me to Make Music.” – In Conversation with Kim Jeong-uk, a Singer-songwriter and Rapper
Kim Jeong-uk, a South Korean singer-songwriter and rapper, began his music career when he debuted as a member of a boy group, 24K, back in 2012. After a relatively successful career with the group, the artist decided to pursue a solo career. In 2019, Jeong-uk released his first EP called #down which brought a new…
“I Want to Have More Freedom with Music. I Want to Enjoy Myself More and Feel at Ease with Making Music” – In Conversation with Sway D
There is no denial that hip-hop culture is now a global phenomenon. Although hip-hop originated in the US, it has always changed within a local [country’s] context. Since BTS came to light, the South Korean music industry has been taking the world by storm. But let’s not forget, the country is more than just K-pop,…
CL Brings Immense Energy to London’s Village Underground
Who is CL? It is hard to describe her in one word – to the majority, she is a queen of K-pop, to some she is the ultimate Korean Hip-Hop gem. I don’t think I want to put her in any sort of category as CL tends to be versatile when it comes to her…
“I’m Quite Happily Living My Life Because I am Doing What I Want To Do.” – In Conversation with ColorTheBen
Let there be no mistake, becoming a singer isn’t an easy task. However, with a love for music, expressing one’s feelings and inspiring people to do the same, more people are encouraged to take on a new journey of becoming an artist, in whatever capacity it suits an individual. Born in South Korea, Ben Kang…
“I Would Love to Bring Value to the Different Communities that I Could Influence Through My Art.” – In Conversation with Gabby Onme
Hip-hop has always been recognized as the most politicized genre of music. Compared to pop, rock and other genres, hip-hop has been franker and more ruthless. However, no one could have predicted that hip-hop, which was supposed to be another form of entertainment, would overturn the modern way of understanding the function of art in…
Dok2 Brings Blistering Energy to His London Show
The hip-hop subculture has been a part of the backyard culture or the street culture, as some may call it, for over 40 years now. Initially created in the ghettos of New York as a means of expression mostly for the black communities in the USA, hip-hop caught on and spread like wildfire around the…
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