Episode 50: The Rise and Fall of the Hip-Hop Idol
I started working on this episode in response to Tammy Kim’s ridiculous and ahistorical New Yorker article “How BTS Became One of the Most Popular Bands in History.” In particular, it was her description of K-Pop before BTS: “It was unusual for a K-Pop group to start from a base of rap and hip-hop.”
Not only had rap and hip-hop elements been present in K-Pop in one form or other since the days of Seo Taiji but in their formation, BTS strongly echoed one of the most successful boy groups of 2012: Block B. Not only was it not unusual for boy groups to be based in rap and hip-hop, it was right in line with the current trends and on top of that the aspiring rappers in BTS were part of a massive boom of teen rappers looking to make a name for themselves by any means possible. (And—as I lay out in the episode—they were nowhere near the top of the pack.)
The better young rappers in K-Pop today have been kept fairly removed from the Korean Hip-Hop scene—guys like Mark Lee from NCT. And maybe thanks to up-and-coming idol rappers like Mark, we’ll see a new style of K-Pop rap emerging as young trainees learn from their debuted seniors.
The young TOP aka Tempo aka Choi Seunghyun at rap battles and a radio station in about 2004.
Anybody interested in what’s actually popular in Korea versus what is popular among global K-Pop fans would be well served checking out Show Me The Money. I’ve played a few tracks in previous episodes like “VVS” from season 9 and “쉬어“ from season 10 but you can dial up a ton of fun content on YouTube or if you’re feeling morbid you can check out Iron in action.
I didn’t get too deeply into ToppDogg’s dysfunctional dynamics in the episode but needless to say some truly awful stories have come out in recent years. The damage done to these kids is unforgivable. Nabbing Cho PD on investment fraud has strong overtones of Al Capone and tax evasion—that said, it is astonishing how he has been erased from the “K-Pop” narrative in English, particularly in terms of hip-hop. Cho PD may have ended up in front of the Supreme Court but you cannot deny his impact and lasting influence on the early Korean hip-hop scene. If nothing else, without Cho PD, there would be no Psy. Let that sink in.
Last but definitely not least, I want to give a big thank you to Mary who runs BlockB.com and another fantastic Block B update blog for her expertise on BlockB and to AsianJunkie for tracking the ex-ToppDogg members.
The songs played are:
“Arario” by ToppDogg, live on Show Champion, March 12, 2014 and be sure to check out the fantastic MV too!
“Nan Arayo” by Seo Taiji and Boys
“Crank That” by Soulja Boy
“Break Free” by Cho PD
“2U Playa Haterz” by Cho PD (live with orchestra)
“I Love Sex” by Psy
“My Style” by Cho PD (and the MV is really cool)
“Ragga Muffin” by Stony Skunk (I couldn’t resist. I love Stony Skunk and this song.)
“Attractive” by PDIS, performed live on Inkigayo, March 16, 2008
The Dibidibidi Rap, performed by Minho from SHINee on Saturday Night Live and which is something of a running joke among SHINee and their fans.
“Buckwild” (demo) by NBK Gray and Tempo (aka TOP from BigBang)
“Who Am I” by Zico feat. Mino (from Zico on the Block)
“Freeze” by Block B (and check out the official MV!)
“Nalina” by Block B (official MV) which is apparently doing great on TikTok?
“Warrior” by B.A.P. (official MV)
“Fantastic Baby” by BigBang (official MV)
“Bounce” by the JJ Project (official MV)
“Rollin’” by the DaeNamHyup “crew”
“Baba O’Riley” by the Who
“No More Dream” by BTS (official MV)
“Very Good” by Block B (official MV)
“Follow Me” by ToppDogg (official MV)
“Really Really” by Winner (official MV)
“Love Scenario” by iKon (official MV)
“Flower Road” by BigBang
Mino’s rap from Show Me the Money (season 4, episode 2)
“Top Dog” by ToppDogg (official MV)
“My Flower” by JBJ (official MV)
“Her” by Kidoh (official MV)