WHEN Choi Jae-ho and Kim Yoon-sung first started out as rappers in South Korea 20 years ago, hip hop and rap music were not the typical mainstream bop.
But their breakthrough 2004 album, Taxi Driver, carved a place for them in the growing world of Korean hip hop.
Choi (popularly called Choiza) and Kim (Gaeko) are known as the Dynamic Duo who, like a lot of the rest of the world, initially looked to the birthplace of hip-hop culture – America – for inspiration.
According to the duo, what started out as imitating “what they thought was cool”, has turned into a booming subculture anchored to the Korean entertainment industry, which now broadcast popular rap competition television series Show Me the Money, and its spin-off competiton featuring teens called High School Rapper.
“Along the way, [we] realised that we have our own culture,” said the Dynamic Duo through a translator during a recent interview in Kuala Lumpur.
The two added: “We have Korean hip hop, we have American [hip hop], and hip hop from other countries – the roots are the same, but now [the style] is completely different.”
The duo was in town for the filming of Yo! MTV Raps, the Asian edition reboot of the iconic American television music programme which first premiered over 30 years ago.
The new 10-part series premiered on April 15, and will continue to air across MTV Asia’s platforms every two weeks on Tuesday (9pm).
With a cast of hip-hop artistes from 11 countries, the revamped version showcases the explosion of hip-hop culture – from music to fashion – all across Asia.
Looking at South Korea’s music scene now, Korean hip hop has definitely evolved from its origins in underground music circles.
These days, the line between the more commercial K-pop and K-hip hop might appear slightly blurred in the country best known for its army of perfectly manufactured boy bands and girl groups.
But both Choi and Kim said it is perhaps “more accurate for people outside of Korea to see the difference”, adding that the music is all part of the Korean culture at the end of the day.
“We’re doing music within the same boundary. There’s K-pop, there’s K-hip hop, there’s K-rock, whatever, but within this boundary, we’re just doing what we like to do, in the way that we do.”
However, they add that K-hip hop tends to reflect on the more raw aspects of daily life, “which is quite different from what K-pop is usually saying”.
The two elaborated: “There’s more character [in K-hip hop]. It’s not exactly influenced or tailored to the mainstream.
“[We] want to speak our mind and our thoughts without having to worry about how we would be perceived, because that is part of the spirit of hip hop.
“[We] talk about our struggles, we talk about our lives, we talk about our feelings ... the thought behind the lyrics, it’s very much different from what you can find in K-pop.”
In Dynamic Duo’s latest single called Hemi’s Room, featuring Oh Hyuk (South Korean singer and lead vocalist/guitarist of indie rock band Hyukoh), the fluidity is apparent in the gentle guitar strumming, intertwined with the heartfelt vocals from Oh, and rap verses from Choiza and Gaeko.
They explained that the song speaks about human loneliness, and the pair wanted a voice that would “not necessarily fit the lyrics, but fit the vibe” of Hemi’s Room.
They said they found it Oh, adding that they “couldn’t think of any better voice than Oh Hyuk’s”.
The Dynamic Duo then reached out to him and sent in the demo tape.
“When he heard the demo, he instantly agreed to come on board, and that’s how the song came about.”
