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Drunken Tiger, the godfathers of Korean hip-hop, recently announced that their latest album would their last one.
This eclectic mixture reflects the history of Korean hip-hop.
As with all Western-style music, hip-hop was an import into Koreas pop-music scene.
At times, the fact of this importation gave rise to the criticism that hip-hop in Korea was inauthentic.
Such criticism, however, does not stand up to scrutiny.
However, these pieces were one-off manifestations that did not leave a traceable legacy in Koreas hip-hop history.
But by the mid-1980s they became available for Koreans as well.
The dance-music boom was in full swing at the time.
Michael Jackson was a global sensation, paving the road that led to break-dancing and eventually Run-D.M.C.
Seouls aspiring dancers congregated to these clubs to test their mettle.
Koreas first hip-hop star was Hyeon Jin-yeong, considered one of the greatest dancers in Moon Nights history.
In recounting the history of Korean hip-hop, the importance of Deux cannot be overstated.
Deux was the first meaningful archetype of a hip-hop artist in Korean pop music.
Korean hip-hops identity as dance music would cause a backlash of sorts in the mid- and late 1990s.
But their music was dance music, quite unlike the rap-centered hip-hop in the United States.
Korean-Americans have always played a significant role in introducing black music to Korea.
Korean-Americans English-speaking ability, American-style fashion sense, style, and attitude were considered a mark of their authenticity.
At first they listened to American rap music together, then they started making their own music.
This is considered Koreas first underground hip-hop community a virtual community that birthed the likes of Garion and DEFCON.
These underground rappers sought their own version of authenticity by crafting rhymes in the Korean language.
BTS, of course, is a mainstream K-pop idol band, with plenty of intricate choreography.
