With the recent news of COVID-19 taking the world by storm, most of us our left carrying our work and conversations online. The virus has left us with much to think about as 2020 was the year where we go out and appreciate our loved ones. Let’s keep that in mind!
A playlist dedicated to those who spend time at home and collect lonely thoughts.
featured photo courtesy of L N
Hongdae is the birthplace for much of the youth culture in Seoul, South Korea. Being the home to endless hip-hop clubs and streetwear shops, it is where the latest trends can be seen. Having visited myself in 2016, it is safe to say that the culture that exists within Hongdae is indeed heavily influenced by music and fashion.
Some of the most iconic trends that rocked the minds of the youth were seen on hip-hop shows in South Korea. High School Rapper was one of them with Young B sporting his trademark dangling-cross earrings. Having worn it in every episode of the reality show, it was hard to ignore his unique fashion choices while seeing him improve in his craft. Over time, the association with the cross earrings and the eventual final winner of the show became inseparable.
During Show Me The Money 6, rapper Woo polished the growing trend of beanies and mullets. By wearing his beanie shallow enough to cover his eyebrows, it added to his natural, ominous and grim rap character. With most Korean males sporting similar variants of two block bowl cuts, a new medium to long hairstyle was timely appropriate for the growing fashion forward country. Along with the combination of his mullet, it was a different take on vintage and skate culture that South Korea’s youth grew to love.
written by Ryan Xu
featured photo courtesy of Patrick (@astrobound on unsplash)
featured photo courtesy of Joph
Coming out of his hiatus with a full-length album, Silence of the REM, Hash Swan (Deokwang Han) is looking to turn heads with a brand new sound.
The rapper from the label Ambition Musik, headed by rap veteran The Quiett, has found himself in somewhat of a musical slump in the past year. With fellow peers who started their careers the same way, Hash Swan has inescapably been isolated by the public and labeled as a “Show Me The Money” rapper after his appearances on the show in 2016 and 2017. The small window of time to embed your name into the public’s eye before you are forgotten plagues many rappers to this day in South Korea. Like many others, their career and name usually plateau in relevance as being liberated from the show’s portrayal is just as difficult as staying atop changing trends.
The style of rap that Hash Swan delivers on this project is melancholic and soft in volume and character. Not only does that adhere to most of South Korea’s youth taste, he also demonstrates the ability to evolve and adapt to current trends, which was his problem in the past.
Being mainly associated with excessively tight lyrics that are incapable of being performed live, Hash Swan approaches the writing in this album knowing the extent of his rapping ability. Straying further from his usual complex verbiage in his lyrics, the conscious decision to embrace the simple but soulful vocals and catchy hooks allows for versatile features from R&B, indie and pop vocalists. Pop singer Jamie and indie band SURL are some of the unique voices that can be a start to bridge future genre collaborations with Korean hip-hop rappers.
From Teenage in Closet to Olive is Better, the album speaks upon cohesiveness as its strongest point as all the tracks are overflowing with future bass and synthesizer instruments. The genre of the album leans towards a hip hop and electronic dance music mix with hints of R&B, something Hash Swan is no stranger to. He has dabbled in this sound before through features and his latest EP, Peridot. However, its reach was not enough to sway public opinion and prove to the Korean hip-hop culture that he is capable as a rapper. Thus, following his last EP, Silence of the REM seems to be the definitive sequel and reply to the public that change is possible.
written by Ryan Xu
Hip Hop From the East 