If you’re a K-Pop fan, you might’ve been familiar with the fact that most groups have a rapper as most songs have a rap part. And if you’re into fast-paced, upbeat, and trap beats, you might’ve missed exploring the world of Korean hip hop. We’ve included in this list these popular K-hip hop hits to familiarize yourself!
Enjoy!
DPR Live – Jasmine
DPR Live is part of the Dream Perfect Regime label, where he shares the stage with fellow labelmates Ian, Cream, and REM. Jasmine is a song he released under his 2017 EP, Her.
Epik High, Beenzino, Verbal Jint, Mino, Bobby, and B.I – Born Hater
Epik High has hundreds of amazing songs that I can recommend, but nothing beats Born Hater as an introduction to new fans. This 2014 hit is a must-listen because of Epik High and the other artists this iconic song contains.
Loco – Still (feat. Crush)
Loco is an artist signed to AOMG and is the first champion of Show Me the Money. Loco has released lots of songs and has collaborated with famous artists too. Please take a listen to his track featuring Crush below.
Jay Park – MOMMAE
AOMG’s founder, Jay Park, has been in the hip-hop industry for a significant time too! His single, “MOMMAE,” is one of the most popular hip-hop songs released in 2015.
Simon Dominic – Simon Dominic
This song’s catchy melody will definitely let you remember Simon Dominic.
Dynamic Duo – OKSANG
Dynamic Duo consists of Gaeko and Choiza, and the two founded the music label, Amoeba Culture. I’ve included OKSANG in this list as it’s an interesting track worth listening to.
JUSTHIS, MUSHVENOM (prod. GroovyRoom) – Take It
Justhis teams up with Mushvenom in this upbeat hit, “Take It.” Produced by GroovyRoom, the quadruple team-up of the four artists shows their unique chemistry after their stint on Show Me the Money 9.
Jessi – Zoom
Pretty sure you’re familiar with Jessi. She’s released a good number of bop songs and one of them is Zoom.
Lee Young Ji, Layone – Anemone
Prior to her projects in the variety world, Lee Young Ji was a female rapper who won High School Rapper 3. This collaboration with Layone is one of my favorites of hers.
BEWHY, G-Dragon, CL, and OKASIAN – 1,000,000₩
OKASIAN join hands with BEWHY, CL, and G-Dragon for 1,000,000₩.
The Quiett – Prime Time
The Quiett established 1LLIONAIRE Records way back in 2011 with fellow rappers Dok2 and Beenzino. However, the three went separate ways. Now, The Quiett is still in his Prime Time as he presently runs Ambition Muzik and DAYTONA Records.
Paloalto, Jvcki Wai, Coogie, The Quiett, Bassagong – Fadeaway
This collaboration single by The Quiett with Coogie, Jvcki Wai, Paloalto, and Bassagong was released in May 2020.
Mino – Run Away
Mino has had his fair share of K-hip-hop experience. He once joined Show Me the Money 4 and returned to the program in its 10th season as a producer.
Run Away is from his second album, TAKE.
Woo, Coogie, Loco, and Simon Dominic – TTFU
Woo, Coogie, Loco, and Simon Dominic of AOMG collaborate on the intense and definitely a vibe check single “TTFU.”
Blase, Chillin Homie – Jet Lag
Blase and Chillin Homie released Jet Lag as part of their collaborative album, The A-Team, in August 2022.
Jo Gwangil – Acrobat
A warning when listening to this track: you’ll be in awe of Jo Gwangil’s impressive rapping skills. Definitely a playlist must-have.
Balming Tiger, RM of BTS – Sexy Nukim
Balming Tiger consists of 10 members and would often describe their group as a “multi-national alternative K-pop group.” The group has released a lot of experimental tracks, and one that caught my ear was Sexy Nukim with RM of BTS. Hence, you should give it a listen too.
BE’O, Beenzino – Counting Stars
Counting Stars is a very interesting song. BE’O wrote it for the fire elimination round of Show Me the Money 10. It became such a massive hit that he released this track with Beenzino as a featured artist.
BOBBY – U Mad?
As most people say, save the best for last. Show Me the Money 3’s champion continues to dominate the K-Pop industry as one of the most established hip-hop idol artists today.
And take note, the Korean hip-hop music industry is pretty diverse. There’s much to uncover, and a lot of new artists are waiting to be discovered. I’m hoping that the titles listed above will give you a glimpse of this world when you dive in!
P.S., turning on the English subtitles whenever listening to their tracks is a must! You’ll be impressed by what skilled writers these artists are.
How was your experience listening to their songs? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!