K-Pop Double-Take: Why 4Minute Rapper HyunA’s Solo Track 'Red' Should Be A Hit Single In The U.S. [VIDEO]

K-Pop Double-Take is a periodic column highlighting recent releases that have yet to receive the attention we feel they deserve.

Kim Hyuna, the South Korean rapper known to her fans as HyunA, released her third solo EP, "A Talk," back in July.

Despite the popularity of the leadoff single "Red," the South Korean music television show "Inkigayo" (or "The Music Trend") promptly deemed the video to be too explicit to include in its famous K-pop Countdown.

But it is precisely this boundary-pushing music video, the perfect match for a song that jumps genres at an almost dizzying pace, that makes "Red" a prime candidate for crossover success in the Western pop music scene.

Let's not forget it was HyunA's dancing that helped make Psy's "Gangnam Style" a global phenomenon.

The music production for "Red" is a bit schizophrenic, vacillating between production styles and genres at an almost hysterical pace. It zigs and zags through short sections of completely different musical styles. The first minute of the song alone contains elements of dubstep, 808-based hip-hop, southern rap and Top 40 pop.

At one point, "Red" dives headfirst into what can only be described as a Bollywood breakdown, replete with tablas and raga-like chanting. In other words, it's perfectly crafted for a Western pop music audience with a diminishing attention span and expanding musical pallet.

And then there's the outrageous music video.

It prominently features in no particular order: group twerking, monkey butts, HyunA wearing a monkey as a shirt, a man in a thong being spanked in slow motion, models riding a giant banana and paparazzi locked in animal cages. Combine the video's shock-factor, HyunA's star power and the song's non-stop barrage of infectious hooks and you've got a recipe for a viral sensation. The Youtube video has accumulated over 8 million views in two months, but has yet to break into the West in a major way.

It still remains to be seen if HyunA will have the same level of crossover success as K-pop's biggest international star Psy, but she is certainly poised make the leap.

Her solo version of "Gangnam Style" is the third most watched K-pop music video on YouTube and her dance track "Bubble Pop!" released in 2011, landed her a spot on Billboard Magazine's "21 Under 21" list alongside artists like Justin Beiber, Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus. In 2013, the rapper who is also a member of the innovative girl group 4Minute told Billboard Magazine in an interview that she is considering a US debut for future releases.

More recently HyunA traveled to Austin, Texas to participate in SXSW's second inaugural "K-pop Night Out," an American showcase of seven popular South Korean acts.

Regardless of what the future holds for HyunA, one thing is certain: when it comes to creating genre busting, ultra catchy, wickedly fun and totally NSFW entertainment, she and her team know how to deliver.

Watch the music video for HyunA's hit single "Red" RIGHT HERE

Harper Willis is a Brooklyn, New York-based producer and engineer. He has a passion for recording bands in crazy places, like ski mountains, motorcycle garages and swimming pools. 

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