K-Pop Double-Take: Ailee Shows Off Her Rap Skills On 'Hueng Hai' From Gaeko Of Dynamic Duo's New Solo Album 'REDINGRAY' [AUDIO]

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

It looks like South Korean vocalist Gaeko's longtime collaboration with bandmate Choiza is no longer the only Dynamic Duo he is a part of.

Though known to most fans purely as a gifted singer, Korean-American K-pop star Ailee slays it in a brief rap verse on the Gaeko track "Hueng Hai" from his new solo album "REDINGRAY," released on Oct. 17.

Recalling the sultry, unforced flow of iconic R&B singer-turned-rapper Erykah Badu, Ailee not only delivers some top-notch rhymes but also turns in what is arguably her most tastefully restrained vocal performance to date.

Gaeko is no slouch either. The two stand toe-to-toe in terms of ability and raw charisma. The results are electrifying.

With shades of D'Angelo's seminal 2000 album "Voodoo" and his producer Raphael Saadiq's "Instant Vintage" from 2002, Gaeko and Ailee are revisiting a fertile time for American R&B.

And that is one very interesting thing about "Hueng Hai," presumably named for the South Korean town of the same name, though there is a considerable amount of rapping in it, it is still an R&B sound in bot style and substance.

This is one area where K-pop performers and producers seem to be more willing to experiment. While most Western hip-hop artists release albums of rap songs, many rappers within the Hallyu movement seem willing to blur these lines, Gaeko being no exception.

And all production aside, Ailee and Gaeko form the perfect compliment to each other's gifts. There is a certain balance happening here that is at the heart of any great duet.

If I were managing either of these artists, I would get the pair back in the recording studio, pronto.

Listen to the Gaeko song "Hueng Hai" featuring Ailee from his new album "REDINGRAY" RIGHT HERE

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Ailee
gaeko
Dynamic Duo Gaeko
REDINGRAY
Hueng Hai
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