[Exclusive] Dynamic Duo Talks About The Changing Face Of Their Audience & Performing In America

On March 27, Korean hip-hop pioneers Dynamic Duo made a special appearance at a program entitled Dynamic K-Pop, which was held at George Washington University's Jack Morton Auditorium. Presented by the Korean Cultural Center D.C., Dynamic K-Pop provided a retrospective into the career of Dynamic Duo's Choiza and Gaeko, as well as a Q&A session.

The highlight of Dynamic K-Pop was definitely the performance by Dynamic Duo, which was uniquely intimate due to the seating limitations of the auditorium. For Dynamic Duo, whose most recent US performance was at KCON 2013, Dynamic K-Pop was a departure from the large stadium setting. Gaeko and Choiza actively engaged with the audience, while expressing their excitement to be the featured entertainers at Dynamic K-Pop.

Their appearance in Washington, D.C. also carried great significance as Dynamic Duo would perform at the One Mic world hip hop festival at the esteemed Kennedy Center, the following day.

Dynamic Duo gives a shout out to KpopStarz readers.

In addition to the Q&A session as part of the Dynamic K-Pop event, Choiza and Gaeko were able to sit down with KpopStarz for an exclusive interview. The engaging conversation provided further insight into the evolution of one of the most prominent acts in Korean hip-hop.

Kpopstarz: Korean music has been gaining popularity in the United States within recent years. What do you think contributes to the growing international success of Korean hip-hop?

Choiza: Starting with idol groups, the physical appearance of the idols, created a synergistic effect in which fans are really thrilled to see how everything is put together so well.

Gaeko:These fans start from the idol groups, then become interested in other genres other than K-Pop. That includes K-Hip-Hop and all that good stuff.

Choiza: We are shocked by the audience, every time we appear at an event like this one. When we recently went to Europe for our concert, in Paris, we noticed that it wasn't just Korean-French people attending. It was the actual local French people who came to see us. We were really shocked to see the audience composition, demographic.

Kpopstarz: Dynamic Duo has recently had numerous opportunities to perform in the United States, including KCON 2013 and the upcoming LA K-Pop Festival. How do audiences outside of Korea respond to your music?

Gaeko: At first, we thought that our American audience was going to be really different, more individualistic, enjoying themselves a little bit more at concerts, and whatnot. We are shocked to see that the audience behaves in very similar ways as the Korean fans. Just the faces of the audience members are different. They sing along really loudly to what we are singing. The American fans love to communication amongst themselves, but are very Korean-style in the way that they carry themselves.

Kpopstarz: The 'One Mic' Festival will feature many of the world's most influential hip-hop artists, in addition to yourselves. What artists do you draw influence from?

Gaeko: It's hard for us to point out a specific influence at this point. We were younger we used to be obsessed with a specific artist and the work that they did. Now that we have our own music and own style, instead of going obsessively over someone else's work, we enjoy them but are not fixated on a particular artist.

Kpopstarz: Who do you think are some of the most promising new artists in Korean hip-hop?

Gaeko: Dynamic Duo, forever and ever.

Choiza: It is really hard to single out one band, because everyone is doing a great job making their own music, not following what a label is telling them to make. Illionaire Records' Dok2 and the Quiett.

Gaeko: Not hip-hop but R&B, Zion T and Crush. These artists have talent, but not just one single artist.

During their Dynamic K-Pop Q&A session, Dynamic Duo addressed some very interesting and often untouched topics. They discussed the aspects of Korean hip-hop that make the genre unique from other types of world hip-hop. They noted that K-Hip-Hop shares its roots in the traditional storytelling genre pansori, with a unique rhythm that sets it apart.

The history of the Korean people is often reflected in K-Hip-Hop, as well as the experiences of the culture. Gaeko went on to explain to explain that Korean hip-hop artists refuse to conform, lending the genre a unique sense of identity. This leads fans to become more interested in K-Hip-Hop.

Dynamic Duo went on to perform many of their top songs including last summer's massive hit single "BAAAM."  The crowd remained electrified throughout the night, with the audience surrounding the stage for their performance.

With its engaging format and talented feature artists, Dynamic K-Pop achieved its goal of providing an exhilarating warm up for Dynamic Duo before their Kennedy Center concert.

***

Special thanks to The Korean Cultural Center at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Washington, D.C. for helping to make this interview possible. Thank you to Sua Kim of the Korean Cultural Center, D.C. for the photographs.

Tags
Dynamic Duo
Dynamic K-Pop
George Washington University
Korean Culture Center of D.C.
The Kennedy Center
Choiza
gaeko
Korean hip hop
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