K-Hip-Hop Throwback: YDG Blends The East And The West On The Double Dragon-Produced 'Run' [AUDIO]

Throughout humankind's history most of the best musical sounds have come from the mixture of cultures.

From African slaves mixing the rhythm and voice of their homeland in Congo Square in New Orleans with the fife and drum of the military units stationed nearby in the 1800s, (considered by many musicologists to be the place and time where jazz was born), to American rhythm and blues, country-western and gospel music fusing together to create a little something called rock 'n' roll, the best results come from mixed sources.

This concept is in full force on the 2010 South Korean hip-hop classic "Run," by actor and rapper Yang Dong Geun, who goes by the name YDG.

The rapper's high caliber of guest stars on the track, including the rappers Tiger JK, Yoon Mi Rae and Bizzy, offer a stunning array of styles on what is a profoundly solid beat from legendary Korean hip-hop production team Double Dragon.

The beat brings together what appears to be the sample of a Korean traditional string instrument and instrument laid over a Rock-A-Fella style hip-hop drum loop that is rock solid.

The rapping also combines a distinctly Korean sound with more Western styles in an even more direct way.

The first few verses "Run" have a distinctly Korean style, and that's a beautiful thing. This is one reason why non-Korean hip-hop heads should listen to K-hip-hop; there is phrasing that an English speaking rapper would not think of which makes for some refreshingly different results.

In the second half of the song, the rappers jump over to the Korean version of classic rappers like Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G., Kanye West, B-Real from the group Cypress Hill and even Lil' Kim.

And though Yoon's intro and outro shout outs are a bit of an unnecessary addition to the song (try starting the track 15 seconds in and ending it a minute early and tell me I'm wrong that it's better), her high-octane rhyme in the middle of "Run" more than makes up for it.

Check out Yang Dong Geun's 2010 hip-hop classic "Run" featuring Tiger JK, Yoon Mi Rae and Bizzy B

Tags
Yang Dong Geun
run
Rapper YDG
K-Hip-Hop Throwback
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