K-Pop & Its Love Of American Hip Hop

On June 9, PSY released the music video for “Hangover,"  his newest release which features American hip hop legend Snoop Dogg.

“Hangover” features appearances by YG Entertainment's G-Dragon and CL, with a rhyme scheme that can appeal to both Korean and American audiences. The video shares the goofiness of “Gangnam Style” and “Gentleman," with the hip hop street cred of Snoop.

While Snoop Dogg may seem like an unlikely artist to be featured with PSY, the pioneer of West Coast hip hop has an on-going relationship with YG Entertainment and Korean pop.

Snoop performed in 2013 with 2NE1 for his first solo concert in Korea entitled Unite All Originals Snoop Dogg Live In Seoul, which was sponsored by Adidas. The performance was beneficial to Snoop Dogg, as well as 2NE1, as the artists were able to further substantiate their claims to hip hop in Korea.

Although, Snoop Dogg has not appeared on stage with Dr. Dre in the United States in quite some time, the prominent rappers dominated the stage in Singapore for the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) in 2011. During MAMA 2011, Snoop and Dr. Dre performed the iconic tracks “Drop It While Its Hot” and “The Next Episode."

Beyond Snoop, American hip hop and Korean pop have developed a symbiotic relationship that is sometimes brilliant and often disappointing.

YG Entertainment has become the leader in American hip hop meets K-Pop collaborations. The KCON 2013 stage of G-Dragon and Missy Elliot was a prime example of how K-Pop can succinctly and brilliantly fuse with American hip hop.

By contrast, the collaboration between T-ARA N4 and Chris Brown was baffling to even the most devoted K-Pop fans.

Whiz Khalifa joined in on a remix of "Countryside Life" but the inaugural stage of the collaboration, which featured T-ARA with Chris Brown at The Palms Las Vegas, appeared to be forced and contrived.

2NE1 collaborated with will.i.am for the track “Take The World On."  While “Take The World On” did not receive great acclaim, it marked one step closer for 2NE1 towards infiltrating the American market.

Prior to the release of “Take The World On," 2NE1 member CL sang “Where Is The Love” with will.i.am at MAMA 2011.

JYP Entertainment collaborated with the hip hop artist Akon for the 2012 release “Like Money."  “Like Money” received American radio play, but the track was not as successful as PSY's “Gangnam Style." 

One of the most abysmal K-Pop collaborations which theoretically should have been successful was “Ayyy Girl." The JYJ release featured Kanye West with spoken word artist Malik Yusef.

To date, it remains one of the most awkward collaborations between K-Pop and hip hop artists.

The on-going history of K-Pop and American hip hop is fascinating on many levels. While some collaborations fall flat, PSY and Snoop Dogg are brilliant together. It is obvious that both artists hold mutual respect for one another, with Snoop Dogg maintaining his positive relationship with YG Entertainment.

Tags
Snoop Dogg
Hangover
YG Entertainment
2NE1
Dr. Dre
MAMA 2011
G-Dragon
Missy Elliot
KCON
T-ARA N4
Chris Brown
wiz khalifa
will.i.am
Akon
Kanye West
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