Who is still not familiar with K-Pop nowadays? No matter what your preference in music genre is, you have probably heard at least one K-Pop ...
Who is still not familiar with K-Pop nowadays? No matter what your preference in music genre is, you have probably heard at least one K-Pop song in your life. With its captivating sound and unique culture, K-Pop has been breaking barriers.Another genre that you may also find interesting is K-Hip-Hop! Henceforth, we offer a list of Korean hip-hop artists that you should give a listen. You might find a different kind of sound that you just can’t help but fall in love with.
Leellamarz, whose real name is Kim Minkyum, joined Ambition Musik in 2019, two years after he dropped his debut studio album Y. He is a member of a crew called Wayside Town, which also houses Panda Gomm and TOIL—the music producers Leellamarz often works with on his albums.
He participated in Show Me The Money 5, but he got eliminated at the third round, after a one-on-one battle against SUPERBEE. In the forthcoming season of the show, Show Me The Money 11, Leellamarz is appearing once again. But this time, as a producer, together with The Quiett.
Listen to his top tracks on Spotify.
Leellamarz
Leellamarz, whose real name is Kim Minkyum, joined Ambition Musik in 2019, two years after he dropped his debut studio album Y. He is a member of a crew called Wayside Town, which also houses Panda Gomm and TOIL—the music producers Leellamarz often works with on his albums.
He participated in Show Me The Money 5, but he got eliminated at the third round, after a one-on-one battle against SUPERBEE. In the forthcoming season of the show, Show Me The Money 11, Leellamarz is appearing once again. But this time, as a producer, together with The Quiett.
Listen to his top tracks on Spotify.
Check out his DF Killing Verse.
BE’O
BE’O, born as Yoo Chanwook, adopted his stage name from his Christian name Pio. He is fairly new in the industry. His debut single album Monster was released just two years ago.
BE’O joined High School Rapper 3 where he gained the mentors’ attention when he did freestyle rap to the beat of Kendrick Lamar’s DNA during the cypher. However, he eventually got eliminated.
He also participated in Show Me The Money 10 and joined Team GRAYNOMA (Gray X Mino). In the end, he bagged the third place and gained unparalleled attention after the show, which pushed his single Counting Stars to the top of Korean music charts.
Listen to his top tracks on Spotify.
ASH ISLAND
ASH ISLAND, whose real name is Yoon Jinyoung, is currently the youngest artist under Ambition Musik. He is a part of a hip-hop crew called Pablo Mu2ik.
He joined High School Rapper 2 where he impressed the mentors when he did freestyle rap to the beat of Eminem’s Lose Yourself while the other contestants were hesitating because it was a rather difficult beat to freestyle on. He ended up bagging the fourth place on the show.
ASH ISLAND received even more attention after he dropped his debut EP ASH, which includes the hit song Paranoid. The following year, he won Rookie of the Year at the 2020 Korean Hip-Hop Awards. Then he won the Best Hip-Hop & Urban Music at the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards after dropping his first studio album ISLAND.
He has a ferret named Huchu and a Bichon Frisé named Baechu!
Listen to his top tracks on Spotify.
Check out his DF Killing Verse.
Kid Milli
Kid Milli, born as Choi Wonjae, took rap lessons from Swings then joined his label Indigo Music in 2017.
He participated in Show Me The Money 777 where he joined Team CODEPALO (CODE KUNST X Paloalto) and ended up as the second runner up. Then returned on the show’s succeeding season as a mentor, along with Swings, Mad Clown, and BOYCOLD, with their team known as 40 Crew.
Kid Milli also became a mentor in High School Rapper 3 with Giriboy, where two of their students, Choi Jinho (BlueWhale) and Kwon Younghoon (TANGTHEAAWESOME), reached the finals.
He has a cat named Kyungdeok!
Listen to his top tracks on Spotify.
Check out his DF Killing Verse.
nafla
nafla’s real name is Choi Seokbae. He also has an English name, Nicholas Choi, because he grew up in the States, specifically, in California. His stage name means “natural flavor.”
nafla entered the Korean hip-hop scene in 2015 with his mixtape This and That, which obtained Best Mixtape of the Year in the 2016 HIPHOPLE Mixtape Awards. Two years after that, he also participated in Show Me The Money 777, which he ended up winning while under Team Just Music.
He was widely known as a part of the label MKIT RAIN, together with Loopy and Bloo. But he left in December 2020, then signed with RAVI’s label GROOVL1N.
Listen to his top tracks on Spotify.
Check out his DF Killing Verse.
We know very well how dangerous simply getting to know an artist is. It starts with listening to a few songs and following them on Instagram and the next thing you know, you are ordering their older albums. It’s a rabbit hole with no way out! But we are sure that you will never regret supporting any of the hip-hop artists on this list.
Discover more Korean hip-hop artists through listening to the Spotify playlist K-Hip-Hop +82. See you at the bottom of the rabbit hole soon!
Main photo from Leellamarz @leellamarz, BE'O / 비오 @auxi_beo, ASH ISLAND @ash.island, KID MILLI @kidcozyboy, and nafla. 나플라. @nasungcityboy on Instagram.
Written by Diana Cleto
Diana, known to friends as Yana, is a full-time mother of eight furry kids and a part-time digital marketing intern at PS Media Enterprise. She considers writing as the only thing she owns, so even while she has a strong love-hate relationship with it, she weaves words with utmost sincerity. But she probably spends more time locked in her room, binge-watching Korean variety shows.
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