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Seo Taiji and Boys
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Seo Taiji and Boys was a South Korean group that was active from 1992 to 1996. Singer and producer Seo Taiji formed it after the break-up of his metal band Sinawe, together with the dancers and backing vocalists Yang Hyun-suk and Lee Juno. They experimented with many styles from Western popular music. On 11 April 1992 they made their debut in a talent show on MBC with Nan Arayo. The jury gave them the lowest score, but the song and the debut album became such a success that Korean pop music was never the same afterwards.
Music and breakthrough
Nan Arayo was one of the first Korean rap songs, with new jack swing, rap verses, a pop-style chorus and new dance steps. The second album from 1993 contained Hayeoga, which combined heavy metal and Korean folk music with the taepyeongso, a Korean oboe. The third album moved towards metal and rock, with Dreaming of Bal-Hae and Classroom Idea, a sharp criticism of the education system. The fourth album from 1995 brought Come Back Home, an excursion into gangsta rap, and Pilseung. The song Regret of the Times was banned by an ethics committee because of its criticism of the government. In January 1996 the group stopped, at the height of its popularity. According to Billboard, each of the first three albums sold more than 1.6 million copies.
Influence
Seo Taiji and Boys are regarded as the group that changed the Korean pop industry, because they brought rap and social criticism into pop music, despite pressure from censorship committees. In this way they laid the foundation for later K-pop.
Listening
Come Back Home · Seo Taiji and Boys, 1995Apple Music ↗
Discography
Studio albums
Mentioned in other articles
- K-pop Genre
K-pop is South Korean pop music that grew from 1992, when Seo Taiji and Boys sang hip hop and rock in Korean.