Local Artist: Young Korea and Houston’s Korean Hip-Hop Scene

We’ve all heard of K-pop. I mean who hasn’t? From BTS to Monsta X to Shinee, Korean Pop is taking the western hemisphere by storm. But there’s another form of Korean music that’s on the rise, Korean hip-hop/Korean trap. From hit songs like “Sexy 4eva” by rapper Jay Park and “It G Ma” by Keith Ape, Korean hip-hop/Korean trap is another wave of Korean music about to hit the western hemisphere.

With the rise of Korean pop, a rise in interest of Korean culture is only natural. Korean music isn’t the only form of media getting a taste of the spotlight. Korean dramas often rake up big ratings from my personal favorite Jealousy Incarnate to the world-famous Goblin. With the rise of Korean pop, there comes a piquing of interest when it comes to Korean culture. As a result, many towns now have annual Korean Festivals. These Korean Festivals have a plate of Korean food and Korean entertainment.

I recently went to Houston’s own Korean Festival this past weekend, and it was awesome! From the boba teas and fried dumplings, I ate to my heart’s content. What really stood out to me though was the music, more specifically, a rapper by the name of Young Korea. Hailing from the southwest side of Houston, Young Korea’s raps consists of clever word play as he effortlessly switches from English to Korean. Like many Houston rappers, he is involved in his community. Young Korea supports fellow Asian musicians, and he has even opened a black beauty supply store on Westheimer. It’s important to note the last part of the previous sentence because black beauty supply stores have been a pivotal aspect when it comes to the Houston hip-hop and overall music scene.

In his recent song, “Super Trapper”, Young Korea opens the song with a Korean verse and then transitions into the flow of the beat with a clever wordplay of the Korean word “neaga”.  In the third verse, he begins to spit his rhymes in English that detail his rise to the top of Houston’s Korean hip-hop/Korean trap music scene. Though the beat is hard, Young Korea’s sound isn’t strong enough for the beat, but weirdly enough, the contrast is nice. For updates, follow his instagram, YoungKorea and check out his music below!