In this essay I will be arguing that the commercialization of Korean hip hop has led to social acceptance of the genre. Korea has a very conformist, conservative culture whereas authentic hip hop is about being rebellious, different and thus underground. This essay will outline how Koreans have altered the hip hop genre to fit into their society. I will be using Deans CF music video for Kakao pay as an example of how Korean hip hop has become mainstream and socially accepted.
Hip hop originates from America where it is seen as a sub-culture but in Korea it has become a commercialized trend, making it in association with culturally dominant forms. (Hare and Baker 2017:6) Korean hip hop artists have changed the genre to fit into their societies culture by writing about things like love rather than rebellious themes, thus making it “easier for [local] people to digest” (Hare and Baker 2017:6). This is reflected in Deans Kakao pay song which talks about nothing rebellious but rather has a chill, “come with me here” vibe.
This leads into how Korea’s entertainment system is in a business to business model, which means that rather than having artists depends on fans to purchase their albums. Large businesses will hire celebrities to advertise for them and in return those companies will make money from the fans purchases (Oh and Park 2012). For artists this means that their public image is of upmost importance. If Korean hip hop artists had followed original hip hops rebellious themes their commercial success would’ve been negatively impacted. Luckily they have “always been associated with middle-class, educated, moderate and religious (e.g. Christian) elements of society” (Um 2013:58). Dean would be the perfect example, since his debut he has maintained a clean image by making popular but never controversial music. Thus, this has made him a commercial success, with him being the ambassador for Kakao pay, owned by Kakao Corp. one of the top companies in Korea.
Continuing, Korean hip hop has not just taken in things from America but they have attached their own local uses and meanings to them (Creighton 2016:2). Although some may argue that their hip hop is inauthentic but it has allowed Korean artists like Dean to see commercial success. In addition “people’s engagement in consumerism can also be a means of showing personal identity, or connectedness–a means of linking selves to others in social relationships” (Creighton 2016:2). This is a very valid point that fits into Korea’s culture seamlessly, with Korea being a conformist society “fitting in” through consumerism is seen as a way to show connectedness. One of the main supporting factors of how hip hop become so popular in Korea is the unique fashion style, this consists of wearing popular sport brands like Adidas and Nike. This style is worn by practically every hip hop artist in Korean, including Dean. Fans love to buy and wear the same things as these stars which is why companies will enlist them to advertise for them. By having Dean, a trendy hip hop artist advertise for Kakao pay, not only fans but members of the public will all want to become users of the platform.
In conclusion, Dean’s Kakao pay music video shows how commercialization of hip hop has led to the genres popularity and social acceptance. Although the genre in Korea is no longer authentic to Americas hip hop style, they have modified it in a way that Koreans are able to accept and enjoy.
References
Oh, Ingyu, and Gil-Sung Park. “From B2C to B2B: Selling Korean pop music in the age of new social media.” Korea Observer 43, no. 3 (2012): 365-397.
Hare, Sarah, and Andrea Baker. “Keepin’It Real: Authenticity, Commercialization, and the Media in Korean Hip Hop.” Sage Open 7, no. 2 (2017): 12-1.
Um, Hae-Kyung. “The poetics of resistance and the politics of crossing borders: Korean hip-hop and ‘cultural reterritorialisation’.” Popular Music 32, no. 1 (2013): 51-64.
Creighton, Millie.”Through the Korean Wave Looking Glass: Gender, Consumerism, Transnationalism, Tourism Reflecting Japan-Korea Relations in Global East Asia” The Asia-Pacific Journal 14, no.7 (2016): 1-15.
Julia Zhou 68628361
Asia327 Dean 