Other artists see Korean hip hop as an extension of American hip hop. Some artists insist on a distinctive Korean form of hip hop, sampling from Korean music sources and using themes that view their Korean experiences through a hip hop lens. While Korean artists adapt American hip hop to Korean culture, Song also notes a lack of consensus on what constitutes Korean hip hop. Using the framework described in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 explores the defining elements of Korean hip hop, its differences from American hip hop, and the role played by the concept of authenticity. Song combines this oral history with various types of data collected through the analysis of lyrics, visits to sites of hip hop production to collect ethnographic data, an overview of hip hop music and music videos, and observations of online fan boards and forums. These interviews show a range of views on the nature and significance of Korean hip hop, thus avoiding the trap of viewing Korean hip hop as a monolith. These practitioners range from veteran rappers to up-and-coming artists, thus covering individuals at various stages of their careers. Rather than relying solely on music theory, which sometimes fails to acknowledge the experiences and voices of actual artists, Song relies on the practitioners of hip hop to tell their own stories. These interviews were followed up with narrations of the lives of the artists, which contribute to the overall oral history. In addition to asking formal questions of each artist, Song conducted “life timeline interviews,” where she asked “each artist to freely draw her/his life on a large sketchbook to record important moments in life” (p. Instead of using snowball sampling, Song obtained interviews through individual contact with prospective interviewees. The bulk of the book draws on the analysis of qualitative data gathered from interviews conducted between 20 with artists that include rappers, DJs, a photographer, and an art director. In Chapter 1, Song establishes the foundation of the book by providing a historical and methodological context for her study of Korean hip hop and combining several approaches, including interviews, snowball sampling, analysis of lyrics and reviews of social media. Song’s book consists of an introductory chapter that contextualizes the analysis of Korean hip hop artists and subsequent chapters that explore the interaction between popular music and national identity in hip hop. It is a concept that is suffused throughout Korean society and culture and impacts how Korean artists navigate through society and shapes their aspirations. The book defines buran as “Korean for personal, as well as societal anxiety or uncertainty that is manifested on many levels, including psychological, sociocultural, and economic dimension” (p. The book uses the Korean concept of buran as a lens to interpret the ways that Korean artists adapt American hip hop. At the same time, Song asserts that Korean rappers seek to define Korean hip hop as unique and distinct from American hip hop. The book maps the parameters of this authenticity, recognizing that what is considered “real” Korean hip hop is linked to the musical structures developed in the United States. Song argues that Korean hip hop artists frequently invoke a mode of authenticity derived from American hip hop. The persistent tension between the influence of American hip hop and the development of distinct Korean hip hop informs Hanguk Hip Hop’s overarching argument. Myoung-Sun Song’s Hanguk Hip Hop: Global Rap in South Korea expands our understanding of Korean hip hop by meditating on the implications of race, nation, identity, and aesthetics and examining Korean hip hop as a unique music tradition informed by the history and culture of South Korea. Not only does Korean hip hop inform the more pop-oriented modes of Korean popular music directed towards a global audience, it also engages with the established tradition of hip hop pioneered in the United States. While the idols of K-pop generate a great deal of scholarship, few books focus specifically on Korean hip hop as part of the discourse on the globalization of Korean popular culture. Korean popular music has exploded in popularity around the globe in recent years.
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