This article is produced in collaboration between the Echo editorial board and our partners at the Clio History Journal. For more of their articles, click here.

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Edited by Alivia Stonier

      K-pop, a genre first popularized in South Korea, is known for synthesizing together many genres including R&B, Rock, Hip-Hop and more. Since its emergence in the 1950s, many different artists have certainly pulled from music known to have been popularized in Black American culture. This has led to backlash and criticism, especially after this influence went beyond the music itself. One example of the cycle of appropriation and backlash can be seen in the work of Blackpink, a highly popular K-pop girl group. 

     Fans around the world eagerly awaited the return of one of the most popular South Korean girl groups Blackpink after months of hiatus. When the quartet released their long-anticipated comeback single “Pink Venom” in August 2022, fans raced to support the group – helping the song reach over 220 million streams on Spotify and the music video reaching nearly 370 million views (as of October 2022).

     Though many expressed their adoration for the song online, many listeners couldn’t help but notice that some parts of the song “drew inspiration” from many popular 90s and early 2000s hits – including The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Kick in the Door” and Rihanna’s “Pon De Replay”.

     Though sampling and directly taking inspiration from Western artists is nothing new within the realm of K-Pop, many listeners criticized Blackpink for the excessive amount of sampling in the song, some even bringing up accusations of plagiarism. This, however, reflects a larger pattern of K-Pop artists using Black culture (specifically Black American culture) – songs, music styles, clothing trends, language, hairstyles, etc. – in order to appeal to wider audiences and have a “unique” concept.  

     The origins of K-Pop as the genre it is known as today can be traced back to the early 1990s with the emergence of popular rap groups – Seo Taiji and the Boys, DJ DOC, Deux – all of which were directly influenced by Black American hip hop and rap artists such as Nas, Tupac, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg.

     However, it can be theorized that the origins of the genre trace back to the 1950s and 60s with groups such as the Kim Sisters and the Key Boys, who performed Korean covers of popular American rock and roll songs for GIs stationed in South Korea. Some groups even achieved mild fame in the United States.

     Early American rock and roll draws from jazz and blues music, genres popularized and pioneered by African American artists in the early 20th century, yet little credit is given to the Black artists who contributed so much to developing the genre.

      In the late 1990s and early 2000s, rap and hip hop, genres created by mostly Black American artists, continued to heavily influence popular Korean music alongside R&B and soul (other genres popularized by Black artists), which became a popular style of music for K-Pop’s “first generation” (1995-2005) girl groups such as S.E.S. and Baby V.O.X who drew inspiration from American artists like Destiny’s Child, Aaliyah, and TLC. 

     The second generation of K-Pop artists (2005-2012) saw the debut of many well-known groups such as Super Junior, Girls’ Generation (also known as SNSD), SHINee, 2NE1, and BIGBANG. Though electronic music held a strong influence over songs released during this era, R&B and hip hop continued to dominate much of the sound. Many groups during this era debuted with designated members assigned the role of “main rapper” or have a “rap line” (multiple members of a group who are rappers), a trend which has continued into the present day.

     Electronic music continued to dominate much of the sounds of early third generation K-Pop artists (debuting 2012-2018), however artists began to heavily incorporate trap beats as well as more rapping into their songs, reflecting the genre’s increasing popularity in the U.S. with artists such as Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Future, and Nicki Minaj topping the charts.

     Many internationally well-known K-Pop groups debuted during this time, including BTS, Blackpink, NCT, TWICE, and EXO. R&B also continued to remain a popular style in the genre, with groups such as Red Velvet and MAMAMOO receiving praise for their vocal talent.

    The remaining third generation idol groups as well as the fourth and current generation of K-Pop artists (groups/soloists that debuted after 2017), including groups like Stray Kids, ITZY, Aespa, and LOONA continue to incorporate trap beats mixed with electronic dance music (EDM) into their songs. Almost every group feature one or multiple members who are designated rappers, and nearly every song features a rap verse.

      Another genre that has been incorporated into K-Pop songs since the second generation of idols is disco, originally pioneered in the U.S. by Black artists. However, it has been recently popularized by tracks like “Dynamite” by BTS, which has reached nearly 1.5 billion streams on Spotify since its release in 2020.

 

     However – music isn’t the only aspect of African American culture that has been adopted by Korean idols. Since the first generation of K-Pop, idols have worn clothing and hairstyles traditionally associated with and created by Black people. The increasing international popularity of K-Pop combined with a wider awareness of social issues has resulted in numerous idols and groups receiving backlash for engaging in cultural appropriation.

      For instance, Blackpink’s Lalisa Manoban (Lisa), originally from Thailand, was criticized for using a “blaccent” and wearing what appeared to be box braids in promotions for her 2021 solo song “Money”, a hairstyle that is associated with and created by people of African descent.

     Though Lisa has apologized for wearing the hairstyle, many K-Pop fans were still angered by the singer’s choice, questioning why K-Pop idols rely on Black culture so heavily for their own music yet fail to give credit to the culture they’ve taken from. Several members of SM Entertainment idol group NCT have worn durags and cornrows in their music videos and promotions over the years.

     The disrespect towards Black culture and Black people in general doesn’t end with idols engaging in cultural appropriation, several idols – including Aespa’s Giselle and Kim Nam-joon of BTS – came under fire for singing or rapping the n-word when covering songs from Black artists. In 2017, MAMAMOO was embroiled in controversy and backlash after releasing a video where all 4 members performed a cover of “Uptown Funk” in dark face makeup, seemingly to mimic singer Bruno Mars.

     The fascination with Black culture among K-Pop idols is rather ironic considering the amount of racism and xenophobia present in South Korea, one of the most ethnically homogenous nations in the world. The use of Black language, clothing and hairstyles, and music by K-Pop companies is not out of respect or admiration for the culture, rather it is an attempt to repackage many of its aspects and make it more appealing or “digestible” to a Korean audience.

      The genuine admiration for Black art and culture isn’t there – rather, it is obvious that companies are only interested in taking the parts of the culture that are the most profitable for them. 

References 

Arnaud, Jourdan. “A Brief History of K-Pop.” The Los Angeles Film School. Jourdan Arnaud https://www.lafilm.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/lafilm-logo-2.png, April 7, 2021. https://www.lafilm.edu/blog/a-brief-history-of-kpop/. 

Bryant, Daphne. “The Commercialization of Black Hip-Hop and Rap Culture in K-Pop.” Five Cent Sound. Five Cent Sound, October 20, 2021. https://www.fivecentsound.com/blog/the-commercialization-of-black-hip-hop-and-rap-culture-in-k-pop#:~:text=Some%20K%2Dpop%20artists%20put,blackface%20while%20imitating%20famous%20musicians. 

Waqar, Tuba. “Blackpink’s Lisa under Fire for Alleged Cultural Appropriation in ‘Money’.” Sports news, September 21, 2021. https://www.sportskeeda.com/pop-culture/blackpink-s-lisa-fire-alleged-cultural-appropriation-money. 

Herman, Tamar. “K-Pop Girl Group Mamamoo Apologizes for Blackface ‘Uptown Funk’ Performance.” Billboard, March 7, 2017. https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/k-pop-girl-group-mamamoo-apologizes-blackface-performance-uptown-funk-7710346/.