K-pop Recommendations: Black Culture
Again, a very wide genre, this includes everything from Afrobeats (which encompasses Juju and Zouk) to Blues, which often don’t get the credit they deserve. Think The Other Side by Fatou, Piano Man by Mamamoo, or Yo! by SHINHWA.
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Groups:
Description: Mamamoo are well known for their great voices and their retro songs, and their huge discography has lots of jazz, blues, r & b, and funk, from early career hit Piano Man to highlight Um Ah Oh Yeah.
Description: Though now they’re more known for their fluffy, radio-friendly pop sound, anyone who’s been around in k-pop for a while will know that it was actually SHINHWA inspired hip-hop that kickstarted the climb of the biggest boy band in the world. Though hip-hop isn’t a genre I’m a huge fan of, even I can admit that they do it well.
Description: A trailblazer in the industry and (in my opinion) one of k-pop’s greatest writers who we lost far too soon, Jonghyun had a penchant both for ballads and R & B, which he carried off with a voice perfect for both.
Let me know your thoughts!