Seo Taiji & Boys, as the title says, are often considered the first ever k-pop band, and, depending on who you ask, from Generation . They were formed in 1992 with three members: Seo Taiji, Lee Juno, and Yang Hyun-suk, before breaking up in 1996; Seo Taiji then began his equally famous solo career. By the way, if the name Yang Hyun-suk rings a bell, then it’s because he’s the eponymous founder of YG Entertainment, the company who created Blackpink, 2NE1, BigBang, and Babymonster.

Here are my credentials: As mentioned, they were formed in ’92, back when my mother was around my age, and so, obviously, I wasn’t a fan (or alive) when they were still together. But this is a blog where I look at kpop groups from across the generations, across companies, and across times, from SHINHWA to ZeroBaseOne, and what better group to cover than the first ever one? So, let’s get into it!

Album #1: Seo Taiji & Boys

I don’t know (lol) what I was expecting when I clicked on the video for I Know (Nan Arayo), but I really should have expected the takeaways from African American hip-hop,  the terrible video quality, and the even worse outfits. (Those overalls, Hyunsuk? Why? Why???). But the song itself was genuinely fascinating to me, pointing at many of the hallmarks that would come to define first and second gen kpop. I don’t think I can say that I liked all of it; it bounces between hip-hop and singing too much and is a bit too reliant on sing-talk for me, but I really did enjoy the more vocal-heavy sections courtesy of Seo Taiji and the brief bursts of electric guitar. So, I’ll leave off by saying that I completely understand why it was so popular and why it birthed the industry I love, but it’s not for me.

You, In The Fantasy is more representative of the other side of early kpop, with a harsher, insistent beat, scream-sung rap, and some (somewhat confusing, incredibly vague) commentary…on…something? The song is even more disjointed than Nan Arayo was, and its music video is one of the strangest things that has ever graced my screen. Why is there a crazy vampire man whom Seo Taiji has to chase onto balconies and defeat with a cross like he’s a Korean Phantom Of The Opera? Fuck if I know. It was 1992, and clearly someone making this was very high while listening to Total Eclipse Of The Heart. (This last line is courtesy of my mother, who wasn’t intending to watch this, but got roped in because I needed someone to validate my befuddlement. Thanks Mom :))

This first album was ingeniously titled “Seo Taiji & Boys”, and I had…mixed reactions. I really enjoyed the jazzy interludes, city pop influences, and breathy vocals of In The Time Spent With You, and the waltz-like tempo, the trilling piano, and of Missing. and couldn’t choose my hidden gem between them. On the opposite side of the coin, I cringed deeply at Blind Love, the English version of Nan Arayo, with its painful attempt at AAVE. It’s twelve tracks, but with most of them being different versions of the titles, it doesn’t have many more songs than your typical kpop EP.

Album #2: Seo Taiji & Boys II

I admit it; I winced when the first people I saw in Anyhow Song were three black men sitting at a bar, because this is 1994 Korea and I had the bad feeling that something very racist was about to happen. Thankfully, besides a bit of cringy “lets-impress-the-black-people-with-how-cool-our-hip-hop-dance-skills-are” and of course the incredibly unnecessary cultural appropriation in Hyunsuk’s hair, it wasn’t too bad. The song itself is honestly my favorite so far, with the way it marries their previous hip-hop with a more consistent rock beat, and adds in both a sharp drum line and a really interesting reoccurring brass section. My favorite part was the bridge / outro, which has some of Taiji’s best vocalizing; I hope they continue with what this song set up!

Seo Taiji & Boys II is again full of many remixes and edits, but still manages to create a few great tracks, like the punchy, electric-guitar-driven Our Own Memories and the desperate vocals and mix of strings and electro that make up Swamp Of Death. My hidden gem was Last Festival, with its delightfully jazzy R & B sound, blending of brash hip-hop and softer melodies, and overall sense of fun. I enjoyed this album more than the last, definitely; I’m hoping that this means they’re on the right track!

Album #3: Seo Taiji & Boys III

Classroom Idea is the start of an immense shift for Seo Taiji and Boys, from your average “girrllllll why have you left meeee” hip-hop songs to a much more cutting-edge, heavy metal sound that expresses fury at social issues. In the case of this track, it’s about the immense pressure of the Korean schooling system that “turns people into puppets”, likely inspired by the fact that Taiji himself dropped out of high school due to the pressure. Though it’s not something I’d necessarily want to listen to outside of very specific circumstances, I can appreciate where it comes from and can appreciate the clear emotion behind it; it has my respect.

(CW: next paragraph mentions Anti-Semitism and the Nazis)

What I don’t respect, though, is whoever’s decision it was for the 25th Anniversary performance of this (which is the version I watched, since I wanted to see something live) to fly flags incredibly reminiscent of Nazi ones. Combined with the very militaristic outfits worn by BTS (who were there for a special collaboration) and Taiji’s shouted speech from a podium right before the song began, saying it’s a gamut of queasy visuals would be an understatement.

Dreaming Of Balhae is a more traditional “pop song” in terms of sound, led by a sunny, dreamy acoustic guitar and the cleanest vocals Seo Taiji and Boys have had in a single so far, but is no less political in its lyrics, which speak of dreaming of a unified Korea (“open your heart’s door and find a way out for us”). There’s still the hallmarks of their work before—the sing-talk, the electric guitar digressions, and the raspiness of their vocals—but it feels like the start of a new area even more than Classroom Idea did, and in my opinion, it’s their best song from their time as a band. It touched me, certainly, and I’m neither Korean nor do I live in a divided land. Really, though, it’s a beautiful song, and one that I think can resonate with people around the world.

Seo Taiji & Boys III (we’re not escaping these names are we?) is on the whole a very different album than the first two, and feels more…mature, maybe? Dreaming Of Children is probably the biggest departure; it can best be described as “haunting”, with its chorus of children’s voices and Taiji’s own feeling more sorrowful than usual, and is a bonafide ballad, something I never would’ve expected after Nan Arayo. I also enjoyed the frankly bizarre instrumental of It’s My Business and the desperate power of I Will Erase You, but my hidden gem was Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, with its insistent guitar-driven instrumental, vocals that toe the line of raspy, and hook just on the right side of catchy. It’s a great collection in general.

Album #4: Seo Taiji & Boys IV

Come Back Home (and album 4 in general) is probably the start of the Seo Taiji songs that remain part of the cultural zeitgeist even now; BTS for example has covered several songs from this album and named Seo Taiji and Boys as inspiration, as have TXT and Enhypen. Though he’s leaned into the higher end of his range before, I have to confess, Taiji’s voice here drove me crazy and not in a good way; I found it grating on the ears. After how well the combination of pop, metal and hip-hop worked in their last album, I was hoping to hear more of it, but no. Just the worst kind of fingernails-on-a-chalkboard vocals combined with the off-kilter instrumental, and it was a fight to get through the song. I honestly have no idea why this is considered a classic because I hated it. I’m sorry.

Regret Of The Times was actually the first Seo Taiji song I heard, thanks to an excellent cover by Dreamcatcher, and thankfully for me, it does actually build off of the rock-pop sound started by Dreaming Of Balhae, though it falls more on the rock side of that equation. It has what’s probably the best hook of the band’s hits, combined with hard-hitting lyrics of dissatisfaction with the older generations that are tailor-made to be scream-sung at a concert, head banging and hair flying everywhere. And that guitar hook? Hell yes, I love how it just goes for it; I’ve always had a deep respect for songs that revel in what they are, no holds barred. This is a great song, no cap.

From this album. I enjoyed the electronic line of Sad Pain, the choir in 1996: When They Conquered The World, and the great beat and hard-hitting guitar in Free Style. I enjoyed the idea of this album, but the vocals were a bit more hit or miss for me, I’m afraid; I did a lot of wincing.

Next time, we’re onto Part 2, where I’ll cover Seo Taiji’s work after the band broke up! Tschüss!