International Events

Korean Hip-Hop Artists at SXSW 2017: Drunken Tiger, Yoonmirae, XXX (FRNK, KIM XIMYA)

We’re excited to announce that, for the first time ever, HiphopKR will be attending SXSW 2017 as press to cover all events relevant to Korean hip-hop music and culture.  Check out our article to see which Korean hip-hop acts have been confirmed to be a part of this mega-convention!

First up are pioneers of Korean hip-hop music that fans of the genre will recognize: Tiger JK (of Drunken Tiger) and Yoonmirae.  Since their debut in 1999 and 1997, respectively, the two pushed out a myriad of diverse and ground-breaking tracks that paved the road for the fruition and growth of Korean hip-hop music.  In addition, the two played a critical role in the globalization of Korean hip-hop, with international collaborations with artists including Rakim, Rakka (of Dilates People), Illmind, DJ Honda, Hasebe, Zeebra, Sef Cobane, and many more. Go ahead and immerse yourself in Drunken Tiger’s international collaboration track “Monster.”

Drunken Tiger’s production has been recognized on a global scale, notably the time when Q-Tip (of A Tribe Called Quest) sampled the track “Frequency (주파수)” for Kanye West‘s “Chain Heavy (featuring Talib Kweli and Consequence).”  The duo have been praised as “best of the Far East” by Quincy Jones when the legendary producer connected with the two during his visit to Korea back in April 2011.

Tiger JK and Yoonmirae will be performing at the 5th annual K-Pop Night Out showcase which will be held at The Belmont on March 17, 2017.  Joined by their fellow member Bizzy, the trio will be on stage as MFBTY (short for “My Fan’s Better Than Yours,” a project group that formed in 2013).  Watch the music video for their single “Angel.”

The three will be supported by Junoflo and Ann One, two talented musicians under the same label, Feel Ghood Music.  Recently, the Feel Ghood Music family released a collaborative joint titled “Check The Rhime” which is a free track (released exclusively through HiphopKR) that pays homage to A Tribe Called Quest:

For more information on K-Pop Night Out, you can check out the official SXSW page.

Our next featured artist is XXX, the up-and-coming and internationally recognized duo signed under the Korean label Beasts and Natives Alike (BANA).  The first member of XXX is rapper Kim Ximya, who made several headlines when he was first noticed as the sole featured artist in E-Sens‘ critically acclaimed album [The Anecdote] (2015), which took home “Best Rap & Hip-hop Album” and “Album of the Year” at the 2016 Korean Music Awards.  The second member is a young producer named FRNK, who surfaced to the Korean music scene through his production of E-Sens’ single “Sleep Tight” (2015), as well as the official remix of K-pop group f(x)‘s track “4 Walls.”

The combination of rapper Kim Ximya’s “brutally honest” rap and producer FRNK’s avant-garde beats was spotted by BBC 1 Radio, Apple Music and Hypetrak, even before the release of their debut album [KYOMI] (2016).  In addition, the duo has worked with international artists including the Paris-based animator and illustrator Mattis Dovier, who is recognized for his “gruesome yet beautiful” 8-bit dot animations.  The music video for the track “Flight Attendant” takes place in an airplane, which “symbolizes today’s consumer society expressed in a beautiful yet gruesome way with [a] spine-tingling twist.”

Kim Ximya and FRNK of XXX will be performing on stage at HOTLINE, which will be held at ScratcHouse on March 15, 2017.  Check out the full line-up of the event by accessing the official SXSW page.

Photo credits, clockwise from top left:
SXSW Official Logo courtesy of SXSW
Kim Ximya and FRNK photo courtesy of Beasts and Natives Alike
MFBTY photo courtesy of Feel Ghood Music