SAM KIM – HiphopKR

Black Lives Matter Always

Music is a cornerstone of black culture. R&B is a descendant of the Negro spiritual. Hip hop is the voice of black and brown youth. Both genres come from great struggle. They’re voices for the disenfranchised, the exploited, the abused, and murdered. R&B and hip hop have become worldwide influences for all cultures and people. This, of course, includes the people of South Korea. Many singers, rappers, producers, songwriters, and composers gain inspiration from these genres and as a result profit from black culture and black fans.

We at HiphopKR know and appreciate these facts. In the end, these hallmarks of black culture are why HiphopKR exists. As such, we have a duty to absolutely stand by the people of this culture that we, as well as all South Korean R&B and hip-hop artists, gain so much from. Our black and brown friends all over the world have suffered endlessly throughout human history. With the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Dreasjon “Sean” Reed, and George Floyd all in the month of May, the unrest came to a head. Years of tension, fear, heartbreak, and anger has caused black and brown people to rise up and demand justice.

And we at HiphopKR stand with them.

Support from South Korean Artists

There has been an outpouring of support from the South Korean hip-hop and R&B communities. Jay Park and the artists and staff at both his AOMG and H1GHR MUSIC labels, Crush, Tiger JK, Dumbofundead, Rekstizzy, YEAR OF THE OX, Ann One, Syn, DAMYE, Jessi, DPR LIVE, and Sam Kim have all raised their voices. They’ve also provided resources for those from South Korea and of the South Korean diaspora who are allied with their black and brown peers in this fight.