Tiger JK, Korean-American rapper, releases single Love Peace as a message to Asians in the US to stand up to violence and hate
- Hip-hop artist Tiger JK felt compelled to write his single Love Peace when Korean-American family members in the US were subjected to racism
- The song advocates understanding, but is also a call to Asian-Americans to learn how to defend themselves. A new album is next, the 47-year-old rapper says
Tiger JK doesn’t want to have to spend time worrying about his family in the United States, but when his sister called him to say she and her four-year-old daughter had been told to go back to their country while they were in their neighbourhood playground, he knew it was time to speak up.
His new song Love Peace, which was released on Thursday, is his gift of sorts to the world, a call to arms for the sake of peace.
“I made this song to just let out my pain. I’m not planning to be a revolutionary, I’m just simply mad. It’s pretty violent, and angry, but I figure it’s part of me,” he explains.
The rapper, considered one of South Korea’s most prominent and impactful hip-hop artists, grew up in Los Angeles, and lives in Seoul with his wife, Yoon Mi-rae, also known as Tasha, and their 13-year-old son, Jordan.
Last year, he spent a lot of time at home because of restrictions South Korea imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus, and was watching the news religiously, including White House briefings. In June 2020, when then-US President Donald Trump called Covid-19 “kung flu”, a derogatory term alluding to Covid-19’s initial emergence in China, it was laughed off by many people – but it didn’t sit right with Tiger JK.