In South Korea’s monotone music industry, rap duo dares to be different

XXX are shaking up the scene in South Korea with biting rhymes that touch on young people’s frustrations with the rat race

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Published: 6:00pm, 17 Mar 2019Updated: 5:12pm, 18 Mar 2019

The most-viewed music video by South Korean hip-hop duo XXX is a black and white animated story of a commercial plane ride gone horribly wrong. In deadpan images, and to the soundtrack of the group’s jagged, thumping beats, a comely flight attendant turns into a monster and a typical airline meal suddenly becomes overrun with vermin.

The video contains no bright lights, flashy costumes or even any images of the group.

As such, it is a fitting introduction to XXX, a group that is making waves in South Korea and overseas with a sound and aesthetic that differ sharply from most of their country’s acts.

The duo, composed of rapper Ximya (born Kim Dong-hyun in 1995) and producer FRNK (born Park Jin-soo in 1993), released its latest album, “Second Language”, in February, a minimalist collection of 10 headphone-rattling tracks featuring snide rhymes in both English and Korean.

The group has received recognition from some prominent voices, with The New York Times describing it as “far more confrontational” than the “determinedly poppy, perfectly groomed and eager to please” mainstream of South Korean music.

Despite the buzz, the duo say they are unhappy about the politics of the music industry in their home country, where style is sometimes prioritised over substance.

“What makes me kind of angry is how when you try to make a breakthrough in the Korean music industry, it’s not important to be a good musician,” Ximya said, in an interview in the windowless underground room where the group make their music, days before they left for the United States to perform at the SXSW festival. “It’s important that you be a good entertainer. You’ve got to be on TV shows and take these entertainment interviews, stuff that’s not really related to music.”

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In South Korea’s monotone music industry, rap duo dares to be different

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}XXX are shaking up the scene in South Korea with biting rhymes that touch on young people’s frustrations with the rat race

XXX are shaking up the scene in South Korea with biting rhymes that touch on young people’s frustrations with the rat race