K-Music Collaborations Part One: When Genres Collide
Everyone loves when musicians delve into or combine different genres into their music, especially within the K-Music scene. For example, K-Pop group ATEEZ channeled Metal and Hard Rock in their song “Guerilla,” XDINARY HEROES promote themselves as a K-Band whose music takes on both Rock and Pop influences, and Yoon Mirae, one of K-Hip-Hop’s most iconic female artists, is known for, not only her impressive rap skills but also, for her powerful vocal capabilities with her beautiful ballad, K-Drama OST tracks. These genre blends are sometimes a great surprise, adding an extra charm to the artist’s brand, allowing them to draw in and attract listeners and fans from all sides of their musical endeavors.
While one artist channeling different music styles is a great concept in music, what’s also exciting is when two (or more) artists from different music styles come together and release incredible music that utilizes each of their genres and styles.
So, with this in mind, part one of our two-part K-Music Collaborations list will look at several collaborations between Korean artists across different genres of music. Looking at crossovers between artists from K-Pop and K-Hip-Hop, K-Hip-Hop and K-Rock, K-Rock and K-Pop, and more!
K-Pop and K-Hip-Hop/K-R&B:
“Don’t” - Loco, HWASA
Released in 2018, Loco and HWASA’s track “Don’t” has gone on to become one of the greatest K-Pop and K-Hip-Hop collaborations to exist within the entire K-Music industry. This track was produced by Woogie and created as part of the show, The Hyena on the Keyboard. “Don’t” plays as a sensual R&B track that showcases HWASA and Loco’s astonishing chemistry, both through their vocals and through their physical portrayals in the live performance video.
“Is this bad b****** number?” - JEON SOYEON featuring BIBI and Lee Youngji
JEON SOYEON, BIBI, and Lee Youngji didn’t come to play with this incredible track, “Is this bad b****** number?,” an all-female collaboration between one of K-Pop’s best singer-songwriters, rappers, and producers, and two of K-Hip-Hop’s leading female artists. “Is this bad b**** number?” was destined to be a hit from the get-go.
“Waves” - Kang Daniel featuring Simon Dominic and JAMIE
Featuring K-Hip-Hop rapper Simon Dominic and soloist JAMIE, K-Pop idol/soloist Kang Daniel’s “Waves” was obviously going to be a great collaborative track just from the artist line-up alone. Over a dancehall beat, Kang Daniel’s smooth vocals lead the chorus and the opening verse while Simon Dominic and JAMIE respectfully take charge of the rapping and pre-chorus sections, beautifully contrasting Kang Daniel’s vocals with a touch of their raspiness and edge.
“I’m Gonna Love You” - D.O featuring Wonstein
D.O’s solo track “I’m Gonna Love You” featuring rapper and singer Wonstein is one of the sweetest sounding Korean collaboration tracks to exist. Combining the harmonious voices of two incredible artists from the K-Pop and K-Hip-Hop industry, “I’m Gonna Love You” plays as a beautiful love serenade that gets you feeling all sorts of romantic emotions.
K-Rock/K-Indie and K-Hip-Hop:
“Dive” - TOUCHED featuring Samuel Seo
As a collaboration formed through Mnet’s band survival competition program Great Seoul Invasion (GSI), co-ed K-Rock band TOUCHED joined forces with K-Hip-Hop artist Samuel Seo for this hauntingly beautiful rock-ballad track “Dive.” Sung against powerful band instrumentation, “Dive” showcases TOUCHED vocalist YUNMIN’s strong, distinct vocals and Samuel Seo’s compelling tone, taking listeners on a dramatic journey through the song’s sound.
“Don’t Say No” - SURL featuring Jay Park
“Don’t Say No” is the unexpected yet stunning collaboration track between K-Rock/Indie band SURL and K-Hip-Hop/K-R&B royalty Jay Park. “Don’t Say No” expresses a great blend of the two artists' respective music genres, utilizing SURL’s and vocalist Seol Hoseung’s delicate and mellow band sound with Jay Park’s smooth R&B vocals and an unexpected rap verse.
“everythingoes” - RM featuring NELL
For his 2018 mixtape mono., RM teamed up with Korean rock band NELL for the song “everythingoes.” As a solo artist, releasing music in and outside of BTS, RM has become known for his remarkable rap capabilities with both K-Pop and K-Hip-Hop/R&B music. While “everythingoes” showcases his impressive rap skills, RM expresses a more melodious and calm expression through his vocals in this track. NELL, on the other hand, lend their instrumental talents, playing the music’s dreamy and chilled instrumentation.
“voyage” - APRO featuring Chwvin of Wetter
Korean Hip-Hop producer APRO’s track “voyage'' features the vocals of Korean Rock/Indie band WETTER’s vocalist Chwvin. This track is a fun and somewhat nostalgic rock track, carrying old-school British rock vibes highlighted through the song’s instrumentation and Chvwin’s raspy vocals. Chwvin sings with quite an entertaining and charming flow, with the “yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah’s” sung at the end of each chorus also being a particularly enjoyable part of this hyped-up track.
K-Pop, K-Rock, and K-Hip-Hop:
“Hanryang” - Kim Heechul and Min Kyung Hoon featuring BIBI
Thank you, Knowing Brothers, for this iconic collaboration track! Produced by K-Hip-Hop artist DinDin, and sung by K-Pop’s Super Junior member Kim Heechul, K-Rock’s BUZZ vocalist Min KyungHoon, and K-Hip-Hop artist BIBI, and featuring a dance performance from K-Pop group ATEEZ in a music video directed by Super Junior member Shindong, “Hanryang” is a colossal collaboration piece. Kim Heechul has been known to rap in various Super Junior hits, but no one had ever heard him rap with this kind of flow before. While Min KyungHoon, known for his powerful head voice and rock ballads, had never rapped or performed any kind of hip-hop music until the making of “Hanryang.” Although created for a program, this collaboration has become a fan favorite that deserves to be added to everyone's K-Hip-Hop playlist.
Alternative K-Pop and K-Hip-Hop:
“SEXY NUKIM” - Balming Tiger featuring RM
In 2022, self-proclaimed ‘Alternative K-Pop’ collective Balming Tiger and K-Pop and K-Hip-Hop/R&B artist RM released “SEXY NUKIM,” an unexpected yet amazing collaboration track. From the offset, “SEXY NUKIM” is unlike any song you may have heard before. It’s full of so much funk, groove, sensuality, and creativity through the instrumentation and vocals alone while being accompanied by a cinematic and trippy visual music video, making “SEXY NUKIM” a must-watch and a must-listen track for fans to explore.
K-Electronic, K-Hip-Hop, and Neo K-Pop:
“Thinking Of” - SHAUN featuring OVAN and SUMIN
From his 2018 EP Take, K-Electronic artist SHAUN collaborated with K-Hip-Hop rapper OVAN and self-proclaimed Neo-K-Pop artist SUMIN for his track “Thinking Of.” This track carries the best summer feeling with its energetic, EDM backtrack that transports you into a summertime setting, making you want to dance and vibe along to the song, with SUMIN’s vocals and OVAN’s rap adding a great touch to this high-energized yet chilled song.