Drunken Tiger Talk Hip Hop's Early Days in South Korea: "It Was a Secret Society"

UPDATE: Watch the full Drunken Tiger interview now above

Today, one of K-pop's signature charms are its acts boasting the quintessential rapper—CL of 2NE1, Yubin of Wonder Girls, etc. But hip hop has only been a part of South Korea's mainstream for a little more than a decade. Korean-American rappers Tiger JK and Yoon Mi Rae—who, along with their longtime collaborator, New Zealand MC Bizzy, comprise Drunken Tiger—are two of the country's most respected rap artists. The real-life couple are known for leading the then-underground genre into the conservative nation's consciousness in the late '90s.

"Back in the day it was crazy underground," Tiger JK tells Fuse News for this week's FUSE LOVES SEOUL: From K-Pop to Hip Hop special. "Hip hop existed, but it was almost a secret society thing. [People would say things like], 'I heard there's somebody or a group of people that dress funky, they sag their pants, all their clothes are baggy and they battle.' It was really crazy because you don't hear them on the radio."

Find out more about Drunken Tiger and their continuing quest to break into Korean pop tonight on Fuse News at 7:30/6:30C. Head back here after the show for the full interview.

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Watch Fuse News' interviews with 2NE1 and BIGBANG's TOP right here.