The Godfather
Seo Taiji and Boys. To many K-Pop fans, this name doesn’t even make a blip on their radar except through covers by their favorite artists. To many Koreans, this name marked the beginning of how K-Pop became so prevalent in their culture. And if there ever was a figure who single-handedly shaped the industry, it is no other than Seo Taiji. With his disregard for the restrictions and rules of the Korean music industry at the time, he created an impact so great that the history of Korean music has been chronicled as “Pre-Seo Taiji” and “Post-Seo Taiji.” This is his story.
1990’s Korea was in the midst of an economic boom with increased liberation of media and rapidly advancing communications technology where video was becoming the norm. Through these channels, Korea had easier and quicker access to world news, culture, fashion, and the latest American fads. It was a time of rebellion of youth before tradition, and Korea’s youth were done with run-of-the-mill ballad songs and slightly more upbeat Trot songs that still sang of past wars, saying goodbye to loved ones, or separation of North and South Korea.
It was in this cultural transition that Korea first saw a young high school drop-out Seo Taiji on the bass guitar in the waning days of legendary rock group Sinawe, Korea’s first heavy metal band. His stint with the group was short lived, with the group’s breakup in 1991. Not giving up on creating a resistance to the system which he viewed as oppressive and corrupt, he continued to strive to break music boundaries. Seo came across MIDI technology for the first time and began to experiment with different MIDI sounds, incorporating elements of heavy metal, American hip-hop, and Korean instrumentals. He then recruited dancer and backup vocalists Yang Hyunsuk and Lee Juno to form Seo Taiji and Boys. On April 11, 1992, Seo Taiji and Boys performed their first single, “Nan Arayo” on a Korean broadcast station. Marrying a unique hybrid of two different popular cultures and highly energetic dance moves, Seo Taiji and Boys became an overnight sensation with teenagers all over the nation. The single went #1 for a record-breaking 17 weeks straight. A champion for the youth, Seo Taiji and Boys were dubbed the “Cultural President” by creating a completely new music genre for youth with relatable lyrics and a new brand of dance, fashion, and image-making.
By spearheading the entire process by himself, Seo Taiji not only helped shape the cultural landscape of the time but changed the entire Korean music industry. For the first time, an artist was not controlled by the broadcasting station. Since Seo wrote all the music and created his performances, he had no need to use the stations’ resources and thus was not subjugated to the whims of the broadcasting station. Album after album, he sought to embody new Western influences into Korean music while still keeping rap prevalent throughout his music, a tradition still found in today’s K-Pop music.
As Seo Taiji and Boys cemented their influence in the music industry and culture, the broadcasting stations’ influence weakened and allowed for the emergence of private entertainment companies. Through the prevalence of Seo Taiji and Boys, producers saw an alternative way to stardom instead of through broadcasting stations. It is through this new method that Seo Taiji and Boys paved the way for the current Korean entertainment companies to dominate the Korean music industry, allowing K-Pop to grow into what we know it to be today.