In February, we teamed up with Korea’s HIPHOPPLAYA group to launch HAN, a Spotify Singles collection spotlighting the newest sounds in Okay-hip-hop. Featuring distinguished Okay-hip-hop and R&B artists like Jay Park, Kid Milli, Blase, MIRANI, and LOOPY, HAN has allowed followers all over the world to find the complicated Korean emotion of the identical identify.
The phrase han has no direct translation in English, however it refers to a deeply ingrained feeling of resentment, sorrow, bitterness, anger, disappointment and remorse that arises from the historic and cultural experiences collectively shared by Koreans. For our featured artists, it was this interior sense of han that turned a central theme and inspiration as they expressed themselves musically and showcased their skills for followers all over the world.
As a part of HAN, over the span of 5 weeks, we launched six distinctive Spotify Singles that includes 21 completely different artists. The songs additionally acquired additional publicity by way of KrOWN, Spotify’s international Okay-hip-hop playlist with greater than 470,000 followers.
Keep studying to be taught extra about every Spotify Single featured within the collection.
“Seoul City” by Kid Milli, Loopy, MIRANI, and sAewoo
We kicked off HAN with the delicate and dystopian “Seoul City,” which introduced Kid Milli, Loopy, and MIRANI along with producer sAewoo.
“The production process was refreshing. It was nice to collaborate with a bunch of artists and have our distinct perspectives on the same theme come together on a single track,” MIRANI commented.
“YG” by Fleeky Bang, Royal 44, Polodared, and YEOHO
For the second single, “YG,” emcees Fleeky Bang, Royal 44, Polodared linked up with producer YEOHO to create a music that displays their idiosyncratic personalities.
“I wanted to try something new since all of the artists on this track are up-and-comers,” YEOHO remarked. “I’m pleased that the track captures the charisma and ambition of each artist.”
“WHIP!” by sokodomo, Don Mills, viceversa, and SMUGGLERS
Next up was “WHIP,” which noticed Don Mills, viceversa, and SMUGGLERS hop on a beat from sokodomo.
“I hope the combination of each artist’s unique style sounds fresh for fans around the world,” mentioned rapper Don Mills, whereas viceversa added: “It’s great to be able to take part in HAN and show the world that there are artists like us.”
“Grrr” by Blase, BlackNut, Jimmy Paige, Dok2, and SMUGGLERS
The fourth Spotify Single was “Grrr,” a collaboration by Blase, BlackNut, Jimmy Paige, Dok2, and SMUGGLERS.
“As soon as I saw the artist lineup, I was on board. I expect HAN to build momentum for K-hip-hop, establish itself as a genre and expand globally,” mentioned Blase.
“Ape Freestyle” by Keith Ape and PEEJAY
The fifth music within the collection, “Ape Freestyle,” takes English and Korean rhymes from emcee Keith Ape and pairs them with a beat from PEEJAY that was impressed by hip-hop’s boom-bap period.
“Rock With You” by Jay Park, KATIE, and WOOGIE
The remaining music to be launched as a part of the HAN collection is “Rock With You.” Bringing the worlds of hip-hop and R&B collectively, Jay Park and KATIE lend their soothing voices to a laid-back beat produced by the trend-setting WOOGIE.
For followers who wish to dive deeper into HAN, try the official video podcast that includes unique behind-the-scenes content material of our featured artists exhausting at work within the studio.