Tag: smugglers

K-Hip-Hop’s Biggest Names Take Center Stage on ‘KrOWN X HAN 2024’

April 23, 2024

This month marked the return of Spotify’s HAN, our collaborative program that brings the unique sounds and culture of Korean hip-hop to the world through exclusive artist collaborations, bonus content, and more. 

Developed in partnership with Korean hip-hop community HIPHOPPLAYA, HAN references the complex Korean emotion of the same name—an indescribable blend of resentment, sorrow, bitterness, anger, and sadness. Arising from the historical and cultural experiences collectively shared by Koreans, it’s a feeling that serves as creative inspiration for the artists involved.

For this year’s iteration, dubbed KrOWN X HAN 2024, some of the biggest names in the K-hip-hop scene joined up in the studio to record a pair of new Spotify Singles.

The first single, “No Tomorrow,” offers a diverse blend of styles from CHANGMO, Dok2, lobonabeat!, Shyboiitobii, and SMUGGLERS while delivering a message that resonates not only in Korea, but worldwide. 

“Thanks to Spotify, I had the chance to collaborate with incredible artists I’ve admired for a long time, crafting this new track,” said CHANGMO. “I hope that the positive energy created from this collaboration reaches beyond Korea, introducing Korean hip-hop to listeners worldwide.”

The second single, “Ugly,” is a collaboration between Lil Moshpit, Paul Blanco, and Okasian  featuring a minimalist beat produced by Lil Moshpit, who took home Hip-Hop Album Of The Year at the Korean Hip-Hop Awards 2023. The artists’ rhymes complement the track, adding to its playful sound. 

“I am honored to contribute to KrOWN X HAN 2024,” said Lil Moshpit. “Collaborating with artists of unique styles was truly exciting. I believe this initiative will not only revitalize Korean hip-hop globally but also forge deeper connections with fans worldwide through our music.”

Take a deeper dive into K-hip-hop

Following the release of both songs, each participating artist selected five songs to be featured on our flagship K-hip-hop playlist, KrOWN, creating a stronger connection with fans and showing off their personal tastes.

Additionally, through Spotify clips on KrOWN and HIPHOPPLAYA’s official YouTube channel, listeners can discover behind-the-scenes footage, live performances, and stories that detail the creation of both songs.

“We are committed to giving Korean artists a platform for their music to reach listeners across the globe,” said Jungjoo Park, Spotify’s Head of Music, South Korea. KrOWN X HAN 2024 marks the continuation of our chapter in celebrating the voices and talent of Korean hip-hop, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with HIPHOPPLAYA to bring this to life.”

HAN, IRL

Spotify will also serve as an official sponsor of the HIPHOPPLAYA Festival 2024, Korea’s largest hip-hop festival. Taking place on May 4 and 5 at Nanji Hangang Park in Seoul, the festival will feature special performances from a number of artists involved with KrOWN X HAN 2024, including CHANGMO and Shyboiitobii.

“We are excited to collaborate with Spotify towards the renaissance of Korean hip-hop and to partake in the journey of bringing more Korean artists and music to the world,” said Yongjun Kim, Founder and CEO of HIPHOPPLAYA. “We hope that Spotify Singles will serve as a bridge connecting Korean hip-hop with listeners worldwide, offering them an opportunity to enjoy the rich culture of Korean hip-hop together.”

KrOWN X HAN 2024 arrives at a time when global interest in K-hip-hop is surging. Between 2014 and 2022, K-hip-hop streams on Spotify skyrocketed by 9,500% globally,* and since the launch of HAN last February, they have grown by more than 40%.** And the genre’s appeal is crossing borders, with the United States, Mexico, South Korea, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, India, the Philippines, Japan, and Canada emerging as the top consumers of K-hip-hop.***

This campaign also follows up on the success of last year’s inaugural HAN outing, which saw K-hip-hop trendsetters like Jay Park, Kid Milli, and MIRANI release six Spotify Singles. The tracks, which included “Grrr” and “Rock With You,” caught the attention of hip-hop fans worldwide and have amassed close to 14.4 million streams to date.**** Notably, “Grrr” went on to become the Best of KrOWN Song 2023 on Spotify and was nominated for the Best Collaboration of the Year at the Korean Hip-hop Awards 2024. “Rock With You” was also featured in our playlist Best of TrenChill K-R&B 2023.

Spotify is committed to supporting K-hip-hop culture through the flagship playlist KrOWN and programs like K-hip-hop Rookies that showcase the next generation of hip-hop talent in Korea. With our latest iteration of HAN, we’re continuing to support this vibrant musical culture. 

Discover more of the biggest talents in Korea’s hip-hop scene with our flagship playlist KrOWN. 

*Data from Jan 1, 2014 to Jan 1, 2023

**Data from Feb 23, 2023 to Apr 1, 2024

***Data from Mar 1 to 31, 2024

****Data as of February 16, 2024

Explore the Innovative Sounds of Korean Hip-Hop Through Our Spotify Singles Series ‘HAN’

April 17, 2023

In February, we teamed up with Korea’s HIPHOPPLAYA community to launch HAN, a Spotify Singles series spotlighting the latest sounds in K-hip-hop. Featuring prominent K-hip-hop and R&B artists like Jay Park, Kid Milli, Blase, MIRANI, and LOOPY, HAN has allowed fans around the world to discover the complex Korean emotion of the same name.  

The word han has no direct translation in English, but it refers to a deeply ingrained feeling of resentment, sorrow, bitterness, anger, sadness and regret that arises from the historical and cultural experiences collectively shared by Koreans. For our featured artists, it was this inner sense of han that became a central theme and inspiration as they expressed themselves musically and showcased their talents for fans around the world. 

As part of HAN, over the span of five weeks, we released six unique Spotify Singles featuring 21 different artists. The songs also received extra exposure through KrOWN, Spotify’s global K-hip-hop playlist with more than 470,000 followers.

Keep reading to learn more about each Spotify Single featured in the series.

“Seoul City” by Kid Milli, Loopy, MIRANI, and sAewoo

We kicked off HAN with the sophisticated and dystopian “Seoul City,” which brought Kid Milli, Loopy, and MIRANI together 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 song that reflects 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 saw 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,” said rapper Don Mills, while 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,” said Blase.

“Ape Freestyle” by Keith Ape and PEEJAY

The fifth song in the series, “Ape Freestyle,” takes English and Korean rhymes from emcee Keith Ape and pairs them with a beat from PEEJAY that was inspired by hip-hop’s boom-bap era. 

“Rock With You” by Jay Park, KATIE, and WOOGIE

The final song to be released as part of the HAN series is “Rock With You.” Bringing the worlds of hip-hop and R&B together, Jay Park and KATIE lend their soothing voices to a laid-back beat produced by the trend-setting WOOGIE.

For fans who want to dive deeper into HAN, check out the official video podcast featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes content of our featured artists hard at work in the studio.