Mad Heat
Good things are happening in the world of Korean-American hip hop. Recent months have seen the release of underground works by project artists, DJs and MCs on independent labels. And now, from Roe Entertainment out of L.A., comes a young hip hop/R&B duo Mad Heat.
Sam and Glen front this group with Sam providing most of the MCing and Glen doing the R&B vocals. Mad Heat is striving for a complete sound in both Korean and English. Sam's family moved to the U.S. when he was just a year old, and Glen was born here, so they've had to put in some time polishing their Korean skills. Perhaps they have a bit of American accent when they rap Korean, and maybe a bit of a Korean accent when they rap English, but that gives the music an unusual timbre.
Exemplary of the Mad Heat style is No Reply [RealAudio] (sample). There is a clear distinction between the R&B vocals by Glen and the rap line introduced by Sam. The English rap line is "traditional" in that it owes it sound more to African-American rap than anything Korean in origin. Heard in isolation, it would be difficult to guess that Sam and Glen are Korean-American, which may very well be the duo's goal. The lyrics of Bringing the Heat [RealAudio] (sample) allude to Mad Heat's Korean background, but again, the sound is West coast.
The most interesting tracks available are Proud Korean [RealAudio] (sample) and Overseas (Street Version) [RealAudio] (sample). I think this is the true strength of hip hop: it gives artists a forum to explore some serious social issues, and many Korean-American teenagers can identify with this part of Mad Heat's work. Korean Pride is a subject with which every Korean-American high school student deals with at some point, and it's nice to hear other young people thinking and rapping about it.
There has been a great deal of criticism of the way Korean musicians have "copied" hip hop, and Korean groups obviously have picked up the rhythm and sounds full scale over the past decade. However, there are plenty of examples--Mad Heat being the one at hand--of artists infusing the music with something distinctly Korean. Hip hop is the perfect genre for Korean youth to offer social commentary, and by using it this way, it stays true to its original function in the 'hoods.
By Denise Ahn
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