Background: Known as Korea’s Top MC, Yoo Jae Seok appears and hosts in many popular TV variety shows such as Infinite Challenge. Although Jae Seok is considered to be among the elite in the Korean entertainment industry, his constant smiles and laughter makes him easy to like and enjoy. Jae Seok is referred to as “The Grasshopper” from time to time due to his early comedic works in which he wore a grasshopper costume.
Running Man: Although not one of the most physically gifted, Jae Seok is extremely adaptive and cunning. His masterful use of the “confused stare” and the “look of bewilderment” has tricked countless cast members into letting their guards down. Due to his unparalleled skill in duplicity, Jae Seok is one of the strongest competitors on Running Man earning him the title “Yu-mes Bond.”
Gary
Nicknames: Peaceful Gary, Gae-colas Cage
Background: A member of the hip-hop duo Leessang, Gary’s popularity shot up thanks to the success of Running Man.
Running Man: Unfocused and easily fooled, Garie rarely makes it to the end of any episode without being caught or disqualified.
However, when paired with partners who can keep him focused, Gary can beat almost anyone.
Haha
Nicknames: Ha-roro, Ha-rad Pitt, Penguin
Background: Ha Dong Hoon, better known as Haha, originally started his career as a rapper in the boy band Zikiri. Due to Zikiri’s lack of popularity, the group was quickly disbanded and Haha went on to become an actor and comedian.
Running Man: Not a top competitor, but certainly one of the funniest. Constantly shouting and laughing, Haha is easily a fan favorite. Haha is referred to as “Ho-roro” due to his likeness to the cartoon penguin Pororo.
Ji Suk Jin
Nicknames: Big Nose Older Brother, Sunflower, Impala
Background: Ji Suk Jin is singer and broadcaster who gained popularity as the MC for Star Golden Bell. He’s also one of Yoo Jae Seok’s best friends.
Running Man: Inferior in almost every category, Ji Suk Jin is almost always one of the first ones disqualified.
Kim Jong Kook
Nicknames: Sparta-kook, Commander, Kookie, Tiger
Background: Kim Jong Kook is a Korean musician who began his career with the pop group Turbo. He later became a solo artist. He began his variety show career with Family Outing on SBS’s Good Sunday.
Running Man: Referred to as “Sparta-kook” throughout the show, Jong Kook is the physically strongest of the group and among the best in terms of cunning. Considered to be Jae Seok’s rival on the show, Jong Kook is feared by all other competitors. In fact, watch for scenes where Jong Kook and Lee Kwang Su go head-to-head for huge laughs. Watch for scenes where they team up for even bigger laughs.
Lee Kwang Su
Nicknames: Framer Kwang-su, Kwang-vatar, Kwang-potter, Giraffe
Background: Lee Kwang Su is an actor and comedian who broke out due to his antics in Running Man. Kwang Su has a habit of creating false rumors about his cast members earning the nickname “Framer Kwang-su”. Kwang Su has also been referred to as “Kwang-vatar” due to his likeness to the Na’vi species in the movie Avatar.
Running Man: Known as the “Giraffe” due to his tall, lanky physique, Lee Kwang Su is frequently the target of many jokes. Beyond being physically inferior, Kwang Su is shown to be easily fooled and easily manipulated. However, Kwang Su is sometimes able to use his reputation to his advantage.
Song Ji Hyo
Nicknames: Song Ji-yok, Mong Ji-hyo, Ace
Background: Song Ji Hyo is a famous Korean actress, well-known for her role in the drama “Jumong.”
Running Man: One of the smartest and devious competitors on Running Man. Ji Hyo is best known for using other cast members to her advantage and pouncing on opportunities.
Though she may be the only regular female member, her nickname “Ace” is well deserved.
I have a confession to make: Haha used to be my least favorite person on the cast of Running Man. When I first started following the show, I hated him for constantly trying to hog the spotlight and waste precious airtime with his ill-conceived notions of staging personal movie-lead sequences in the middle an otherwise relevant and enthralling game of urban survival. However, slowly and steadily through the course of the past year, as certain gimmicks were phased in and others phased out, I found that Haha had somehow managed to wend his way into my reluctant heart. In fact, I’d even venture to say that he is in serious contention with Gary and Song Ji-hyo (for the record, I don’t really believe in the Monday Couple; I think Haha and Ji-hyo have more chemistry going on, never mind that that Jihyo is already taken in real life) for the honor of currently being my favorite cast member on the show.
Haha isn’t afraid to joke around with himself, which is something of an asset in the variety world. However, oftentimes people aren’t aware that he has many other facets as well. Both Haha and Gary were actually musicians before becoming famous in variety, and they still hold those professions to this day. Another interesting thing to note is that both of them undergo surprising transformations when they step out on stage, especially in the case of Gary (I was floored the first time I experienced the sexiness that is Gary of Leessang in full force). Neither of the two take themselves too seriously as variety personas, but when they are up on stage, it is readily apparent that they both take themselves very seriously as musicians. Here is a whirlwind history of Haha as a musician:
Although Haha began his musical journey as more of an R&B/hip-hop singer, these days he is regarded more commonly as a Reggae artist and comedian. However, with his most recent album Acoustic Tuning Time (2102) we get to see the return of a more serious side as well. The album, released on March 22nd, 2012, is a collaboration album with his longtime friend and fellow ex-Z-Kiri member Taw.
Concept & Storyline: 3/5
Put quite simply, the song is heart-wrenching, with or without an understanding of the lyrics. The emotional vocals of Ha Dong-kyun (a member of Wanted, who has also released solo albums) matches well with the emotional and husky voice of Haha, as well as the emotional and smooth rapping of Taw. What can I say? The song is pretty damn emotional. I could definitely see it being featured at the climax of a drama.
Am I the only one strangely fascinated by the fact that hip-hop group MIB has been tapped to star in the second season of the idol-variety show, W Academy? The show takes one music group and puts them through 2 months of hilarious, yet painstaking classes gearing them up to become a top idol group both at home and abroad. Their appearance on W Academy will be the first time the boys have participated in a reality show based solely on them.
But it’s hard to believe that MIB, who debuted with their club banger “Girls Dreams Money” (although I’ll still bet all of my riches that they say “Girls Drinks Money”), will come close to matching Boyfriend’s overly-cute antics during the first season. Their image just doesn’t allow for it. MIB is signed to Tiger JK‘s Jungle Entertainment, which also houses hip-hop acts such as Yoon Mi-rae and LeeSsang. The group earned huge marks when they performed alongside The Far East Movement and will.i.am earlier this year. In regards to their participation in W Academy, the group said,
This begs the question, “what is your honest self, MIB?” I tend to believe that there are certain connotations that are attached to being a hip-hop artist. At its foundation, hip-hop is the lyrical embodiment of genuine emotion. It’s the expression of pain, of poetry, and of authentic experience. This is why many hip-hop artists in K-pop exhibit an image that’s iron tough and indestructible. But is it possible for MIB to keep this hip-hop image on a show like W Academy? Or will they have to compromise that image in order to fit in with Korean television standards? The success of a music group on variety television show can be the gateway to overall success in the K-pop market. But does that mean that a hip-hop artist has to shift that image in order to gain that success? How can MIB remain true to themselves if they must compete with groups like Boyfriend, whose adorableness won fans over last season? With a name like “Most Incredible Busters,” I think it might be hard.
The paradox of being a hip-hop artist is that the genre is by definition not mainstream and not supposed to be embraced by everyone. So hip-hop artists that do become mainstream lose a chunk of that authentic credibility. And those who stay underground don’t get to enjoy the mainstream successes that their talents are deserving of. In terms of reality television, there are a few hip-hop artists who have managed to make the crossover from tough hip-hop image to variety veteran. The first person that comes to my mind is LeeSsang‘s Kang Gary. Having watched him on Running Man for the last year and a half, I almost forgot he was a rapper. His character on the show moons over fellow RM cast member Song Ji-hyo, rarely wins any games, is slow to catch on to things, and is the subject of many jokes. But after watching him perform at last year’s hip-hop stage at the SBS Gayo Daejun, it was as if he took on a whole new persona. He was infinitely cool and owned the stage better than most hip-hop artists I’d ever seen.
Gary’s partner in hip-hop crime, Gil, is a cast member of the variety laugh factory, Infinity Challenge, and is also able to switch back and forth between comedy and badass rapping. Dynamic Duo, while having some of the most gritty and hardcore performances I’ve had the pleasure of watching, are also a pair of the funniest variety personalities, whether the jokes come from them or are on them.
This week on SB Exchange, I thought it would be a good opportunity to look at the Gayo Daejuns, or song festivals, that take place in Korea in the last days of each year while they are still fresh in our minds.
Gil: Most definitely Infinite, they had interesting versions of their songs and they are strong performers. I definitely like the rock version of ‘Paradise’, and the boys pulled it off well. Other than it was pretty hard to determine; BEAST had pretty good performances but it wasn’t anything mind blowing.
Gil: I personally think it should be one whole performance- that way there won’t be a repeat of stages (gets borin’ after a while) and it is not just a glorified Music Core. I think it has to do more with making money than cultural differences; I mean if only one broadcasting network hosts this Gayo that means more money for them rather than combining all of it. But one huge Gayo would mean better quality, for one the idols won’t be intensely overworked and tired thus affecting their performance, and they can put all their effort into one and do a kick ass remix version of their song.
Nabeela: To be honest, the festivals need a little revamping. I mean, other than having groups perform remixed version of the songs they have been promoting all year long, there needs to be more specials and collaborations. The stages look a little half-assed sometimes, and it really detracted from some groups performances. Also, I have never seen so many tacky and awful stage outfits for a string of Gayo Daejuns like I did 2011. Like, honestly, there were so many bad outfits, I was impressed to find one I actually moderately approved of.
Lip syncing is a widely controversial topic not just in K-pop, but in the entire world. Britney Spears received a lot of controversy for it back during her Femme Fetale tour, as did Ashlee Simpson on a particularly disastrous performance in Saturday Night Live. Lip syncing is just universally negatively received, as it gives the connotation that the artist in question is incapable of performing (whether it’s a matter of talent or not) and would rather cheat their audience of a live performance. And with all the vocally-lacking singers in K-pop, it’s a not an uncommon sight to see lip syncing in the K-pop scene. With Korea’s focus on image, companies would rather let their artist lip sync and bring out consistent performances rather than letting them perform live and expose their flaws. There are notable exceptions to this company mindset of course, but it’s come to the point where a major concern fans have for groups trying to reach out to foreign audiences is their ability to perform live.
This is the topic being observed when the announcement was made that KBS‘s Music Bank was ordering their performing artists to prepare prerecorded music to perform with on the show due to the ongoing strike.
So does Music Bank really have the justifications to opt for prerecorded show? With all the happenings of the strike and the probability of staff members leaving, the prerecorded tracks may be a necessary safety measure and an effort to give fans a show regardless of any complications. However the focus on making the track sound as live as possible is leading many to speculate a hidden agenda behind Music Bank‘s plans, an agenda to sell a show of lower quality for the same price.
2011, year of the girl group. Check. 2012, year of the boy band. Check, but with reservations. What the pundits didn’t see coming was a strong push from female soloists this year. While 2012 will be noted as a strong year for male groups, what it’ll be remembered for is the year female soloists made their return to the scene. It’s the year the solo ladies dug themselves out from under the heavy pile-up of girl groups, elbowed through the crowd of boy bands, and made a name for themselves amongst the logjam of today’s numerous K-pop acts. There’s no denying it. The single ladies are back and they’re here to stay.
The high praise and wide reception for the debut of the talented young vocalist known as Ailee signaled a changing perception in the preferences of the market. Yet at the time of her debut, much was still uncertain of what was to come. After Ailee’s debut in February, it remained mostly quiet on the female soloist front until the mid-year when Juniel made her grand debut. Armed with a youthful complexion, acoustic guitar, and the backing of FNC Music, the budding singer-songwriter exploded onto the scene with “Illa Illa.”
The second half of the year also bared witness to the highly anticipated and prominent debuts of two finalists from the hit reality singing competition K-pop Star, Baek Ah-yeon and Lee Hi. They are part of a huge stock of reality show contestants who have sung their way to fame through surviving endless rounds of eliminations.
Kim Greem’s return in October helped solidify another developing niche in the realm of female soloists. Having been a finalist on another reality singing competition, Superstar K2, Kim Greem has established herself as an acoustic singer who can make sweet music with just her voice and a guitar, sort of an older and more mature version of Juniel.
Which brings us back to Son-Dambi, Ga-in, Seo In-young, and the important niche they’ve created for the refined aging woman. They represent a slightly older generation of female soloists who have the looks, abilities, and talents to make it as soloists. Ga-in and Seo In-young had their starts as members of a group but they’ve since established themselves as viable soloists. As a result, their careers will likely continue pass the expiration of their groups as they look to expand on their established mature concepts. This niche created for the aging female idol will be one soon to be explored and filled out by many current girl group members because it is the most sensible next step for their careers.
In conclusion, we are bearing witness to the beginnings of a transition period in K-pop. As these second generation girl groups expire, it will lead to another influx of popular female soloists. Similarly for male acts, 2013 will mark the return of the male soloist. As male groups will ultimately be postponed or forced to disband due to member enlistments, male group members will need to rely on solo appearances to sustain themselves, most likely in the current mold of SS501’s members. Most members of Big Bang have readily prepared themselves with solo debuts. Infinite’s Sung-gyu just made his solo debut and Yo-seob of Beast is set to make his solo debut soon.
