Many of the best rappers the Korean music industry has to offer paved their way into the rap scene— and into our hearts— by starting in the idol world. In fact, many idol rappers have since gone on to release their own solo albums and mixtapes, impressing people with their lyrics and flow. Although there are many great albums to choose from, the following titles are a few of my favorite pieces made by incredible artists.
Released in September 2017, this iKON rapper showed a different side of himself in a ten-track album. Influenced by R&B, hip-hop, and K-pop sounds, the album includes two powerful collabs: “Up” ft. WINNER’s Song Mino (and Bobby’s partner in the rap duo MOBB), and “Secret” ft. iKON’s DK and Katie Kim.
Listen to the album’s title track “I Love You” below!
“True To Be Honest” is XXBQ’s first album, released four months before Hunus Entertainment confirmed his departure from ToppDogg (currently known as Xeno-T). This five-track work marks a new beginning for the former idol, with a strong and promising sound. The album includes a collaboration with Kim Sangyun from JBJ95, previously known as A-Tom from ToppDogg.
Listen to “Rollin’” ft. A-Tom below!
Zico’s first mini-album was released in December 2015. Featuring artists like Crush, Dean, Suran and Zion.T, this album has turned into one of the most iconic works from Block B’s leader. On a more personal note, this is possibly one of my favorite albums overall.
Listen to “Bermuda Triangle” ft. Crush and Dean.
Monsta X’s rapper mixtape is the latest one from this list. Released on August 31st, every single one of the amazing rap tracks demonstrates what Jooheon is capable off. In addition, he also gifted his fans with two MV’s for his songs “Should I Do” and “Red Carpet” ft. Killagramz.
Listen to “Red Carpet” ft. Killagramz:
This BIGBANG sub-unit can’t be left off of this list! The eleven-track album is characterized by the great contrast of G-Dragon‘s voice and style with T.O.P‘s deep and rapid rap. And just in case this isn’t enough, 2NE1‘s Park Bom also featured on a track to make this incredible album even better! With both members releasing their own solo albums, it’s hard to choose just one to include. Therefore, why not just choose them both with this album. Without a doubt, this piece will leave you wanting more of YG’s fantastic duo.
Listen to “Baby Good Night” below!
The Chinese star first got his start in the K-pop idol world as a member of Super Junior. This particular mini-album was released in 2015, with a brand new sound and magnificent aesthetics. To my mind, this is one of Hangeng’s best works, and “I Don’t Give A 屑” is definitely one of his best songs.
Listen to “I Don’t Give A 屑” in the video below.
What do you think about these albums? Which ones are your favorites? Which ones should be added to the list? Let us know!
monbleu was lost until she found hallyu. Since then, 1st, 2nd and 3rd generation k-pop music has been the soundtrack of her life. When she’s not busy with university stuff, you’ll find her jamming to the sound of her favorite songs, enjoying a good k-drama, and surfing the internet to find new bands to stan or old variety shows in a higher quality than 144p.
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