I will answer first by saying no. Until a few weeks ago when one of my favorite Twitter buddies Amour707 introduced me to this genre of music. For those of you out there like myself who are not quite familiar with K-Pop, let me introduce you to this genre and why its growing in popularity not only among nerds and cool kids but by everyone who loves to explore other cultures.
From Wikipedia:
K-pop refers to a musical genre originating in South Korea, which comprises a wide variety of musical and visual elements. Although in a larger scope K-pop may include any genre of South Korean popular music, outside of the country, it is often used to refer to songs produced by K-Pop idols and their respective management agencies. Musicians who have collaborated with various K-Pop idols include many recording artists from the African American hip hop community, such as Akon, Kayne West, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg and will.i.am. By tapping into social media networks, the ability of K-pop to reach a previously inaccessible audience via the Internet is driving a shift in the exposure and popularity of the genre. Since the mid-2000s, the K-pop music industry has experienced double digit growth rates. In the first half of 2012, it grossed US$3.4 billion and became the 8th largest digital music market in the world.
Now that you know what K-pop is and its impact on social media and the music industry, here is a group called Block B. Their sound comprises of pop, dance, and hip hop with a little bit of R&B.
Created by Cho PD (South Korean producer and rapper) under his label Brand New Stardom **January 4 the group filed a lawsuit against their record company asking for their exclusive contracts to be nullified. They claim that they haven't been properly paid or paid at all for at least a year. Most of the members have stayed active during this downtime releasing mix tapes and composing songs for other k-pop artists.
Albums (and release date) New Kids on the Block EP-June 23, 2011
Welcome to the Block EP-February 2, 2012
Welcome to the Block (repackage) EP- April 30, 2012 Blockbuster-October 17, 2012
**all albums can be found on iTunes**
Debuted in April 15, 2011 with the song "Freeze!"
Block B(블락비) _ Freeze!(그대로 멈춰라!)
From Maria-Elena Amour:
How I found out about them:
When the whole "Gangnam Style" craze was still slightly relevant I wanted to find Korean music that didn't make me want to throw myself off a flight of stairs. Literally entered "k-pop music" into the search box on YouTube and after laughing at the androgyny I'd subjected myself to I came across Block B. I realize they're not the most masculine looking guys but for some reason Zico exclaiming (in the song "Nillili Mambo"), "it's officially over now," caught my attention and shortly after the line, "Bye guys. Hi ladies. Muah..." had me hooked.
A few days later I purchased every Block B song on iTunes, watched every music video I could find on YouTube, and for the last month their songs have serenaded me to sleep and their videos served as pre-game performances before new episodes of The Walking Dead. "Nillili Mambo" music video: [HD] Block B(블락비) _ NILLILI MAMBO(닐리리 맘보) MV Bonus videos. These songs really blew my mind. First is the main vocalist, Taeli, and his voice is AMAZING [AUDIO] Taeil of Block B-Please
Second bonus video is a track off of the Blockbuster album called "No Joke" and they show some pretty serious rapping skills in it. PO raps the chorus. Kyung has the first verse and Zico absolutely kills the second verse Block B - 장난없다 (No Joke)
