Kpop: Joosuc (주석)

 All the images is from "I Kno".

I haven't really felt anything for Joosuc's rap up until now, but the track "I Kno" is something different from the videos he has done before - instead of rougher rap he goes for laid back R&B of the kind that koreans does so well. Please stay in this zone, Joosec!

• Joosuc ft Sanchez - I Kno
• Joosuc ft Satbyeol - Property
• Joosuc ft July31 - Shoelaces (신발끈)

Kpop: CSP

CSP of funny duo Crispi Crunch has a gem of a song in "Busan Girls", which is a rap/EDM song that has this kind of nostalgic feel to it that I love. I believe it is this Kayla that is featured and as a bonus it has Jina from disbanded Bob Girls dancing in it.

• CSP ft Kayla - Busan Girls (부산여자)
• CSP ft Kang Minhee - Hua Hin

Kpop: Mino/Minho (송민호)

There is something about the solo debut of Mino (not sure why they dropped the 'h' from his real name Song Minho) the rapper from kpop group Winner. I find that hip hop seems to be very popular right now among male idols right now, way to popular for my taste, but he has a interesting drama in his voice that moves beyond the usual rapping style. There is a kind of heedlessness that only Jay Park and Okasian can top.

• Mino - Body (몸)

Kpop: 220 Volt - Night Glow

I loathe writing about artists that I don't know that much about, but 220Volt seems to be a kind of project group with Gyro, Mirror Boy and D. Ham making the debut song "Night Glow". It is anyway a really nice and dark hiphop / electronic track with a superb ambience.

• 220 Volt - Night Glow

Jpop: Charisma.com - Moya moyashite (もや燃やして)

The rap duo Charisma.com from Japan with the coolest attitude is back, this time in defense of frustrated office women. I think the title is a play on words with something called 'Moya moya women' as the title roughly means burning moya. Moya moya (with another spelling) is also the name of the cloudy bits in miso soup. Together this points to the frustrations and constricted situation of the (female) Japanese office worker. The duo does an explicit and clear intervention in the womans life to help her confront her inner demons. The famous Japanese beer Kirin has also sponsored the whole thing, which is evident in the ending scene. ;-)

• Charisma.com - Moya moyashite (もや燃やして)

Kpop: Heize (헤이즈)

Heize was a semi-finalist in the latest season of korean Unpretty Rapstar, where female rappers battle it out, and it was probably just a quastion of time before she got som solo succes and I think with what the two singles so far has shown it should come true. I hope her not being part of a group shouldn't be to big a disadvantage. As many other contestants, outside the hiphop competition she sings mostly non-rap songs, Heize going for the soulful and it seems to suit her, and she and Dean really seems to have something going musically.

• Heize ft Dean, DJ Fritz - And July
• Heize ft Dean - Shut Up & Groove

Kpop: Sleepy (슬리피)

I think it may be the production by Giriboy, but the new "Body Lotion" from korean rapper Sleepy is so good that even I who seldom likes hiphop can dig it.

• Sleepy ft Bang Yong Guk - Body Lotion (바디로션)
• Sleepy & Song Jieun - Cool Night (쿨밤)
• Sleepy ft Baek Ah Yeon - Kibuntat(기분탓)