K-Pop Beyond The Charts is a weekly review column highlighting Korea's modern day musical innovators who have yet to find mainstream success.
With pop acts throwing increasingly more and more musical idioms into the same song in search of the "new sound," it's important to remember the explosive results that can result from just two well-paired elements.
The leadoff single for the 31-year-old South Korean vocalist Bumkey's new album "U-Turn," released on Wednesday, "backindadayz" featuring Sanchez of the hip-hop group Phantom (who also goes under the name Fassnakuh), Dok2, dh-style and Microdot proves how powerful this concept can be.
"backindadayz" takes "Great Gatsby"-era swing and the seminal '80s rap sound from the days when acts like Run-D.M.C., Public Enemy and Eric B. & Rakim turned the turntable into an instrument and a weaponized force for positive change to forms something new, distinctive and electrifying.
Bumkey also stacked the deck by adding such a powerful gang of four guest MCs, each comfortable enough in his own skin to offer a unique contribution to the track. The result is another great Korean hip-hop track with a mass of guest stars, in the tradition of Epik High's "Born Hater" featuring Beenzino, Verbal Jint, B.I, Mino and Bobby or my pick for best Korean rap song of 2015, "Sold Out" featuring Zion.T, Loco and also including Epik High's Tablo.
The only potential downside of "backindadayz" for Bumkey anyway, is the fact the vocalist released the music video two weeks ago presumably as a way to hype "U-Turn." This hyped-up party track is probably not the best way to hype a 12-song album of most bedroom ballads and slow jamz. But hey, we'll let the marketing gurus worry about that one.
Unless you're on Brand New Music's record label PR payroll, just crank up the volume on "backindadayz" and sit back and reminisce, or dance.
Watch the music video for Bumkey's new single "backindadayz" featuring Sanchez of the rap group Phantom (also know as Fassnakuh), Dok2, dh-style and Microdot RIGHT HERE
