The Rapper’s Style
Rappers sometimes close with their explicit lyrics. Many rappers have even been involved in some big issues because of lyrics they wrote. Not only the lyrics, but also their swag and indifferent style can sometimes trigger a controversy. In this article, we will talk about some of the controversies involving Korean rappers. Let’s respond to it wisely.
Black Nut’s Controversial Lyrics About KittiB
Some musicians write their lyrics even though they sometimes have explicit content. But still, there is a challenge in it. What happened to Black Nut was very controversial, as it was very explicit and mentioned another rapper, KittiB. KittiB filed a lawsuit against Black Nut in June of 2017 over lyrics he wrote in his track “Indigo Child”. His lyrics state, “I’ll be honest. I jacked off to KittiB’s picture, but that was before ‘Unpretty Rapstar‘,” and “I wouldn’t screw KittiB if she was given to me for free.” He also reportedly made lewd gestures during a live performance of the song. As KittiB brought the case to the law, the prosecution changed the charge from sexual harassment to defamation. Black Nut is no stranger to controversial and sexually explicit lyrics, and many came to his defense saying that’s just the nature of hip-hop. However, for KittiB, the matter is more personal because she’s been the subject of his sexual lyrics in the past, and had even asked him to stop. Instead of keeping her name out of his raps, though, the rapper keeps making her feel uncomfortable, which is why she is finally decided to take him to court. The result is, of course, was that KittiB won.
San E’s ‘Feminist’ Controversy
San E received many criticisms after he released the song “Feminist” in November, 2018. As the title suggests, the song talks about feminism. In “Feminist,” San E criticizes dating culture where men pay for dates, the #MeToo movement, the rise of the “escape the corset” movement in South Korea, and questions why women aren’t required to serve in the country’s national service as men are, though comments on his Instagram point out that San E, himself, did not serve. Although San E also said that he doesn’t hate woman, and says he is a feminist in his lyrics, many people still criticized his song. It got worse with his comments about feminism during a concert over the weekend. When he was onstage at the concert Brand New Year 2018 on Sunday, San E used an expletive before rapping in English in front of an audience of 5,000: “Womad is poison. Feminist, no. You’re a mental illness.” In another politically charged comment, the rapper said he supports “normal women” before criticizing the radical online feminist communities Womad and Megalia as “male-bashing.” Following the controversial remarks, rapper Rhymer, the head of the hip-hop label behind the event, Brand New Music, apologized on behalf of San E. “To those who were offended, I apologize on his behalf,” Rhymer said onstage as he bowed to the audience. Despite Rhymer’s apology, San E’s attitude provoked mixed reactions online after the concert. “He lacks professionalism. Not all audience members are from Womad and Megalia, yet he lost his cool during the performance and caused chaos,” one angry user on Naver wrote. Although there were also people who stand for San E by saying, “San E has the right to free speech, just like feminists.” So, what’s your opinion about his song, Feminist?
Iron Assaulting His Ex-Girlfriend
At the end of 2018, at the Seoul Central District Court, Iron was found guilty and sentenced to a year of prison time after his ex-girlfriend’s appeal. The court had previously found him guilty of all charges and sentenced him to 2 years of probation and 80 hours of community service, with 8 months of prison time if probation is broken. As previously reported, Iron is said to have beaten his ex-girlfriend’s face after she refused his demands during sex. When she attempted to break off the relationship 15 days later, he choked and beat her, causing injuries and fracturing her left pinky finger. He then threatened her by stabbing himself with a kitchen tool and then telling her that if she called the police, he would tell them she stabbed him. Iron is also making headlines for refusing to apologize to his ex-girlfriend. The final result was 1 year in prison for assaulting and blackmailing his ex-girlfriend after his appeal trial. In April, 2019, the YouTube channel, ‘Update Olympic,’ met with Iron during his community service time and chatted about his career, controversies, and more. In the interview, Iron claimed his girlfriend requested that he hit her. Regarding this, Iron said, “At the time (of the interview), I was very emotional and I only thought from my perspective. (I told the reporter) ‘To be honest, she told me to hit her first. So I did.‘ I don’t think I was reflecting on my actions then. I unintentionally gave her pain because I had to take responsibility for a relationship that I didn’t want to be responsible for. The misunderstandings, suspicion, and loss of trust grew and led to such a displeasing incident.” He was also dealing with the marijuana controversy before. He has an ‘open-minded’ view about marijuana, saying, “I still think marijuana is medicine.” He continued, “Life is hard. Alcohol and cigarettes are the true drugs. We’re even taught that way (in school). Marijuana grows in nature. They banned it in the U.S. because of tax reasons, and people have a negative perspective towards it. I personally want to encourage marijuana use. I think marijuana is a gift from God that society needs. I hope hip-hop musicians become brave and spread the truth. Of course, hardcore drugs like heroin is bad and it leads down a path to killing your life.”
C Jamm’s Drug Scandal
Rapper C Jamm was sentenced 1 year and 6 months of penal servitude, 2 years of probation, 80 hours of community service, and 40 hours of attending a drug education program. The sentence was handed down by Judge Lee Jun Chul of the Suwon District Court. The judge found C-Jamm guilty of all drug charges based on his and witnesses’ confessions, and stated, “As an artist gaining great attention from the public, he gave a negative influence to teenagers“. C-Jamm was under investigation for purchasing 112 g of marijuana for 16 million KRW (14,000 USD) from February, 2017, to April, 2018. He then came back a year later, after his rehabilitation, with the new single that was the first release from the rapper since August, 2017’s, “Know”, as well as his very first single since being found guilty of drug use back in December of last year. C-Jamm first rose to popularity as the runner-up of ‘Show Me The Money 5.’
PSY’s Involvement in Prostitution Scandal
PSY was summoned, as he suspected was being a witness in a prostitution scandal that involved some artists from YG Entertainment. Before this, Yang Hyun-suk had been accused of attempting to cover up drug allegations against his artists, as well as procuring sex workers for foreign business investors at July, 2014, dinner event. Psy, who is a former YG Entertainment artist who attended the dinner, has been quizzed about the alleged incident. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Psy denied being aware of any illegal activity that took place during the event. Psy also denies knowing anything about an alleged cover-up by Yang over claims that B.I., the lead singer of the YG outfit iKON, used illegal drugs.
Young B’s Bullying Scandal
Young B was rumored to have a ‘bad’ pas, as he was involved in the bullying issue. Not only bullying, but he was also accused of underage drinking and smoking. Alleged peers from his school accused him of bullying, calling him a severe thug, and that he was reported for bullying multiple times. He was apparently confronted regularly by the teachers and was the student that the teachers always had to keep an eye on. There are accusations that he stole other students’ things, and that he would hit them if they refused. Responding to this controversy, Young B addressed some negative comments by saying, “I’ve seen a lot of them. I saw someone who uploaded a post summarizing who and what I’ve done, and it was kind of absurd.” The rapper continued, “There are many comments that aren’t true. Even if those people read them, they would see that the comments aren’t saying ‘He did this,’ but say, ‘I’ve heard he did this.’ Those people know that there is no evidence and are just believing what everyone else is saying.” Well, either it is true or not, we are all hoping that Young B will be better now and in the future.
