These three types of artists (hip hop artist, R&B artist, and producer) were what record labels searched for, and so shows were tailored to bring these artists to the attention of the labels and the public at large. Heize can be considered more of an R&B artist, but the connection between hip hop and R&B meant her success brought attention to both fields. Heize, for example, has become one of KHH’s leading female voices despite losing on Unpretty Rapstar. This symbiotic relationship meant that contestants found fame and work through the shows, even if they did not end up winning on a specific show. R&B artists pushed through on shows such as Breakers, whereas producers gained notice on shows such as Hyena on the Keyboard. Unpretty Rapstar would be a female-only hip hop survival competition, while High School Rapper opened doors for high schoolers looking to begin their music careers early.
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TV programmes leveraged on the promise of contract offers, paving the way for an explosion of shows aiming at different demographics. The first winner of the show, Loco, signed to AOMG and the success of the show led to the establishment of a productive relationship between broadcasting stations and record labels. Mainstream media outlets also began to take notice of these early stirrings within the KHH sphere, birthing hip hop orientated shows like Show Me The Money. With these labels in place, KHH was ready to receive its new generation of artists. The KHH landscape, however, would organically encourage the development of numerous talented creatives. The K-pop industry would within the decade become infamous for its slave contracts and mistreatment of its idols, ultimately leading to many legal disputes and in some cases disbandments of popular groups. This establishment of an artist based environment ran in stark contrast to the K-Pop industry. The biggest of these labels were as follows: Illionaire Records lead by The Quiett and Dok2, AOMG as headed by Jay Park and Simon Dominic, Hi-Lite Records run solely by Paloalto, and Just Music founded by Swings. The first chapter was the creation of record labels run by KHH artists for artists in the KHH community. While K-pop ( another genre that owed its origins to KHH) propelled the Korean wave, the KHH scene began to take shape in the hands of its artists. The Early Stirrings: Hip Hop Record Labels and the Media Industry
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With these releases, alongside numerous brilliant records in the previous decade ( Dynamic Duo’s Taxi Driver comes to mind), the KHH scene would evolve into one of the healthiest and most sustainable musical landscapes within Korea. Meanwhile, Epik High’s Map of The Soul was also released in 2009 and similarly catered towards international audiences. Noticeably, the album featured American hip hop artists such as Rakim and Rakaa Iriscience, while also having Korean and English versions.
This record would go on to win Record of the Year at the 2010 Seoul Music Awards and Best Hip Hop Album of the Year at the 2010 Korean Music Awards. By 2010, the foundations of the Korean hip hop (KHH) landscape had already been paved with excellent hip-hop records, coming just the year before in the shape of Drunken Tiger’s Feel gHood Muzik.