“Jakdu” and Localization of Korean Hip-Hop

While Korean hip-hop trend was all about swagger style back in 2015 largely influenced by the show “Show Me the Money” series, “Jakdu” also known as “Cut Cut Cut” by Deepflow featuring Nucksal and Huckleberry P dropped something unique in the underground hip-hop scene. “Jakdu” was highly acclaimed by Korean hip-hop listeners and won the best hip hop/rap song award and the musicians of the year award at KMA 2016 (Korean Music Awards 2016). Among many hip-hop fans, this marked a significant moment as the song and music video’s instrumental, lyrical and visual compositions were deeply rooted in representing Korean localization of hip-hop. I argue that “Jakdu” music video successfully represented the localization of Korean hip-hop by featuring traditional Korean shamanism elements and contemporary Korean underground hip hop setting in Hongdae region.

Firstly, ‘작두 (jakdu)’ is a type of traditional blade and the expression ‘작두타다 (riding on the blade)’ literally refers to an act of a shaman standing on a ‘jakdu’ during a trance induced rite. The music video uses the Korean shamanism practice as a metaphor of the rappers and audiences being possessed during the performance.

“Jakdu” music video was not the first to feature traditional Korean settings; some notable hip hop songs that nuanced traditional ‘Koreanness’ into the music videos include “January” by Beenzino, “Eung Freestyle” and “불한당가(不汗黨歌)” by various rappers. There are also hip-hop music videos like “Hangover” by Psy that incorporate contemporary Korean social settings and many emerging underground rappers also do this to localize hip-hop and to save some production budgets.

However, “Jakdu” music video is worth noting for incorporating both traditional and contemporary Korean elements into one. In the music video, the three rappers are shamans and they also perform as rappers on a stage in Hongdae region in front of excited audiences. With these two alternating scenes, referencing to both traditional and contemporary Korean settings were accomplished with apparent contexts. In the music video, Deepflow has 무령 (Moo-ryung) on his hand, Nucksal is buried alive in the ground and Huckleberry P goes through self-immolation. Using these Korean shamanism practices as a metaphor to their rap performance was not random but was in sync with the lyrics such as “Loyal rumble’s bell dings”, “the possessed chicks scream with their lovely voices and a war breaks out in this ritual the top of the blade is mine and messages of the song”, “I stand on the blade and that spirit keeps coming”, “goblins are dancing, a face possessed by a ghost, the devils dance on top of the blade”.

In the contemporary setting of the music video, selecting a stage in Hongdae region was an appropriate “location referencing” as Hongdae is the birthplace of Korean hip-hop (Hare and Baker 2017: 6). Deepflow’s intention to integrate “authenticity and hybridity through adaptation to the local context” is stylishly reflected in the music video (Hare and Baker 2017: 6).

Many Korean hip hop artists have been criticized for replicating American hip-hop style and cliché without having sufficient and justifiable context or motive to do so. This indicates “an overall inability to culturally hybridize hip-hop culture” (Hare and Baker 2017: 10). All the more for this reason, “Jakdu” was able to receive such favorable receptions from the fans. The music video flourishingly compliments the lyrics and messages Deepflow wants to convey. Integrating Korean shamanism practice and Hongdae hip hop scene was superbly executed. As a result, Korean hip-hop fans can enjoy the visually pleasing and auditorily satisfying music video that is well localized in Korean context.

 

Written by Alex

 

 

Bibliography

Hare, Sarah, and Andrea Baker. "Keepin’It Real: Authenticity, Commercialization, and the Media in Korean Hip Hop." SAGE Open 7, no. 2 (2017): 2158244017710294.

 

“Deepflow - 작두 (Feat 넉살, Huckleberry P) Official M/V” YouTube video, 0:00. “STONESHIP,” October 6, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGYtZP_cSps.