Leessang

This week, we go from indie to a more hip-hop genre of K-Pop, with duo Leessang. I almost did them for my first review, but changed my mind after listening to Psy's most recent album. Although I'm not very familiar with the hip-hop and rap genre, I will try to review them the best I can.

Leessang is a duo made up of members Gil and Gary. Simple, right? When the two left Honey Family, a well-known hip-hop group at the time, they decided to form a group together. In 2002, they officially debuted under the name Leessang, with the release of their first album, "Leessang of Honey Family."

Gil and Gary (left to right, front).

Because Leessang is a group with such a long history, I won't be able write about them as a whole. This will be their tenth year anniversary since their official debut, and since this is my first time getting to know them, I think I won't be able to review them as well as the other artists, most of whom I'd listened to before. Therefore, this post will be more like an album review than a general artist review. One of Leessang's most recent albums, titled "AsuRa BalBalTa," was released in August of last year. It is probably the duo's most successful album to date, becoming the most popular album of 2011, and all thirteen of its songs topping Billboard's "K-Pop Hot 100" chart. In case any of you were wondering, "AsuRa BalBalTa" is a sort of chant that means "Everything Comes True."

When I first listened through the whole album, I was really impressed. Being as foreign and new to the general hip-hop and rap genre as most of you are to K-Pop, I instantly fell in love with the music. While almost all of the songs were pretty catchy and fun to listen to, I realized that there was more emphasis on the lyrics and meaning of the songs. Unlike most K-Pop songs, Leessang's songs seem to have something honest and real to say, and I really like that about them. For example, in the song "Reminiscence," the main rapper, Gary talks about his past, from how he grew up and came to find his dreams in music at the late age of 26, to his successes with Leessang and disappointments in love. Like most rap songs, it has a very catchy chorus (featuring famous Korean singer Baek Ji Young), which is basically a chant that says, "up and down, sadness and happiness repeat, love and breakups repeat, my life goes round and round." Check it out:

"Reminiscence"


I really like all of the songs, so it's really hard to pick my favorite. However, I think "The Bird That Has To Fly Before Dying" (wow, that's long) stuck with me the most. At first, I liked their title song "Turned Off The TV," because of its very catchy chorus. I actually had "because I love you so much, I turned off the TV" stuck in my head for a while. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go check it out (probably with English subtitles, though)! As I got used to Leessang's more hip-hop sound, I preferred the songs where Gary rapped more often and there were less chorus lines. I especially liked how all of the songs flowed together in the order they were in the album. So, if you'd like to listen to some of their songs, I'd really recommend listening to the whole album, if you have the time. There's even a playlist on YouTube for that. Tempted?

"The Bird That Has To Fly Before Dying"


Here's the music video of "Turned Off The TV," if you dare to watch it:

Overall, I thought that "AsuRa BalBalTa" was a very good listen, despite having no expectations, or previous experience with hip-hop/rap whatsoever. I can now understand why this album was so popular in Korea, again, despite not being your usual K-Pop. It seems like more non-K-Pop artists are becoming successful nowadays, which is so refreshing. Leessang has been doing their thing since 2002, and don't seem to plan on stopping anytime soon. Like in all of my reviews, I really recommend checking their album out, just try putting those 3 minutes of music through your ears, whenever you feel bored or just want something new to listen, say, while doing homework. Even though you don't understand what they're saying, you might still like the music, enough so that you'd look up the meaning of the lyrics, and eventually gain an interest so great that you end up learning a whole new language. Just saying, it could happen...

The full tracklist to "AsuRa BalBalTa":

1. You're The Answer To a Guy Like Me (Prologue)
2. You're The Answer To a Guy Like Me
3. Turned Off The TV...
4. Serenade
5. Reminiscence
6. I'll Give Everything To You
7. The Bird That Has To Fly Before Dying
8. AsuRa BalBalTa
9. Wild Goose Chase
10. Gangnam Riche
11. Am I?
12. Hope
13. Grand Final (Planet Shiver Mix)