Well, I never would have imagined it, but Korean hiphop group Epik High is currently sitting on top of the iTunes US hiphop chart.
Also currently are No. 1 in New Zealand, No. 2 in Australia and No. 3 in Canada. Pretty wild.
Epik High’s new album, Epilogue, was just released on iTunes on Monday (March 8). I am told that it has bounced around on the charts for Japan (as high as #9), France, Germany and the UK. Good for EH.
Very encouraging for a more “real” group to make some noise outside of Korea, as opposed to a more manufactured teen-pop group. But, as I have argued many times over the years (along with many other folks, of course), real music is much more likely to get noticed around the world. Hiphop and indie rock are the real futures of K-Pop around the world.
(Again, there is room in the world for teen-pop, too, just as there is a place for the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus and the like. But that sort of music is not majority of the music industry. Artists who write their own songs have a lot more “weight” with critics).
If you are interested, here is the music video for Epik High’s lead-off single Run. I have never been a huge fan of the group, but this song is rather catchy.
Don’t forget, Epik High will be on CNN’s Talk Asia on April 21.
(UPDATE: I added a link to the iTunes chart, that I forgot to add when I originally posted. Although I am not sure how long Epik High will be on top, which is why I posted a screen capture).
How did this happen? Where are the numbers coming from?
The screen capture was made by me, from the Apple iTunes chart page.
http://www.apple.com/euro/itunes/charts/top10hiphopalbums.html
I have added the link to my original post.
That top 10 list is really weird.
They’re number one in the US by beating out the Beastie Boys first album from 1987? and Jay Z’s first album from 1996?
iTunes users are weird…
And why is the Gorillaz first album “Demon Days” topping the European charts when their new album just came out?
I answered my own question: “Plastic Beach” the new Gorillaz album is on the Alternative charts and not the Hip Hop charts.
Hi Matt:
Regarding the strangeness of the top-10:
1) iTunes album sales are much newer and smaller than singles.
2) The iTunes sales list is a pure sales list. Billboard and other charts do a lot of filtering, taking out songs and albums that are too old (and therefore considered catalog).
Just curious as to what your opinions are regarding my Kpop remixes. Your expertise in Korean pop culture and their musical tastes are greatly valued and any advice/opinions/recommendations you could impart would be greatly appreciated (^__^)!
http://www.youtube.com/korniceman3000