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Let's try to discuss kpop generations in a scholarly manner?


minime

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S, the past few weeks there have been quite a few threads about from which year the 'New Gen' of kpop should be counted. The stress has been on whether Exo is a 2nd Gen great or a 3rd Gen great group.

<- This discussion is not about that!

 

When we talk of generations in literature, namely in my knowledge - the history of English Literature - the generations are counted not by a specific intervention of years but by some momentous occasion that coloured the artistic output made by the people born in that generation.

For eg. the Lost Generation referred to those who lived through the WW1 and "to the lack of purpose or drive resulting from the horrific disillusionment felt by those" when "many lost faith in traditional values like courage, patriotism, and masculinity" with notable artists like Hemingway and Fitzgerald(s).

 

Sometimes, the descriptive marker is called an Age. Like, the Jacobean Age roughly encompassed the years King James 1 was on the throne.

For eg. the notable artists of the Jacobean Age were people like Ben Jonson whose plays were more strictly bound by Classical Drama rules and used contemporary medical 'theory of humours'. The bloody and cynically political Revenge Tragedies were the dominant genre this era.

 

At times, a period is defined by the stylistic choices, philosophical queries which are central to the artists of the age. Like, the Romantic Period has its start date associated with "nature poets" Wordsworth and Coleridge releasing their collaboration debut ep. 'Lyrical Ballads'! But, it stretches back to embrace both Robert Burns and William Blake whose albums were released earlier in time.

For eg. Pre-Raphaelites, a collection of a group of like-minded artists wanted a throwback to Quattrocento Italian art and constantly dissed Sir Joshua Reynolds as being sloppy.

 

Now, why I wrote that long block of text?

 

It is because - an artist is remembered by how well they started trends, how many people looked up to them and copied them, and if their art captured the mood of the era!

Eg. There's Rock as a genre, but had Punk, Grunge, Glam as eras with their pioneering and ultimate greats.

 

-----

 

Nowadays when any hiphop-based kpop boybands are asked who they look up to, the answer is almost certainly Big Bang!

All up and coming girlgroups do Gee by SNSD because it was a mega-hit.

Wondergirls were known to be the pioneers of the hook song, with Tell me's easy pointing dance being copied by all age groups of the populace.

DBSK's break-up and the contract-case impacted all idol groups coming after - as by law the contracts changed, and even now when different groups and members fight their companies the impact of the entire case and procedure can be felt.

 

So, let us think about kpop not in term of strict blocks of years but by trends and genres and important works and notable artists and pioneers...

 

I'll try?

a. BTS Suga wrote a number of lyrics in which he seemed to give voice to the disillusionment and loneliness felt by the 'Hell Joseon' generation.

b. After BigBang and then gradually BlockB, BAP was a group which was notably helmed and dependent on a rapper-composer. BAP's early success seemed to start a trend of groups which had serious/underground rappers appearing in idol groups, who wrote their own material and demanded respect as bonafide artists. The stigma of 'idol rappers' and the quarrel about legitimacy led to a face-off when B-Free feuded with Rap Monster and Suga in a radio program.

 

 

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I'll try?

a. BTS Suga wrote a number of lyrics in which he seemed to give voice to the disillusionment and loneliness felt by the 'Hell Joseon' generation.

b. After BigBang and then gradually BlockB, BAP was a group which was notably helmed and dependent on a rapper-composer. BAP's early success seemed to start a trend of groups which had serious/underground rappers appearing in idol groups, who wrote their own material and demanded respect as bonafide artists. The stigma of 'idol rappers' and the quarrel about legitimacy led to a face-off when B-Free feuded with Rap Monster and Suga in a radio program.

 

If generations changed just based on type of music/lyrics released or group concepts used there would be  +10 generations right now.

 

k-pop is not literature, is not limited  to composition, many things play a part in k-pop. Also a generation can have more trends. The fact someone wrote about a specific theme doesn't mean a new generation in k-pop started. 

 

people usually equate generation with a decade. We talk about events and trends in popular music in the 60s, 70s, 80s etc. We talk about the music from the 60s generation, we don't say is the 8th generation of popular music ...lol.  Kpop fans  also talk about korean popular music in the 90s, 00s, 10s .. and say 1st generation of idols are those from the 90s, 2nd generation is early 00-late 00, and right now is music from the 10s generation. ( 3rd generation of idols, as kpop fans say)

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