Hyun Jin-young


Heo Hyeon-seok, better known by his stage name Hyun Jin-young, is a South Korean singer, rapper, and dancer. He is known for his role in introducing hip-hop music to South Korea.

Biography

Early life and career

He has been involved with music since he was a child. While growing up in Gijichon, he was introduced to African-American music by his American friends. From then on, he learn how to sing, dance and rap easily from his American friends throughout his childhood. When he dropped out of high school, he decided to become a hip-hop musician. He eventually met Lee Soo-man, and Hyun passed Lee's audition since he was able to pull of the Toggichum. He then began training under Lee-soo Man's supervision to prepare for his debut.

Hyun Jin-young and Wawa

Debuting as "Hyun Jin-young and Wawa", he began to perform his hit songs "Sad Mannequin" and "Sexy lady". Though the sales of the album were mediocre, he gained popularity as a forerunner of hip hop music in Korea, which at the time, was a shock for most audiences. Wawa consisted of Koo Jun-yup and Kang Won-rae from Clon, and later Lee Hyun-do and Kim Sung-jae from deux.

Return to the music scene

In 2001, Hyun overcame those painful times and returned to the pop music scene with his fourth solo album, Wild Gangster Hip Hop. The response from his fans was favorable, which people consider him to be a music pioneer. In 2006, he released his fifth album called Street Jazz In My Soul. This album contained jazz music, which was a departure from his hip hop roots. Currently, he is a chief producer of SidusHQ.

Discography

Studio albums