Hyun Jin-young

Heo Hyeon-seok (Hangul: 허현석; born February 3, 1971),[1] better known by his stage name Hyun Jin-young (Hangul: 현진영),[2] is a South Korean singer, rapper, and dancer. He is known for his role in introducing hip-hop music to South Korea.[3]

Hyun Jin-young
Birth nameHeo Hyeon-seok
Born (1971-02-03) February 3, 1971
Seoul, South Korea
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • rapper
  • dancer
Years active1990–present
LabelsFUN Han Entertainment
Associated acts
  • Hyun Jin-young and Wawa
  • I.W.B.H
Korean name
Hangul
현진영
Revised RomanizationHyeon Jin-yeong
McCune–ReischauerHyŏn Chinyŏng
Birth name
Hangul
허현석
Revised RomanizationHeo Hyeon-seok
McCune–ReischauerHŏ Hyŏnsŏk

Biography

Early life and career

He has been involved with music since he was a child. While growing up in Gijichon (기지촌, "Village near U.S. Army Base"), 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 (토끼춤, "The Roger Rabbit"). 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 (1st generation), and later Lee Hyun-do and Kim Sung-jae from deux (2nd generation).

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

Title Album details[4]
New Dance 1
(as Hyun Jin-young and Wawa)
New Dance 2
  • Released: August 1, 1992
  • Label: SM Entertainment
  • Format: CD, cassette
Int. World Beat and Hiphop Of New Dance 3
  • Released: September 1, 1993
  • Label: SM Entertainment
  • Format: CD, cassette
Wild Gangster Hiphop
  • Released: January 1, 2002
  • Label: King Entertainment
  • Format: CD, cassette
Street Jazz In My Soul
  • Released: March 27, 2006
  • Label: Seal Media
  • Format: CD, cassette

References

  1. "현진영 소개" [Hyun Jin-young Profile]. Mnet (in Korean). Retrieved 2018-05-26.
  2. "Artists Search: Hyun Jin-young (현진영)". KBS World Radio. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  3. Dillow, Gordon (1993-05-09). "Rap's Seoul Brother : Dance Transcended All Language Barriers for Korean Music Star". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  4. "현진영" [Hyun Jin-young]. K-Pop Archive (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. Retrieved 2018-05-26.
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