A Little Respect: An Examination of Representation, Double Standards, and Gatekeeping in Kpop & Hip-Hop
There's something that has really been grinding my gears lately (amongst the million other things that have made the past year more than trying). Admittedly, it doesn't take a lot to make me agitated (s/o to my fellow fire sign friends), but there have been slights about a particular music genre that has seemed to increase in volume as of late.
I'm talking about Kpop.
You may have heard it. Western coverage on big groups like BTS (who just became the first Kpop group to be nominated for a Grammy in a major category) have been on the rise since 2017, when the Korean group became the first Kpop act to perform on a major American awards show. Performing their then single, "DNA," the group wowed just about anyone that was completely unaware of them.
