So this is a double rant, be warned.

So Kemy of Rookie girl group A.Kor has made the dubious decision to take on a Kpop Juggernaut, YGent. Most specifically, Park Bom of 2ne1. Her diss rap, Do The Right Rap, has pointed lyrics bashing the Vocalist for having plastic surgery, the recent (years old) drug scandal and the fallout, even for eating. I’ll emphasize again VOCALIST.

Putting aside the fact that the respect in the Sunbae/hoobae relationship in Kpop is key, this girl has called out someone that cannot respond. That is what she has done, end of story. Diss raps aren’t new in hip hop, not even in Korea (see issues between Swings and Simon D, among others) they are used to call out other rappers and are expected to garner a response in a similar fashion. Rappers don’t call out non-rappers, not if they have any respect for themselves or their craft. She can talk a big talk going up against someone that can’t take her on but in terms of respect as a rapper- well, she just shot that all to hell screwing over her own career and that of her brand new idol group.

Dissing is not something that should ever happen among idols. Idols are not Hip Hop artists and the culture that surrounds kpop idols is not made to support that kind of behavior. In Hip Hop diss raps are more often a sign of rivalry than petty jabs at other rappers. In many ways it can be seen as a sign of respect for the other’s craft, whether you like them or not. The point is in the  exchange not in one sided lashing out.

As much as her utter lack of disrespect for her own chosen craft frustrates me, that isn’t the real point here. Is this really how her group is choosing to get their name out their? Is this what we can expect from them in the future? They literally just debuted and they are already so desperate for attention that they are willing to tear at established artists. The worst part is that they are getting what they want. People know them now, for better or worse. Kemy managed to do what she wanted here, generate strong emotion from outsiders. Every comment and view that people give her negative, neutral, or positive just pushes her and A.Kor higher in the list.

What she did is wrong, there is no doubt about that, but- is it just a symptom of a bigger problem that is occurring in Kpop? (Warning: long rant ahead, possibly offensive…read at own discretion)

I haven’t been a kpop fan for that long, a couple weeks before Gangnam Style actually, but even in just that time I have noticed a trend that I am not completely comfortable with. I do the research thing pretty regularly and when I get into something I like to know as much as I can about it. Based on the last few years and in comparison to the rise of the current “Kings and Queens” of the Kpop industry the road to fame has changed, a lot.

First, let me define what I mean by “Kings and Queens”. We have SNSD, SUJU, and Big Bang as your top tier groups that everyone knows, love or hate. These are the groups in which even non-kpop Korean culture tends to be wrapped up in.  Like Lady Gaga or Beyoncé, it doesn’t matter how much you dislike the music or the artist, you can identify them immediately and at will. Pop Culture at it’s finest. At least in Kpop, there is one thing that each of these can claim in common. It took time for them to get recognition. SNSD existed before Gee, much to the shock of many newer fans. SUJU wasn’t really famous until Sorry, Sorry. Big Bang had Lies. There was no insta-success for any of them and they survived and thrived.

Flash forward to the 2012 rookie season. Here is a little dare for you…List groups that Debuted in 2012. Off the top of your head please, no cheating…

Let me throw a few guesses out there, maybe just two because I can nearly guarantee, love or hate, these made it high on your list: BAP and EXO. The great rivals of 2012. Both so hyped up that they achieved top tier level recognition upon debut, before even. I love both groups, don’t get me wrong, but they were also sort of pounded into our heads even before their debuts. EXO in particular, given the status of their company.

EXO had their excessive amount of teasers and prereleases and BAP had their Show and both had their weird, fantastical BG stories that have little purpose other than hyping them to fans. Don’t get me wrong, they also had talent to back them up. They deserve fame and recognition, they are great. Rookies are getting better and better as whole but some of them can’t keep up with the hyping that is becoming rampant.

Take for instance the trend of talking about ‘underrated’ groups. I see it all the time. Disregarding the obviously inaccurate ones let’s play a little game… Do you know these 2012 idols?  Did you know that they are 2012 idols?

Spica, Sunny Days, Wonder Boyz, Nu’est, ChAos, Lunafly, 24k, Crazyno, Vixx, The Seeya, Mr.Mr., AOA, Fiestar, Skarf, Exid, BtoB, 100%, Tiny-G…the list goes on.

These are only some of the many rookies from 2012, some of the ones that I think most people have a chance at recognizing. Do you? Included here are some groups that I really love, which I can honestly say that I had no idea that they debuted in the same year. In fact, my memory of 2012 in kpop lies heavily in EXO and BAP, neither of which are even my favorite group debuting in 2012.

Now, the issue isn’t hyping groups to the public in itself, it is a combination of numbers and hyping. The amount of successful debuts in the last few years is staggering (even if you take out the groups that fell apart year 1) the debut song is now the last thing on companies minds. How can we bring attention to our group? What will make people sit up and take notice? Fans that are complaining about an increase in ual concepts, you have yourselves to blame. Scandals aren’t just a sign of idols growing up, they are a sign of the strain to make themselves stand out above the crowd members leaving, bullying, health issues and their like are springing up everywhere. Things that shouldn’t even be scandals are becoming scandals. Why is it that while three members of SNSD started publically dating only Taeyeon and Baekhyun were subjected to the kind of hate that they got? Hate that was, and still is, well beyond the norm.

Fans have started to push idols beyond the realms of reasonable human expectation. The hype surrounding them has gotten so overpowering that we are forgetting that they aren’t actually aliens from another planet. With the amount of pressure we are putting on groups that are already out and the amount of love we have given them is it any wonder that groups and companies are starting to resort to less that polite means to get their names out there?

You have groups that are getting so crushed under the weight of Mega-Rookies that they are breaking under the strain to be the best. This goes for both older groups and other rookies. You are talking about people that have fought tooth and nail to stand on stage only to be pushed aside because of massive fangroups that are so territorial that they act like there is no room on stage for anyone other than their unni/noona’s or oppa/hyung’s. Since when does being a fan mean you have to choose? Why can’t we love a thousand groups that are there to entertain us? When are we going to start recognizing that is the fans that are pushing the companies and the idols to the breaking point.

Are what these rookies doing to gain success right? No, but I am woman enough to admit that if I had worked that hard to be pushed to the side I’m not sure that  there would be limits to what I would do to push to the top.

What do you think?