Posted by AllK_Maknae21 pts Tuesday, February 21, 2017
1.
Seo Taiji and Boys
2NE1 weren't the first ones begging you to "Come Back Home." Seo Taiji and Boys are known as the Forefathers of K-Pop as Seo Taiji helped pioneer a wave of new sounds, dance, and styles like in the MV you see here. They introduced a lot of new sounds and genres to Korean music and "gangsta rap" was introduced through "Come Back Home." In 1996, Billboard reported that the trio's first three albums had each sold over 1.6 million copies with the fourth nearing two million - proving their spot as kings of the '90s!
2.
Turbo
Turbo's song "My Childhood Dream" won over Korea due to its addictive melody and extremely complex dance routine. They were soon after labeled as dancing kings due to the extremely quick success of their follow-up tracks such as "Black Cat" and "Decision."
3.
DJ DOC
Speaking of dancing, get ready to move because "Dance with DJ DOC" is a Korean classic. Being an absolute Karaoke song of choice for many older Koreans, "Dance with DJ DOC" gained a lot of commercial success and is considered an iconic K-Pop song alongside songs like "Run To You."
4.
R.ef
Believe it or not, the group R.ef (short for Rave Effect) were taking the spotlight in the mid '90's with their own style of rave music. "Farewell Formula" is a mid-tempo based song that won over many and it became another Karaoke must-sing. The MV drew in lots of attention due to the simplicity and overall group dynamic.
5.
Deux
Just like Seo Taiji and Boys, Deux experimented with a lot of Western sounds and influences. The MV for "Look Back At Me" exudes a lot of '90's flair, both fashion and dance wise, with an (oddly) addictive circus-Hip Hop themed melody. The song is a '90s classic as many artists such as VIXX, Jay Park, and Big Bang have performed covers of this Hip Hop track.
6.
H.O.T
SM Entertainment struck gold when they created H.O.T and released "Candy." The song and MV were one of few tracks that lead to H.O.T's international fame outside of Korea. They were also the first idol group to have an album become a 'million seller' in K-pop, despite Korea's economic crisis at the time.
7.
g.o.d
Although the group debuted in 1999, it doesn't mean they hadn't left their mark in the '90s! The famous boy group debuted with "To My Mother" which featured popular actor Jang Hyuk at the time. The song and MV had won them 3 'Daesung Awards' and furthered their success from there.
8.
S.E.S
Everyone knows the hit song from 1998 "I Love You" made S.E.S quite popular but their song "Dreams Come True" garnered lots of attention due to its wacky space theme! The futuristic sound and imagery really added something refreshing among the abundance of Hip Hop themed MVs trending in the '90s.
9.
Fin.K.L
Known as one of the most popular girl groups of their time and selling over 2.2 million albums, Fin.K.L dominated the game in 1998 with their strong, R&B inspired ballad "Blue Rain." The MV did an excellent job of portraying an emotional story and showing off their dance skills. The rest was history as the girls continued making hits even into the early 2000s.
10.
Shinwha
Shinwha is another group whose name rings a bell as a legendary name. The boys found their most credible success from their second album and promotional song of the same name "T.O.P," which helped the group receive the '1998's Best Music Video from a new male pop group' award from Mnet for obvious reasons. This was Shinhwa's first major music award at the time.
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