In Honor Of Black History Month, Here Are 7 Of The Talented Black Artists Behind Major K-Pop Hits
As most people should know, February is Black History Month, a time during which the achievements and triumphs of the black community and individuals within it are recognized on a larger scale. What you might not be aware of is just how many K-Pop songs that you’ve heard and love were actually created, at least in part, by black producers and artists! While a complete list of all the black creators in the K-Pop industry would be a monumental task to create, here are 7 prominent names that you should definitely know about.
1. Rodnae “Chikk” Bell
Not only is Rodnae behind major K-Pop hits such as EXO‘s “Monster”, “Overdose”, and “Lotto”, but she has also lent her vocals to girl group songs such as Girls’ Generation‘s “Green Light” and Red Velvet‘s “Love is the Way”! Other SM Entertainment artists that she has been involved with are SHINee and NCT 127.
2. Teddy Riley
Teddy is arguably one of the best-known black artists in the K-Pop industry, and he definitely has made a name for himself! He, too, has been heavily involved with SM Entertainment artists, including Super Junior, EXO, SHINee, f(x), and more. One of his most well-known songs is “The Boys” by Girls’ Generation!
3. Sleep Deez
Sleep Deez has helped in the creation of some popular songs by BigHit Music artists! He helped to produce TXT‘s “20cm”, but is most well-known for co-producing BTS member Jungkook‘s fan-loved solo, “My Time”. He even had this to say about the group’s maknae!
I think the world of the kid. His potential is through the roof, I’m excited ‘My Time’ felt like the beginning of a brand new swag and confidence for him. Can’t wait to see how far he and the rest take it.
— Sleep Deez
4. Tayla Parx
Tayla has worked with numerous major Western artists such as Ariana Grande, Christina Aguilera, and Dua Lipa, and both SM Entertainment and BigHit Music have also worked with her to produce big hits! She helped in the creation of BTS’s “Mic Drop” as well as Red Velvet’s “Dumb Dumb” (along with other songs by them), and has also worked with BoA as well!
5. Jayrah Gibson
Jayrah first caught media attention when he participated in the 11th season of American Idol, and though he didn’t win the show, he has been making many wins with his production of K-Pop songs! He worked on several early EXO songs such as “Angel”, “Love Me Right”, and the industry-changing hit “Growl”, as well as also participating in the songwriting for Jungkook’s “My Time”.
6. Tay Jasper
Tay is another black creator who has worked heavily with SM Entertainment. He has vocals in SuperM‘s “Jopping” and SHINee’s “Feel Good”, and also helped to create NCT U‘s “The 7th Sense”, Red Velvet’s “Rookie”, Taemin‘s “Drip Drop”, and several other artists from this company!
7. MNEK
MNEK is another artist with a long line of Western artists who he has produced songs for such as Madonna, Beyoncé, Selena Gomez, and many others. In the K-Pop world, he is behind song such as BTS’s “Paradise” as well as TWICE‘s “Girls Like Us” and their popular title track “More & More”!
