Heo Hyeon-seok (
Hangul
The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...
: 허현석; born February 3, 1971),
better known by his
stage name
A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
Hyun Jin-young (Hangul: 현진영), is a South Korean singer, rapper, and dancer. He is known for his role in introducing
hip-hop music to South Korea.
Hyun is known as the first artist to be signed to
SM Entertainment
SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...
, then operating as S.M. Studio, in 1989. In 1995, his contract was completed and he left SM.
Early life
Hyun has been involved with music since he was a child; his father was a jazz pianist. While growing up in
Hannam-dong
Hannam-dong is a '' dong'', neighbourhood of Yongsan-gu in Seoul, South Korea. One of the most affluent neighborhoods in the country, it has been portrayed continuously in South Korea's popular culture as a wealthy and luxurious spot, and for this ...
UN Village (8th US Army Village near the
U.S. Army Base), he was introduced to
African-American music
African-American music is an umbrella term covering a diverse range of music and musical genres largely developed by African Americans and their culture. Their origins are in musical forms that first came to be due to the condition of slave ...
by American friends.
He learned how to sing, dance and rap throughout his childhood. He dropped out of high school at age 16 to become a hip-hop musician.
Career
He eventually met
Lee Soo-man
Lee Soo-man (, born 18 June 1952) is a South Korean business executive and record producer who is best known for being the founder of SM Entertainment, a multinational South Korean entertainment company based in Seoul. He has also been referred ...
, and Hyun passed Lee's audition since he pulled off the ''toggichum'' (, '
The Roger Rabbit"). He then trained under Lee's supervision to prepare for his debut.
Hyun Jin-young and Wawa
Debuting as Hyun Jin-young and Wawa in 1990,
Hyun released hit songs such as "Sad Mannequin", "Sexy Lady" and "You Are in My Unclear Memory".
Though album sales were mediocre, he gained popularity as a forerunner of hip hop music in South Korea, which at the time was a shock for most audiences.
At first, Wawa consisted of
Koo Jun-yup
Koo Jun-yup (; born September 11, 1969), also known by his stage name DJ Koo, is a South Korean singer, DJ, music producer, dancer, and songwriter. He is well-known as a member of the legendary K-pop duo CLON. Koo is one of the first-generat ...
and Kang Won-rae from
Clon, later Lee Hyun-do and
Kim Sung-jae
Kim Sung-jae (Hangul: 김성재; Hanja: 金成宰; April 18, 1972 – November 20, 1995) was a South Korean singer, rapper, dancer, and model, best known as a member of Deux, an influential early K-pop and Korean hip hop group that rose to ...
, both of
Deux Deux and D'eux means "of them" or "about them" while also being the number "two" in French.
*2 (number), the natural number following 1 and preceding 3
**Two (disambiguation)
*Folie à deux, a rare psychiatric syndrome
Geography
*Deux Montagnes ...
fame,
and finally Sean, a future half of
Jinusean
Jinusean (Hangul: 지누션; stylized as JINUSEAN) was a South Korean hip hop duo signed to YG Entertainment. The duo, which is made up of Kim Jin-woo (also known as Jinu) and Noh Seung-hwan (also known as Sean), debuted in 1997 and rose to fame ...
. Hyun's career was damaged by a series of drug convictions from which it never fully recovered. He was incarcerated for
marijuana
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...
use in 1991, then
methamphetamine
Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamph ...
s in 1993. Hyun later said he became addicted to methamphetamines after befriending a drug dealer inmate during his first stint in jail. Further arrests followed in 1995 and 1998.
In 1997, he formed a hip hop duo named I.W.B.H. with Lee Tak.
Return
In 2001, Hyun returned to the music scene with his fourth solo album, ''Wild Gangster Hip Hop''.
The response from his fans was favorable. He checked himself into hospital in 2003 and underwent a drug rehabilitation program.
In 2006, he released his fifth album called ''Street Jazz In My Soul''. This album contained jazz music, a departure from his exclusively hip-hop origins.
The following year, he began teaching at RAUM, a professional music academy in
Gangnam.
He was also a chief producer of
SidusHQ
iHQ Inc., doing business as SidusHQ () is one of the leading talent management agencies in South Korea. It was founded in January 2001 by Teddy Hoon-tak Jung. The company is involved in talent management (artist content), and TV drama/music prod ...
.
Personal life
Hyun legally married actress and entrepreneur Oh Seo-un in June 2011. Their wedding ceremony was postponed and took place in 2013.
Discography
Studio albums
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hyun, Jin-young
1971 births
Living people
SM Entertainment artists
IHQ (company) artists
South Korean male rappers
20th-century rappers
20th-century South Korean male singers
21st-century South Korean male singers
South Korean child musicians
South Korean jazz pianists
South Korean jazz singers
South Korean hip hop record producers
South Korean male dancers
South Korean male pop singers
South Korean male singer-songwriters
South Korean record producers
Heo clan of Gimhae