Beat column: KING SOUTH G, Y2MATE feat. CCR, and 거리의 시인들 in this week's underground picks

Three acts from the Korean underground get the spotlight in this week's Beat column.

KING SOUTH G operates in the domestic underground hip-hop and internet-based music scene, leaning hard into internet meme culture and exaggerated character work. 내 속도는 야마하 (My Speed is Yamaha) rides a fast tempo and aggressive energy throughout, using the motorcycle brand Yamaha as a straight-up symbol of speed.

Y2MATE pulls from a wider palette: hip-hop, punk, and electronic music all feed into the sound. On 호걸, Y2MATE brings in CCR — also an underground act — as a featured artist. CCR's rough rap and strong presence push the track's energy up a level. Y2MATE's catalog already includes baby yama, happy radio, alaw, and Underground Hero (feat. CCR), with 호걸 the latest addition.

거리의 시인들 (Poets of the Street) have been active since the late 1990s, making them one of the longer-running names in Korean hip-hop. 빙 broke them to a wider audience, built on an addictive chorus and distinctive rap. 바보버스 leans into social satire, pairing humor with pointed criticism of everyday reality. The column highlights 무지에 대한 분노 (Anger at Ignorance), which takes aim directly at indifference, ignorance, and uncritical attitudes across society. A veteran group dropping a track called "Anger at Ignorance" in 2026 — the timing does the work.