Hyun Jin-young

Heo Hyeon-seok (Hangul: 허현석; born February 3, 1971),[1] better known by his stage name Hyun Jin-young (Hangul: 현진영),[2] is a South Korean singer, rapper, and dancer. He is known for his role in introducing hip-hop music to South Korea.[3]

Hyun Jin-young
현진영
Hyun in 2021
Background information
Birth nameHeo Hyeon-seok
Born (1971-02-03) February 3, 1971
Seoul, South Korea
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • rapper
  • dancer
Years active1990–present
Labels
Associated acts
  • Hyun Jin-young and Wawa
  • I.W.B.H
Korean name
Hangul
현진영
Revised RomanizationHyeon Jin-yeong
McCune–ReischauerHyŏn Chinyŏng
Birth name
Hangul
허현석
Revised RomanizationHeo Hyeon-seok
McCune–ReischauerHŏ Hyŏnsŏk

Heo is known as the first artist to be signed to SM Entertainment, then operating as S.M. Studio, in 1989. He was dropped from the agency sometime around 1994.

Early life

Heo has been involved with music since he was a child. While growing up in Gijichon (기지촌, Village near the U.S. Army Base), he was introduced to African-American music 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, and Heo passed Lee's audition since he pulled off the toggichum (토끼춤, '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, Heo began to perform his hit songs "Sad Mannequin" and "Sexy Lady". 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 and Kang Won-rae from Clon, later Lee Hyun-do and Kim Sung-jae, both of Deux fame, and finally Sean, a future half of Jinusean.

Return

In 2001, Heo overcame painful times,[4] and returned to the pop music scene with his fourth solo album, Wild Gangster Hip Hop. The response from his fans was favorable. 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.

He was also a chief producer of SidusHQ.[5]

Discography

Studio albums
Title Album details[6]
New Dance 1
(as Hyun Jin-young and Wawa)
New Dance 2
  • Released: August 1, 1992
  • Label: S.M. Studio
  • Format: CD, cassette
Int. World Beat and Hiphop Of New Dance 3
  • Released: September 1, 1993
  • Label: S.M. Studio
  • Format: CD, cassette
Wild Gangster Hiphop
  • Released: January 1, 2002
  • Label: King Entertainment
  • Format: CD, cassette
Street Jazz In My Soul
  • Released: March 27, 2006
  • Label: Seal Media
  • Format: CD, cassette

References
  1. "현진영 소개" [Hyun Jin-young Profile] (in Korean). Mnet. Archived from the original on May 27, 2018. Retrieved May 26, 2018.
  2. "Artists Search: Hyun Jin-young (현진영)". KBS World Radio. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  3. Dillow, Gordon (May 9, 1993). "Rap's Seoul Brother : Dance Transcended All Language Barriers for Korean Music Star". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  4. Kang, Eun-young (March 20, 2007). "'苦盡甘來' 현진영, 다시 정상에 오르기까지". Hankook Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  5. Kwon, Hyun-soo (December 28, 2016). "세종사이버대, 현진영 프로젝트 본격 가동". Money Today (in Korean). Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  6. "현진영" [Hyun Jin-young]. KMDC Archive (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. Retrieved January 21, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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