An Ode to Korean Globalization and 90s African-American Hip Hop Culture
By Rosie Eunsoo Kim | Culture | October 16, 2026
Cover Illustration: Taegeukgi (South Korean flag) displayed on the stage background, 6th October 2026. Rosie Eunsoo Kim/The Amsterdammer
Combining the unexpected: what happens when Korean karaoke meets Black hip-hop culture on one stage? Soft news reporter Rosie Eunsoo Kim reflects on the role of Jay Park’s and LNGSHOT’s world tour in Korean representation in mainstream media.
From drinking soju gifted by fans on stage to catching lingerie that had been thrown on Park’s face, Park Jae-Beom (박재범), stage name Jay Park, and LNGSHOT band members Ohyul, RYUL, Louis and Woojin performed a nearly three-hour serenade at the sold-out venue of AFAS Live in Amsterdam on October 6, 2026.
As suggested by the concert title, “Serenades & Body Rolls”, the concert offered a unique melange of Park covering Michael Jackson, karaoke-ing iconic 90s tracks with the audience, and techno-DJ breaks entertaining audience members non-stop for the lengthy performance. This led to the plethoric diversity of concert attendees, including OG K-pop fans, fresh LNGSHOT fans and people of all ages from tween fans to their adult supervisors. LNGSHOT is already on a world tour despite only having been formed in 2025 and is signed under the record label founded by Park. Park was the first Asian artist to be signed under a talent management company owned by Jay-Z and has been active in the Korean hiphop industry since 2008.
In his earlier career, controversies circulated regarding whether Park treads a thin line of Black cultural appropriation regarding some of his music videos and hairstyles. However, during the concert, Park does attempt to highlight his appreciation for Black artists and his background of growing up in the US. He lists Michael Jackson, Jay-Z, and Boyz II Men (an American R&B group that debuted in the 90s) as inspirations during his performance.
One 15-year-old fan stated, “K-pop is from Black culture and hip hop. I got into that [K-pop] because it looks kind of the same, and I really liked hearing it in a different language…” Crowd members wore bandanas or big red ties and oversized white dress shirts, amongst other hiphop attire, reflecting the trickled-down forms of modern hip hop music all the way to the production of the genre in a variety of languages.
Jay Park pays homage to both his Korean and American roots alongside his biggest inspirations. Halfway through the show, Park announced, “It’s karaoke night, let’s go!” Park belted “I Want It That Way” with everyone in the arena, combining one of the most essential bits of modern Korean culture – that is, karaoke culture – with his upbringing in Seattle in the 90s. In addition, he covered “Billie Jean,” performing a tribute to Michael Jackson, stating, “I’ve been covering Michael Jackson…[from] the beginning stages of my career ‘til now.” He even wore the iconic fedora and changed into a sequined jacket with the glove on the left hand ready.
To further reflect this Korean identity, Park teaches us the basics of hangeul, the Korean alphabet, on stage and how to say annyeonghaseyo (‘hello’ in Korean). Park and LNGSHOT also performed their hit song GUKBBONG where the crowd chanted ‘South Korea’ while the taegeukgi, or South Korean flag, was displayed on stage.
A 27-year-old chaperone who was “not really into K-pop,” admitted she “love(d) the energy of the audience…it’s really radiating, the energy towards the artist as well, so it’s really nice to see.” She also said, “we have also been to Stray Kids and there you’ve also seen the diversity…” Zoey, a 17-year-old Korean born in the Netherlands, said, “I’ve gotten used to it [diversity] because of the several K-pop concerts I’ve been to,” speaking to the dispersion of Korean culture to various corners of the world.
The concert fed us with no lack of screen visuals, choreography and audience interactions. Park and members of LNGSHOT took the effort to read fans’ cardboard signs and said several Dutch phrases on stage, such as ‘proost’ and ‘Amsterdam, ik ben in jou.’ Ofira Dharma, a certified K-pop fan of 8 years and a student at the UvA, says that Park, as a hiphop artist, takes more liberty in his performance and deviates from the norms usually expected from Korean artists: “This concert is not like other K-pop concerts where swearing, drinking on stage and more adult performances usually are limited or restricted.”
Nowadays, K-pop concerts are not a simple product of Korean globalization, but rather carry political nuance, as they represent how media from outside the US or the UK can enter the world of “mainstream” media. Korean music has the opportunity to showcase elements of Korean culture usually overshadowed by the media, such as local folk music, like in BTS’ “Body to Body.” Taking this one step further, the blending of different cultures across music, films, and various media forms hopefully speaks to the acceleration of representation that could succeed in the future.
“Serenades & Body Rolls” showcases the melting pot of cultures in our cosmopolitan world celebrating Korean culture as well as genres of African-American music and artists. The finale of Jay Park and LNGSHOT’s tour will take place on October 26, 2026 in London, concluding their world tour that started in early September in São Paulo, Brazil. This concert presents itself as the chance to experience K-pop, hip hop, rap, and a boy band all in one.
Rosie Eunsoo Kim is a university student in Amsterdam. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of The Amsterdammer.
