Garion (Korean가리온) is a South Korean hip hop group that pioneered Korea's underground hip-hop scene. The group currently consists of rappers MC Meta and Naachal. They are notable for rapping entirely in Korean.[1][2][3]

Garion
Background information
OriginSouth Korea
GenresKorean hip hop
Years active1998 (1998)-present
MembersMC Meta
Naachal
Past membersJ-U

History

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Debut

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Garion formed in 1998 after Naachal and MC Meta met at a concert where MC Meta was performing as a member of the hip hop group Blex.[1] They named themselves Garion after a mythical white horse with a black mane that lives in Mount Paektu.[4] Producer J-U joined the group in November.[citation needed]

First album and first major award

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Garion released their first album, Garion, in January 2004. Most songs on the album are from the group's hip hop club days in the 1990s and 2000s.[5] The album was not a mainstream hit but received praise from Korea's underground hip hop scene for its groundbreaking raps that were entirely in Korean.[1] It was later chosen as one of the 100 "Masterpieces of Korean Popular Music."[6]

In 2005, they released the single, "무투" ("Mutu"), which went on to win Best Hip Hop Song at the 2006 Korean Music Awards.[1]

Second album

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On June 24, 2010, it was officially announced that Garion will come back with their second album called Garion2 (가리온2) in August.[7] Nevertheless, because of Naachal's health problem and MC Meta's personal problems, they announced that they are expecting to release their album in September and that DJ Skip became their new assistant DJ.[8] The album was released in October.[9] After the release, it was applauded by the masses and the two members actively held concerts. Before long, Naachal became a rap teacher in FnC academy and is teaching students until now.[10] In 2011, Garion2 (가리온2) received 'The Best Album of the Year', 'The Best Hip-hop Album of the Year', and 'The Best Hip-hop song of the Year' in the Korean Music Awards.[11] In 2012, MC Meta and Naachal became the founders of the crew 'Bulhanddang' (불한당, 不汗党).[12]

Members

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MC Meta

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MC Meta had many solo career for a long time and even continued after Garion was formed. He had some collaboration works with DJ Soulscape and Da Crew (다 크루). He often held a class in Haja Center and taught hip-hop. Some of these students made a label called Soul Company (소울 컴퍼니), and thinking MC Meta as a spiritual leader. From April 2011 to August, MC Meta released four singles, collaborated with DJ Wreckx.[13] Before long, studio album was released and was also praised by the listeners.

Naachal

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Naachal didn't have any solo careers until the release of 《Mutu(무투(武鬪)》. He was busy on his school but also there was a rumor that Naachal didn't prefer featuring on another track. He also had some bad health problems. However, after the release of 《Mutu(무투(武鬪)》, he participated in many songs and in May 2009, released a project album called Golden Boy Training Academy with Issac Squab.

J-U started his career as a producer in 1995 in Germany and when he returned to Korea, he participated in concerts in hip-hop club Honey. Then he moved to Club MP and met with MC Meta and Naachal. After his succession from Garion, people thought he quit his career as a producer.

Discography

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Albums

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  • Garion (2004)
  • Garion 2 (2010)

Mini albums

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  • 15th Anniversary Album (2013)
  • 15th Anniversary Album (Instrumental) (2013)

Singles

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  • "무투" (2005)
  • "그 날 이후" (2005)
  • "거짓 2013" (2013)
  • "Heritage" (2016)
  • "이야기" (2016)

Awards and nominations

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Year Category Nominated work Result Ref
2006 Best Hip Hop Song "무투" Won [1]
2011 Album of the Year Garion 2 Won [4]
Best Hip Hop Album Won
Best Hip Hop Song "Most Urgent" (feat. NUCK) Won

Hiphopplaya Awards

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Year Category Nominated work Result Ref
2011 Album of the Year DJ AND MC (by MC Meta & DJ WRECKX) Nominated [14]
Featuring of the Year MC Meta Nominated [15]
2014 Single of the Year "YGGR" (by Illionaire Records feat. MC Meta) Won [16]
"무언가" (by Huckleberry P feat. Ignito & MC Meta) Nominated
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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Surh, Jung-min (2010-11-04). "Garion rises in hip-hop scene". The Hankyoreh. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  2. ^ "가리온(Garion) 소개". Mnet (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2017-02-07. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  3. ^ "15 Korean Rappers You Should Know That Aren't Psy". XXL Mag. 2013-02-12. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  4. ^ a b Kwon, Mee-yoo (2011-02-24). "Garion sweeps music awards". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  5. ^ Kim, Dae-hyeong (2004-03-06). "드디어 정규 앨범! '가리온'을 만나다". Hiphopplaya (in Korean). Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  6. ^ Bradley, Paul T. (2012-06-25). "Five Quite Good K-hop Albums". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  7. ^ "가리온, 오는 7월 공식 컴백", 2010년 6월 24일 힙합플레이야 뉴스
  8. ^ "가리온 “까임방지권은 필요 없다. 실력으로 평가받고 싶다”", 김봉현, 100Beat.com, 2010년 8월 27일 작성, 2010년 8월 27일 확인 Archived 2010-08-31 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ "가리온 2집이 10월 26일날 발매 확정!", 글쓴이 recrash (김찬우), 2010년 10월 15일, 힙합플레이야 음악 국내 게시판
  10. ^ "한국콘서바토리 - 힙합 뮤지션을 위한 국내 최고의 4년제 음악대학 학사 교육과정 !!", 힙합플레이야 홍보 페이지 Archived 2013-12-03 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "Naver Vibe(바이브)".
  12. ^ Spolight - 불한당 크루, Bluc & Melo, HIPHOPLE Spotlight, 2012년 5월 8일
  13. ^ "엠씨 메타 & 디제이 렉스 인터뷰 (ME META, DJ WRECKX)", 힙합플레이야 뉴스, 2011년 4월 9일
  14. ^ "Hiphopplaya Awards 2011, 올해의 앨범: 타블로 (Tablo)" [Hiphopplaya Awards 2011, Album of the Year: Tablo]. Hiphopplaya (in Korean). 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  15. ^ "Hiphopplaya Awards 2011, 올해의 피처링 아티스트 : 빈지노(Beenzino)" [Hiphopplaya Awards 2011, Featuring of the Year: Beenzino]. Hiphopplaya (in Korean). 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2016-05-16.
  16. ^ "Hiphopplaya Awards 2014 결과발표" [Hiphopplaya Awards 2014 Results]. Hiphopplaya (in Korean). 2015-02-17. Archived from the original on 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-05-16.