According to a post Tweeted out by Roc Nation, JAY-Z's music label, Jay Park has joined the Roc Nation family.
Why does this matter? Well it does for a few reason and I'm going to tell you why.
We are excited to announce @Jaybumaom has officially signed with #RocNation! Welcome to the #RocFam!!! pic.twitter.com/escgoMN7aZ
— Roc Nation (@RocNation) July 21, 2017
First of all, this is a Korean pop artist who is going to be signed to an American music label. That's kind of a big deal. K-pop has found it's popularity here in the states but it's not nearly as big as it is in other countries.
Surprisingly, but also not, K-pop is becoming very popular throughout the world and it is slowly making it's way into America. Now, don't get me wrong, there are plenty of small groups in the states that are very familiar with K-pop, but I'm talking about the bigger picture.
Now, K-pop is finding it's way to most of America and even one of Korea's popular boy band groups, BTS, won a Billboard Music Award for the Top Social Artists. This has never happened before, other than Psy winning as a soloist back in 2013. They beat Justin Bieber in this category, which is huge.
Not only are Korean pop artists winning awards, but there's even videos of American rappers and other artists reacting to popular Korean music, who are, to say the least, pretty impressed.
WARNING | Video contains explicit language
So, back to Jay Park. Park is the co-CEO of AOMG, which is an independent label out of South Korea and manages some popular Korean hip-hop and R&B artists.
He has risen to the top of the charts in Asia with his hits Most Hated and You Know and he was once part of the very popular, and still popular, boy band, 2PM.
The news of Park joining the ranks of artists like JAY-Z, Fabolous and Big Sean is a very big win for Asian Americans, which he expressed on his Instagram just a few days ago.
A post shared by $hway BUM Park 박재범 (@jparkitrighthere) on
Secondly, Korean Americans have been trying to find their niche in popular culture other than Korean BBQ and Psy (Gangnam Style, remember?). Not to downplay both of those things, let's face it, Korean BBQ is absolutely delicious and Gangnam Style will always be a must-have in your dance music playlist.
With recent news of North Korea and their missile testing, South Korea is often overshadowed by dark and negative press coverage.
And lastly, Korean-Americans have kept pretty quiet but trust us, we are here, we are listening and we are ready to be heard. With the advent of social media and the advances in technology, it is so much easier to reach out and learn about other countries, like South Korea.
We use their skincare products, we eat their delicious foods and we use their electronics. Ever wonder why you can almost never tell an Asian person's age? I'm joking, but seriously.
This will not be the last time you hear about South Koreans taking popular culture by storm and hopefully it will help educate everyone that it is not just the country next to North Korea. It is a beautiful and culturally rich country with so much to offer.
Catherine Park is an Associate Digital Producer for 11Alive. When she's not consuming popular culture at an impressive rate, she enjoys trying new restaurants and blogging about it.
