STARTER PACK: Nu Metal Moments In K-Pop History

Author's Note: A huge thank you to Autumn Martin for her help in her research. She is the K-pop mother among my friend group, so if y'all have some sort of issue with the K-pop-related coverage on here, you can blame her. Or you can get over it. Your call. - LZL

With the recent return of K-pop kings BTS, the global superstars are the talk of the town, leading to a wave that was more recently stirred up by a certain trio of girls who don't miss. This international phenomenon is nothing new, no, but with 4th generation acts such as Stray Kids and ATEEZ, as well as 3rd-gen cohorts TWICE and SEVENTEEN kicking around after ten years apiece, to say nothing of groups with K-pop ideologies such as KATSEYE, terms like maknae, bias, and wrecker are back in the popular lexicon.

K-pop, much like nu metal, draws on loads of styles, so the crossover potential is substantial, and as it turns out, our faves have dabbled in the nu world more than one might think. Be it through covers, collaborations, or tributes, K-pop has tipped its hat to nu metal plenty, and here are just a few of those instances of hallyu going "hell yeah."

ATEEZ's Mingi Shows Love To Limp Bizkit & Linkin Park

One listen to his raps and screams on "Guerrila" and even new listeners will realize that Mingi is a rock star in a pop group. His presence, intensity, and artistry will make for one hell of a solo career someday, but in a livestream on TOKTOQ, the proprietary fan app for KQ Entertainment, Mingi shouted out Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit, even singing a bit of "Rollin'" as a nod to the Jacksonville faithful.

Given Fred Durst's modern-day "fuck it" sensibilities, maybe a Mingi x Limp Bizkit partnership isn't so far-fetched an idea?

ATEEZ's Hongjoong Covers "Numb" As Part Of Ongoing Series

Keeping with ATEEZ, the group's "Captain" Hongjoong has released a series of covers of his favorite artists, ranging from Michael Jackson to Fools Garden, from Oasis to Linkin Park. His version of Linkin Park's megahit "Numb" takes things firmly into hip-hop territory with some EDM elements, complete with a fiery rap verse written by the Cap himself. Even with the freestyling, he doesn't lose the plot at all, injecting the song with a strange new energy, as if to invoke the antithesis of its title. Signing off with his signature giggle, it's as if he knows he's just turned the track on its head, but in this case, it's more than acceptable.

SHINee's Taemin Covers Korn's "Get Up"

Idols aren't really supposed to swear, generally speaking, so hearing SHINee's siren Taemin scream "SHUT THE FUCK UP, GET UP" had to be jarring for some and bewildered guffaw-inducing for others. Sure enough, the "Idol's Idol" covered Korn's "Get Up" off of the mixed bag that was The Path To Totality for his solo during a 2012 tour.

At first glance, this makes no sense. What the hell is a K-pop dance machine doing singing a Korn song? But given the melange that K-pop is musically, mixed with the mash-up that Korn's dalliance with dubstep was, why not? And with Taemin's impending return as a solo artist and headlining this year's Coachella, maybe we'll see him break this cover out again. Her whisper may be the Lucifer, but his scream is diabolical.

Dreamcatcher. Just... Dreamcatcher

Dreamcatcher draw on inspiration from rock and metal, namely Evanescence and Linkin Park, and this becomes apparent on songs like "Vision." Anthemic guitars, Dami's low-tone rapping, and a host of top-notch vocal performances make it a standout listen. Where a number of girl groups get pigeonholed into bubblegum pop, Dreamcatcher just wanna rock (ROCK), and rock they most certainly do.

As great as the group's projects post-hiatus have been, namely Siyeon's ChRocktikal, the world could use a Dreamcatcher reunion, if only for them to show us how it's done one more time.

Seotaiji Waged Internet War Before It Was Cool

Before it was any bit the global phenomenon and single-handed economic stabilizer it is now, Seotaiji revolutionized the Korean pop music scene, incorporating hip-hop and rock influences in ways previously unseen in the game. His second solo album Ultramania remains one of the highest-selling records in Korean history, thanks in no small part to the groundbreaking single "Internet War."

Musically, it sounds like a Korn song with the odd rap, and this sounds pretty passe to the American ear. But even today, South Korea is rather conservative, so something so aggressive and abrasive was a "Johnny B. Goode" in Back to the Future moment some 25 years ago. Even by today standards, it bangs.

BTS' Jung Kook & V Lip-Sync To That Scream From Linkin Park's "Given Up" on BANGTAN TV

The Bangtan boys are back in the zeitgeist with their comeback album ARIRANG, but not that long ago, they were building themselves as the standard for 3rd-generation K-pop acts. Being that they came up in the boom of social media and viral moments, they took advantage of the spotlight and platform afforded to them with BANGTAN TV, a behind-the-scenes look at the goings-on of the seven members.

One such episode saw the boys jamming out to Linkin Park, with Jung Kook and V in particular giving a spirited lip-sync to "Given Up." While yes, LP are one of the most mainstream rock bands out there, K-pop as an industry has a squeaky-clean image for the most part, meaning that little F-bomb in that scream is a bit of a fly in the ointment. Still, it makes for a great moment, and just one example of many of the influence and reach of Linkin Park.

Stray Kids, Tom Morello, & Young Miko "Come Play" For The Arcane Soundtrack

An eight-strong K-pop band, an undisputed guitar hero, and a Puerto Rican rapper feels like the start to a classic joke, but it is instead the formula for an anthem featured in season two of Arcane: League of Legends. The opening guitar is unmistakeably Morello, with Felix and Changbin of Stray Kids playing their own versions of Zack De La Rocha for verse one, with Young Miko employing her smooth, sultry raps for verse two. A bevy of bars, a nu metal progenitor, and an "all hands on deck" approach make this track incredibly nu metal.

Stray Kids' Bang Chan Honors Chester Bennington On Chan's Room Webseries

On the subject of Stray Kids, the kings of the fourth generation of the movement, leader Bang Chan is an artist's artist above all else. He is the most-credited artist in the current generation and in the top three of all time of the Korean Music Copyright Association (KOMCA). On his behind-the-scenes series Chan's Room, Bang Chan shows off some of his influences and inspirations, and in one such episode, he listens to Linkin Park's "One More Light," taken from the album of the same name which would be the last to feature Chester Bennington.

Throughout the clip, Chan nods along to the song, appreciating the vocals of the late Linkin Park frontman and mourning his passing. He shouts out hits like "In The End" and "New Divide" as well, speaking on how the band influenced his work with 3RACHA and Stray Kids.

Nicholas Tse & Jackson Wang Pay Tribute To Chester With "Abyss"

Jackson Wang of GOT7 is a head-turner and influential artist in his own right, but the Chinese-born idol isn't afraid to channel his inner Mike Shinoda, as evidenced by his feature on Nicholas Tse's song "Abyss." The song was penned as a tribute to Chester Bennington, and there's more than a smattering of influence of the band in this song. It is centered around an uncompromised vision and living life as one wishes, a message that would no doubt resonate with Chester in any era.

And before any pedants get on us for this one, GOT7 is a K-pop group that features Thai and Chinese members, with Jackson being a celebrated idol both for his work in GOT7 and his solo work. I guess you really do gotta be a dick sometimes...

NCT 127's YUTA Covers Bring Me The Horizon's "Happy Song"

As the massive membership of NCT and its subgroups continues to dwindle without an explanation, let's focus on the rock star of the group in Yuta. The Japanese-born singer now flies solo, with his most recent release Persona diving deep into the alt-rock playbook and allowing Yuta to be fully unleashed. As he went solo a couple of years ago, he posted a cover of Bring Me The Horizon's "Happy Song," aka the one with the random cheerleading in the beginning. It's a statement being made, a declaration of "you don't think I know ball, but I'm about to show all of you motherfuckers."

And show us he did.