Leessang (Hangul: 리쌍) is a South Korean Hip-hop duo, composed of Kang Hee-gun ("Garie" or "Gary") and Gil Seong-joon ("Gil"). Formed in 2002, Leessang has produced 8 albums with at least one #1 hit in each. It is their last three albums, Hexagonal, Asura Balbalta, and Unplugged that broke numerous records. All the songs in the albums entered the top positions on all major and minor charts upon release and held its position for at least three days, achieving a very rare "all kill". Their latest single, Tears, a collaboration with Duble Sidekick, also became the first Perfect All-Kill for 2013 despite the lack of promotion by either LeeSsang or Duble Sidekick. [3] They often collaborate with Drunken Tiger, Yoon Mi Rae, Big Mama King, Hwayobi, Ali and many others.
Leessang is composed of one vocalist and one rapper.The duo has released eight albums to date: two self-titled records in 2002 and 2003, Library of Soul in 2005, Black Sun in 2007, Baek-a Jeolhyeon (백아절현) in 2009, Hexagonal in late 2009, Asura Balbalta in 2011 and Unplugged in 2012.
In 1997, Garie joined X-Teen, a hip hop group, where he met Gil.They released two albums. Garie later said that he helped in neither the looks nor the talent department so they left the group. Garie and Gil then joined Honey Family.
They released two successful albums in 1999 and 2000. The other members were Digitty, Park Myung Hou, Jura, Young Poon, and Su-Jung. To date, the group is still acknowledged as one of the best hip hop groups of all time because of their unique blend of rapping styles. Gary, Gil, and Diggity, collaborated to form a "Leessam Trio ("sam" means three in Korean)," and released a compilation album called, "2000 Korea," in the year 2000.Diggity eventually left the group. Gil and Garie changed to name to "Leessang". Garie later on stated in an interview that part of the reason he left is when success came to his head and felt he is "a celebrity".
LeeSsang has been respected even before their mainstream success. This is due to the fact that they, unlike many other mainstream artists nowadays, started organically. They didn't go through "training" common to idol groups in Korea and was never managed by big entertainment companies in Korea. They have maintained their creative independence even having to raise their own money to produce their first album. They write and produce their own songs, direct their own music videos and never got any of their personal lives involved in their career for the sake of promoting their work.
They also have formulated their own style. Gary is known for his off beat rapping. His rap is off tempo which makes it difficult to copy. It sounds like it is off beat but when put together with the music syncs perfectly. Gil's voice is husky and seems to fit better with rock music.
The have also consistently evolved, venturing in different genres. They often mix different genres in one song. More importantly, their songs are autobiographical.
They are also credited for being one of the few artists to help non-idol singers and musicians get some attention by the mainstream public. They are often regarded as "ugly" especially in the variety shows they are in. The success of Hexagonal, Asura Balbalta and Unplugged helped in raising awareness about other artists that may not be getting attention and marketing support or may not be good looking in the Korean pop context but actually make beautiful music.
They are also widely regarded for their live performances. Common on all review of their shows is the different kind of experience when watching them live. Their voices sound better live and the emotions are much more raw. [29] Their shows are also characterized by having a story, particularly their story, their journey from being no one and having nothing to living their dream.
Tickets to their shows got sold out within 3 minutes from the tickets being made available. It has prompted many fans to call the agency and request for more shows and made more seats available.
