These Cute Korean Grannies In Their 80s Formed A Hip-Hop Group & Write Rap Lyrics Together
They're just living their best life.
By Celine Low - 19 Feb 2024, 01:54 AM
Cover image via Get yourself friends that will form a rap group with you, even when people say you're too old to do that.
A group of women in their 80s are injecting life and vibrancy into their small community by rapping self-written lyrics about rural farm life.
According to Reuters, these women, who call themselves 'Suni and The Seven Princesses', have become quite the local celebrities in their small neighbourhood in Chilgok county, North Gyeongsang province, South Korea.
The hip-hop group made their debut at a local community centre in August 2023.
Initially amassing a modest following of 150 fans, their popularity quickly spread beyond the county borders.
The group began receiving invitations to perform in neighbouring towns, they have made several appearances on national television, and their videos have garnered over 77,000 views on YouTube.
Image via Kim Soo-hyeon/Reuters/VOA
Image via Reuters/BBC
The women, who have known each other since youth, became interested in rap after seeing a rap performance on the Internet
Due to the tumultuous years following the Korean War, the women were not able to have a formal education. In 2016, they enrolled in an adult education class to learn how to read and write the Korean alphabet, hangul.
Subsequently, Suni and her fellow members enlisted the help of their hangul teacher in learning rap. And so it was, Suni and the Seven Princesses was formed.
Image via Reuters/BBC
They began crafting verses that celebrated their rural upbringing.
Some of their lyrics read, "Picking chilli from a chilli farm … Picking watermelon from a watermelon farm. So happy to be back home!"
So cuuuteeee!
Image via Kim Soo-hyeon/Reuters
Their popularity comes amidst South Korea's imminent transition into a "super-ageing" society, where a fifth of its population will be above 65 years old by 2025
Rural regions like Chilgok face the greatest risk of decline as young people are moving away to bigger cities, leaving behind shrinking communities.
"In the past, it felt bustling, but now it's different. The streets are deserted," the group's 81-year-old leader, Park Jeom-sun, also known as Suni, said.
Suni and the Seven Princesses parade around their small neighbourhood in matching sweaters, bucket hats, and baggy pants, happily rapping their verses aloud.
According to Park, she and her fellow members get to relive their youth through their edgy outfits and performances.
"It feels like I'm regaining my youth… Even in my old age, I feel invigorated," she said.
Since their first performance, four other rap groups made up of older South Koreans have sprung up in Chilgok too.
So, we could be seeing a rise in baggy-clothed grannies and grandpas in Korea soon.
Image via Reuters/New Straits Times
Image via Kim Soo-hyeon/Reuters
