10 Incredible K-Pop Songs (That Aren’t Gangnam Style)

B.A.P are a band who prefer to be called hip-hop rather than K-pop, with members citing not just American rap stars as big influences, but also traditional Korean music.

Their name stands for Best Absolute Perfect, obviously, and they were introduced in 2012, as part of a reality TV show. This was called Ta-Dah, It’s B.A.P, and in it they played aliens who tried to use their music to invade earth and save their own planet. This is not considered a weird TV show in Korea

More recently, their career has been on hold, after they sued their label in a an attempt to be released from their contract. This opened up a debate in Korea about how much - or how little to be more precise - K-pop stars actually get paid. B.A.P claimed they had made just $16,000 each in three years, despite releasing 11 albums and working near-constantly in that period. They even say they were barred from seeing their families and had mobile phones and other devices confiscated to enforce this.

Somehow the two sides managed to reconcile their differences and rumours of an imminent B.A.P comeback are everywhere. Until then, here’s No Mercy, taken from their 2012 debut EP of the same name, a guitar-heavy stomper with a drum beat reminiscent of Queen’s We Will Rock You.