A newcomer’s guide · Gugak hip-hop
In a fictional Joseon, a woman’s murder changes a king. The consequences pass from the palace to exiles, islanders and soldiers.
Nine Korean hip-hop albums, in story order.
Explore the people and follow the words in English.
The main story
Start with chapter 1. Each album has four songs. Choose a chapter to explore its music and people.
The Fire Trilogy
The Sea Trilogy
The Iron Trilogy
The Iron Trilogy
What survives the war
봄과 녹
The war is over, but the fields have no seed. A farmer searches the frozen ground. The story follows the surviving paper into a salt jar, through a granddaughter’s questions and into a later age.
Optional origin EP · 4 songs
Before the mask, TALSWE was a nobleman’s son. This EP tells how he lost his family name and became a performer. It sits outside the nine-album sequence.
Explore Chapter 0The complete chapters, lyrics, map and book are here in both languages.
Gugak means Korean traditional music. Gayageum, haegeum and janggu meet hip-hop here. The original Korean lyrics and English translations are available throughout the archive.