The group Stray Kids presents a new genre and shows off their self-producing group side with their new album ‘合 (HOP)’.

Stray Kids will release SKZHOP HIPTAPE ‘合 (HOP)’ and the title song ‘Walkin On Water’ on the 13th. SKZHOP HIPTAPE is a combination of ‘SKZ’, an abbreviation for Stray Kids, and hip-hop (HIP-HOP), and presents ‘SKZ‘s own new genre’, like a new genre that has not been officially defined.

On the 11th at 8 PM, the intro video ‘Stray Kids [INTRO “合 (HOP)”]’, in which the eight members personally tell the stories contained in the album, was released. The members introduced the new album concept by defining Stray Kids’ ‘hip-hop’, saying, “We want to call SKZ‘s own hip-hop where we confidently express our individuality through music and on stage, and create a free atmosphere.” They added their pride by saying, “SKZ’s hip-hop is what we‘ve consistently produced ourselves since our debut.”

They described the title song ‘Walkin On Water’ as a ‘challenge’. Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han of the group’s producing team 3RACHA, who worked on the song themselves, said, “I think this is the first time we‘re releasing a song with an old-school hip-hop genre and a boom bap beat as a complete song. Up until our previous work, ‘Chk Chk Boom’, we focused on mixing diverse sounds, but this time, we stayed true to the basics with a unified melody and track from beginning to end.” The members also raised curiosity about the full song and performance, saying, “We prepared a choreography that focuses even more on rhythm and steps than the performances we’ve done so far. We also included elements that STAY (fandom name: STAY) can easily follow. I hope you cover them a lot.”

The new album ‘合 (HOP)’ contains a total of 12 tracks, including the title track, ‘Bounce Back’, ‘U (Feat. TABLO)’, ‘Walkin On Water (HIP Ver.)’, and the solo tracks of the eight members who performed on the world tour ‘Stray Kids World Tour ’. The members showed Stray Kids‘ unique ‘hip-hop’ energy through the recording process and behind-the-scenes stories, and also talked about the serious stories contained in each of their solo songs and their sincerity as artists, raising expectations for the new album that will expand Stray Kids’ musical spectrum.

At 11 PM on the 11th, the title song choreography and part of the audio were pre-released through short-form content by Lee Know, Hyunjin, and Felix on the official SNS channel, thrilling fans.

Stray Kids, who marked 2024 as “a happy year thanks to the members and STAY”, continue to shine as ‘global top artists’. Not only have they been nominated for the Top Duo/Group, Top K-Pop Album, and Top Global K-Pop Artist categories for the ‘2024 Billboard Music Awards’, which will be held on the 12th (local time), but they have also confirmed their attendance as performers for the second consecutive year. In addition, their new world tour is also successfully underway with news of holding mega stadiums around the world, selling out tickets, and confirming additional shows. All eyes are on Stray Kids, who expressed their firm aspirations by saying, “Next year, we want to grit our teeth and run forward together with a stronger mindset.”

Stray Kids‘ new album SKZHOP HIPTAPE ‘合 (HOP)’ and the title song ‘Walkin On Water’, which will complete the end of 2024 in a ‘hip way, will be officially released on Friday, December 13 at 2 PM (midnight EST).

Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com Reporter jhj@donga.com