Formed under the powerful KQ Entertainment, Ateez have risen to a high profile in three short years and are dubbed “4th Generation Leaders” by the Korean Ministry of Culture. On the tail of their US tour, K-Pop idols talked about their roots.
In the Power 106 studios, boys answered questions about their life outside of the show business and before it. There, Hongjoong, the bandleader who has been with the group from the very start, revealed that Eminem had been a massive influence on him:
Eminem is my first and my favourite rapper. First I heard “Without me”. That’s the song that got me into Eminem. The first time I heard that song, I wrote down words, every lyric, with my pencil. And then I memorised that song in English.
Another band member, Mingi, added Offset and Joey Badass to the list as his favourite rappers.
Indeed, Eminem has an impact on artists across the board and across the borders. And Ateez are not even the first K-Pop stars to pay homage to Marshall. At least two BTS members, Rap Monster and Suga, spoke out on the role Em played in their journey.
