* Representatives: Each member on this list needs to be listed with the role of rapper. The ideal picture was to have a rapper from as many main groups as I could. Because of this, some will have less substance than others since I'm not familiar with. AOA and 4minute are the only groups with multiple representatives, and on the opposite side, A-Pink and After School are absent because they rarely rap ever. Furthermore, I also restricted adding anyone that isn't active anymore, whether that's because they aren't in groups anymore (Nicole) or they've had substantially less rapping in recent times (Wonder Girls' Hyelim).
* Data: Since the world of Kpop is a title track game, the primary source of materials will be from MV / title tracks. Naturally we'll take in as much information and rapping as possible, but basing off of title songs will keep me honest, and more accurate to immediate impressions and the like. After all, these artists are trying to sell the album through the title track. Of course, any releases are fair game, collaborations, special projects, etc. We're only looking at songs released for the home country though, no Japanese songs, etc.
* Voice (V): When it comes down to it, if a rapper doesn't have a voice I enjoy listening to, I'm probably not gonna like them. This really only applies to nasal sounds and high pitched voices, those of whom will be very clear when they show up on the list. There will be cases where a rapper has a poor voice but really good talent, and the opposite: a good voice with subpar ability.
* Execution (E): This category comprises of flow, rapping speed, etc. Can they rap fast, and sound good while doing so. Pronunciation factors into flow a healthy amount since it's pretty bad to sound jumbled in Korean. The quality of voice will certainly play a factor into execution, as emotion and power tend to have important roles in raps.
* Consistency (C): Being consistent is pretty key. If the ability of rapping fluctuates, you're more likely to be ranked below someone who is perhaps a weaker rapper but with more stability. In this realm, constant improvement is excellent, while the opposite is not, of course. This also refers to the quality of raps as well, most notable in groups or concept changes throughout the years.
* Charisma (Ch): Call it unique presentation, call it stage presence, whatever. Charisma is a combination of how commanding the girls can be on the mic / stage while at the same time breathing life and style into the raps that they are given, since most of them do not compose their own raps.
* Utility (U): Ability to be represented in their music outside of rapping. Not just limited to vocals and dancing, but also extends to variety presence or contributing to the popularity of the group. For example, if Suzy was on this list she would have a high utility rating, as would someone like Taeyeon. This is by far the least significant category, but it does shed potential light on members who may not be as active with their rapping as others.
To give you a sample of what's to come. Here's a writeup for someone who tragically won't be making a comeback, as the group as disbanded. However for writing purposes it will be as if she were still active in the industry. After that we'll jump into the bottom 8 out of 27 members.
#Ex. Jucy (N/A)
It's a shame that this group fell through. Jucy was going places from the underground scene and now she's gonna be back to that and may never see the light of the Kpop stage again. If only I had not been lazy when I originally wanted to revisit these rankings, then I could've given Jucy the proper credit she deserved amongst the top 10.
#27. Youngji (--)
The last member of the list is also one of the youngest (though there are some newbies here with far less experience). KARA's career was revitalized with the addition of Youngji to the group, who has brought to the table a light voice and heavy variety presence. That being said, joining a group with the likes of Seungyeon and Gyuri leaves little breathing (singing) room. Lately we've seen Youngji be directed towards some rapping, mainly on the return track "Cupid" and groupmate Hara's "How About Me?" While the rapping in both isn't anything special, it's unfortunate that Youngji's light singing voice translates over to her rapping and she's often clouded by the instrumentals alone. Like I said in my "Cupid" review, "it just looks like some awkward dance break with various shots of Youngji."
Consistency and execution are both weak for Youngji mainly due to the lack of data she has. KARA and rapping took a hit when they lost Nicole, so DSP have 2 alternatives. Option #1 is to keep Youngji as the pseudo-rapper, but hopefully with better support in how the background audio supports her. The other option, is to drop rapping entirely for future releases. For Youngji's sake I'm hoping it's the latter.
#26. Irene (--)
S.M's newest female rapper is also the weakest in the label. Irene's voice is soft, airy, and high, which are unfortunate qualities to have in a rapper. Her sass and aggressiveness have helped offset that in "Ice Cream Cake" and even "Dumb Dumb," but this brings to light another problem: Irene (and Red Velvet) just don't receive good raps. Both the aforementioned tracks are a commendable effort but can't possibly compare the resumes of others later on. Obviously Red Velvet's career is still young, and by the way we do not acknowledge the existence of their debut song. While I'm not making the argument that a weak rapper such as Irene can make do with a better rap, her company isn't even giving her a chance at this point.
To add insult to injury, most if not all of Irene's raps have been shared. Irene combines the line distribution troubles of Bora, the awkwardness of Youngji in the rapping position, and the poor raps of Amber's early days. Luckily for her and her group, my favorite RV tracks have been the R&B tracks, where rapping is thankfully absent. Hopefully Irene is shifted to more singing until S.M. can figure out how to write good raps for Red Velvet.
#25. Chanmi (--)
Not all is lost for Chanmi, though. She's not impressive but she's certainly got the basics down to a tolerable level. Her voice is also acceptable, and definitely competitve with voices like Youngji or Sihyun. Given her young age (the maknae of the entire set), I see potential for her to develop further as long as FNC gives her room to. Until that time comes I will faithfully continue working for the Maknae Protection Squad.
#24. Yura (-5)
While she may have suffered heavily due to such short raps lately, Yura is blessed elsewhere because she's arguably the #1 rapper on the list with how much singing she gets to do. Every Girl's Day song sees Yura receiving charitable amounts of lines. While she's no Minah or Sojin, she gets roughly equal amounts with Hyeri and that's praiseworthy. Other rappers and companies need to follow this example. If we can see more of the "I Miss You" Yura, the rapper on the current #1 girl group can continue with her slow climb upwards.
#23. Dahye (--)
While this may give the perception that Dahye is a competent rapper, this is misleading as I have very little material to work off with her. The major releases in "Excuse Me" and "Thank You Very Much" are primarily support raps with her adding a quick line here and there throughout the songs. When push comes to shove though, said songs are nice to listen to and her raps add character to Uji's explosive vocals. Plus, there are other rappers on the list whose groups don't have very exciting songs, but we'll get to that later on. It's difficult to determine if Dahye and her raps will ever be able to take the spotlight away from Uji, so for now she'll occupy the bottom 5.
#22. Sihyun (--)
The ultimate problem with SPICA is that they're simply not that active, which results in less promotion time. It's been over a year since "Give Your Love" was released by SPICA.S (which was always a curious subunit to begin with) and while I'd never consider myself fully active in pursuing news about Kpop groups I haven't heard a single sentence regarding SPICA (outside of recent concert appearances) in an eternity. Sihyun's consistency stems mainly from the songs she's been a part of, not the year plus of inactivity. Sihyun is perhaps the true first appearance of a "baseline" rapper. Not incredible, not pathetic, just barely average in pretty much every way possible.
#21. Hyuna (-3)
Of course, one does not simply forget about Hyuna. She's iconic for her racy videos that constantly push boundaries. Her name is synonymous with 4minute, she's an established solo artist and even has the Trouble Maker project unit. Hyuna may struggle compared to the more well-rounded rappers on the list, but she's decisively below average for now.
#20. Hyoyeon (-3)
Hyoyeon's rapping is mediocre on paper, but her biggest weakness is the live performances. When she dances, Hyoyeon has complete control of the stage, but regrettably this doesn't translate to her rapping presence. She's rather bland and reserved, even in raps where she should be letting loose (think "I Got A Boy"). In hindsight, her scores (as well as Sihyun and Dahye's) seem overrated and may have made my remaining rankings more difficult, but at the very least their positions in the rankings keep them at bay. Besides, who doesn't like a good challenge?
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