Considered the first K-pop idol group, H.O.T.’s 1999 hit “I Yah!” was one of the boy band’s most successful hits. A song fueled by rage, it’s dominated by smooth orchestral instrumentals that clash with a dramatic infusion of metal and hard rock elements, via its wailing guitar riffs and screaming vocals. Released along with a music video that drew on Japan’s visual kei scene for inspiration, the group took the opportunity to call out corruption in society and created an anthem describing the frustrations of the current generation of youth. It was inspired by a tragedy around the June of 1999 when unsafe conditions at a camp brought about by bribery resulted in over a dozen young children dying in a fire. — TAMAR HERMAN