Hop (Korean: 合; RR: Hap; lit. 'unite') is the first mixtape by South Korean boy band Stray Kids, set to be released by JYP Entertainment and Republic Records on December 13, 2024. Marketed as the group's first "SKZhop Hiptape" record, the mixtape will feature songs of "Stray Kids' only new genre", and a guest appearance from Canadian rapper Tablo. "Walkin on Water" will support the mixtape as its lead single.
Stray Kids released a music video for "Megaverse" from their eighth extended play Rock-Star on November 22, 2023, which Canadian rapper Tablo surprisingly appears at the end of the video; fans speculated online that they were preparing for a collaboration.[1] On January 1 the next year, the group uploaded the video "Step Out 2024" to their social media, outlining their accomplishments in previous year and plans for 2024, including "one album and one special album".[2] The "one album" became their ninth extended play, Ate, released on July 19.[3] In support of the EP, Stray Kids embarked on their Dominate World Tour, starting in August, where they premiered the performances of each member's unreleased solo songs: Han's "Hold My Hand", Lee Know's "Youth", Seungmin's "As We Are", Hyunjin's "So Good", Bang Chan's "Railway", I.N's "Hallucination", Felix's "Unfair", and Changbin's "Ultra".[4]
On November 15, the group announced the "special album" Hop via the 24-second "logo splash" teaser video, which depicts red and blue luminous circular objects collide and merge, making strong waves above the water, being seen as a typography combined "合" and "HOP".[5]JYP Entertainment described Hop as the first work of album marketed as "SKZhop Hiptape"—a combination of the group's initials "SKZ" and "hip hop"—which would "contains songs of 'Stray Kids' only new genre' that has not been officially defined."[6] The title is a word play between "Hop" from hip hop music and Hanja "合" (lit.'unite'), referring to "all Stray Kids members gathered together to complete the songs," which both pronounced hap (합) in Korean.[7]
Hop is scheduled for release on December 13, 2024. Pre-orders of the mixtape began on November 15, coming in three versions: Hiptape (limited edition), SKZhop, and Accordion (standard editions), as well as pre-save.[8] Stray Kids posted the mixtape's promotional itinerary the next day, featuring traditional Korean elements such as hanok door and taegeuk's red and blue.[9] On November 19, the group unveiled digital cover artwork and track list for Hop, which confirmed "Walkin on Water" as the mixtape's lead single, and included a collaboration with Tablo, "U", and each member's solo song previously performed at Dominate World Tour.[10]
The three sets of teaser images were uploaded, expressing a mixing and matching of traditional Korean and modern hip hop cultures. The first, shot at a hanok, shows individual members in hip-hop-styled clothes with traditional Korean props (chromiummask, janggu, hand fan, and gat, etc.) and modern props symbolizing hip hop (boombox and speaker, etc.),[11] while the group shows reinterpretation of traditional itinerant troupe namsadangpae.[12] The second depicts the members wearing a suit reminiscent of 1990s and 2000s hip hop and posing against a red, blue, or black background and Korean-styled calligraphy on the white floor.[13][14] For the third, the group wears white costumes with silvery accessories, bows and arrows, in contrast with the background of hanok.[15] Stray Kids teased snippets of tracks from Hop via the series "Unveil: Track", starting with "Hallucination",[16] and following by "As We Are",[17] "Unfair",[18] and "Hold My Hand".[19]
