Hop (mixtape)

Hop (Korean: 合; RR: Hap; lit. ''unity'') is the first mixtape by South Korean boy band Stray Kids, released by JYP Entertainment and Republic Records on December 13, 2024. Marketed as the group's "special album" and first "SKZhop Hiptape" record, the mixtape features songs of "Stray Kids' only new genre", and a guest appearance from Canadian rapper Tablo. 3Racha, an in-house production team of the group, primarily worked on Hop with Restart, Chae Gang-hae, Versachoi, Space Primates, Take a Chance's Chan's and Backbear, Joha, Vendors's Helixx, and Hong Ji-sang.

Hop included "Walkin on Water" as its lead single and the members' solo songs previously debuted on their Dominate World Tour, which all of them contributed to the songwriting. Commercially, the album topped the national album charts in South Korea, Greece, Hungary, Japan, Poland, Portugal and the United States. The mixtape was certified double million by the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA), and gold by the Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique (SNEP) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Background

Stray Kids released a music video for "Megaverse" from their eighth extended play Rock-Star on November 20, 2023, which Canadian rapper Tablo surprisingly appears in a crossword game at the end of the video; fans speculated online that they were preparing for a collaboration. On January 1, 2024, 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". The "one album" became their ninth extended play, Ate, released on July 19. 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".

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". 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 'Stray Kids' only-new-genre' songs that has not been officially defined." The title is a word play between "Hop" from hip-hop music and Hanja "合" (lit.'unity'), referring to "all Stray Kids members gathered together to complete the songs," which both pronounced hap (합) in Korean.

Release and promotion

Hop was released on December 13, 2024. Pre-orders of the mixtape began on November 15, which came in three versions: Hiptape (limited edition), SKZhop, and Accordion (standard editions), as well as pre-save. Stray Kids posted the mixtape's pre-released promotional itinerary the next day, featuring traditional Korean elements such as hanok door and taegeuk's red and blue. 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 songs previously performed at the Dominate World Tour. Stray Kids teased snippets of each member's solo tracks via the series "Unveil: Track", as well as "U" via Instagram Reels exclusively, and mashup video for "Walkin on Water", "Bounce Back", and "U".

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 (chromium mask, janggu, hand fan, and gat, etc.) and modern props symbolizing hip-hop (boombox and speaker, etc.), while the group shows reinterpretation of traditional itinerant troupe namsadangpae. 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. For the third, the group wears white costumes with silvery accessories, bows and arrows, in contrast with the background of hanok.

A day before the release, Stray Kids revealed behind-the-scenes of the mixtape's production via video Intro "Hop", and posted diary-styled post-released promotional itinerary. On the release date, Stray Kids held live event called "SKZhop Hipclub" via YouTube, aimed at introducing Hop and connecting with their fanbase. An accompanying music video for the lead single "Walkin on Water" premiered on December 13, in conjunction with Hop, while music videos for each member's solo songs were uploaded as part of SKZ-Player series throughout December. A pop-up store, selling the mixtape and limited merchandise, opened at Hwigyumjae in Bukchon Hanok Village from December 14 to 22. Despite no promotion on music shows, selected members appeared on web shows Gym Jong Kook, Public TV Dumbass, BuzzFeed, Met Through Dance, and Lean on Me etc. Roblox partnered with Stray Kids for special items on the game.

Commercial performance

Hanteo reported that Hop has sold 1.42 million copies on its first day of the release, and 1.44 million in the third week of December 2024 (December 9 to 15, 2024). The mixtape debuted at number one on the Circle Album Chart for the week of December 8–14, 2024, selling 1,989,508 copies, which 1,853,071 were CD and 136,437 were Nemo Platform, and topped for two consecutive weeks. On February 6, 2025, the mixtape received double million certification from the Korea Music Content Association (KMCA). In Japan, Hop peaked at number one on the Oricon Albums Chart on the week of January 13, 2025.

In the United States, Hop entered the Billboard 200 at number one dated December 28, 2024, becoming the first musical group to make their first six entries to top the chart since the chart establishment in March 1956, and the most number-ones as a group since 2000, tying with BTS, Linkin Park, and Dave Matthews Band. The mixtape earned 187,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, comprising 176,000 pure sales, 10,000 streaming equivalent units (14.83 million on-demand streams), and 1,000 track equivalent units. It is also the 27th mostly non-English-language to reach the top and fourth in 2024, following Twice's With You-th, Stray Kids' Ate, and Ateez's Golden Hour: Part.2. Hop also topped Top Album Sales and Top Current Album Sales for three consecutive weeks, and World Albums for seven non-consecutive weeks. Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified Hop gold for 500,000 units on March 12, 2025, making Stray Kids the most RIAA-certified gold albums by Korean act in the country.

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Musicians

• Stray Kids – lead vocals (1–4) Bang Chan (3Racha) – lead vocals (5), background vocals (1–5), instruments (1–2), computer programming (1–2, 5) Lee Know – lead vocals (8) Changbin (3Racha) – lead vocals (10), background vocals (1, 4, 7, 10) Hyunjin – lead vocals (9), background vocals (9) Han (3Racha) – lead vocals (11), background vocals (1–2, 4, 11) Felix – lead vocals (6), background vocals (1, 4) Seungmin – lead vocals (12), background vocals (12) I.N – lead vocals (7), background vocals (7)
• Restart – instruments (1, 7, 10), computer programming (1)
• Chae Gang-hae – instruments (1, 7, 10), computer programming (1)
• Versachoi – instruments (2, 5–6), computer programming (2, 5–6)
• Space Primates – instruments (3)
• Chan's (Take a Chance) – drums (8), bass (8), keyboard (8), synthesizer (8), computer programming (8), vocal directing (8)
• Backbear (Take a Chance) – drums (8), bass (8), keyboard (8), synthesizer (8), computer programming (8)
• One.Ki – chorus (8)
• Joha – instruments (9)
• Zenur (Vendors) – guitar (11)
• Lim Young-woo – string (11)
• Helixx (Vendors) – bass (11), drums (11)
• Hong Ji-sang – computer programming (12), acoustic guitar (12), electric guitar (12), bass (12), keyboard (12)

Technical

• Lee Kyeong-won – digital editing (1–4, 8–9)
• Bang Chan (3Racha) – digital editing (1–2, 4–5), recording (1–2, 4–5)
• Riskypizza – digital editing (2)
• Space Primates – digital editing (3)
• Versachoi – digital editing (5–6), recording (6)
• Restart – digital editing (7, 10), recording (7, 10)
• Chae Gang-hae – digital editing (7, 10)
• Lee Ji-ho – digital editing (11)
• Hong Ji-sang – digital editing (12), recording (12)
• Lee Chang-hoon – recording (1, 4)
• Goo Hye-jin – recording (1, 3–4)
• Kwak Bo-eun – recording (2)
• Seo Eun-il – recording (8)
• Hyunjin – recording (9)
• Helixx (Vendors) – recording (11)
• Eom Se-hee – recording (11)
• Manny Marroquin – mixing (1), mixing in Dolby Atmos (1)
• Yoon Won-kwon – mixing (2–3, 5–7, 10)
• 2Spade – mixing (4), remixing (4), mastering (4)
• MasterKey – mixing (8)
• Stay Tuned – mixing (9)
• Revin – mixing (11)
• Lee Tae-sub – mixing (12)
• Chris Galland – mix engineering (1) Ramiro Fernandez-Seoane – assistant
• Dale Becker – mastering (1) Noah McCorkle – assistant Katie Harvey – assistant Adam Burt – assistant
• Kwon Nam-woo – mastering (2–3, 5–12)
• Shin Bong-won – mixing in Dolby Atmos (2–12) Park Nam-joon – assistant

Locations

• JYPE Studios – recording (1–4, 8, 11), mixing (12)
• Channie's "Room" – recording (1–2, 4–5)
• Jisang's Studio – recording (12)
• Larrabee Studios – mixing (1), mixing in Dolby Atmos (1)
• MadMiix – mixing (2–3, 5–7, 10)
• 821 Sound – mixing (8), mastering (2–3, 5–12)
• Stay Tuned Studio – mixing (9)
• Redzone Studio – mixing (11)
• Becker Mastering – mastering (1)
• GLAB Studios – mixing in Dolby Atmos (2–12)

Charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

See also

• List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 2024
• List of Circle Album Chart number ones of 2024
• List of number-one albums of 2024 (Poland)
• List of Oricon number-one albums of 2025