A 19-year-old rising US rapper, who received a shout-out from MARTIN of the group CORTIS as an artist he enjoys listening to, has sparked controversy by publicly criticizing CORTIS's music and the K-pop industry as a whole.

The figure at the center of the controversy is Matt Proxy, a 19-year-old rapper and producer based in Minneapolis. Recently, while introducing music he enjoys to fans, MARTIN recommended the song "knots" by Matt Proxy. Upon receiving the unexpected shout-out, Matt Proxy initially responded by saying, "Hit me up," hinting at the possibility of a collaboration.

However, after listening to CORTIS's music himself, Matt Proxy suddenly changed his attitude. He wrote on his social media, "Never mind. This is kind of axx. I'm good." His public criticism of the group to which the artist who favorably recommended his music belongs has led to a barrage of criticism from fans.

Matt Proxy did not back down. Instead, he expanded his criticism to the entire K-pop industry. He posted on his social media, "I'm not interested in songs made by 50 people in a lab. That's not the way I pursue."

He continued by claiming that the K-pop industry appropriates Black art and music, is overly artificial, and forces unrealistic standards on artists, often making idols the victims of the system.

In another post, Matt Proxy even wrote, "I mog CORTIS," and changed his social media profile picture to a photo of a member of Stray Kids wearing a cornrow hairstyle.

Even international internet users have expressed confusion over these attacks, with many commenting that he is "reacting overly hostilely to someone who gave a positive evaluation of his music."

Matt Proxy is a rising rapper and producer who has grown through SoundCloud and has recently been gaining attention in the US underground hip-hop scene. 

(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)