Far East Movement Led the 2010’s Fever Dream
By James Moreau | 31 Oct, 2025

Far East Movement became the first Asian American group to top the Billboard Hot 100 with the 2010 hit “Like a G6”.

The 2010 multi-platinum hit “Like a G6” made Far East Movement the first Asian American group to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.  Today the song has over 1.2 billion plays between Spotify and YouTube.   

It was the lead single on the electro hip-hop group’s major label debut album Free Wired.  The album also contained “Rocketeer,” featuring One Direction’s Ryan Tedder, which peaked at number 7 on the Hot 100 later that year.

Their 2012 follow-up album Dirty Bass included a collaboration with pop icon Justin Bieber “Live My Life.”  The song peaked at number 21 on the Hot 100 while joining album-mate “Turn Up The Love” as a huge international hit.  

The attention generated by Far East Movement’s popularity also drew a flood of racist comments on social media and from industry executives.   The resulting strain forced the group to take a brief hiatus from music.

In 2016 the group produced their fifth and final studio album to date, Identity.  This title reflected the project’s dedication to bridging Asian and Western music and featured collaborations with K-pop and Asian American stars including Yoon Mi-rae, Jay Park, and Urban Zakapa.  The album’s top single “Freal Luv” featured Tinashe, Marshmello, and EXO’s Chanyeol. 

Before the major label highs were albums Folk Music in 2006 and Animal in 2009.  Folk Music included the track “Round Round” used in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Animal featured Bruno Mars and Wiz Khalifa early in their careers.

Far East Movement began in 2003 in Los Angeles’s Koreatown with founding members Kev Nish, of Japanese and Chinese heritage, and Korean Americans Prohgress and J-Splif.  Filipino American DJ Virman joined the group in 2009. It’s been nearly a decade since their last album was released, but Far East Movement still has nearly 9 million monthly listeners on Spotify, proving the enduring popularity of their deep discography.