[Billboard] BIGBANG’s T.O.P’s 10 Most Memorable Songs


 

Han Myung-Gu/WireImage
T.O.P of Bigbang attends the ‘Celeb’s Secret’ Launch Photocall on Sept. 22, 2016 in Seoul, South Korea.

Before BIGBANG’s rapper T.O.P enlists in the South Korean army this week, we revisit some of his best tracks.

Korean rapper and actor T.O.P, one fifth of K-pop heavyweights BIGBANG, begins his mandatory military service on Thursday, Feb. 9. For a period of almost two years, the artist will serve his country and take a break from the entertainment world.

But while there’s been some reluctance to say goodbye from his bandmates, time will pass quickly and the deep-voiced rapper will be back. In the meantime, here are some of T.O.P’s most memorable moments to tide you over while waiting for his return.

“D.I.S.C.O” by Uhm Jung Hwa (2008)

T.O.P joined influential Korean diva Uhm Jung Hwa on her 2008 hit, where his rapid-fire rhymes added depth to the electropop dance number. Although his part was minimal as a featured artists, the rapper’s addition helped propel the disco-themed song’s success. The two reunited last year to perform an updated version of “D.I.S.C.O,” one of T.O.P’s final broadcast performances before his enlistment.

“Friend” with Taeyang (2009)

Part of the soundtrack from a Korean television show by the same name, “Friend” brought together the sentimental R&B styling of fellow BIGBANG member Taeyang with T.O.P’s domineering tone. Despite the auto-tune, the rapper’s intense delivery of the rhythmic verses drove the song’s compelling sound.

BIGBANG at their concert on Sept. 24, 2015 in Taiwan.

“Hallelujah” with Taeyang and G-Dragon (2009)

Acting as an assassin in the popular Korean spy drama IRIS, T.O.P and two other BIGBANG members contributed to the soundtrack with this song. His precise rap in “Hallelujah” was juxtaposed with the sound of gunshots and wolfish howls, adding a darker edge to both the track and T.O.P’s dramatic delivery of his verses.

“Turn It Up” (2010)

His first solo single, T.O.P’s 2010 song was filled with the boastful tone that the artist would come to showcase throughout much of his following work. Unlike most K-pop singles, “Turn It Up” doesn’t feature any singing from T.O.P nor from a featured artist. Instead, it’s a pure rap track and overflowing with the confident, almost mocking, tone that the rapper tends to favor.

“High High” as GD&TOP (2011)

T.O.P and G-Dragon joined together in 2011 to form BIGBANG sub-unit GD&TOP and this team’s work has featured some of T.O.P’s most colorful moments as a performer. If “Turn It Up” introduced T.O.P’s swaggering mannerisms, “High High” brought it to a new level with his repetitive raps on this pump up electropop jam. Plus, his chant of “G-H-E-T-T-O E-L-E-C-T-R-O” remains one of the most catchy and baffling moments of Bigbang’s career.

“Knockout” as GD&TOP (2011)

The Diplo-produced “Knockout” is an electronic hip hop frenzy all about GD&TOP’s high-flying lifestyle, and is one of the duo’s most over the top productions. Featuring synth wails and a scratching beat blended with T.O.P and G-Dragon’s boastful lyrics, “Knockout” is off-kilter K-pop at its best.

“Fantastic Baby” (2012)

Up till now, the list has been absent of BIGBANG group efforts simply because T.O.P’s low-bass voice is such an integral part to the group’s sound that it would be practically impossible to pick out a handful of songs where he’s at his best. But the rapper’s meme-worthy tagline in “Fantastic Baby” deserves a shout out as one of his defining career moments. The 2012 banger was BIGBANG’s first hit to garner international attention and T.O.P was one of the primary reasons. “Boom shakalaka” anyone?

BigBang at AsiaWorld-Expo on Dec. 2, 2015 in Hong Kong, China. 

“Don’t Leave Me Alone” by Pixie Lott (2012)

T.O.P and G-Dragon collaborated with British singer Pixie Lott on this song, the only English-language track that he released since BIGBANG’s start in 2006. His smooth flow translated well between the two languages and his impassioned rap beseeching “Don’t Leave Me Alone” matches T.O.P’s status as a Korean sex symbol.

“Doom Dada” (2013)

No other T.O.P performance can really compare to his latest solo effort; “Doom Dada” is a hard-hitting alt hip-hop track that thrives on complexity. The melody is magnetizing with its whirring synths, tribal beats, and chanting, all of which pale in comparison to the rapper’s aggressive, multi-tonal delivery of his verses. Though T.O.P’s deep tone is inseparable from Bigbang’s identity, it is “Doom Dada” where T.O.P revealed his true artistry.

“Zutter”as GD&TOP (2015)

The long awaited follow-up to “Knockout,” the braggarts GD&TOP returned with “Zutter” on BIGBANG’s Made album. The song contrasted G-Dragon and T.O.P’s spits and flows with a trap-driven melody, the natural progression from their earlier tracks as a duo. Matching its eccentric style, “Zutter” was accompanied by a music video that showed just how bizarre the pair can actually be.

“Last Dance” (2016)

As the title suggests, “Last Dance” was T.O.P’s final release with BIGBANG before he enlisted. The melancholic pop rock ballad was a poignant swan song, featuring the lyrics “It won’t be long” and ending with a sentimental rap from T.O.P.

 

Source: Billboard

BIGBANG’S G-Dragon Chooses Between Jung Hyung Don And His Other Celebrity Friends

g-dragon weekly idol soompi

During the February 8 broadcast of “Weekly Idol,” which showed previously unaired clips of BIGBANG’s earlier appearance on the show, G-Dragon picked Jung Hyung Don as one of his most valuable friends.

However, right after saying this, G-Dragon told Jung Hyung Don, “I thought of you one day and called you, but the number was no longer valid,” and looked quite disappointed.

Weekly Idol Jung Hyung Don G-Dragon2

Jung Hyung Don wittily responded, “You know celebrities can’t give numbers to just anyone.” Later he said, “Actually I called you first. But your number also wasn’t valid. I was hurt.” Then G-Dragon realized, “Ah, there was a misunderstanding.”

Then Jung Hyung Don and Defconn suddenly began a friendship test asking G-Dragon to pick between Jung Hyung Don and his other celebrity friends. In the first round, the choice is between G-Dragon and fashion designer Karl Lagerfel. G-Dragon explains that although he is grateful to Karl Lagerfeld, he is not that close to him, so G-Dragon will pick Jung Hyung Don.

Weekly Idol Jung Hyung Don G-Dragon3

In the second round, G-Dragn has to pick between Justin Bieber and Jung Hyung Don. After thinking for a bit, G-Dragon picked Jung Hyung Don again. In the third round, Jung Hyung Don sadly lost to Pharrell Williams, but he remained proud to have gotten that much love from G-Dragon.

Weekly Idol Jung Hyung Don G-Dragon4

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Source: Soompi