Tiger JK – KPOPREVIEWED

It has been a week since my last Stray Kids’ side track review. And as alluded in that review, there are a few more music videos before I can finally post my thoughts on their ★★★★★ (5-STAR) studio album. Today, I am reviewing the single TOPLINE, which features the Korean hip-hop legend and royalty Tiger JK. TOPLINE is ★★★★★ (5-STAR)’s fifth track.

As I say constantly, the hip-hop/rap genre is not my personal cup of tea. But even I have to see what the likes of Stray Kids and the legendary Tiger JK sounds like. It comes as no surprise to me that TOPLINE sounds like another hype hip-hop track. It carries the energy that Stray Kids is known for, while also allowing the rappers (including Tiger JK) to show off their skills. More specifically, TOPLINE is described as a minimalistic boom bap, old-school and East-Coast hip-hop track. Naturally, the rappers shine in this song. Needlessly to say, Tiger JK’s featuring was very clear and crisp. His flow was amazing and definitely added some finesse to the track. As for Stray Kids’ themselves, I particularly enjoyed HAN’s rapid and clean delivery in this song. But Hyunjin’s slurring is quite interesting and had more impact, while Changbin’s punctuating delivery is very much in his wheelhouse. Felix’s deep voice just adds flourishes to TOPLINE that pays off and gets the track grounded when it hits energetic peaks. The rest of the members handle the vocals. They don’t have much material to work with, but they managed to mirror the energy of the rappers quite well in the chorus. TOPLINE is a successful collaboration between two generations of Korean artists and a highlight on the album.

My overwhelming initial impression of the video is that it reflects TOPLINE‘s intensity very well. The music video features the members in a very confident demeanour throughout the video. The song is about the members being at the top, and so having the money (which probably represents their net worth and successful thus far) rain down from above is definitely behaviour that one can only indulge in when they are top tier. The video also shows the members at heights (like on top of shipping containers and on the edge of the building, above everyone else) and up there in the hierarchal chain (i.e. underlings counting their money for them). Higher heights would have been cooler. The hype energy and the fire further emphasises the tone and intensity of the song, respectively. What I thought was rather interesting was the contrast between Stray Kids and Tiger JK. He too brought intensity to the video with his cameo, but does so in a more laid-back and easy-going manner, whilst Stray Kids was moving about and flailing their arms a lot more in comparison. I put it down to the fact that is his style, but it also goes to show how a legend does it.

Song – 8.5/10
Music Video – 8/10
Overall Rating – 8.3/10

I (not as in me but as in Cha Yoon Ji) made her official debut last month on the 11th of January. Another a debut and review that should have been released a month ago. It is disappointing that it has taken so long to review this song, but better late and never. Cha Yoon Ji is currently under WM Entertainment, which also houses B1A4 and Oh My Girl. Interestingly enough, Yoon Ji was a potential member of Oh My Girl and her big brother is Baro from B1A4.

Just by listening to the song you can tell that is it a very unique song. From the very start, you can tell the song is holding itself back. You do expect the song to start “dropping the beat” or to pick up, but it doesn’t. And I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing for this song. Her vocals sound amazing but that held back electronic sound hip-hop sound really fits her vocals. It does feel underwhelming at first, but after a few listens you do warm up to it (well, at least I did). Tiger JK featured in this song (and for those who do not know, Tiger JK is a well respected and influential rap artist in South Korea). And his featuring really adds a breath of life of the song. It kept it from feeling dull and boring. Her short English lines at the very end of the song did the exact same thing as the rap sequence, ending her song quite smoothly. The rest of the song, while I do like it, felt too monotone and could possibly give off a dull feeling to someone who plays it once or twice only. If there was a little more flare in the instrumental or maybe possibly her vocals, the track would have been even better.

The music video shows Cha Yoon Ji living an ordinary life and is someone who wishes she would become a singer (or famous) like the person (who is also Cha Yoon Ji) on the television set. In the end, her wish came true as she is sitting on the bed in a very glittery shirt (unlike the pyjamas she wore earlier on) and in the corner, you also see the same scene on the television. Obviously, the song ties in very nicely with the song. “If You Wish Hard, It Will Come True” is the alternative title of the song (it was shortened due to its long nature) and that also makes a lot of sense. While the dull pastel colour filter seems to fit well with the video, I think it does dull the video quite a bit. The speed of the video was a little too slow for my liking and it wasn’t as memorable as you would want a debut video to be. You obviously want something impactful and memorable to get people to like the video. But then again, debuts sometimes don’t work out but a later release might hit it big.

Like her video, her performances aren’t that memorable. I watched a few but really haven’t gone back to them. Her dancing is something to look for but there really isn’t much to remember. Instead, I have avoided them. I only go back to play the performances for the song.

Song – 7/10
Music Video – 4/10
Performance – 3/10
Overall Rating – 5.5/10