G-DRAGON

Introduction Born Kwon Ji Yong August 18, 1988 in Seoul South Korea Stage Name Derived From Birth Name G – pronunciation of Ji Dragon – Korean definition of Yong Kwon Ji Yong, better known by his stage name G Dragon, was born August 18, 1988 in Seoul South Korea. His stage name is derived from his birth name, Yong meaning dragon in Korean and ‘G’ is just the pronunciation of Ji. (“G-Dragon,” par.1)

Early Career Age 8 Dancer on T.V. show ‘Bbo Bbo Bbo’ Little Roo’ra miniature version of Korean Hip Hop Dance Group Roo’ra Lee Soo Man & YG Entertainment unorganized training routine once every 1-3 months focused on learning how to dance He started his entertainment career at the young age of 8. While dancing on a show called ‘Bbo Bbo Bbo’ he was discovered by the management team of Roo’ra, a Korean Hip Hop Dance group, and recruited to be a part of the group Little Roo’ra. Little Roo’ra was a group made up of young kids who went on tour with Roo’ra and were even dressed in the same costumes as the main band. Though they put out a Christmas Album together, Little Roo’ra was eventually broken up. Devastated by his group’s disbandment which, he had thought would be together forever, Ji Yong proclaimed to his mother that he would was leaving the entertainment industry for good and would instead just focus on living life as a normal kid. It seems a normal life was not in store for Ji Yong, however. On a ski trip with his family he won first place in a dance competition, catching the interest of the evening’s Emcee, Lee Soo Man, who also happened to be the head of management for one of South Korea’s largest talent agencies, SM Entertainment. Considering SM Entertainment was not then the mogul it is today, Ji Yong’s training routine wasn’t well organized. Instead he would only come in once every 1-3 months. While with SM Entertainment he was unclear on what he wanted to do, so he focused his time on learning to dance.

Hip Hop Beginnings Wu-Tang Clan Joined ‘People Crew’: inspired him to learn freestyle rap Joined ‘People Crew’: learned rap appeared on cable TV program 2001 Hip-Hop Flex Album recorded solo song of which he wrote the lyrics Yang Hyun Suk and YG Entertainment Around the third grade he went to a friend’s house where he heard the music of the Wu-Tang Clan for the first time and decided he wanted to learn freestyle rap. With this goal in mind he joined the People Crew, learning how to rap and appearing on their cable TV program. In 2001 he was part of the Korea Hip-Hop Flex album, writing his own lyrics and recording his own solo song. His participation in the album brought him to the attention of YG Entertainment’s President and founder Yang Hyun Suk, who convinced him to sign as a trainee with YG.

Early Days with YG Entertainment Normal Day for His First Year: Hour of Practice Two Hours of Cleaning Services for Senior Groups in the Company Ran Errands Extra for their Back-Up Dancers His first year as a trainee with YG Entertainment, has it’s share of hardships. He cleaned practice rooms, ran errands for the senior entertainers, and served as the back up to the back up’s. A normal day consisted of an hour of cleaning, two hours of practicing, and then another hour of cleaning. Luckily he had a companion to share the burden with. Serving as an extra in the filming of a music video for one of the agency’s other groups, he met his current band mate Taeyang (real name Dong Young Bae) who was also participating. Taeyang was also recruited to YG. Since, he and Ji Yong are about the same age and both were new trainee’s they were put together. They became good friends as they worked and trained and performed as back-ups together.

2006

Formation of Big Bang MTV Survival Style Documentary Members Decided “G-Dragon” – Kwon Ji Yong “Taeyang” – Dong Young Bae “T.O.P” – Choi Seunghyun “Daesung” – Kang Daesung “Seungri” – Lee Seunghyun The Company’s President saved G-Dragon & Taeyang to be part of a projected idol group. To gain popularity for the as yet unformed group YG decided they would film a competition style documentary, which had two main objectives: first, to showcase the candidates and second, to garner support for the group. The show turned out to be a huge success. The competitors were whittled down to four survivors, who were then added to G Dragon and Taeyang as the official line up for the show. Though, they started with six members Jang Hyunseung (now a member of the successful boy band Beast/B2ST) was cut before the end of the show because, YG’s founder thought he lacked stage presence. The remaining five members consisted of G Dragon (real name Ji Yong), who became the leader, Taeyang (real name Young Bae), T.O.P. (real name Choi Seunghyun), Daesung (real name Kang Daesung), and Seungri (real name Lee Seunghyun). Seungri had also faced the possibility of elimination along with Hyunseung, but, was given a second chance to show YG’s CEO his talent in singing and dancing and so was able to save himself.

Big Bang Debut G-Dragon Named Big Bang Leader Concert Debut August 19, 2006 Pre-Debut EP Singles “This Love”, remake of the Maroon 5 song Sold Nearly 40,000 copies “Big Bang is V.I.P.” Sold Nearly 32,000 copies “Big Bang ‘03” Sold Nearly 30,000 copies With Ji Yong named the leader, the group debuted on August 19, 2006 during the YG Family concert held in the Gymnastics Arena of Seoul Olympic Park. Prior to their concert the group released 3 EP Singles. Their first single “This Love” was a remake of Maroon 5’s song, and went on to sell nearly 40,000 copies. Their second single was ‘Big Bang is V.I.P.’ which reached nearly 32,000 copies sold. The third single was ‘Big Bang 03’, peaking at nearly 30,000 copies sold.

2007 - 2008

Big Bang’s Rise to Fame 2008 2007 Album “Stand Up” Album “Remember” Five Songs in the Top 20 Album “Remember” “Sunset Glow” - #1 Beginning of Japan Promotions 2007 Album “Always” “Lies / Geojitmal” – First No.1 Hit Song Album “Hot Issue” “Last Farewell” – Second No.1 Hit Song Even though they were successful, it wasn’t until the release of their title track ‘Lies’ from their mini album ‘Always’ in 2007 that they really started to become the sensation they are today. ‘Lies’, became their first No.1 hit song. Their fame continued to grow with the release of their second mini album ‘Hot Issue’, also released in 2007, which contained their second No. 1 hit ‘Last Farewell’. In 2008 they started promoting in Japan with the release of their Japanese album “Number 1”. The title song from that album peaked at No. 3 on the Japanese music charts. They also released two more mini-albums in Korea. The first mini album ‘Stand Up’ had 5 songs in the top 20: ‘Day by Day’ at #1 ‘Heaven’ at #2 ‘Oh My Friend’ at #9 ‘A Good Man’ at #12 and ‘Lady’ at #16 Their second Korean mini-album titled ‘Remember’ contained the No. 1 single ‘Sunset Glow’. (Kim, par. 1) Except for the song ‘A Good Man’, G Dragon wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the music for all of these songs.

2009

Individual Activities Individual Members Take Part in Musicals, Movies, and TV Series G-Dragon’s Solo Album Titled “Heartbreaker” G-Dragon Personally Involved Delayed Release to August 18, G-Dragon’s 21st Birthday 2008 also saw the beginning of the member’s individual activities, such as acting in TV series, movies, and musicals. G Dragon even began working on his solo album. He involved himself in all aspects of the album’s creation, including performance costumes, album covers and designs, as well as the writing and producing of the songs themselves. He was so obsessed with his album in fact, that during the group’s promotions in Japan, if they had even a day free G Dragon would fly to Korea to work on the album during the day and then fly back to Japan at night. According to him he, “…wanted people to think not just that it’s been ‘made’, but ‘Kwon Jiyong made this’. I even went a little over the top by concerning over things like font, color and decoration. I wanted to release an album that seemed more like a wrapped up gift than a normal, standard CD.” The company took a unique approach to the pre-release advertising. Minimal TV and newspaper promotion was done, instead they instructed G Dragon to utilize the communal site ‘Me2day’, which allowed him the ability to give little previews and snippets as he saw fit. Though the album was originally set to release in April, G Dragon had it delayed, finally, releasing it on August 18 which, happened to be his 21st birthday.

Plagiarism Scandal Flo Rida Oasis Title Song “Heartbreaker” Accused of Copying “Right Round” Collaborations “Heartbreaker 2” Flo Rida’s South Korean Concert Oasis G-Dragon’s “Butterfly” Accused of Copying “She’s Electric” Sony’s Warning Letter, No Official Charges Filed Unfortunately for G Dragon, however, it seems trouble was right around the corner. A day before the release it was implicated that his title song ‘Heartbreaker’ was a plagiarized version of Flo Rida’s ‘Right Round’. After being contacted by YG about the incident Flo Rida ended up collaborating with G Dragon on Heartbreaker 2, which was released as a bonus track on G Dragon’s ‘Shine A Light’ live album. G-Dragon also performed with Flo Rida on the second day of his performances in Korea. His track ‘Butterfly’ which was accused of being a copy of ‘She’s Electric’ by Oasis. On September 17 Sony BMG sent an official warning letter to YG Entertainment, not only for G Dragon’s work but some of their other artists as well. Luckily, though the warning letter was sent no actual charges were ever brought against GD. (Lee, par. 5 & 6

Concert Scandal Inappropriate Content For People Younger Than 19 Years Old: “Korean Dream” “She’s Gone” ‘Shine A Light’ Concert - December 5th & 6th 2009 Advertised for 12 (years old) and Older, Still Performed Inappropriate Song “She’s Gone” ‘Breathe’ Performance Prompts Investigation by Ministry for Health, Welfare, and Family Affairs. YG Entertainment Fined, G-Dragon Cleared Having successfully survived the plagiarism controversies, scandals from his solo album continued to compile as the year went on. In November both ‘Korean Dream’ & ‘She’s Gone’ were ruled inappropriate for children under the age of 19 by the Commission for Youth Protection, consequently prohibiting them from being aired on the radio or TV before 10 PM. Despite the governments restrictive ratings placed on his songs and the fact that he had advertised his concert as 12 and up, G Dragon brazenly performed ‘She’s Gone’ while a video of him chasing down and stabbing a girl played in the background at his first solo concert ‘Shine A Light” which was held December 5th & 6th of 2009. But, it was the sexually suggestive acts he performed with a female dancer while singing his song ‘Breathe’ that finally brought him under investigation by the Ministry for Health, Welfare and Family Affairs. Ultimately his managing agency YG Entertainment was fined 3 million won for allowing the inclusion of songs that had been deemed inappropriate for minors. G Dragon, however, was personally cleared of all accusations.

‘Heartbreaker’ a Success Sold Over 200,000 Copies Mnet Asian Music Awards 2009 Album of the Year Despite the many scandals generated by ‘Heartbreaker’ and its subsequent concert, the album went on to sell over 200,000 copies and win the 2009 Album of the Year award from the Mnet Asian Music Awards.

2010

GD & T.O.P Collaboration Album ‘GD & T.O.P’ Pre-Release 3 EP Singles Reach Top 3 on Music Charts Live YouTube Broadcast December 24, 2010 Song “Knock Out” Banned From Top 3 Broadcasting Stations In 2010 G Dragon returned to the music scene as one half of the duo GD & T.O.P. Since Big Bang hadn’t released anything as a group for nearly two years, G Dragon had been working on stuff for their next album. T.O.P. had also finished filming a movie and was left with some free time, which led to them working together. Originally the company had been playing around with the idea of splitting the group up into different combinations and releasing some music that way, but, since GD & T.O.P.’s collaboration got the best responses, their CEO suggested they make an album together, which they agreed to. 3 singles were issued prior to the completed album. “High High”, “Oh Yeah”, and “Knock Out” topped the charts at #1, #2, and #3 respectively, and were included as part of the final track list. 10 days before the release, GD & T.O.P. held a live webcast on YouTube™, performing brief sections of their songs and giving the backgrounds to them. Their duo CD labeled ‘GD & T.O.P.’ was released on December 24, 2010. Unfortunately, it seems that scandal and controversy like to follow G Dragon around. In January of 2011 Korea’s 3 major broadcasting stations banned ‘Knock Out’, claiming that “…the title and lyrics used slang, which they believed would damage the national psyche.” Considering the song had already been released YG Entertainment refused to alter it.

2011

4th Mini Album “Tonight” Released February 24th, 2011 ‘2011 Big Show’ February 25th – 27th, 2011 Seoul’s Olympic Gymnastics Arena 40,000 Fans 2011 continued to be a busy year for G Dragon and the members of Big Bang. Unfortunately only a minor portion of their activity was due to their music. On February 24th they released ‘Tonight’, Big Bang’s 4th mini album together. Then on February 25th – 27th, they held their ‘2011 Big Show’ in Seoul’s Olympic Gymnastics Arena in front of an audience of 40,000 fans.

Multiple Controversies Daesung’s Car Accident March 29th, 2011 Halt in Group’s Activities Re-Release of ‘GD & T.O.P’ June 29th , 2011 Official Request from Playboy to Change Logo G-Dragon’s Marijuana Use Hair Tests Come Back Positive For Use Questioned by Authorities They were only able to enjoy their success as a group for a short while as, true to form, they were again plagued by scandals. Surprisingly, this time it didn’t start with G-Dragon. On March 29th, fellow member Daesung was involved in a deadly car accident with a fallen motorcyclist. This resulted in a halt of musical activities for the group as a whole and the individual suspension of Daesung. On June 29th YG Entertainment officially announced that GD & T.O.P.’s album would be re-released with a new design. Their original logo had been based off the Playboy bunny. Since YG Entertainment conceded they had not obtained permission beforehand, they therefore agreed to change the design after receiving an official request from Playboy to do so. G-Dragon’s marijuana scandal came next. In July samples of his hair tested positive for marijuana usage. Marijuana is an outlawed substance in Korea and can result in the user getting 5 years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won, if found guilty. G-Dragon was questioned by the authorities and admitted to having smoked it. He claims that he was offered a strange cigarette while in a club in Japan. Even though he knew it was odd, he smoked some of it anyway, quickly throwing it away once he realized what it was. In the end the prosecution did not indict him on the basis that he was a first time offender and displayed remorse for what he did.

Negative Repercussions Indefinite Suspension Japanese Fans Insulted Cancellation of ‘GD & T.O.P’s Japanese Release YG Entertainment Postponement of Stock Going Public Reduced Value of the Company by 10% Besides the indefinite suspension of G-Dragon, the negative repercussions were felt in other areas. Japanese fans were insulted that he would blame a Japanese person for his misconduct. In their opinion his explanation that he ‘didn’t know’ was an implausible and weak excuse. They were also suspicious that only a few puffs of the drug would be enough to show-up in a drug test conducted two months later. The reaction from the public was so strong in fact that his Japanese agency, AVEX, decided to cancel the Japanese release of his and T.O.P.’s duo album. The combination of these two scandals by members of the company’s most valuable, especially in a lucrative sense, group was enough to postpone the ability of YG Entertainment to become a publicly traded firm, even going to so far as to reduce the value of the company by 10%.

Reunited, Success, and Apologies MTV Europe Music Awards All of Big Bang Present to Win ‘Best Worldwide Act’ YG Family’s 15th Anniversary Concert December 3rd & 4th G-Dragon & Daesung Activity Reinstated G-Dragon Publicly Apologizes Despite the many controversies back home, Big Bang’s music was still enough to win them the title of Best Worldwide Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards in November. All the members attended the ceremony, making it the first time they appeared in public together since Daesung’s accident in May. Then, in December both G-Dragon and Daesung rejoined the group as they performed at YG Family’s 15th anniversary concert, which took place on the 3rd and 4th. G-Dragon took the opportunity to apologize for his conduct and promised to do better.

2012

‘Alive’ Album ‘Alive’ ‘Blue’ Pre-Released February 22nd Full Album Released February 29th, 2012 260,000 Pre-Orders Billboard Charts ‘K-Pop Hot 100’ Normal Billboard #150 ‘Heatseekers Albums’ #4 ‘Independent Albums’ #22 ‘World Albums’ #4 Expectations and plans for the group are set to increase in 2012. Since then Big Bang has been working on their next album ‘Alive’, slated to be released February 29th, 2012 with the first title track ‘Blue’ being released on the 22nd. Prior to it’s release the album received over 260,000 pre-order requests. A week after it’s release, the album and songs from it, were on the radar of 5 Billboard Charts. They took 5 of the top 10 spots on Billboard’s ‘K-Pop Hot 100’ Chart. “Blue” - #1 “Love Dust” - #2 “Bad Boy” - #3 “Fantastic Baby” - #5 “Ain’t No Fun” - #8 Their album also scored #150 on the normal Billboard chart, placing directly above Justin Bieber. They were also featured on Billboard’s ‘Heatseekers Albums’ at #4, Billboard’s ‘Independent Albums’ at #22, and Billboard’s ‘World Albums’ at #4.

World Tour World Tour Live Nation Official Kick Off March 2nd – 4th 16 Countries, 25 Cities Big Bang has also released the news that they will be holding their first world tour this year, through the help of Live Nation, making them the first Asian group supported by that organization. The official kick off for their tour will be March 2nd through 4th at the Seoul Olympic Park Gymnastic Stadium in Korea. When they are finished they will have visited 25 cities in over 16 countries including North America.

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Geojitmal - "Lies" From the Album ‘Always’ Released August 16, 2007. Originally Written to be G-Dragon’s Solo Song Group’s First #1 Hit FORM: Intro Verse One Chorus Verse Two Bridge Fade Out 00:00 Starts out with a single piano playing the main melody and a synthesizer playing chords every few beats at a walking or andante pace. Having just these two instruments alone highlights the silences during their pauses and the lack of other accompaniment, giving the song a melancholy feel from the beginning. 00:18 Voices enter next, mimicking the melody provided by the instruments. Solo rapper takes the foreground while a group of harmonizing singers is in the background repeating back the end of the phrases of the rapper. Meanwhile the piano and synthesizer have continued their parts. 00:31 The drum makes an entrance, signaling the beginning of the first verse, adding depth the overall sound and keeping the pace thumping alone while the piano & synthesizer continue in the same melodic rhythm. The first verse starts out as a rap. The rapper keeps pace with the drum placing the emphasis on the last beat of every line. In the middle of the verse singing is brought in for two lines, going straight back to a rap for the last four lines, only this time the rap is harder and more stressed. The drum ramps up the tempo, beating a snare as the chorus comes in. 01:04 First time for the chorus, which is sung by several people in harmony adding body and rounding out the sound. The singers have placed the stress on every other beat, making it duple meter. Meanwhile a vocal bass line keeps interspersing parts to the main melody. Another synthesizer line has also been added keying double time, increasing the urgency of the song and enriching the feel to the music. Finally the bass guitar playing on the beat of the song adds another level of depth. At [01:24] yet another synthesizer line has been added to the mix. 01:35 Time for Rapper #2’s entrance, whose deep bass voice makes a nice contrast to higher tenor voices of the chorus. Rapper #2 is accompanied by a soloist singing harmony quietly in the background, which is how the first few lines of the verse are accomplished. Most of the accompaniment has been cut, leaving just the vocal, piano, and beat of the drum. Extenuating the last word of the second sentence Rapper #2 is succeeded by a soloist for a line, which ends by going back to the rap and the pattern repeated, only instead of a soloist the second time around it is a group of singers singing in harmony who take the answering line. With the singers still in the mix the rap re-enters quickly followed by the snaring up of the drums again. Rapper and singer crescendo with the singer quickly cutting off at the peak. 01:51 The end of the 2nd verse gets really busy. Rapper #2 continues on with the main story, with singers interspersed every other line. Clap on every other beat has also been added to the accompaniment, as well as a commentator in the back adding “oh’s” every other beat. Rapper #2 drops out and a solo singer takes over. After only a few words he is joined by another singer adding the harmony. The two rapidly crescendo in an arch, finishing their part and the main goes back to the rapper. The rap is back to stressing the last word of the phrase. All of this has resulted in the volume, depth and intensity of the song being increased. The rap finishes as the drum snares up again. 02:06 Second time through the chorus. All the many lines of synthesizers have been added back in, making the chorus stand out from the verses. Otherwise, the second time through is pretty much the same as the first. 02:37 Reaching the bridge, there is a swift cut off of everything but a synthesizer playing double time and voices singing “Oh” quietly in the background. While the synthesizer is going quickly everyone else has slowed down to an adagio pace. They start by singing only on the 1st beat the first time through, then ramp up to “oh”-ing on the 1st and 3rd beats the second time through. After the 3rd “oh” another synthesizer part is added. It plays a fluttering little measure which fades off along with the voices. The sudden silence makes it feel very much like the end is coming, if not already here. It doesn’t last long however, and another section of “oh”s is started, only this time a narrator has been added. During the second round of “oh”s the narrator interrupts the second “oh” with a whisper, which he works into quiet singing ascending the scale while the “oh” chorus continues in the background. Rapper #1 throws in a few comments after which Singer #1 takes over singing the first line of the bridge along with the return of the piano and the cymbals from the drums. All the while the “oh”s are continuing in the background. Singer #2 takes over the second line from the bridge crescendo-ing at the end as Singer #1 cuts back in singing the last line. As Singer #1 finishes with a “hey” the drum beat rejoins picking the tempo back up to the original pace. 03:07 The bass guitar is the last instrument to get back in the game as everyone gets back together to sing the chorus for the 3rd time. It is changed up a little bit this time as a solo singer who is repeating back the last words of the phrases the main chorus group is singing. Rapper #2 is also randomly inserting bass vocalizations. It gives the impression of a bit of an organized free for all. 03:38 At last note of the chorus the vocal group abruptly finishes, leaving the synthesizers to fade off, ending the song.

Works Cited "Always." Big Bang. 20 Apr. 2011. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <http://bigbang.musicasia.net/always/>. "INTERVIEW: ‘Big Bang’ G-Dragon Exposes His Feelings on the Concert Issue (Parts 1 - 15)." 21BANGS.COM. 16 Feb. 2010. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <http://www.21bangs.com/interview-big-bang-g-dragon-exposes-his-feelings-on-the-concert-issue/>. "Big Bang." Big Bang. 08 Oct. 2010. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <http://bigbang.musicasia.net/big-bang/>. "Lies." 21BANGS.COM. LALALALA. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <http://21bangs.com/lalalala/42/>.

Sunset Glow From the Album ‘Remember’ Released November 5, 2008 Pre-Release Orders of Over 200,000 FORM: Introduction Verse One Chorus Verse Two Verse Three Chorus Repeat Coda 00:00 Starts out with synthesizers and electro voice. With the exclamation, “let’s go!” by the Bass rapper, the music explosively starts up. There are several things going on here. Bass tone on the beat with a clap accompaniment accentuating the 1st and 3rd beats and at least two synthesizers, one in the higher register with a very rhythmic melody and the other weaving around in the middle registers. This song is a lively allegro temp with a light bouncing melody and strong beat that makes you want to get up and dance. 00:30 The electronic melody keeps doing it’s thing while the bass rapper comes in with verse one. On the third line of the verse the rap switches to one of our singers (Singer #1), who has a much smoother melodious voice. This serves as a great counterpoint to the husky bass rapper preceding. It doesn’t last long however, and line 4 goes right back the bass rapper. 00:46 The rappers switch for the second section of the first verse. The second rapper has a higher, sharper, more hard hitting style, than the previous rapper. Another line of synthesizers has also been added, expanding the depth of the melody. 00:60 Chorus, round one begins here. The chorus is sung by our trio singers. The bass rapper takes advantage of the singers’ breaks by inserting little comments along the melody line. The synthesizer in the high registers has also moved from it’s rhythmic staccato notes to take up the main melody in a much more conjunct fashion, flowing the notes together. The switch to the singers along with the top synthesizer changing it’s flow, serve to make the chorus much more fluid and smooth than the verses have been. 01:16 The bass rapper takes over again for the beginning of the second verse and at the same time the top synthesizer drops out, leaving us with a much lower more grounded sound. The pattern from the first verse is repeated, where the bass rapper gets the first two lines before switching to one of a different one of our singers (Singer #2) than in verse 1, taking us from husky to smooth again. Instead of going back to the bass rapper for the 4th line it is instead switched to yet another singer (Singer #3). Singer #3 has a stronger and lower voice, closer to the baritone range, than Singer #2. The next line is given over to Singer #1, who has the highest voice out of our trio of vocalists; giving the listener a constant up and down movement, keeping the interest and excitement high. Finally Rapper #2 takes the last line and finishes up the verse. 01:47 It is now time for Chorus round two, which is pretty much an exact replica of the first round. 02:01 Rapper #2 heralds in the next section with this pronunciation, “Take it to the bridge”, which is exactly what happens. The tempo is slowed way down and all the instruments are dropped except for the one synthesizer playing in the lower registers and Singer #2. With the slower pace, lower volume and lack of accompaniment and vocals, this feels like the reflective part of the song. It doesn’t stay that way for long however. Slowly the melody and tempo start to build themselves back up again. Singer #1 takes over from Singer #2 and a synthesizer is added back in. 02:18 The “Ah” section is begun as the melody continues to build as the beat line rejoins the party. 02:33 Keeping with the previous structure, verse #3 is begun by the bass rapper, while the singers keep up their chorus of ‘ah’s in the background. By this time all the accompaniment has been added back in. Verse #3 differs from the preceding two. Instead of switching to a singer for the third line, it has the bass rapper do an entire phrase and then rapper #2 repeats the exact same phrase back to us. 02:48 The tempo and volume are now completely back up to the original dancing feel and the Singers are back to the chorus. The chorus is repeated twice, with Singer #1 free- styling in the falsetto during the second repetition, adding a counterpoint to the lower main melody of the chorus. 03:18 Rapper #2 interrupts with “Once again!” as the singers go back to ‘ah’-ing on the beat and the accompaniment is dropped to just the lower synthesizer and the bass beat. The tempo is also slightly slowed down. 03:26 The higher synthesizer doing double time, is added back in for the last few lines of the song. Rapper #2 finishes out the last phrase while the singers complete their last round of “ah”s and everyone simultaneously drops out. 03:36 Song Over

Works Cited BooYi. "Big Bang (Bulgeun Noeul / Sunset Glow) [REQUESTED: Veven] | K P O P . L Y R I C S." Weblog post. Ragamuffinlyrics.blogspot.com. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <http://ragamuffinlyrics.blogspot.com/2011/04/big-bang-bulgeun-noeul-sunset-glow.html>. "Lyrics Sunset Glow - BIG BANG." Www.jpopasia.com. JpopAsia, 07 Jan. 2009. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <http://www.jpopasia.com/lyrics/12373/big-bang/sunset-glow.html>. "Remember." Big Bang. 20 Apr. 2011. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <http://bigbang.musicasia.net/remember/>.

A Boy From G-Dragon’s Solo Album ‘Heartbreaker’ Released August 18, 2009 Inspired by His Experience as an Entertainment Trainee FORM: Introduction Verse One Verse Two Chorus Verse Three Verse Four Bridge Chorus Add On Coda 00:00 starts out with a bass guitar keeping the beat and a synthesizer playing the melody. A few rap phrases are inserted here and there. 00:17 Verse 1 officially starts with the rapper taking up the rhythm the synthesizer had been playing. The synthesizer then changes from the melody to playing a chord every four counts. Added to the percussion is a clap helping to keep time. 00:34 Rapping is replaced by a two part harmony singing the second verse. A steady beat is kept for the first two lines then changed on the third. The third line is split into two sections with the emphasis being placed on the last word of each phrase. Fourth line goes back to solo rapper until the last few words when the two part harmony is employed again and the language changes to English for the phrase, “I can’t let go”. 00:50 First time for the chorus, which also begins in English. The performer is back to singing, but, in a nearly falsetto voice, while the synthesizer is back to playing the melody and the emphasis note as well as adding in a third musical line that plays ascending scales right after the emphasis note in counterpoint to the melody line. The first 3 lines of the chorus are sung in a very smooth and fluid calm. The fourth line becomes louder and more staccato with emphasis evenly placed on every beat until the last three which are exclaimed and run together. 01:07 The rap is back with the 3rd verse. Since the rap is pretty steady and one leveled, the interest comes from what the synthesizer is doing. The melody line’s beat has been doubled while the 3rd ascending synthesizer line has disappeared, but, the emphasis note synthesizer has remained the same. A brief reiteration of the original melody on the synthesizer ends the 3rd verse. 01:24 With the beginning of the 4th verse the tempo has been slowed back down to half speed, and the performer is back to singing. The rhythm stays very level, with the emphasis being placed on the 1st and 3rd beats, mimicking exactly the pattern of the 2nd verse. 01:40 Second time through the chorus, which is entirely the same as the first time. 01:57 The song has now come to the bridge. A change from the main melody starts with a thump from the drum leaving us with just the ascending synthesizer line and falsetto singing voice. The drum continues to make an appearance thumping every 8 beats for the first line, speeding up to every four beats on the second line and finally up to every beat for the final line while the voice crescendos leading into the 3rd repetition of the chorus. 02:14 The same chorus is repeated again, only this time it is overlaid by a higher voice interspersing random singing phrases. 02:30 The chorus is repeated again, only the falsetto singing voice has been replaced by the rapper inserting comments during the breaks in the singing. 02:47 This section is the chorus add-on. The synthesizer playing the ascending line drops out and we are left with the singers while the rapper continues to fill in the pauses. The tempo has also been slowed down to half the previous pace. 03:04 Final repetition of the chorus with rapping insertions though the words of the rap have changed. It’s pretty much the same chorus as the rest of the song. After the final words the song abruptly comes to an end. All sound stops for a brief moment. A single synthesizer comes back with a four note arch. The last note is echoes and fades out, finished the song. 03:29 Song Over

Works Cited "A Boy." Www.21bangs.com. LALALALA. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <http://21bangs.com/lalalala/a-boy/>.   "INTERVIEW: ‘Big Bang’ G-Dragon Exposes His Feelings on the Concert Issue (Parts 1 - 15)." 21BANGS.COM. 16 Feb. 2010. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <http://www.21bangs.com/interview-big-bang-g-dragon-exposes-his-feelings-on-the-concert-issue/>. Han, Sang-hee. "G-Dragon to Hold 1st Solo Concert." Www.koreatimes.co.kr. The Korea Times, 13 Oct. 2009. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/special/2009/10/178_53467.html>.

Cafe From the Album ‘Tonight’ Released February 23, 2011 FORM: Intro Chorus Verse One Verse Two Verse Three Verse Four Verse Five Verse Six Verse Seven Bridge Bridge & Chorus Together Fadeout From the Album ‘Tonight’ Released February 23, 2011 First K-Pop Album on iTunes US Top 10 Charts Inspired by G-Dragon’s Personal Break-Up Experience 00:00 All we hear is old fashioned record player static. At :05 a solo piano enters at a walking adagio pace and medium volume, giving us the first taste of the main melody. 00:13 Cymbal strike heralds in the entrance of the drums and a steel guitar is added. The bass rapper whose entrance coincided with that of the instruments, takes the intro. The intro is comprised of four short lines. The last word of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th lines is emphasized by the rapper slowing down and extenuating the length of time he spends on the words. 00:22 Now is the first time through the chorus. The rapper is replaced by a group of harmonizing singers. The addition of the singers adds body to the song, enriching the overall sound. The bass guitar was added as the same time as the group of singers, adding a richness and depth to the song, grounding the melody. 00:41 As the chorus is fading out the bass rapper re-enters starting the first verse, which is also in rap form. The 2nd verse follows suit with freestyle ‘uh-huh’s in the background emphasizing the 1 beat. 01:01 The 3rd verse is taken over by a singer in the higher ranges. As he continues singing emphasis is added to the one beat by elongating the note and adding harmony for just the syllable on that beat. The harmony is dropped for the 2nd and 3rd beats, which are also both shortened and sped up. The harmony re-emerges on the next beat to repeat the pattern. 01:16 The 4th verse starts out the same as the 3rd with just the solo singer for the first and second lines. Harmony is added on the 3rd line and continues on till the end of the verse. On the very last word of the 4th verse there is an explosion of voices and cymbals as the two singers crescendo, highlighting the word ‘fool’. 01:19 The 2nd repetition of the chorus starts during the ending of the 4th verse. Trumpets have been added to the mix incrementally increasing the volume and intensity. 01:38 Rapid change as the accompaniment is decreased to just the guitar, emphasizing the solo voice which has begun singing the 5th verse. His first line, “You don’t need me anymore” stands out in the sudden quiet, while the quiet little satirical laugh in the background and re-emergence of the drums seems to add credence to the statement. The verse continues to build up as it goes. Reaching the last line the tempo has changed to extenuate and emphasis the 3 beat, with the singer crescendo-ing and holding out the last note of the verse. 01:55 The bass rapper overlaps the ending of the 6th verse and begins the 7th. The flow of the rap repeats the pattern first used in the intro, by placing the emphasis on the last beat of each line or phrase before moving on to the next line. 02:13 Back to the chorus for the fourth time. It differs slightly from the previous rounds of the chorus. The tempo that was slowed down for the bridge and rap verses picks back up and trumpets have been added, all of which amplify the song’s energy. 02:30 The bridge continues to build the power of the song. The first two lines are taken by one singer who is replaced by another singer for the next pair of lines, then back to the first singer who starts to slow us down, lengthening out the words and lowering his volume. Meanwhile the accompaniment has continued in the background including the trumpets. 02:50 Back to the chorus. 03:07 The bridge including the singer swap is repeated and sung at the same time as the chorus. The chorus finishes while the 1st singer is still doing his part, leaving him alone to sing the last phrase. As he lingers on the final word “baby” the instruments are faded out and the song ends. 03:40 Song Over

Works Cited "Cafe." Www.21bangs.com. LALALALA. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <http://21bangs.com/lalalala/cafe/>. "Tonight." Big Bang. 20 Apr. 2011. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <http://bigbang.musicasia.net/tonight/>. "G-Dragon Has Composed a Song about His Experience of Separation — “Received News of Separation at a Café”." Interview by Jin Hee Yoo. Web log post. En.korea.com. Jtn.co.kr, 28 Feb. 2011. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <http://en.korea.com/blog/enter/k-pop/g-dragon-composed-a-song-about-his-experience-of-separation-“received-news-of-separation-at-a-cafe”/>. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pictures were either downloaded from http://ygfamily.com/ or found on other public domains Music excerpts were taken from the Album’s ‘Heartbreaker’ & ‘Tonight’.