B.A.P (South Korean band)

For other uses, see BAP.
B.A.P

B.A.P performing at KCON 2012
From left: Youngjae, Daehyun, Yongguk, Himchan, Zelo, Jongup
Background information
Origin Seoul, South Korea
Genres
Years active 2012 (2012)–present
Labels
Website Official website
Members

B.A.P (Korean: 비에이피; an acronym for Best Absolute Perfect[2]) is a South Korean boy group formed in 2011 under TS Entertainment. The group's six members are Yongguk, Youngjae, Daehyun, Himchan, Jongup, and Zelo.

B.A.P made their musical debut with the single "Warrior" on January 27, 2012, followed by the release of their debut EP Warrior in February 2012.

Career

2011: Pre-debut

Group leader[3] Yongguk was the first member to be introduced in 2011, featuring on labelmate Song Jieun's song "Going Crazy".[4] He also made a solo debut on August 11 with the single "I Remember", featuring B2ST's Yang Yo-seob.[5] Himchan was the second member to be introduced to the public, as an MC for MTV Korea television program The Show.[6] On November 23, Zelo was introduced as the third member of the group through a collaboration with Yongguk as the group Bang&Zelo.[7] The duo released the single "Never Give Up".[8]

2012: Warrior, Power, No Mercy, Crash, and Stop It

In January 2012, the group starred in the reality program Ta-Dah, It's B.A.P, which aired on SBS MTV.[9] The show focused on how the six members play the role of aliens from a different planet who worked together to debut as B.A.P and invade Earth to help save their dying planet, Planet Mato.[9] On January 25, the group's debut single "Warrior" was released, with MTV Korea describing it as "powerful and charismatic".[10][11] Nancy Lee of Enews World noted that the group had set out to differentiate themselves from the "pretty-boy" male idol archetype prevalent in the K-pop music industry with their "tough, bad boy image".[12] On February 3, 2012, the corresponding EP Warrior entered Billboard's World Albums Chart at #10.[13] In South Korea, Warrior sold over 10,000 copies within just two days of release.[14]

In March, the group released a follow-up single, "Secret Love",[15] and in April they made a comeback with the single "Power" and EP of the same name.[16][17] Upon its release, Power sold out its initial batch of 30,000 copies[18] and entered at #10 on the Billboard World Albums Charts.

B.A.P's third EP, No Mercy, was released digitally on July 19 and physically on July 24. On August 30 the repackaged version of the EP, renamed Crash, was released.

On October 23, B.A.P released their fourth single and EP, titled "Stop It".

2013: One Shot and Japanese debut

B.A.P at the 2013 KOCIS Korea K-POP World Festival

In February 2013, the group began releasing material from their fifth EP, One Shot.[19][20] On February 21, 2013, the EP ranked No.1 on Billboard’s World Albums chart.[21]

In May, King Records, the Japanese record label that once signed Rain, signed B.A.P.[1] They released their first Japanese music video for "Warrior" on YouTube on September 13, 2013, and their album and single were officially released on October 9, 2013.[22]

B.A.P performing at the 2013 K-POP World Festival

On July 28, 2013, TS Entertainment announced that the group will be releasing their sixth EP Badman on August 6, 2013,[23] with the promotional singles "Coffee Shop", "Hurricane" and "Badman".

2014: First Sensibility, world tour, B.A.P Unplugged 2014, and lawsuit

On February 3, 2014, B.A.P released their first full-length studio album First Sensibility, containing a total of thirteen tracks including the title track "1004 (Angel)".[24] Upon its release, the album topped the Billboard World Albums Chart, proving the group's international popularity.[25] In Korea, First Sensibility also topped the Hanteo and Gaon monthly charts for February.[26][27] The group took their first music show win on Show Champion with "1004 (Angel)"[28] and went on to take two more wins for the single.

On April 3, B.A.P released their third Japanese single, "No Mercy", and ranked at #2 on Oricon's daily and weekly singles charts.[29][29]

Following promotions of "1004 (Angel)", the group commenced the B.A.P Live On Earth 2014 Continent Tour with a two-day concert in Seoul, with an estimated audience of 20,000 attendees.[30] This was their second solo concert in Korea. The group went on to hold a total of 23 concerts in cities throughout the United States, Asia, Australia, and Europe during the tour.[31] Through the tour, they released the EP B.A.P Unplugged 2014.

On August 11, they released their fourth Japanese single, "Excuse Me".[32] On October 27, TS Entertainment announced that they had cancelled the South American portion of the concert tour, in order to give the group members time to rest.[33]

On November 27, it was reported that the group had filed a lawsuit against their label to nullify their contract, claiming unfair working conditions and profit distribution.[34] However, the following day, TS Entertainment issued a press release refuting the claims made, stating that there were "neither such maltreatments to the artists nor unfair clauses in the contract.”[35] There statements were challenged when B.A.P released another statement claiming lack of accountability and saying that they were considering filing for defamation of character.[36]

2015: Settlement with TS and Matrix

On August 1, 2015, B.A.P. returned to TS Entertainment after both parties reached a settlement.[37] They made their comeback with their eighth EP, Matrix, and the title track "Young, Wild & Free". The free showcase "BAP 151115" was held on November 15 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza[38] and the music video for "Young, Wild & Free" was released the following day.[39][40] On November 27, 2015, exactly one year after the lawsuit they received a music show win for the single on Music Bank.

2016-present: Carnival, Best. Absolute. Perfect, Live On Earth 2016 world tour, Put 'Em Up and Noir

In February, they released their fifth extended play, Carnival. It contains six songs with a bright, upbeat concept in contrast to the darker concept shown in Matrix.

In March, they released their first Japanese studio album, Best. Absolute. Perfect. The album contains thirteen songs, in which three ("New World", "Kingdom", and "Back in Time") are original Japanese songs.

Between April–July, B.A.P held worldwide dates for their Live On Earth 2016 tour, including dates in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Italy, Finland, Germany, Poland, Australia, the U.K., and Russia.[41][42]

In August, they released their fifth single album, Put 'Em Up.

In November, B.A.P returned with their second studio album, Noir along with the music video for title song "Skydive".

Artistry and influences

During the group's debut, all of the members dyed their hair blonde.[43] The group's members have played a role in their image and musical direction, and commentators have noted a distinction between their "tough, bad-boy" image and other K-pop boy groups.[12]
"Warrior" (B.A.P song)
B.A.P's debut single, "Warrior", talks about societal injustice.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

The group's leader Yongguk has previously made comments on the influence that African-American musicians have had on him, citing 50 Cent, P. Diddy, Pharrell and other rappers as musical influences.[44] He played a role in the production of all the tracks on B.A.P's debut EP Warrior.[43][45] In addition, group member Himchan is a multi-instrumentalist influenced by Korean traditional music.[46][47] He plays a number of traditional instruments including daegeum, janggu, kkwaenggwari and jing.[47] All of the group's members are influenced by R&B musicians; Jongup has cited hip hop and dance music as influences and said that Chris Brown is one of his idols, while Zelo has said he looks up to will.i.am and Kanye West.[48] Daehyun cites Shin Yong-jae among his musical influences while Youngjae cites neo soul musicians as well as Musiq Soulchild and Jay Park.[49]

B.A.P has been named a "versatile group" by MTV Korea,[11] with Yun Seong-yeol of Star News Korea lauding their charisma and on-stage performances, as well as Yongguk and Zelo's rapping and Daehyun and Youngjae's vocal abilities.[50]

Concerts and tours

Discography

Main article: B.A.P discography

Korean discography

Studio albums

Japanese discography

Studio albums

Filmography

Television

Date Channel Show Note
2012 SBS MTV Ta-Dah! It's B.A.P 10 episodes
SBS MTV B.A.P Diary 2 episodes
Mnet B.A.P's Killing Camp 3 episodes
MBC Every1 Weekly Idol Ep.57 (August 22, 2012)
2013 MBC Every1 Weekly Idol Ep.85 (March 6, 2013)
Arirang TV After School Club Ep.18 (August 14, 2013)
MBC Every1 Weekly Idol Ep.111 (September 4, 2013)
2014 Arirang TV After School Club Ep.45 (February 19, 2014)
MBC Every1 Weekly Idol Ep.137 (March 5, 2014)
KBS You Hee-yeol's Sketchbook March 8, 2014
TSENT2008 YouTube B.A.P Attack! B.A.P Live On Earth 2014 Continent Tour; 13 Episodes
2015 Arirang TV After School Club Ep.187 (November 23, 2015)
2016 SBS The Boss Is Watching February 6, 2016
MBC Music B.A.P's One Fine Day Began airing 17 October, 2016
Arirang TV After School Club Ep.239 (November 22, 2016)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "B.A.P". King Record Company. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
  2. ↑ Lee, Tiffanie. "B.A.P – Club Nokia – 5-7-13". LA Weekly. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
  3. ↑ "송지은 래퍼" 방용국, 과거 힙합씬 활동사진 공개 ‘훈훈포스’ [TS Entertainment reveals past photos of Ji Eun’s rapper, Bang Yong Guk]. Newsen Power News (in Korean). Newsen. 2011-03-08. Retrieved 2012-01-23.
  4. ↑ "SECRET's Song Ji Eun releases her "Going Crazy" MV". 6Theory Media. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  5. ↑ "Bang Yong Guk unleashes powerful MV for "I Remember"". 6Theory Media. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  6. ↑ Park, Anna (August 25, 2011). "Second member of TS Baby revealed through MTV Korea's The Show!". MTV Korea. Viacom International Inc. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  7. ↑ "TS Entertainment introduced Zelo, Bang Yong Guk's sub-unit partner". 6Theory Media. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  8. ↑ "Bang & Zelo release "Never Give Up" MV". 6Theory Media. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  9. 1 2 Hong, Lucia (2012-01-26). "New boy band B.A.P's debut documentary to air in 8 Asian countries". 10asiae News. 10asiae (ⓒ 10아시아 ). Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  10. ↑ 2012년 빛낼 아이돌 출격 임박..'신고 합니다!' (in Korean). Star News. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  11. 1 2 Xu, Tina (January 25, 2012). "B.A.P makes long awaited debut with 'Warrior'". MTV Korea. Viacom International Inc. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  12. 1 2 Lee, Nancy (January 26, 2012). "B.A.P 'Warrior' Music Video Released". enewsworld. CJ E&M. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Billboard World Albums Chart (Week of February 12, 2012)". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. February 3, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  14. ↑ "B.A.P, 데뷔 앨범 1만장 발매 이틀만에 '완판' [B.A.P's debut album 'Warrior' sells 10,000 copies in 2 days]" (in Korean). TV Report. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
  15. ↑ Suk, Monica (2012-02-27). "B.A.P to go on stage with follow-up song in March". 10asiae News. 10asiae (ⓒ 10아시아 ). Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  16. ↑ "The 6 'Warriors' of B.A.P will be making a comeback next week!". Allkpop. 6theory Media). 2012-04-16. Retrieved 2012-04-16.
  17. ↑ "B.A.P. releases teaser for "POWER"". Allkpop. 6theory Media). 2012-04-20. Retrieved 2012-04-20.
  18. ↑ "B.A.P. sells out their first batch of 30,000 copies". Allkpop.com. 2012-05-03. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  19. ↑ "B.A.P releases video teaser for "One Shot"". allkpop. 7 February 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  20. ↑ "B.A.P releases mini album + 7-minute long MV for "One Shot"". allkpop. 11 February 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  21. ↑ "World Music: Top World Albums Chart". Billboard. 2013-03-02. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  22. ↑ King Records staff (July 26, 2013). "(B.A.P) Japan 1st single "Warrior" out October 9th". King Records. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  23. ↑ "B.A.P releases album cover + tracklist for 'BADMAN'". Allkpop. July 28, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
  24. ↑ "BAP Ready For a Comeback With 1st Full-Length Album 'First Sensibility'". KpopStarz. January 15, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  25. ↑ alim17 (February 14, 2014). "B.A.P's album 'First Sensibility' tops Billboard's World Albums Chart". Allkpop. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  26. ↑ jennywill (March 2, 2014). "B.A.P's 'First Sensibility' tops Hanteo's February monthly chart". Allkpop. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  27. ↑ GhostWriter (March 6, 2014). "Gaon Chart releases chart rankings for the month of February 2014". Allkpop. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  28. ↑ alim17 (February 12, 2014). "B.A.P celebrate their first Music Show Victory on this week's 'Show Champion'". Allkpop. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  29. 1 2 Dianna Shin (April 3, 2014). "B.A.P Japan Single, 'NO MERCY' Comes In Second On Oricon Daily Single Chart". KpopStarz.com. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  30. ↑ "B.A.P Bring in 20,000 Fans for Their 'BAP Live on Earth Seoul 2014'". Allkpop. 2014-03-09. Retrieved 2014-07-19.
  31. ↑ Benjamin, Jeff (March 13, 2014). "B.A.P to Return Stateside for Four 'Live on Earth 2014' Tour Dates". Billboard.com. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  32. ↑ "B.A.P Releases 4th Japanese Single". Allkpop. 2014-08-11. Retrieved 2014-08-11.
  33. ↑ Hong, Grace Danbi (October 28, 2014). "B.A.P Cancels South American Tour and Announces Temporary Rest Period". CJ E&M enewsworld. Mwave. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
  34. ↑ Kim, Hyung-woo; Hong, Grace Danbi (November 27, 2014). "TS Entertainment Checking on B.A.P′s Lawsuit to Nullify Contract". Newsen. Mwave. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
  35. ↑ Ock, Hyun-ju (November 28, 2014). "Star agency refutes B.A.P slave contract controversy". K-Pop Herald. The Korean Herald. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  36. ↑ "[단독] B.A.P vs TS, 첫 변론기일 내년 2~3월 예정...답변서 제출 아직". OBS News (in Korean). 22 December 2014. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  37. ↑ "[BREAKING] B.A.P returns to TS Entertainment after long legal battle". Allkpop.com. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  38. ↑ "B.A.P gets ready to strike Seoul with epic live and free concert". Koreaboo.com. 2015-10-04. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  39. ↑ "B.A.P - Young, Wild & Free M/V". YouTube. 2015-11-15. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  40. ↑ "The kings are finally back! B.A.P are 'Young, Wild, & Free' in their 'MATRIX' album". Allkpop.com. 2015-11-15. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  41. ↑ "B.A.P Announces North America Dates for 2016 Live on Earth World Tour". Fuse. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
  42. ↑ Adrina (2016-01-11). "#LOE2016: B.A.P Announces Locations For Their 2016 "Live On Earth" World Tour". Hype.my. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
  43. 1 2 Hwang Mi-Hyeon (2012-02-06). "B.A.P "지구정복! 결코 헛된 꿈이 아니랍니다"[인터뷰" [B.A.P is determined to conquer the world with their music]. OSEN (in Korean). Intigram. Retrieved 2012-03-31.
  44. ↑ "Exclusive interview with Bang & Zelo!". Daily Kpop News. Retrieved February 1, 2012.
  45. ↑ "B.A.P is determined to conquer the world with their music". Allkpop. 6theory Media. 2012-02-02. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  46. ↑ Hwang Hyo-Jin (2012-03-09). "(INTERVIEW) B.A.P Bang Yong-guk, Him Chan". 10asia. ⓒ 10아시아. Retrieved 2012-03-28.
  47. 1 2 "B.A.P's Himchan revealed to be a graduate of top tier arts schools". 6theory Media. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  48. ↑ Hwang Hyo-Jin (2012-03-07). "B.A.P – My name is 젤로, 종업". 10asia News (in Korean). 10asiae. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  49. ↑ Hwang Hyo-Jin (2012-03-07). "B.A.P – My name is 영재, 대현". 10asia News (in Korean). 10asiae. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  50. ↑ Yun Seong Yeol (2012-02-16). "New boy group B.A.P says, "We want to conquer the earth!" (Interview)". Star News. STARNEWS. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
  51. ↑ "B.A.P, 5대륙 15개국 30회 월드투어 개최 (in Korean). Naver. 2016-01-10. Retrieved 2016-01-10.

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