After a long wait and a lot of hype, Topp Dogg is finally here! We already knew Stardom Entertainment can put a solid group together, but what remained to be seen was whether or not they could put together another K-Pop hip-hop idol group and make them unique enough to stand up against the competition- which includes their own former labelmates Block B, who are currently promoting their most successful song to date, "Very Good", under their new label Seven Seasons.
The members of Topp Dogg are definitely talented, but so far I'm not sure what else they bring to the table that we're not already getting from other up-and-coming acts. The sheer number of members is impressive, but now that EXO's doing twelve-member promotions, a thirteen-member group isn't that exciting. "Say It" doesn't show off any musical or dance skills that B.A.P or Block B haven't already done (and done better). The idols-who-are-too-hardcore-to-be-idols concept was already starting to feel a little crowded when Bangtan Boys and Global Icon (G.I) picked it up earlier this year, so by this point it's just a bit tired. At least Bangtan brought a new twist to the genre by rebelling against high school (something most of their target audience can probably relate to), and G.I brought their girls-on-par-with-the-guys concept as a new twist- so far, I don't see what separates Topp Dogg from the rest of the pack, which makes the lyrical claims of superiority ring a little hollow.
I would have loved to see Topp Dogg do something with "Play Ground", which has a similar aggressive/I'm-better-than-you kind of vibe to "Say It", but which has a different sound from anything their competitors have promoted so far. Hopefully by the time their follow-up comes around, they'll figure out a niche that keeps them from disappearing into a large crowd. Like in the words of Dwayne Johnson (The Rock), don't just say it, bring it.
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