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.
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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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