Block B

Block B

Block B at the 2015 KCON
From left to right: Jae-hyo, Park Kyung, Zico, U-Kwon, P.O, Tae-il, B-Bomb
Background information
Origin Seoul, South Korea
Genres
Years active 2011 (2011)–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website www.sevenseasons.co.kr
Members

Block B (Korean: 블락비) is a South Korean boy group created by Cho PD, active since 2011. The group consists of seven members: Tae-il, B-Bomb, Jae-hyo, U-Kwon, Park Kyung, Zico and P.O.

History

2011: Debut

Block B at the Cyworld Dream Music Festival in 2011

In February 2011, Cho PD announced that he would be spending $1.4 million USD to create a seven-member hip hop group under his "Creating Korea's Eminem Project".[1] On April 13, 2011, their debut music video for "Freeze!" was released, but banned by the Commission of Youth Protection because they felt that it was too sexy for Korean television.[2] As a result, the song could not be sold to minors under the age of 19, and the video could not be aired before 10 pm. On April 15, 2011, Block B made their live debut on KBS Music Bank.[3][4] The group followed up with another track, "Wanna B."[5] A mini album, New Kids on the Block, was released on June 23, 2011.[6]

On June 22, 2011, the first episode of MTV's eight-episode series Match Up! was aired featuring Block B and B1A4.[7] On October 16, 2011 MTV started airing a series of specials for the Match Up series that followed Block B as they promoted in Japan.

2012: Welcome to the Block, controversy and Blockbuster

Welcome to the Block, their second mini album, ran into some controversy: two songs from the album were banned as inappropriate for minors by The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) and KBS.

In February 2012, Block B came under fire for a mistranslation of a video from an interview that had taken place in Thailand a month earlier. In response, the members issued letters of apology and released a video on their record company's YouTube channel. As result of this incident, leader of Block B, Zico, also shaved his head to demonstrate his remorse.[8]

Block B returned in October 2012 with their first full-length album, Blockbuster. The title track "Nillili Mambo" was well received and ranked number 10 on Billboard's World Albums Chart."[9]

2013: Lawsuit against Stardom Entertainment and Suicide of Ex-CEO

On January 3 it was reported that Block B had filed a suit against their agency to ask for their exclusive contract to be nullified.[10]

According to media reports, the Block B members filed against Stardom at the Seoul Central District Court, stating, "During the signing of the exclusive contract, it was promised that in addition to providing proper training opportunity and facilities, we would be paid on every 25th of the following month… However, the agency has not paid us for nearly one year since April of 2011."[11] (It's not clear whether it is 2011 or 2012 since the quote in the article states that it is nearly a year, but April 2011 would be well over a year).

"It started last year in March when one member's contract was ended and his portion of the pay was calculated… Appearance fees from events as well as pay from SBS drama 'Phantom's OST, MBC drama 'Golden Time' OST, and funds collected from the inauguration of our Japanese fan site's fan club, and more for a total of 10 things, have been omitted."

They added, "The CEO of the agency, Mr Lee, has also disappeared with the 70,000,000 KRW (~66,000 USD) that he collected from the members' parents."

On May 20, 2013, it was reported that Mr. Lee had committed suicide.[12]

On June 7, 2013, the court ruled in favour of the company, saying "It's difficult to see the company not being able to pay the group as intentional. From the evidence provided so far, it is difficult to claim that the label purposely did not pay Block B. It is also difficult to say that the label did not provide proper facilities such as studios and dorms, and it is also difficult to say that they did not provide education and guidance. From written records, it cannot be said that Stardom Entertainment violated their management obligations. There is a possibility that the musical income of 430,000,000 KRW (approximately $385,000 USD) and the event income of 5,000,000 KRW (approximately $4,500 USD) was not properly taken care of. However, from just the evidence provided, it cannot be said that the label purposely kept the money from the members."[13]

Block B issued a statement in response to the ruling, apologizing to fans and saying they would no longer be working with Stardom Entertainment. The group also said that they would be contesting the ruling, and were preparing independent promotions.[14]

2013: Block B Comeback with new Label Seven Seasons

On August 29, 2013, Block B announced that they had negotiated the transfer of their rights from Stardom to a new management company, Seven Seasons.[15] A representative from Seven Seasons said that the group was planning to release a new album in October.[16]

Seven Seasons created a YouTube channel in which they uploaded Block B videos. On August 31, 2013, Seven Seasons released U-Kwon's teaser video, which featured him jogging through urban Seoul, with the question "Do you wanna B?" at the end.[17] Following that was Jae-hyo and P.O's teaser released on September 4, showing the two suiting up. That teaser also ended with the question: "Do you wanna B?" [18]

On September 17, 2013, Block B announced their pre-released single via Seven Seasons' YouTube channel. The single "Be the Light" featured Tae-il's singing voice with a short clip of their music video accompanying it.[19] The full video was released September 22, 2013.[20] The song reached #14 on the Gaon digital chart in the first week of its release.[21]

Block B released their next mini-album, Very Good, with five songs, on October 2. The group also released a video of the title song,[22] along with a "Maximum Close Up Version" on October 7[23] and a "Dance Like BB Version" on October 15.[24] They held a comeback showcase October 3 at Korea University Hwajeong Gym in Seoul.[25]

Very Good debuted at number one on the Gaon album chart,[26] while the singles "Very Good," "When Where What How," and "Nice Day" debuted at number six, 20, and 26, respectively, on the Gaon digital single chart.[27] The album also debuted at number six on the Billboard world album chart.[28]

2014: Blockbuster, H.E.R and Blockbuster Remastering

Block B starred in their own reality show, entitled Five Minutes Before Chaos (개판5분전), which premiered April 10 on Mnet.[29] In early April, Block B announced that they would release a new album entitled Jackpot. The video for the album's title track, "Jackpot," was released on April 15, while the album itself was scheduled to be released on April 17.[30] Although the physical album was released, the group's comeback was canceled following the capsizing of a South Korean ferry carrying more than 400 people.[31]

Block B held their first Korean concert series, 2014 Blockbuster, in May, selling out Olympic Park’s Olympic Hall on the first day of pre-sales. The series was held on May 17 and 18 in Seoul, and May 23 and 24 in Busan.[32] Block B presented showcases in New York, Miami, and Washington D.C. in June through the concert organizer Jazzy Group.[33]

On July 11, Seven Seasons announced that Block B would release a new mini-album, entitled H.E.R, on July 24.[34] Six days later, Seven Seasons released Jackpot digitally for the first time as part of the lead up to the release of H.E.R, as well as a "Behind version" of the "Jackpot" video.[35] "Jackpot" ranked number ten on the Gaon digital singles chart the first week of its release.[36]

"H.E.R" was released on July 24 with an accompanying music video.[37] The song debuted at number three on the Gaon digital singles chart, while the singles "Jackpot," "Extraordinary Woman," Hold Me Now," and "Very Good (Rough Ver.)" debuted at number five, 16, 28, and 80, respectively.[38] The album debuted at number six on the Billboard world album chart[39] and number two on the Gaon album chart.[40]

On November 22 and 23, Block B held an encore solo Korean concert series, 2014 Blockbuster Remastering, which attracted more than 10,000 fans to two shows at Seoul's SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium.[41]

2015: Formal debut in Japan, First European Tour, sub-unit and solo activities

Block B made its official Japanese debut on January 21, 2015, with the release of the single "Very Good (Japanese Version)." The single debuted at number five on the Oricon weekly chart[42] and number seven on the Billboard Japan Hot 100.[43] The CD release followed a pair of concerts in Tokyo on January 16 and 17 that attracted more than 5,000 fans.[44]

The group had its first official fan meeting on February 15, 2015, attracting approximately 8,000 fans to Seoul's SK Olympic Handball Gymnasium.[45]

Block B conducted their first European tour in February and March 2015, visiting Paris February 27, Helsinki March 1, Warsaw March 6, and Milan March 8. The tour sold out most shows.[46][47]

On March 27, Tae-il released the solo track "Shaking" (also called "Inspiring"), which describes the angst of being around the one you secretly love. The song's release was accompanied by a music video starring actress Nam Ji-hyun. Because the story is told from singer's first-person perspective, Tae-il does not physically appear in the video.[48]

On April 5 and 6, Block B announced through solo teaser photos that P.O, U-Kwon, and B-Bomb would make up the group's first sub-unit called Bastarz. The sub-unit's album was released April 13, along with a video for the title track, "Conduct Zero."[49] The album debuted at number three on the Gaon album chart.[50] To promote the sub-unit, B-Bomb and U-Kwon co-starred in a webdrama entitled Jumping Girl with f(x)'s Luna and Secret's Hana.

Block B's official Japanese Web site announced May 1 that the group would release its second single in the country, the Japanese version of "H.E.R," on May 27.[51] Block B began a tour of Japan on May 14; although originally four concerts were scheduled, due to strong demand for tickets the tour was expanded to seven concerts, with performances in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Nagoya[52] drawing some 20,000 fans.[53] The single "H.E.R" debuted at number seven on the weekly Oricon chart.[54]

On August 2, Block B performed at the Los Angeles KCON. The Los Angeles Times reported that "Block B had one of the most successful melds of Korean hip-hop with boy-band dynamics to come of the scene."[55]

Park Kyung released a solo track September 21 called "Ordinary Love," featuring Park Bo-ram. The track was produced by Park Kyung in collaboration with Kero One.[56] "Ordinary Love" debuted at number 3 on the Gaon digital chart.[57]

On September 23, it was announced that Block B would tour the United States for a second time in a concert series organized by SubKulture Entertainment. The group performed in San Francisco November 11, the Chicago area November 13, and Los Angeles November 15.[58]

2016: Formal Comeback and Concerts

On March 26, shortly before the release of their lead single, the entire group appeared as guests on the television show Saturday Night Live Korea. The episode included a skit about fan fiction in which Park Kyung and Zico fell in love and kissed each other on the mouth.[59] The kiss resulted in the show being sanctioned by the Korea Communications Standards Commission, which ruled that the skit promoted homosexuality to minors.[60]

Block B released the single "A Few Years Later" two days after their Saturday Night Live Korea appearance, and it debuted at number three on the Gaon digital chart.[61] Blooming Period debuted at number one on the Gaon album chart,[62] with the singles "Toy," "Walkin' in the Rain," "It Was Love" (Tae-il version), and "Bingle Bingle" debuting on the Gaon digital chart at number two, 16, 17, and 52, respectively. [63]

Block B released two singles in Japan in 2016, "Jackpot" and "Toy."[64] In late September, it was announced that the group would release My Zone, their first Japanese album, on October 26.[65] The album includes Block B's first original Japanese song, "My Zone," the video of which was released October 15.[66]

Bastarz lead single "Selfish & Beautiful Girl," composed by P.O, was released on October 24.[67] A follow up single, titled "Make It Rain," was released on October 31 along with the full Welcome 2 Baztarz extended play.[68]

Members

Sub-unit

Discography

Main article: Block B discography

Korean albums
Japanese albums
  • 2016: My Zone

Awards and nominations

Year Award/Critics Category Result
2012 20th Korean Culture Entertainment Awards New Artist Award Won
27th Golden Disk Awards[69] New Rising Star Award Nominated
Popularity Award Nominated
SBS MTV Best of The Best Awards[70] Best Male Video ("Nillili Mambo") Won
22nd Seoul Music Awards[71] Bonsang Award Nominated
2013 SBS MTV Best of The Best Awards[72] Best Male Group Won
K-Star Best KPop Awards[73] Best Fandom Won
Nate Year End Awards[74] Best Boy Group Nominated
28th Golden Disk Awards[75] Disk Album Award (Very Good) Nominated
Popularity Award Nominated
23rd Seoul Music Awards[76] Bonsang Award Nominated
Popularity Award Nominated
2014 Gaon Weibo Chart[77] Gaon Weibo Social Star Award Won
MelOn Music Awards[78] Best Male Dance Artist ("H.E.R") Won
16th Mnet Asian Music Awards[79] Best Male Group Nominated
Best Music Video ("Jackpot") Nominated
Artist of the Year Nominated
Nate Awards[80] People's Choice Singer Nominated
24th Seoul Music Awards[81] Bonsang Award Nominated
Popularity Award Nominated
Hallyu Special Award Nominated
29th Golden Disk Awards[82] Digital Album Award Nominated
Album Award Nominated
4th Gaon Chart Awards[83] Hot Trend Awards Won
2016 Japan Gold Disc Award[84] Best New Asian Artist Won
1st Asia Artist Awards Best Star Award, Singer Won
18th Mnet Asian Music Awards[85] Best Male Group Nominated
HotelsCombined Artist of the Year Nominated
2017 26th Seoul Music Awards Bonsang Award Pending
Mobile Popularity Award Pending

Music Programs

Inkigayo

Year Date Song
2014 October 13 "Very Good"
2016 April 10 "A Few Years Later"
April 24 "Toy"

Show! Music Core

Year Date Song
2014 August 23 "H.E.R"

Show Champion

Year Date Song
2014 August 20 "H.E.R"
2016 April 20 "Toy"

M! Countdown

Year Date Song
2014 August 14 "H.E.R"
2016 April 21 "Toy"

References

  1. ↑ "Creating Korea's Eminem Project" (in Korean). Nate.
  2. ↑ "Freeze banned by the Commission of Youth Protection" (in Korean). STARNEWS.
  3. ↑ "KBS Music Bank Debut" (in Korean). BNT News.
  4. ↑ "Music Bank Debut" (in Korean). Naver.
  5. ↑ "Wanna B followup" (in Korean). BNT News.
  6. ↑ "New Kids on the Block Mini Album" (in Korean). GAON.
  7. ↑ "MTV's Match Up!". MTVK.
  8. ↑ "Block B apologizes for their Thailand interview incident". Allkpop. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Block B ranks #10 on the 'Billboard World Albums Chart'". Allkpop. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  10. ↑ 블락비 "전속계약 취소해달라" 소속사 상대 가처분 신청 (in Korean). Nate.
  11. ↑ 블락비 공식입장 "소속사, 신뢰할 수 없는 사건 많았다" 반박(입장전문) (in Korean). Newsen.
  12. ↑ "Block B Agency Stardom Entertainment's Former CEO Commits Suicide In Wake Of Lawsuit". KpopStarz. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  13. ↑ 블락비, 소속사에 패소…법원 "수입 정산 누락 고의로 보기 어려워" (in Korean). Nate.
  14. ↑ "Block B releases official statement + will not be working with Stardom Entertainment again". Allkpop. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  15. ↑ 블락비-스타덤, 긴 분쟁 종결 ‘극적 합의’ (in Korean). Newsen.
  16. ↑ 블락비 활동재개, 소속사 분쟁 마치고 10월컴백 예정 (in Korean). Newsen.
  17. ↑ "Seven Seasons teases Block B's return with U-Kwon's greeting video!". Allkpop. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Block B hint at their possible comeback date with a teaser of Jaehyo and P.O.". Allkpop. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Block B announces pre-release track "Be The Light" with MV teaser". Allkpop. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  20. ↑ "블락비(block b) _ 빛이 되어 줘 (Be the light) _ Official _ MV". Seven Seasons.
  21. ↑ "Gaon Digital Chart September 22-28 2013". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Block B make their awaited return with 'Very Good' MV + mini album". Allkpop. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  23. ↑ "블락비(Block B) _ Very Good _ MV _ Maximum Close Up Version". Seven Seasons.
  24. ↑ "블락비(Block B) _ Very Good _ MV_ Dance Like BB Version". Seven Seasons.
  25. ↑ "Block B talk about their album + relationship with Cho PD and Stardom Entertainment". Allkpop. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Gaon Album Chart September 29-October 5, 2013". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  27. ↑ "Gaon Digital Chart September 29-October 5, 2013". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  28. ↑ "Billboard World Albums October 19, 2013". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  29. ↑ "'5 Minutes Before Chaos' Puts Block B In Dangerous Situations". KpopStarz. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  30. ↑ "Block B announce comeback on April 17 with 'Jackpot'". DkpopNews. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  31. ↑ "BLOCK B CANCELS COMEBACK WITH "JACKPOT" ENTIRELY". Koreaboo. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  32. ↑ "Block B Sells Out First Exclusive Concert in Seoul". Mwave Mnet. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  33. ↑ "'BLOCK B SHOWCASE LIVE IN USA'". Jazzy Group. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  34. ↑ "Block B, in 24 days a new mini album "HER," a comeback". Hankyung News (in Korean). Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  35. ↑ "Block B Drops New "Behind Version" MV for "Jackpot"". Soompi. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  36. ↑ "Gaon Digital Chart July 13-19 2014". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  37. ↑ "Block B Gets Goofy and Playful in Music Video for "H.E.R"". Soompi. Retrieved July 23, 2014.
  38. ↑ "Gaon Digital Chart July 20-26 2014". Gaon Chart. Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  39. ↑ "Billboard World Albums August 9, 2014". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  40. ↑ "Gaon Album Chart July 27-August 2, 2014". Gaon Chart. Retrieved August 12, 2014.
  41. ↑ "'Block B Transforms into Villains for 10,000 Fans During Encore Concert'". Mwave Mnet. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  42. ↑ "Oricon Style Weekly CD Single Ranking". Oricon Style. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
  43. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
  44. ↑ "'Block B Gathers 5,000 Fans to 'Happy New Year Live Show' in Japan'". Mwave Mnet. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  45. ↑ "'Block B's First-Ever Fan Meeting Gathered Thousands of Fans'". KPopStarz Singapore. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  46. ↑ "'BLOCK B drives Paris and Helsinki mad in 'BLOCK PARTY in Europe". Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  47. ↑ "'Block B Successfully Wraps Up European Tour in Four Countries'". Mwave Mnet. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  48. ↑ "[MV] 태일(TAEIL) - 흔들린다 Official Music Video". YouTube. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  49. ↑ "'Block B Subunit BASTARZ Releases "Zero for Conduct" Music Video'". Soompi. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  50. ↑ "Gaon Weekly CD Chart". Gaon. Archived from the original on April 23, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  51. ↑ "Block B日本2ndシングル『HER』アーティスト写真＆ジャケット写真公開". Block B Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  52. ↑ "'Block B's Japanese Tour Has Started!'". BNT News. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
  53. ↑ "'Block B Finished Its Japan Tour'". BNT News. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  54. ↑ "Oricon Style Weekly CD Single Ranking". Oricon Style. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  55. ↑ "'A Few Belated Thoughts on KCON 2015'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  56. ↑ "'Block B's Park Kyung Talks About "Ordinary Love" in Solo Single MV'". Soompi. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  57. ↑ "Gaon Weekly Digital Chart". Gaon. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  58. ↑ "'Block B Announce 3-Date U.S. Tour for November'". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2015.
  59. ↑ "Watch: Block B Shares a Kiss in "Fanfiction" Scene on "SNL Korea"". Soompi. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  60. ↑ "'SNL Korea' under fire by KCSC for Zico-Park Kyung kiss". AllKPop. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  61. ↑ "Gaon Digital Chart March 27-April 2, 2016". Gaon Chart. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  62. ↑ "Gaon Album Chart April 10-16, 2016". Gaon Chart. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  63. ↑ "Gaon Digital Chart April 10-16, 2016". Gaon Chart. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  64. ↑ "Discography Japan Single". Block B Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  65. ↑ "Block B JAPAN 1st Album タイトル＆新ヴィジュアル＆ジャケット写真＆収録曲同時発表！！". Block B Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  66. ↑ "Get in 'My Zone' with Block B's PV for first Japanese album!". AllKPop. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  67. ↑ "BASTARZ drops teaser poster for pre-release composed by P.O". AllKPop. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  68. ↑ http://www.soompi.com/2016/10/30/watch-block-bs-bastarz-will-make-rain-everything-new-mv/
  69. ↑ "27th Golden Disk Awards" (in English and Korean).
  70. ↑ "MTV Best of The Best Awards" (in English and Korean).
  71. ↑ "22nd Seoul Music Awards" (in Korean).
  72. ↑ "2013 SBS MTV Best of the Best - MTV Korea". mtv.co.kr.
  73. ↑ 버베나_HD 131218 K-Star news Best K Pop Awards 2013 비투비 민혁&일훈. YouTube. December 19, 2013.
  74. ↑ "네이트". nate.com.
  75. ↑ "The 28th GOLDEN DISK AWARDS". joins.com.
  76. ↑ "제24회 서울가요대상". seoulmusicawards.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2013.
  77. ↑ "EXO, Super Junior, CNBLUE, Girl's Day, Block B, and AOA are the first winners of the Gaon Weibo Chart". allkpop.com.
  78. ↑ "MelOn Music Awards". melon.com.
  79. ↑ "2014 MAMA Vote - Mnet Asian Music Awards". Mnet Asian Music Awards.
  80. ↑ "네이트 뉴스". nate.com.
  81. ↑ "제24회 서울가요대상". sportsseoul.com.
  82. ↑ 29th Golden Disk Awards
  83. ↑ "블락비 '핫트렌드상' 수상 "비비씨 고마워요" 팬 향한 감사인사 (가온차트 어워드)". Daum 연예.
  84. ↑ "Japan Gold Disc Award 2016".
  85. ↑ "2016 MAMA Vote - Mnet Asian Music Awards".

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