All You Need to Know About Scandal From Leader of Big Bang – G-Dragon
Kwon Ji-yong was born on August 18th, 1988, in Seoul, South Korea. He is also known by his stage name G-Dragon. He is a South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, entrepreneur and fashion icon known for penning chart-topping singles and a stage presence that has garnered him the title “King of K-Pop.” Starting at the age of twelve, G-Dragon trained for six years at the South Korean entertainment label YG Entertainment before debuting in 2006 as the leader of the hip-hop boy band Big Bang, which went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands in the world.
Widely recognized for his influence on youth culture, fashion trends, and music in South Korea, G-Dragon was named the most influential person under 30 in Asia’s entertainment and sports by Forbes in 2016. Producing not only for his band but also for his and his bandmates’ solo releases, G-Dragon has written or co-written 23 number one songs on the Gaon Digital Chart (equivalent to the Billboard Hot 100), most of which he has also co-produced.
Born and raised in Seoul, Kwon Ji-yong began his career at age of six as part of the group Little Roo’Ra. After releasing a Christmas album, the group’s contract was terminated by their record company, which came as a “shock” to G-Dragon. Although he vowed to his mother that he “wouldn’t [try to become a singer] again,” he was scouted by SM Entertainment while on a ski trip with his family. He was a trainee under the record label for five years (from 8–13 years old), specializing in dance before he left, unclear about what he wanted to do.
In third grade, Kwon was introduced to the American rap group Wu-Tang Clan by a friend. Inspired by their music, he developed an interest in rapping and began taking classes. Under People Crew’s tutelage, he participated in the release of the Korean hip-hop album Flex in 2001, becoming the youngest Korean rapper at the age of 13.
Although he wrote his own lyrics, he admitted that his English was weak and the story behind the lyrics was just another typical “I’m young, but I’m the best” story. Kwon Ji-yong and another trainee, Dong Young-bae, originally planned to debut as the hip-hop duo GDYB, with Kwon choosing the stage name of G-Dragon (“Ji” is pronounced like “G”, and Yong is Korean for “dragon”).
He made several featured appearances on other artists’ albums and even released several singles with Dong under the name “GDYB.” After YG Entertainment scrapped the plan and opted for a boy band instead, Kwon contacted Choi, who auditioned in. G-Dragon, Dong (who chose the stage name Taeyang), and Choi (who chose the stage name T.O.P), were paired with three other members (Jang Hyun-seung, Daesung, and Seungri).
In this article, Byeol Korea will give you a rundown of everything regarding the scandals and controversies surrounding BIGBANG’s leader G-Dragon. So, stay tuned!
G-Dragon: His Scandals and Controversies
G-Dragon’s name is known as one of the top K-Pop idols who has many achievements in the music field. Not only as an idol, but he is also known as a producer, songwriter, and reliable musician.
Behind his worldwide popularity, the man born in 1988 has experienced a number of scandals. Several times he was involved in tilt issues, which often surprised the public and his fans. Beginning with alleged plagiarism until it was considered racist, it had been experienced by men who are currently undergoing military service.
The following are some of the scandals and controversies that the Big Bang leader has experienced!
Plagiarism
During his career in the K-Pop industry, this BIGBANG leader has been accused of being involved in plagiarism twice. The first plagiarism accusation he received occurred in 2010. His solo debut song titled “Heartbreaker” was considered to be an imitation of the American rapper hit song titled “Right Round” by Flo Rida.
Not wanting this problem to drag on, YG Entertainment eventually contacted Flo Rida directly. Through his official statement, Flo Rida himself clarified that G-Dragon did not copy the song at all. Both even collaborated to bring the remix version of “Heartbreaker,” which was later released on G-Dragon’s concert album Shine A Light. A few months later, G-Dragon appeared as a guest star at Flo Rida’s concert held in South Korea.
In 2017, he was again accused of plagiarism. His solo song, titled “Middle Fingers Up,” which is also the first track of the album Kwon Ji Yong, was deemed tracing the song of one of the American rappers, Kyle. According to Korean media report Segye Ilbo, when listened carefully, the song is very similar to the song “iSpy,” which belongs to Kyle who collaborated with Lil Yachty. “iSpy” was released in 2016. After this case became a hot topic of conversation among the public, Kyle appeared and liked a comment from a fan. The comment said that G-Dragon was not plagiarizing Kyle’s work. Fans also assumed that this was the end of the controversy.
Marijuana
In 2011, G-Dragon was proven to have smoked marijuana in a nightclub after holding a concert in Japan. Initially, the urine test came out negative, but after the idol had a new hair test it was found that he had actually consumed marijuana. The Seoul police stated that the man, whose real name is Kwon Ji-yong, had smoked a cigarette containing marijuana three times. But because he consumed small amounts, he was free from the investigation.
Smoking time 💨💨💋 #GD #GDRAGON pic.twitter.com/MWksXQF3CR
— Lost In S_oul 🖤 (@x_xgdrnx) March 1, 2017
G-Dragon argued by saying that he did not know clearly that the cigarette he was holding was, in fact, marijuana because it was a gift from someone. At that time, the man who was familiarly called GD was under the influence of alcohol.
“At that time, I drank a lot and my manager was doing something else, so I was alone. I went to the bathroom and someone offered me a cigarette. I thought it would be rude if I refused, so I accepted the cigarette without thinking,” said the 29-year-old man when interviewed at the ‘Healing Camp’ on the SBS television channel. “I was under the influence of alcohol and I felt that cigarettes were very strong. Before I never smelled it (marijuana), so I could not distinguish. It was like the cigarettes that I used to smoke,” he continued.
Inappropriate Performance in the Shine a Light Concert
In his solo concert titled “Shine A Light” which was held in 2010, G-Dragon made an appearance as if he were having an intimate relationship with a female dancer named Aimee. Aimee claims there is nothing wrong with the scene she did with G-Dragon when appearing, only photos circulating on the internet look too vulgar. She also denied the existence of the dry-humping scene they did.
At that time, the public criticized G-Dragon for displaying scenes that were not appropriate for the concert audience. Because at that time, many underage concert viewers managed to escape the examination. After this problem got hotter, YG Entertainment finally released their statement and apology. YG Entertainment said that the scene was displayed on the second day of the concert which was labeled as a special concert for adults.
Racism
G-Dragon is back in controversy because of his eccentric appearance. Through his Instagram account, he uploaded a photo of himself with a jet black face. Because of the photo, he was later accused of carrying a racial message about black people. This was made worse by the two media in America, SPIN Magazine and LA Times, which stated that the GD action involved deeper matters, politics.
The two media said that G-Dragon’s photo resembles the trend of American artists, who pay homage to African-American teenager, Trayvon Martin, who wears a hoodie. Unfortunately, G-Dragon was considered to be insulting Trayvon, because he wore black paint on his face, and the collar of his shirt was like a hoodie. Trayvon Martin himself was a teenager from Florida who was shot dead by his neighbor, George Zimmerman. YG Entertainment then sent a letter directly to the two media and explained the misunderstanding. They also denied that the things done by GD had anything to do with racism or even politics.
“G-Dragon only wears different face paint and this is just a very big misunderstanding. The color of his face is a color variation for the new album cover that includes the concepts of black, white, and red,” YG Entertainment said to straighten out the scandal at the time.
After G-Dragon released his second mini-album, it was seen that in the video clip of the song “Coup d’Etat” he appeared with all of his body painted in black. Only part of the tooth’s hair and the corner of the eye are left white.
Special Treatment in Military
Recently, one of the South Korean media, Dispatch reported that the ‘Black’ singer received special treatment. G-Dragon is considered to have received special treatment, while undergoing treatment at the Yangju armed forces hospital, Gyeonggi, South Korea.
Dispatch reports that the man, whose real name is Kwon Ji-yong, uses a suite room, which is only allowed for members of the military at the level of the commander and colonel. The room used is reportedly equipped with air conditioning, refrigerator, TV and several other luxury facilities. Knowing this, the military later denied and said they have never given special treatment to celebrities. One representative from the conscription revealed that there were no special rooms that could only be used by the colonel in the hospital.
They say, private rooms in hospitals can be used by all patients, who have special reasons. By following the conditions applicable in the hospital, each patient is allowed to use a separate room. They also said that every public room in the hospital was also equipped with Air Conditioner, TV and refrigerator facilities.
