Review: BAP - Bad Man.

This makes the fourth BAP review I've written in eight months, more than the number of U Kiss reviews I've done. I need to take a step back and contemplate on the meaning of this...

Music Video
The setting for this music video was pretty amazing. Their dance sequence was shot at what looked like a eighteenth-century abandoned cathedral. And that abandoned city where the fight scene took place? Awesome. It made it look like they're living in this post-appocalytic universe where everything has been destroyed and everyone was turning on everyone. The music video actually does have a decent storyline. I mean, even though most of it is centered on the brutality and the fighting, but there were also flashbacks of the soldiers as they recall a time when it was peaceful with less violence.

There was even a hint of how it might have all started. In one flashback, you see this dodgy-looking dude exchange briefcases with another dodgy-looking dude. And just when the less dodgy fella turns around and walks away, the other guy shoots him in the back. That'll teach him to keep his end of the bargain!

 

Based on the many criminal dealings I've seen in movies, the briefcase the dead guy was holding would mostly likely contain cold hard cash. As for the other, who knows? It could be drugs. Or some kind of nuclear weapon built for mass destruction. Whatever it is, it was serious enough to reduce entire cities to rubble and cause the remaining survivors to go on an all out war with each other.

But here's the weird part. You see the whole world going crazy with everyone straight up murdering each others ass, and yet there BAP stands, calmly and unflinchingly chilling out on cars and singing about being a bad man. And even with everyone swinging around their guns and baseball bats, all six members never get so much as a scratch on them. In fact, at the end of the video when a couple of explosions went off, causing everyone to inexplicably fall to the ground and die, you still see the six of them standing in the center of the massacre like its no thing.

 

Even with everyone around them kicking up all that post-apocalyptic grime and ash, not a single speck lands on any of the members. Its like if Legolas was a Kpop idol.

 

Seriously, he could be modeling for a perfume right now.

There is only one explanation for this: BAP are secretly super heroes.

                                                                 flickr.com

Like this, only more color-coordinated.

Song and Lyrics
I'm going to break this song into parts for this segment. There were some parts that were rockingly awesome, and others that were just......not. The chorus was incredible. The vocals were amazing and it really suited the sort of husky tone of music. All of them shone through in this song, except for Daehyun. Not that he was terrible, but after One Shot he set himself to a standard in which in my opinion, is going to be really tough to compete with. So this time he fell short but don't worry, Daehyun. Your moment will come!

 

"You are SO on my list, EJ."

As for the rapping, Bang Yongguk was amazing as always. Which is why I was so infuriated when they auto-tuned that section. They could have easily left out the crappy sound effects and recorded his real voice. Bang Yongguk's gruffness was more than enough to handle the rapping without sounding like a possessed computer.

The lyrics were interesting because they focused on real world issues, rather than the guy-girl relationship that is so typical in Kpop music. They talked about all the heinous crimes that go on in the world and how they're sick of it all. So they want to change things, and they call themselves a bad man because they want to overthrow corruption and crime and basically take the city back for the oppressed. And they are warning all those corrupted people to get the hell out of their way. I mean like wow, this song has such a dark theme, it actually scares me a little. Its hard to believe that the group singing it are made up of mostly kids.

Dance
By BAP standards, the choreography was really simple. I think it was done on purpose since BAP are all about the fierce expressions in their dance moves and to pull this dance off, they would literally need looks that could kill.

 

Yup, that'll do.

So there really isn't anything else worth mentioning, except for their spectacular chest-pumping-breathing sequence and Jongup's insanely cool back-flip.

Fashion
What can I say? BAP have always been the epitome of badass fashion in the Kpop world. Naturally this MV would be no exception. Although sometimes I think about it and it doesn't make sense that members like Daehyun and Youngjae have such pretty-boy faces and yet there they are, decked out in gangster clothing, rocking an ashy, dirty-faced look.

 

"What's crackin, punks?"

Having said that, I'm not really into the outfit they wore in the cathedral. Say whatever you like, but I usually associate pinstriped clothing with pajamas so to me, they look like they're getting ready for bed.

On to the subject of their hair. Daehyun's two-toned hair color looks great. It is so cool, it's indescribable. However, what renders me equally speechless is Zelo's hair, only this time not in a good way. It's just...I can't even......Gah, just look at it.

Well, there's no use crying over spilled milk now, Zelo.