[Bonus] 2016 Kpop Awards: Part II

Best Vocalist: Sandeul

Enough with the inequality. Boy group members deserve some love, too. Otherwise I'd have dropped Taeyeon here and called it a day. Anyway, I don't think there's a boy group vocalist that's as incredible as Sandeul. He and B1A4 are sort of mired in mediocrity as far as I know but he has deservedly gained attention for his talents over the years. Appearances on singing shows increased his popularity and his OST offers grew. And in 2016 we finally saw him get a solo debut with "Stay As You Are," which further illustrated his vocal abilities.

Best Rapper: Zico

Speaking of gender equality on my blog... I don't think I'll ever write Rapper Power Rankings for boy group members, but if I did, there's one name that would be the undisputed champion: Zico. His style and charisma flow deep in Block B's music, not to mention the individual contributions he makes to the composition and lyrics of songs. He's also one of the most prolific group soloists, too. This year was another excellent harvest for the young man, with songs like "I Am You, You Are Me" and "Bermuda Triangle" giving him solace whenever Block B ends, he will be extremely comfortable pursuing the solo path.

[Bonus] 2016 Kpop Awards: Part I

Welcome to the 2016 Kpop Awards! The exciting and prestigious event that dates all the way back to 2015. Most of the ideas have previously been used during the awards from last year, but I made sure to throw in a few new ones, too. The various categories will be related to group popularity and success, but I'm also invested in their consistency and potential heading into the new year. There are roughly 15 awards to look at so let's not waste anymore time. I originally didn't want to split the post into two parts but I'd rather have more manageable sections than one giant wall of text.

Best Girl Group: Twice

No more games, no more denial. Twice towered above the competition this year. Whether you're looking for the insanely popular "Cheer Up," or the Halloween-themed "TT," Twice did a perfect job solidifying their status at the top of the girl group ladder in 2016. Both songs were a massive upgrade to the disjointed feel of "Like Ooh-Ahh," and they have established staples between their catchy choreography and beautiful bridges. With such a large roster, they have personalities and appearances of a wide variety, which helps attract fans of all kinds. If anything, they should work on getting more variety starts in 2017. Other groups certainly were successful this year, but none of them have exploded quite like Twice did this year.

Best Boy Group: BTS

Hmm, what a familiar feeling. BTS won this award last year, and it may not come as a surprise to see them take it again. There's simply no other group with the efficiency and work ethic of BTS. They debuted in 2013, and have averaged 3.5 title tracks a year. That number only includes Korean releases, by the way. That is insane. Anyway, 2016 saw songs like "Fire," "Save Me," and "Blood, Sweat, & Tears" enjoy considerable success. Along with the "Wings" album, Suga also had solo work (despite the unfortunate usage of a stage name for his stage name). With Big Bang departing for military service, the difference between BTS and rival boy groups seem worlds apart.

[Bonus] Best Of 2016 (#8-#1)

#8. Big Bang - Last Dance
Big Bang's final hurrah came in the form of "Last Dance" and "Fxxk It." The latter was briefly mentioned in the recap piece, but the former is really the song worth talking about. Somber vocals from each member really set the tone for the song (and the year, to be honest). And then T.O.P started singing and it was beautiful. If nothing else, 2016 has proven that rappers deserve singing lines too! T.O.P and Yubin have made a statement with their voices. Also live performances of "Last Dance" are...interesting. Big Bang will leave us for military service on a good note in an illustrious career.

#7. Twice - Cheer Up
Only one girl group can claim to be the hottest in 2016. Twice dominated Youtube, hearts, and charts with "Cheer Up" and even their most stout critics were silenced by the success of "Cheer Up." This was a group finding their form: between the vocal leadership of Nayeon and Jihyo, the shared rap between Chaeyoung and Dahyun, and pretty bridges and aesthetics, this song (combined with "TT" later) cemented Twice's position as the best girl group of the year (oops, spoilers for the Kpop Awards). Throw in a fun choreography and dance break and this was Twice firing on all cylinders.

[Bonus] Best Of 2016 (#16-#9)

It's that time of the year again. I'll be breaking down my personal list of the best songs of 2016. Because I've run this theme before, there will be 16 songs if only to match the year. I don't have much time to waste - Best Of 2016 and the annual Kpop Awards need to be complete before the end of the year because January is already booked with comebacks. This year my list will be split between the top and bottom halves. Remember, this is my set, not yours! But definitely share which songs you think I missed out on.

#16. Brave Girls - Deepened
This song is the best slow dance track of 2016. Everything about it is sensual, which is reflected in both the singing and dancing. The vocals are soft and almost graceful, which is matched by the choreography. Hyeran's rap break was the best sequence of its kind this year, though unfortunately for her made her later appearances disappointing. Nonetheless this was a very complete song that helped bring Brave Girls back into relevancy. It almost made you forget that they had been inactive for three years before coming back.

#15. DAY6 - Letting Go
Nostalgia speaks to me strongly, and a group like Day6 is exactly what I'd have been obsessed about in my high school years. Rock is an old sweetheart of mine and these guys put their Kpop spin to it quite nicely. "Letting Go" is aptly named as the band had lost a member prior to release, and you can almost hear the emotional rift in their voices. I've yet to be sold on Younghyun's rapping, but perhaps that needs some time. After all, I've come to really enjoy rappers like Verbal Jint and Mad Clown and their unorthodox flow. Maybe Younghyun is next.

[Bonus] Girl Group Rapper Power Rankings III: Winter 2016 (#10-#1)

#10. Nada (+9)
Nada experiences a massive jump up the standings thanks to her berth and success on Unpretty Rapstar. The exposure was a much-needed jolt of life considering how inactive Wa$$up have been. Throw in her mixtape and she has plenty to add to her otherwise boring resume. Nada's definitely got a swagger and ferociousness that is uncommon in other rappers, and her rare lower voice makes her stand out even more. If Wa$$up could start gaining traction, she'll be the centerpiece of it, much like Yezi was with FIESTAR.

#9. Hyeran (--)
I'm not entirely confident placing Hyeran here as a newcomer to the rankings. At the same time, who else is truly deserving of being in the top 10 besides her? After Nada, she has the next fewest amount of great material, but conversely has impressed me in older variants of Brave Girls (like "Nowadays You"). With her group's revival came "Deepened" and 2016's best girl group rap break. Since then however, her parts in "High Heels" and "Yoohoo" haven't been as good, plus her and her group's future is once again in question.

[Bonus] Girl Group Rapper Power Rankings III: Winter 2016 (#20-#11)

#20. Sihyun (+2)
Here's where I consider the rappers to be serviceable at worst. Not a knock on Sihyun, because she has it tough in particular, being in a vocal powerhouse group like SPICA. More unfortunately, while their latest comeback "Secret Time" was awesome, there was no rapping to be had. Still, her past works speak for themselves. I would consider her the reverse Moonbyul (sort of): a great singer that happens to be alright on the mic.

#19. Exy (--)
If Dahyun gives me Hyelim vibes, then Exy gives me Yubin vibes, but not to the same extent. She sounds like a younger, more nasally Yubin, which at the end of the day is still a relatively pleasing voice to listen to. Even though she is in a gigantic group, she gets plenty of opportunities in the spotlight. Her rap in "Secret" was one of the best of this year, although it agonizes all Bora fans because if Exy can get a 15 second rap in a group of 13, how is it that Bora gets half of that in a group of four? But I digress.

[Bonus] Girl Group Rapper Power Rankings III: Winter 2016 (#32-#21)

With this, all the Power Ranking series will have been released / updated at least once for the 7th season of the blog. This will be the most arduous task yet, because in this revisiting of the girl group rappers, I'll include more than 30 rappers. Of course, due to the changes of the girl group landscape, there are a handful of departures, including but not limited to: 4minute's Hyuna, miss A's Jia, and Rainbow's Woori. With those drops and the large influx of new entries, the rankings are going to be jumbled heavily. For the most part, the changes of returning rappers won't mean too much in comparison with each other. Thanks to my procrastination and being busy with other things, this piece may not be as pretty or polished as I'd like, but I wanted to get this done before the new year, and before even more groups fall apart.

So what's the criteria? Here's a rough outline of what I (tried to) focus on. First, the ability: the individual's talents, and that includes voice, speed, etc. This is definitely the most important aspect. Second, the quality: if the raps themselves are actually good. There are certainly good rappers with bad raps, and bad rappers with good raps. Third, the progress: this involves both whether or not we've seen improvement in either of the first two categories, and consistency in their performance throughout the years. In the interest of fairness, I'm only looking at title tracks or material like released singles, etc. With that said though, I'm afraid most non-newcomer writing is going to be talking about what they've done (or not done) since last fall.

#32. Junyeol (--)
Welcome to the series, Junyeol. You're going to have to be seated here though. Stellar's songs tend to have brief rap segments, which isn't the best opportunity to show us what Junyeol can do. Furthermore, most of her raps have been more of the rap-singing mix, and as far as I can tell there isn't a single time where she's been average even doing that. Stellar as a group is hanging on by a thread, and it won't be the rapping that gets them extra attention anytime soon.

#31. Dahye (-8)
Looking back, I'm not exactly sure who or why I placed Dahye above a handful of other rappers last time. She's got a pretty good voice for rapping, sure, but when it comes down to it most of her material is very brief and unimpressive overall. She isn't blowing you away, and hardly gets the opportunity to in the first place. Compounding this is the fact that BESTie has been quiet since "Excuse Me," with only Uji getting any exposure (that I know of) elsewhere.

[Recap] 2016 September-December: Slowdown

Well, this has to be done before I get into other year-concluding pieces like "Best Of 2016" anyway, so might as well write it all out now. The last few months of this year didn't hesitate to punch us in the mouth, with various news from all angles: 2NE1 disbanding, Heejun getting married, Running Man shenanigans, etc. etc. Definitely got everyone spinning, and to think there's still over 15 days left before January. The possibilities seem dangerously endless.

[Bonus] Best Of B-Sides: Part I

Sometimes, the title track is poorly chosen, or is simply a bad song. Thankfully, there are other songs around to help it out. These posts will highlight some of my favorite songs off albums that weren't title tracks. B-sides are often difficult to compile if only because nobody has all the time in the world to scour every album and every tracklist. However I have my fair share of albums in my library, so this should be an easy task. The songs themselves won't be ranked, mostly because these posts will be recurring - as they essentially give me an outlet to write on any given day even if I'm stuck on a review or can't get ideas flowing.

BTS - Butterfly

Perhaps the hottest boy group right now is BTS. And while they're often known for their insane choreography and in-your-face energy, they have some really great stuff on the slower side of the spectrum. "Butterfly" is a classic example and both the singers and rappers restrain themselves wonderfully. Despite the mass amount of falsetto, it's a rare instance where it works given the pace of the song. BTS shows that you don't need excellent vocalists to have excellent ballads.

Younha - Realize After Breakup (feat. Kim Bumsoo)

As mentioned previously, Younha has seen her fair share of strong collaborations. This was a top-end ballad of 2009, and the names alone reveal why. Contrasting Kim Bumsoo's sharp voice is Younha's more clear and rounded one. They combine for wonderful harmonies throughout the song and easily make this piece a karaoke classic. Neither singer overpowers the other, which is a quality I really love seeing in duets (even if it's rather uncommon). Impressive singing from start to finish, what more could you ask for?

[Misc] Dream Collaborations: Part I

With Zico's recent "Bermuda Triangle," and the trinity motif in the MV, it got me thinking. The collaboration possibilities in Kpop are practically infinite (not the group). Today I'm going to highlight some collabs I'd love to see. Like the post about girl groups and subunits, these options range from totally plausible under the right circumstances to impossible but would be fun or random. I know I haven't done many reviews at all since school started (one per month sadly), but I will get back to them starting with Baek Ahyeon's new release coming up something... Anyway, onto the collaborations I wish would happen!

Eric Nam and Henry
It never really struck me until recently, but these two are cut from practically the same cloth. Both are born in North America and (as a result) speak multiple languages. Both are great in the variety world and have similar voices. They could easily team up and bring their talents together, sporting an R&B or ballad song.
This team effort doesn't even have to be for in the studio! Bring them both on Running Man or something, I'm sure fun times would ensue. Disclaimer: I don't watch enough variety to know if they've already been on a show together.

Solji, Uji, LE, Yezi
Here we have two top 10 girl groups vocalists joined by two top 5 girl group rappers. You can't tell me that doesn't sound appealing! They would be dangerous on both sides of the ball. Give them some upbeat dance track and let the rappers run the verses with Solji and Uji belting high notes left and right. Dance-wise they would't be spectacular but life wouldn't be fair if they could be killer dancers too. I know Yezi and LE would be a stellar combo because we've seen plenty of good double raps in the past (with less capable rappers no less).