I hope for his sake Tablo took out an insurance policy on his shack in “Bad.”
Did you like the song?
Tablo is one of the three-member hip-hop group Epik High, whose activities have been interrupted by members DJ Tukutz and Mithra Jin having to go to the army (though DJ Tukutz is back now), giving Tablo time to do solo songs.
So the typical rap song nowadays has the basic (male) rap with lovely (female) vocals on the chorus. But “Bad” mixes this up because Jinsil isn’t just singing in the chorus, and her vocals are wickedly awesome. And Tablo’s rap does a great job at portraying his sadness and frustration with his situation while giving the song a cool groove.
What was your favorite part of the song?
Definitely the first part of the chorus (“love is so bad”). Memorable and creepy.
Does the English make you want to rip your eardrums out?
Tablo grew up all over the world, but partially in Canada; as a result his English is good (“Love is a sickness. Can I get a witness?”). But man, that “love is so bad” part is deliciously creepy, isn’t it? And Jinsil’s accent just…accentuates it, heh. She’s got a lovely Enya-esque quality, all breathy and airy and light, but at the same time mildly disturbing. I like it.
Did you like the video?
(Good luck getting screenshots with this shaky-cam, extreme-angles video.) Do we really need another of these I-hate-you-but-I-love-you music videos about destructive relationships that equate violent, bordering-on-rape sex with extreme passion? Granted, this one goes a bit farther than Bang Yong Guk’s “I Remember” and Eminem’s “Love the Way You Lie,” and a lot farther than Ram’s “Deceived in Love,” but I for one would be glad to see the end of these. Love isn’t all romance and flowers. We get it already.
Was there a storyline? If so, did it make sense?
Yes, yes. There’s a couple who are passionate about both hating and loving each other. They decide to demonstrate the destructive power of love by systematically destroying everything in their shack, which was kind of nasty to begin with. The male lead at one point even shoves all the trash on the table onto the floor. Their cleaning person will be most displeased.
Things get violent—and I mean really violent—very quickly. There’s quite a bit of blood from broken mirrors and lamps and windows: blood drips from his mouth onto her face…her hand is cut up by glass shards…
Oh, yeah, and he slams an alcohol bottle against her head. Classy.
Was the dance cool and distinctive?
No dance, unless you count the breaking-everything-in-existence dance.
Which member stood out the most?
I’m gonna have to give this to Tablo’s “Sick Love/Love Sick” finger tattoos. They look wicked, adding to the overall aura, and also have a message of their own.
Do you like it enough to buy the song?
Probably not; it’s a bit depressing for my tastes.
Any ending thoughts?
I could find zero information whatsoever on Jinsil. Who is this girl? Her voice is awesome! I liked it a lot and want to know more about her. (Edit: thanks to Nurulnadia in the comments for letting me know that Jinsil is from Mad Soul Child and sings the OST from the movie The Man From Nowhere.)
So this is my very first venture into the world of Epik High! (Just to further show what a newbie I am. *fail*) To be honest, they don’t seem like entirely my style of Kpop music to listen to, but I haven’t listened to enough of their songs to really make a judgment. Anyway, check out their playlist or Youtube page for more.
Boyfriend’s one-liner:
“Just say no to sex on broken glass.”
Thanks to the High Skools who recommended Tablo. Please share your comments below! :)
