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One of the most iconic rappers in the K-POP industry, Choi Seung-hyun aka T.O.P, made his return to the public eye when he starred in season two of the global phenomenon Squid Game. As much as the powers that be tried to keep him away from the season’s promotional material, his portrayal as the character Thanos quickly became a fan favourite, even amongst those who are unaware of his previous fame.

This return to the spotlight came after a tumultuous period for the rapper and actor, but despite all the scandal and shunning, his fans have welcomed him with open arms. (I won’t go too much into the issues, as they will be addressed later on in this review). Along with returning to acting, with much delight, T.O.P is back with a new album, TOP SPOT- 다중관점ANOTHER DIMENSION. With very little lead up in the drop, the release has sent tongues wagging with not only his comeback to the medium that made him famous but with the contents. 

As a non-Korean speaker, it is hard to solely dissect the lyrical content, which for rap, especially, the lyrics are the most important part of the music, but I still wanted to dive in and break it down the best I can as a music reviewer. Since I will be using translated lyrics for reference, there may be some nuances I will miss, because language is complicated in many ways. For a real in-depth look at the lyrics, the man T.O.P himself endorsed the YouTube channel itsANDYandJAS, so check out their video here. Even the titles in Korean have some double, triple entendre. 

Opening with the ‘SELF CRUCIFIXION’ almost reads as an explanation. He is resurrecting himself and this introductory track leads us into the story of the album. The soundscape is intense, with a deep bass and galactic sound effects. The opening ‘huh’ reverabates, the bass in his voice almost mirroring the bass in track. It is a very loaded track, his playing with onomatopoeia adds a funk to it, but it lays it all out bare. Talking about how he is being reborn through his music, and it’s refreshing that it seems he is facing everything so head on. It comes across as a hey, let’s talk about everything that went down so we can step into a new era. The most confronting section of ‘SELF CRUCIFIXION’ is the interlude, where there is a compilation of audio bites of news headlines in chronological order of events. Mainly in Korean, but some in English too- ultimately it shows just how intense this release is going to be. 

Opening ‘THE GIANT’ with the line “our music” continues the hard hit that ‘SELF CRUCIFIXION’ delivered. The laid back funky groove of this track frames the more ominous tone of the rapping. We get some rare moments of T.O.P singing, once again using the bass in his voice to create some interesting onomatopoeia. Lyrically, he talks of making big moves, having a huge story. It reads as if he is stepping into some self-fulfilling prophecy, as if people are going to make big stories about him, then he is going to make equally big moves. The ‘pop-pop-pop-pop’ hits the ear so right, and the licks of the guitar in background add so much layering to the track without taking attention away from what he is saying. The windback noise into the sample that kicks off the next track though? Absolute art. That track? ‘Studio54’.

The lead single off the album, ‘Studio54’ sure made some waves. The references being top tier (no pun intended). He speaks of how his actions impacted those around him, along with referencing his former group BIGBANG. He has pretty much confirmed, once again if you go back to the YouTube video linked in the intro of this article that the line ‘Dirty Sun’ alludes to the scandal involving another former BIGBANG member Seungri- The Burning Sun club scandal. It seems he is drawing parallels to the infamous Studio 54, and the scandals that happened in that club. Lyrically it is clever, musically it is so interesting. T.O.P really uses his voice as an instrument, and the samples create such an eclectic sound. The flow of his raps are punchy, aggressive and add so much weight to the content he is talking about. The refrain of ‘dirty sun, dirty sun’ is so catchy too. There are so many reasons why this was the right choice for the lead single. 

‘A SMALL, FILTHY SHOW WINDOW’ is one of the two songs that is sung directly to his fans. He references BIGBANG directly this time, talking about how he loved his time in his twenties and playing with some of the lyrics of the song that blew them up, ‘Lies’. He also seems to talk about how suffocating the K-Pop industry is though. How he is now graduating, starting something new, moving into something different and it almost seems like he is asking his fans to stick by him, or even to just trust him. This song convinced me that at least for right now, it is better that he is no longer in BIGBANG. As somebody who has been a fan of his for sixteen years, there comes a time that all you want to see is somebody becoming their best self and this track showed me that he is on the way to doing that. 

‘ZERO-COKE’ has a lovely interlude at the start. The ‘Open your eyes’ line leads into an almost vaporwave beat. The modulated vocals once again showing how he uses his voice as an instrument, giving so much soul to his singing but also tapping into that otherworldly sound. This continues into the next song, ‘Another Dimension Holy Dude !!!!!!!!!!’. It takes that surreal, retro space feel and amps up the mood. Giving a little more punch before taking it into a whole new direction but still keeping with that retro, spacey vibe. His raps become less effected and more very much direct and in the style we are more familiar with. He has always been an out the box, or a more adequate expression would be out of planet, thinker and this one was definitely one that needs a few listens to truly appreciate all the fine, intricate moments.

A more direct rap/hiphop track, ‘Seoul Chaos’ takes on an deep beat that leans itself ever so slightly into phonk. This originally was one of my favourite tracks, purely because of the beat and the way he plays with it. It captures that almost typical underground Korean hiphop sound, which he almost parodies while he kills the beat. To me, this feels like a statement. He is rapping about the craziness of living in Seoul- to put it really, really simply. Referencing drinking games, losing his mind and just some of the ostentatiousness of it all. It feels both a reclamation and a rejection. Like an ownership of his roots and home, while also rejecting part of it. I could be wrong here, missing the nuance that often comes with translation but sonically, this is one of my favourites on the album.

The full, softness of ‘Desperado’ is a curious contrast to the hardness of ‘Seoul Chaos’, but his vocals still pack that kind of punch. The deepness of T.O.P’s voice is both natural and by design. He knows when to lighten up and when to drop it down to punch. It is sultry, charismatic and commanding, but there are moments where you can hear a slight sarcasm creep in. There is so much between the lines of this song, but not in the way the other songs read. It also has a directness that would not have been possible in his former idol rapper box. Let’s face it. It is hot. It is sexy. If you don’t speak Korean, listen to the tone of his voice and then read the translation. You are welcome.

Again, time for a mega vibe switch, this time with ‘FOR FANS’. It has a more fun, party vibe. The lines like ‘I’m Back’ make it feel like more of a celebration. The disco beat is fun and groovy and it is something I never imagined T.O.P doing solo and I love it. It really does feel like a thank you in a lot of ways. Lyrically, it rings as if he is happy to be back but also having a bit of trepidation about making those bonds going forward. Both comforted and scared, and that closing ‘love you’ feels so genuine.

Opening ‘STENDHAL SYNDROME’ with a reference to Tempo is a real throwback. For those who don’t know, before he was BIGBANG’s T.O.P, his rap name was Tempo. The title references the physical feeling of euphoria that one gets when gazing upon something beautiful. An intense, psychosomatic response- fast heartbeats, hallucinations. Is it a person he is singing about? Or is it a feeling? I purposefully have not dove too much into it, because sometimes breaking down something too deeply can ruin the feeling. It does give the impression that he is singing about a muse of some sorts. I particularly find comfort in the line ‘We all hang, a new journey’, I will talk about why in the end. Musically, it has that West Coast laid back summer feel, really pulling out the playing with loops. After ‘Seoul Chaos’, the overall sound of this track and the way he uses his voice, this is one of my overall favourites.

Finishing off with ‘BE SOLID’, it almost feels like a promise. A proclamation. A manifestation. Talking about the person who he wants to be, the role he feels like stepping into. I think the breakdown of this song in particular aligns with the overall messaging of this album. After listening to it start to finish so many times, I feel like I’ve been taken into the psyche of Choi Seunghyun. His journey of his art and life. His catharsis. The deepness of his soul, the chaos of his thoughts and the intensity of his passion for beautiful things in the world. His brokenness but how and what he wants to be fixed. 

I no longer see him as the idol T.O.P. This album is a bold message that he is free. That people can think what they want about him because he is no longer chained to the court of public opinion. He is not in that box of idolatry. He is no longer claiming a throne on the pedestal of popular music. He is living his life as an artist. Painting the pictures he wants with his voice and words. 

This is not a K-Pop idol rapper album. (Not that there is anything wrong with that)

This is an expression through rap and I for one feel so lucky to be able to witness this journey.

I cannot wait to see what you do next T.O.P.

_{Review by Kayla Hamilton (@kaylazomboid)
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