T.O.P’s non-mainstream ‘Doom Dada’ stands on top: What does this mean?

Non-mainstream T.O.P’s ‘Doom Dada’ stands on top: What does this mean?

BIGBANG’s T.O.P is attracting a lot attention by sweeping music charts with his song ‘Doom Dada’ that seemingly would not appeal to the public.

It's quite rare for such a song to rank high on charts, because songs that appeal to the general public normally dominate music charts. A song this difficult to understand and peculiar maintaining its top position for more than a day is indeed bizarre.

Since its release at noon on Nov 15, ‘Doom Dada’ has been on top of eight major music charts and is keeping its position. The rap is hard to follow, the song reeks of dreamlike ambiance, and the sound is simply strange. The music video is even more peculiar. Considering all these factors, a truly mind-boggling phenomenon is happening in the music world.

This strange event can be analyzed by looking at the changes in the tastes of the audience. The ‘public appeal’ aspect of the songs that topped music charts is important, and this concept usually contains mainstream taste, pattern and genre with an addictive hook. But it seems like T.O.P has created a whole new category of ‘public appeal’ with ‘Doom Dada’.

This came as a big surprise to the entertainment agency itself. T.O.P has repeatedly said that his new song has no public appeal, and the entertainment agency hinted from the beginning through a series of teaser images that this song will be a peculiar one. Their hints seemed as though they were not too caught up with the rankings, so his song topping charts is unexpected.

Until now, many thought that the value of an artist and the pursuit of public appeal went against each other. However, with ‘Doom Dada’, T.O.P successfully included all his true colors, and yet it was extremely well-received by the general public. This is indeed a positive sign in the music market.

In fact, positive reviews on the song and the music video are flooding the media. T.O.P sounds as if he is chanting in the song, and the music video takes full advantage of T.O.P’s appearance that portrays numerous scenarios with a just simple twitch in the light. Many are unanimous on the fact that only T.O.P “can pull it off.”

T.O.P was fully in charge of writing the lyrics to the song, while he co-composed it with Choice37, who composed BIGBANG’s ‘Bad Boy’ and G-Dragon’s ‘One of a Kind.’ ‘Doom Dada’ carries a story from T.O.P’s point of view, in contemplation of the contemporary pop culture. T.O.P describes what he sees and feels, with a somewhat rough edge and abstract lyrics, along with a surreal ambiance. The song shows an aggressive side of the high-flying artist.

He also actively partook in the production of the music video. T.O.P, who has great interest in furniture, unveiled some of his personal collection includingAntonio Gaudi's and Salvador Dali's. But the highlight was undoubtedly the painting titled ‘Deer’ by painter Kim Hwan Gi. The painter is known as the frontrunner of Korean abstract art, who is also the uncle of T.O.P’s maternal grandfather. The painting was included to pay tribute to Kim Hwan Gi, fitting the lyrics of ‘an extraordinary Korean.’

Some scenes that parodied Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’and Director Kim Ji Woon’s ‘Nom Nom Nom’ are also providing a source of entertainment for the viewers.

On Nov 22, T.O.P will be showcasing a performance that symbolizes the regression of contemporary pop culture, taking the audience on a journey of evolution at the 2013 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong.