Block B sort of flew under my radar after I watched one of their early music videos, Tell Them, where I wasn't such a big fan of Zico's (their leader) dreadlocks which he apparently sheared off in remorse after an unfortunate incident during an interview in Thailand where the boys unwittingly made light of a serious situation that had occurred in Thailand at the time. The rap/hiphop genres were also not really my thing back then but I like to think that I have become more benevolent since then.
I must say that with their album Blockbuster, I nearly did not recognize these boys. I've been listening to the album EVERY DAY for the last 3 weeks and I'm still not tired of it. In fact, their band's name, Block B, is derived from the word Blockbuster. What drew me to them was really their performance of Nilili Mambo where they were utilizing a 'pirate concept' which totally blew me off my feet. Who knew all it took was a telescope and some hefty doses of swagger?
Tracklist:
1. 11:30
2. Interlude
3. 닐리리맘보 (Nillili Mambo)
4. Mental Breaker
5. 장난없다 (No Joke)
6. Movie’s Over
7. 넌 어디에 (Where Are You)
8. 로맨틱하게 (Romantically)
9. 했어 안했어 (Did You or Did You Not)
10. Halo
11. 닐리리맘보 (Inst.)
12. Mental Breaker (Inst.)
Personally, I would recommend Nilili Mambo (all that swag!), Mental Breaker (fun song!) and Movie's Over (a bit more introspective). Those are my favorite three but No Joke and Halo are beginning to grow on me. Both of those songs are decidedly more hiphop but I am no music expert. The members are pretty colorful themselves too. There's:
P.O. - The husky-voiced maknae (and also my favorite!).
Zico - Multi-talented energizer bunny with a bright future.
Kyung - So adorably out of place in this group and raps with a slight lisp but it's so cute!
U-Kwon - All about the attitude! Not afraid to show off his girl. :-P
Tae Il - The Voice.
B-bomb & Jae Hyo - These 2 members I don't know much about.
It's just too bad that I fell in love with their album right before they sued some members of their entertainment agency (Stardom) for making off with their parents' money. I do hope it won't be a sticky mess like what happened with TVXQ and Kang Ji Hwan. I want them back in the spotlight, sooner rather than later, in one complete band!