Jay Park "Mommae"

At this point, I have no idea what Jay Park is doing with with his life musically. Last year, I was lamenting the fact that we didn't get his second LP until September. Now the guy is dropping a new song or music video every two weeks!!! Is he prepping a mixtape? EP? Album? Either way, I'm not complaining.

The 20 Best K-Pop Songs of 2014

If you became a K-Pop fan in 2014 or already seasoned member, you may feel that you came in at the worst possible time. This year was filled with a number of scandals, tragedies and lawsuits that shook the very core of the industry. Most of the releases this year were also pretty weak compared to the genre exploring, risk-taking bops that dropped. Of course, 2014 was not a total disappointment in the K-Pop world and here are 20 songs that prove that:

Jay Park "Nana" (feat. Loco)

The last Jay Park song that I was fully invested in was "Joah" back in April of last year. The others he's dropped between then ("I Like 2 Party", "Metronome", "Taekwondo") didn't do much for me or his Last.Fm plays. His newest,  "Nana" is produced by frequent collaborator Cha Cha Malone and features fellow AOMG member Loco.

Jay Park "Metronome" (feat. Gray and Simon Dominic)

Jay Park still has yet to deliver that LP he promised last New Years but at least he hasn't been in hiding either. The AOMG leadman has released the digital single "Metronome" with his labelmates Gray and former DMTN member Simon Dominic.

Graded Song:Gray "Dangerous" (feat. Jay Park)

My ultimate male K-Pop bias Jay Park has been doing some big things this year. He joined SNL Korea, has been touring the world, released two singles (and hopefully the parent album will be dropping within the next two months) and has started his own music label, AOMG. The first artist to come from the label is hip-hop artist Gray, who is already known for producing for Zion T., Swings, and Infinite H. His debut single, "Dangerous" features his label head.How does it stack up?
For a debut, which is usually a overdone affair, Gray comes out and lays it on smooth for us. His flow is a cross between American rapper Tyga and Drake's sappy sing-song spiel that somehow appeals to the masses, which works for him. The production is more R&B-driven with some handclaps and heavy synthwork underneath to make it work as a hip-hop song. Jay Park comes in and kinda steals the show, even though he's supposed to be the featured artist in all this. It's definitely an infectious jam and makes me interested in more of his work.
Final Grade:C+

Graded Song: Jay Park "I Like 2 Party"

Second comeback of the year from Jay Park!!! He came back in early April with "Joah" a very feel good R&B/pop song, perfect for spring. Fast forward to July and now he's serving up some dance-pop with "I Like To Party."
Initially, I wrote this song off as generic dance-pop song that should have been on the album, but not released as a single. The excitement from when I heard a snippet of the song in the Korean "After Earth" trailer had gone away. It sounded too similar to Usher's "DJ Got Us Falling In Love," a song that I despise to this day. A few listens later though, I was hooked. Cha Cha did a great job on the production, but with dance music starting to bow out, it doesn't sound like something he should be making at this point and time. Jay sounds great as well, but then again, when does he ever sound horrible? Overall, a nice effort, but very generic.
Final Grade:C
Jay seems to be the unofficial warden of an underground women's prison, where the inmates wear barely any clothes and writhe awkwardly in the cells. Jay dances a bit, more than he did in "Joah," but not enough. His shirt is off a lot (so is some of the vocals), which is nice for his fans I guess but he's already reached that quota with the "Welcome" M/V. Ok vid, I guess.

Jay Park "Welcome" Music Video

After dropping his official comeback single "Joah" two weeks ago, K-Pop star Jay Park is back with the visuals for the ultra steamy B-side "Welcome". The R&B slow jam fits perfectly with the rest of Park's catalog of tunes like "Turn off Your Phone" and "Star". The video has already caused a slight controversy in Korea, garnering a 19+ rating (their equivalent of rater r). Watch and you will see why.

Graded Song:Jay Park "Joah"

Jay Park has really made a name for himself after leaving the clutches of JYP Entertainment. A successful solo album, sold out tours variety show work, a rabid and loyal fanbase (J-Walkerz) 2PM could never. Mr. Park offered two servings of hardcore hip-hop/rap that didn't really satisfy the cravings but now we finally get his official comeback single "Joah" (I Like You in Korean).
Jay turns the charm on high for this one! He returns to the R&B stylings that he offered up on "Nothing on You", his first big hit away from JYP. His falsetto puts Justin Bieber's in "Boyfriend" and JLS' "Hottest Girl In The World" to shame (take lessons boys). You can really feel the emotions running when he sings about the girl he likes and it comes off extremely genuine and pure.
Final Grade:B+

Jay Park "1Hunnit" Music Video

Jay Park has released the music video for one of the three songs that will be included on his "Joah" digital single. "1Hunnit" features frequent collaborator Dok2 and was produced by Lo Def. The lyrics are a bit more explicit (which isn't bad but I'm not used to the extreme cussing). The music is similar to "Appetizer", which I wasn't too fond of. Hoping that the other two songs will be better and when he releases a full LP, he gives us what made "New Breed" so iconic.

Graded Song: Jay Park "Appetizer" and MV

South Korean by way of Seattle rapper Jay Park has been hard at work on his 2nd full length LP. His first, "New Breed" was one of the best selling albums of 2012 in Korea and it came in second on this website's Best Album of 2012 list. Well, to tide his fans over until he releases the first official single (or makes his "comeback"), Jay has released a song produced by frequent collaborator Cha Cha Malone simply titled "Appetizer." Does this give us a hint about what the next LP will sound like?
On the first listen, I am indifferent. I am a major Jay Park fan, but the rap reminds me of Chris Brown's raps, which in my eyes aren't too impressive. His lyricism is still sharp, but some of them are a bit on the ehh side ("She be yellin' World Star, and I ain't even in a fight")the chorus is also a bit on the flimsy side and the spoken part at the end about his haters eating genitals are a turnoff. I do like ChaCha's production, as he rarely disappoints.
Final Grade:C
The music video shows the rapper performing in a club with a bunch of confused looking extras and some B-boys (I'm guessing his AOM brothers). Good thing this is just a teaser, because I would have been highly disappointed.