Kwon Ji Yong

Cover of the EP
	Link to the picture; (please note copyrights )

chronology
Kwon Ji Yong
Extended Play by G-Dragon
Publication ; (s)	WW : Digital June 8, 2017 : USB stick June 19, 2017 : CD December 13, 2017 ;
admission	2016-2017
Label (s)	YG Entertainment
Format (s)	Stream · Digital · USB stick
Genre (s)	Hip-Hop · R&B
Title (number)	5
running time	17:55
production	G-Dragon Kush 24 Choice37 Teddy Future Bounce Cawlr
June 8, 2017	Untitled, 2014

Kwon Ji Yong ( Hangul : 권지용, Hanja : 權志龍) is the second EP by the South Korean rapper and singer G-Dragon . It was released on June 8, 2017 for download from the YG Entertainment label .

Emergence

In January 2017, YG Entertainment announced that G-Dragon was working on a new album. In April, YGE said that G-Dragon would release a new single ahead of its Seoul tour . At the end of May the preparations were completed and three music videos were shot. On May 31st, the release date and the name Kwon Ji Yong were announced. The original title track Bullshit was changed to " Untitled, 2014 " shortly before the release due to TOP's marijuana scandal.

Naming

In an interview with the Bangkok Post, G-Dragon revealed that he originally wanted to call the EP 30 . However, he decided on Kwon Ji Yong because Kwon Ji Yong is more important to him than G-Dragon and he wanted to introduce him to his fans.

packaging

The USB stick and the album cover in the background

Kwon Ji Yong was released digitally and on a 4GB USB stick instead of a CD . On the USB is the real name G-Dragons , his date of birth and his blood type - "Kwon Ji Yong, Blood type A, 1988, August 18". The USB stick does not contain the songs, but download links to the respective songs.

controversy

The unconventional format led to a discussion as to whether the EP is entitled to appear in the official South Korean album charts. According to South Korea's copyright laws, an album is only considered as such if it is a physical medium with music on it. G-Dragons Kwon Ji Yong was banned from the Gaon Charts . G-Dragon said:

"Everything in the world has pros and cons, but the external form of music records has consistently changed from cassette tape to CD and then to download file. Isn't the most important thing for music is a good melody that will linger on the ears, mouths, and minds of people for a long time and the lyrics that can touch people and make them laugh and cry? "

- G-Dragon

In December 2017 the Gaon Charts changed their guidelines to include more album formats like G-Dragons USB stick. In the first week of 2018, it charted at number 51 on the official album charts.

Music videos

In mid-May, three music videos were shot for the EP. On June 8th, YG Entertainment released the music video for "Untitled, 2014" that One Shot was shot within an hour. In the music video, GD stands in front of a green screen with a sky projection and clouds that are constantly changing their color tones. The video received over 5.6 million views on YouTube within 24 hours . On August 18, 2017, the second music to Bullshit was released exclusively on the USB stick.

Cover design

On the cover there is a red USB stick without a cap that says "Kwon Ji Yong, Blood type A, 1988, August 18". The background is white.

tour

At the end of March it was announced that GD would hold a concert at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in June . The Act III: MOTTE World Tour was announced on April 25th . The tour was the largest Korean-language tour in North America, Europe and the largest by a South Korean solo artist.

reception

source	rating
IZM
Seoul beats
The Star	8/10
Hello Asia	8/10

Kwon Ji Yong received positive reviews. Billboard's Tamar Herman called it G-Dragon's most personal work because it reflected his career. Fuse TVs Jeff Benjamin wrote that the EP shows G-Dragons strengths.

Seoul Beats wrote about the EP: “This album, despite its short length, is lyrically denser than anything I've heard so far this year. It tells his story, it's filled with references to his previous works, rife with references to his personal life, his art he displays on his instagram. "

Track list

The EP contains the following pieces of music.

Kwon Ji Yong
No.	title	text	music	length
1.	Middle Fingers-Up (Intro. 권지용; Kwon Ji-Yong)	G-Dragon	G-Dragon, 24, Kush	3:42
2.	Bullshit (Act I. 개소리; gaesoli)	G-Dragon	G-Dragon, Teddy, Cawlr, Future Bounce, Choice37	3:02
3.	Superstar (Act II)	G-Dragon, Teddy, Joe Rhee	Teddy, G-Dragon, Joe Rhee, 24, Choice37, Future Bounce, Seo Won Jin	3:45
4th	Untitled, 2014 (Act III. 무제 (無題); muje)	G-Dragon	G-Dragon, Choice 37	3:42
5.	Divina Commedia (Outro. 신곡 (神曲); singog)	G-Dragon, 8 !, Brian Lee, Safe, Frank Dukes	G-Dragon, 8 !, Brian Lee, Frank Dukes, Safe	3:44
Overall length:				17:55

"Divina Commedia" sampled "Veridis Quo" by Daft Punk .

Chart successes

EP

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)			Remarks
year	title	KR	JP	US	Remarks
2017	Kwon Ji Yong	KR51 (7 weeks) KR	JP3 (6 weeks) JP	US192 (1 week) US	First published: June 8, 2017 ¹

¹The Korean version of the album was released digitally worldwide on June 8, 2017. The USB stick was released on June 19th and the Japanese CD on December 13th.

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChartsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)	Remarks
year	Title album	KR	Remarks
2017	Untitled, 2014 Kwon Ji Yong	KR1 (... week) KR

Sales

EP

country	Sales	Ref
Korea South South Korea	+ 100,463
China People's Republic People's Republic of China	+ 1,462,528
Japan Japan	+ 48,316
United States United States	+ 7,000
All in all	+ 1,586,038

Single Untitled, 2014

country	Sales	Ref
Korea South South Korea	+ 1,476,371
All in all	+ 1,476,371

publication

area	date	Label	format
Worldwide	June 8, 2017	YG Entertainment	Digital
South Korea	19th June 2017	YG Entertainment, KT Music	Digital , USB stick
Japan	December 13, 2017	YGEX	CD

Individual evidence

↑ GD & TAEYANG confirmed to come back as solo artists… BIGBANG is coming again . In: YG Life . January 13, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
↑ GD, 6 월 10 일 콘서트 前 '솔로 신곡' 낸다 .. 수염 안 깎는 이유 有 ( Korean ) In: Starnews . April 18, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
↑ 지 드래곤, 컴백 엔진 가동… 오늘 극비 뮤비 촬영 ( Korean ) In: jtbc . May 24, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
↑ 양현석, GD 뮤비 촬영장 방문 “타고난 연예인 · 강력 추천 곡” . Retrieved July 11, 2017.
↑ G-DRAGON - NEW ALBUM '권지용' . May 31, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
↑ Title of G-DRAGON's New Album is “KWON JIYONG”, and the Title Song is “BULLSHIT” ( English ) In: YG Life . June 1, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
↑ G-Dragon switches new album's title song amid TOP scandal . Retrieved July 11, 2017.
↑ Suwitcha Chaiyong: The man behind the myth . In: Bangkok Post . July 22, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
↑ Korea won't count K-pop rapper G-Dragon's USB drive release as an album . June 21, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
↑ Jeff Benjamin: G-Dragon's 'Kwon Ji Yong' USB Release Opens Debate About What Makes an Album . In: Billboard . Billboard. June 19, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
↑ Ella: Big Bang's G-Dragon Releases USB Drive For New Album 'Kwon Ji Yong' . In: Korea Portal . June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
↑ G-Dragon's new solo album 'Kwon Ji Yong' ineligible on the Gaon Chart . In: SBS . June 15, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
↑ GD says "The external form is not important" regarding the controversy over the form of his new album .
↑ Jeff Benjamin: G-Dragon's 'Kwon Ji Yong' Physical Sales Excluded From Korean Charts . In: Billboard . June 16, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
↑ Gaon Chart Changes Policy To Include Different Album Formats Like G-Dragon's USB . In: Soompi . December 25, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
↑ 2018 년 1 주차 Album Chart (# 51) . In: Gaon Charts . Retrieved January 16, 2018.
↑ 양현석, GD 뮤비 촬영장 방문 "타고난 연예인 · 강력 추천 곡" ( Korean ) In: Chosun . May 31, 2017. Accessed August 30, 2017.
↑ YG "지 드래곤 '무제' MV, 한 시간 만 에 촬영" . In: Naver . June 8, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
↑ Thuy Duong: G-Dragon's New Album Tops iTunes Charts In 39 Countries; MV Exceeds 5 Million YouTube Views Within A Day . In: Hello KPop . June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
↑ G-Dragon is releasing a 'Bull *** t' MV (but only certain people can watch it) . In: SBS . August 18, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.}
↑ Jie Ye-eun: G-Dragon to hold solo concert in June . In: pop Herald . April 5, 2017. Accessed July 31, 2017.
↑ YG Entertainment: G-DRAGON 2017 WORLD TOUR <ACT III, MOTTE> . In: Twitter . April 25, 2017. Accessed July 31, 2017.
↑ G-Dragon Announces 2017 Act III, MOTTE World Tour . In: Billboard . June 25, 2017. Accessed July 31, 2017.
↑ 지 드래곤, 솔로 월드 투어 개최 .. "男 솔로 최대치 규모" . In: OSEN . June 25, 2017. Accessed July 31, 2017.
↑ 권지용 ( Korean ) In: IZM . June 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
↑ ^a ^b G-Dragon Defines Himself on Kwon Ji Yong ( English ) In: Seoul Beats . June 16, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
↑ Chester Chin: Review: Kwon Ji Yong by G-Dragon . Retrieved July 31, 2017.
↑ LYA SUSANTO: ALBUM REVIEW: G-DRAGON - “KWON JIYONG” (SOUTH KOREA, 2017) . Retrieved June 26, 2017.
↑ Tamar Herman: G-Dragon Gets Personal With Eponymous 'Kwon Ji Yong' EP . In: Billboard . June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
↑ Jeff Benjamin: G-DRAGON MAKES HIS SOLO RETURN WITH 'KWON JI YONG' ALBUM & 'UNTITLED 2014' VIDEO . June 8, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
↑ KWON JI YONG - EP . Retrieved June 11, 2017.
^ G-Dragon Divina Commedia, Daft Punk Veridis Quo . Retrieved September 30, 2017.
↑ BIGBANG's G-Dragon . Retrieved July 8, 2017.
↑ 검섹 결과 - 빅뱅 ( Korean ) In: Gaon Charts . Retrieved October 17, 2017.
↑
Sales of Kwon Ji-Yong in South Korea:
- Hanteo Monthly Album Chart - June 2017 . Hanteo chart. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
↑
Sales of Kwon Ji-Yong in China:
- QQ Music - Kwon Ji-Yong . In: China QQ Music . June 5, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
- Kugou: Kwon Ji-Yong . In: Kugou . Kugou. June 8, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
- Kuwo: Kwon Ji-Yong . In: Kuwo . Kuwo. June 5, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
↑
Digital sales of Kwon Ji-Yong in Japan:
- 오리콘 위클리 싱글 / 앨범 / DVD / 블루 레이 차트 1 ~ 100 위 (갱신 완료) (2017-12) . In: Oricon . December 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
- 오리콘 위클리 싱글 / 앨범 / DVD / 블루 레이 차트 1 ~ 100 위 (갱신 완료) (2018-01) . In: Oricon . January 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
↑
Sales of Kwon Ji-Yong in the USA:
- G-Dragon's 'Kwon Ji Yong' Earns His Best US Sales Week Yet in Just 1 Day . Billboard. June 13, 2017. Accessed July 31, 2017.
- G-Dragon Tops World Albums Chart for 2nd Week to Nearly Double Total US Sales . Billboard. June 21, 2017. Accessed July 31, 2017.
↑
Sales of Untitled, 2014 in South Korea:
- 2017 년 총결산 DOWNLOAD CHART (# 18) . In: Gaon Charts . Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.
↑ KWON JI YONG - EP . June 8, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
↑ [G-DRAGON - '권지용 (KWON JI YONG)' ] . In: G-DRAGON Facebook . June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
↑ G-DRAGON Japan New Mini Album 「KWON JI YONG」 11 月 1 日 (水) 発売決定! ( Japanese ) In: YGEX . Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.

[1] GD & TAEYANG confirmed to come back as solo artists… BIGBANG is coming again . In: YG Life . January 13, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.

[2] GD, 6 월 10 일 콘서트 前 '솔로 신곡' 낸다 .. 수염 안 깎는 이유 有 ( Korean ) In: Starnews . April 18, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.

[NewMV-3] 지 드래곤, 컴백 엔진 가동… 오늘 극비 뮤비 촬영 ( Korean ) In: jtbc . May 24, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.

[4] 양현석, GD 뮤비 촬영장 방문 “타고난 연예인 · 강력 추천 곡” . Retrieved July 11, 2017.

[5] G-DRAGON - NEW ALBUM '권지용' . May 31, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.

[6] Title of G-DRAGON's New Album is “KWON JIYONG”, and the Title Song is “BULLSHIT” ( English ) In: YG Life . June 1, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.

[7] G-Dragon switches new album's title song amid TOP scandal . Retrieved July 11, 2017.

[8] Suwitcha Chaiyong: The man behind the myth . In: Bangkok Post . July 22, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2017.

[9] Korea won't count K-pop rapper G-Dragon's USB drive release as an album . June 21, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.

[10] Jeff Benjamin: G-Dragon's 'Kwon Ji Yong' USB Release Opens Debate About What Makes an Album . In: Billboard . Billboard. June 19, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.

[11] Ella: Big Bang's G-Dragon Releases USB Drive For New Album 'Kwon Ji Yong' . In: Korea Portal . June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2017.

[12] G-Dragon's new solo album 'Kwon Ji Yong' ineligible on the Gaon Chart . In: SBS . June 15, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.

[13] GD says "The external form is not important" regarding the controversy over the form of his new album .

[14] Jeff Benjamin: G-Dragon's 'Kwon Ji Yong' Physical Sales Excluded From Korean Charts . In: Billboard . June 16, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.

[15] Gaon Chart Changes Policy To Include Different Album Formats Like G-Dragon's USB . In: Soompi . December 25, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2018.

[first_week-16] 2018 년 1 주차 Album Chart (# 51) . In: Gaon Charts . Retrieved January 16, 2018.

[17] 양현석, GD 뮤비 촬영장 방문 "타고난 연예인 · 강력 추천 곡" ( Korean ) In: Chosun . May 31, 2017. Accessed August 30, 2017.

[18] YG "지 드래곤 '무제' MV, 한 시간 만 에 촬영" . In: Naver . June 8, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017.

[19] Thuy Duong: G-Dragon's New Album Tops iTunes Charts In 39 Countries; MV Exceeds 5 Million YouTube Views Within A Day . In: Hello KPop . June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017.

[20] G-Dragon is releasing a 'Bull *** t' MV (but only certain people can watch it) . In: SBS . August 18, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.}

[21] Jie Ye-eun: G-Dragon to hold solo concert in June . In: pop Herald . April 5, 2017. Accessed July 31, 2017.

[22] YG Entertainment: G-DRAGON 2017 WORLD TOUR <ACT III, MOTTE> . In: Twitter . April 25, 2017. Accessed July 31, 2017.

[23] G-Dragon Announces 2017 Act III, MOTTE World Tour . In: Billboard . June 25, 2017. Accessed July 31, 2017.

[24] 지 드래곤, 솔로 월드 투어 개최 .. "男 솔로 최대치 규모" . In: OSEN . June 25, 2017. Accessed July 31, 2017.

[25] 권지용 ( Korean ) In: IZM . June 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2017.

[seoulbeats-26] G-Dragon Defines Himself on Kwon Ji Yong ( English ) In: Seoul Beats . June 16, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2017.

[27] Chester Chin: Review: Kwon Ji Yong by G-Dragon . Retrieved July 31, 2017.

[28] LYA SUSANTO: ALBUM REVIEW: G-DRAGON - “KWON JIYONG” (SOUTH KOREA, 2017) . Retrieved June 26, 2017.

[29] Tamar Herman: G-Dragon Gets Personal With Eponymous 'Kwon Ji Yong' EP . In: Billboard . June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017.

[30] Jeff Benjamin: G-DRAGON MAKES HIS SOLO RETURN WITH 'KWON JI YONG' ALBUM & 'UNTITLED 2014' VIDEO . June 8, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.

[31] KWON JI YONG - EP . Retrieved June 11, 2017.

[32] G-Dragon Divina Commedia, Daft Punk Veridis Quo . Retrieved September 30, 2017.

[MADE_Billboard-33] BIGBANG's G-Dragon . Retrieved July 8, 2017.

[gaon-34] 검섹 결과 - 빅뱅 ( Korean ) In: Gaon Charts . Retrieved October 17, 2017.

[35] Sales of Kwon Ji-Yong in South Korea:
Hanteo Monthly Album Chart - June 2017 . Hanteo chart. Retrieved July 31, 2017.

[36] Hanteo Monthly Album Chart - June 2017 . Hanteo chart. Retrieved July 31, 2017.

[36] Sales of Kwon Ji-Yong in China:

QQ Music - Kwon Ji-Yong . In: China QQ Music . June 5, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.

Kugou: Kwon Ji-Yong . In: Kugou . Kugou. June 8, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.

Kuwo: Kwon Ji-Yong . In: Kuwo . Kuwo. June 5, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.

[38] QQ Music - Kwon Ji-Yong . In: China QQ Music . June 5, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.

[39] Kugou: Kwon Ji-Yong . In: Kugou . Kugou. June 8, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.

[40] Kuwo: Kwon Ji-Yong . In: Kuwo . Kuwo. June 5, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.

[37] Digital sales of Kwon Ji-Yong in Japan:

오리콘 위클리 싱글 / 앨범 / DVD / 블루 레이 차트 1 ~ 100 위 (갱신 완료) (2017-12) . In: Oricon . December 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2018.

오리콘 위클리 싱글 / 앨범 / DVD / 블루 레이 차트 1 ~ 100 위 (갱신 완료) (2018-01) . In: Oricon . January 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.

[42] 오리콘 위클리 싱글 / 앨범 / DVD / 블루 레이 차트 1 ~ 100 위 (갱신 완료) (2017-12) . In: Oricon . December 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2018.

[43] 오리콘 위클리 싱글 / 앨범 / DVD / 블루 레이 차트 1 ~ 100 위 (갱신 완료) (2018-01) . In: Oricon . January 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.

[38] Sales of Kwon Ji-Yong in the USA:

G-Dragon's 'Kwon Ji Yong' Earns His Best US Sales Week Yet in Just 1 Day . Billboard. June 13, 2017. Accessed July 31, 2017.

G-Dragon Tops World Albums Chart for 2nd Week to Nearly Double Total US Sales . Billboard. June 21, 2017. Accessed July 31, 2017.

[45] G-Dragon's 'Kwon Ji Yong' Earns His Best US Sales Week Yet in Just 1 Day . Billboard. June 13, 2017. Accessed July 31, 2017.

[46] G-Dragon Tops World Albums Chart for 2nd Week to Nearly Double Total US Sales . Billboard. June 21, 2017. Accessed July 31, 2017.

[39] Sales of Untitled, 2014 in South Korea:
2017 년 총결산 DOWNLOAD CHART (# 18) . In: Gaon Charts . Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.

[48] 2017 년 총결산 DOWNLOAD CHART (# 18) . In: Gaon Charts . Archived from the original on February 5, 2018. Retrieved February 5, 2018.

[40] KWON JI YONG - EP . June 8, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017.

[41] [G-DRAGON - '권지용 (KWON JI YONG)' ] . In: G-DRAGON Facebook . June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2017.

[42] G-DRAGON Japan New Mini Album 「KWON JI YONG」 11 月 1 日 (水) 発売決定! ( Japanese ) In: YGEX . Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.