A Faulty King

No legend is ever free of faults. And if you think you can name one, then they’re either A) not a legend, or B) a liar.

G-Dragon is known as the “King of K-Pop.” His group BIGBANG is one of the foundational stepping stones in South Korean pop music’s global and international reach, and was one of the main stage inspirations for many K-pop acts that went on to follow them, including the world-renowned BTS.

G-Dragon himself had been in the scene of Korean media since he was a child, debuting in MBC’s program Bbo Bbo Bbo (뽀뽀뽀) when he was just six years old, and later becoming a member of the children’s group Little Roo’ra once he turned seven.

And when he was twelve, GD went on to become a trainee for YG Entertainment, debuting in 2006 as the leader of idol group BIGBANG, a group that would soon go on to become one of the largest boy bands in the world.

However, it didn’t just stop there. In 2009, while still an active member of BIGBANG, he embarked on a solo career, and has released three albums as a solo artist since (including his most recent having just been released this past March). He was, and still is, a pioneer for many of the fashion trends that have scaled the entirety of the Korean music industry and youth culture: he was the first Korean artist to become an ambassador for a high-end fashion brand (Chanel), invented the “airport fashion” trend within the K-pop world, and created his own clothing brand, designated PEACEMINUSONE, which went on to design jerseys for the Paris Saint-Germain F.C. and collaborate with companies such as Nike.

G-Dragon’s achievements alone qualified his stardom in the K-pop domain, but BIGBANG, being one of the genre and culture’s foundational pillars, worked to excel that success even further (K-Pop Trivia: the first ever K-pop lightstick—the BANG BONG—was actually made by BIGBANG themselves, which has since revolutionized the K-pop merchandise world forever).

With this resume, you would then be correct to assume that G-Dragon is very well indeed, and even often self-proclaimed, a legend. But, as I confessed to you earlier, no such legend is made without a few nicks in their armor. And if G-Dragon is viewed by the K-pop community as a K-pop equivalent to Michael Jackson (which is an entirely different conversation on its own), I’ve estimated that not a lot of K-pop fans are willing to speak out against him. Fair enough.

But I’ve never really been a regular fan, and have since existed as an even irregular fangirl. So when G-Dragon began to make moves I couldn’t necessarily agree with during his most recent comeback, I knew I wouldn’t stay silent.

I am an American, and realize that, probably just out of sheer necessity, I am more likely to be hyper aware of these shortcomings than other international audiences or fans may be. And this is really just because the current political state in American culture and media right now pertains to almost all of the critiques in which I have against G-Dragon exactly. However, for those who are not tuned in to American politics or global affairs, all of this might have been unbeknownst to you beforehand. And due to that, I recognize I’m speaking largely out of a place of bias.

But again, I am an American: I tend to notice these things because I have to.

I am a V.I.P. myself. And I argue that GD is as legendary as we know him to be, but I am doing what many of us sometimes struggle to put into practice as fangirls: I am “holding my favs accountable.” He’s an insane rapper, a creative genius, and truthfully, the only Korean artist who ever deserves the title of ‘King’. But recently, and even historically, he has admitted to me time and time again why I never idolize my legends in the first place.

G-Dragon was driving a Tesla Cybertruck in Korea before it was even launched within the country. The car has even been coined by Korean citizens as the “GD vehicle” given the number of public appearances he has made with it. But quite frankly, whether it was gifted to him, or whether he acquired it on his own, the ethics surrounding it are one and the same.

G-Dragon’s most recent comeback, and overall legacy within the industry, all revolve around the concept of “power”: i.e. G-Dragon being the almighty King, him refusing to bow down to the powers which continue to surround him — be it Korean media or general societal standards. So how ironic must it be of him to drive around in a car manufactured by Tesla, the company in which Elon Musk — an extremely bigoted, extreme-right, conservative, power-hungry man — founded himself?

Musk was just caught on live American television performing what he defended to be a “Roman Salute,” but what was instead signage that represented the Nazi Regime’s “Heil Hitler” salute. Musk also endorses Trump, the current U.S. president whom is a practicing racial and ethnic cleanser himself, constituting the argument against Musk’s salute even further. And G-Dragon is willingly driving around a car embodying all of this. Cybertrucks, the same “GD vehicle” that Musk profits off of, activate fight-or-flight instincts in America for a reason.

G-Dragon, in addition to this, has signed with a label in preparation for his comeback that raised flags for me in addition to the hunk of metal he decided to arrive at Incheon Airport in. Galaxy Corporation, the entertainment company in which G-Dragon is currently signed to, is a label which centers around AI-metaverse technology in an aim to, in their own words, “revolutionize the future of entertainment.” Literal chills down my spine.

In modern-day America, for those unaware, censorship and extreme oligarchic conservative leadership are swindling their way into our political system quite significantly: meta-run corporations and applications are controlling which media we can and cannot see. And on a global scale, AI as a whole has been destroying and capitalizing the environment for years now, worsening the climate each time its processing structure runs a single question (submitting to an AI chat box takes as much as ten times more energy than a regular Google search would — do you understand how hot the software gets to even do that?). AI, also a leading cause of air pollution, is also what G-Dragon’s online fan community uses in order to run itself. With the immense power that G-Dragon has given his platform, I wouldn’t have advised him to endorse this.

And just today, I woke up to find that he’d just announced his 2025 World Tour, “Übermensch.” At first glance, it’s just a word of German origin that GD fans know he likes (it’s the tagline made at the beginning of his comeback single “POWER” and the “Ü” that’s painted on the back of almost all of stage outfits and jackets). Yet, with just five minutes of research, I found yet another fatal flaw.

“Übermensch” was a concept taken on by German philosopher Fredrick Nietzsche that roughly translates in English to “superman.” Nietzsche used the term to describe the man who rose above all else through defining himself with his own ideals. A modern-day GOAT, basically, which is also presumably the reason G-Dragon became so fond of it.

But the “Übermensch” concept was later adopted by Hitler and the Nazi Party, used as propaganda for what they believed was the superior man. The concept quite literally became one of the most pivotal parts of the Nazi narrative.

And now G-Dragon is going on a world tour with this as his title.

I know that there’s differences between the two, and I’m certain that GD’s intention wasn’t related to the Nazi Party whatsoever. But this is a world tour being put on by a man with an insanely large audience and social stage — if the word has any sort of semblance to Nazi history, it shouldn’t be used in any promotional activity, ever. Like, ever. And this isn’t something you should be arguing against. No matter which way it’s spelled, or what font he’s advertising it in, it’s admittedly just not a good look.

Ethnic cleansing is rearing its head in America right now, and between the mindsets and actions of both Musk and Trump, the world is scared of the similarities occurring between 1940s Germany and the modern-day United States. And GD is coming to America with a tour name that further parallels all of that.

If you’re a global artist, you should be paying attention to global affairs. Point blank. And your name shouldn’t ever be in a situation where Nazi can be used in the same sentence as it. Period.

I’m not speaking to his intention whatsoever. I’m merely speaking on his irresponsibility.

He is a champion of culture. But culture, especially today, has become such a globalized factor of life. Global affairs should be as familiar to him as the music business obviously is.

I am a fan of G-Dragon, just as I am a fan of other legends alike. But I know what I value, and whenever any artist goes against those values, I know to speak up for what I believe in.

GD has grown up with many of his fans worldwide, and this tour is probably one of the best things to happen for many longtime V.I.P.s in years. So I hope that they get a chance to finally see him.

He’s one of the coolest people doing it right now. He’s been one of the coolest doing it. But he’s made some mistakes.

So I don’t think I’ll be buying a ticket this time around.