[HA ROOKIE SPOTLIGHT] ToppDogg

WHO ARE THEY?

ToppDogg is Stardom Entertainment’s boy group with a strong base in, but are not limited to, hip hop. Made up of thirteen incredibly talented boys, ToppDogg was separated into four “kingdoms” as part of their debut concept: Wizards, Lions, Knights, and Dragons

• Wizard kingdom is comprised of (L to R) dancers/vocalists Jeon Hojoon (1992), Kim Hansol (1993), B-Joo (Kim Byungjoo, 1994), and dancer/rapper Xero (Shin Jiho, 1994).

• Lion kingdom is comprised of rapper Jenissi (Kim Taeyang, 1991), lead vocalists Seogoong (Park Hyunho, 1992) and Gohn (Kim Dongsung, 1992), and rapper/maknae (youngest) Yano (Seo Sangwon, 1995).

• Knight kingdom is comprised of rapper Kidoh (Jin Hyosang, 1992), vocalist Nakta (Shin Yoonchul, 1993), and rapper A-Tom (Kim Sanggyun, 1995).

• Lastly, Dragon kingdom is comprised of leader P-Goon (Park Sehyuk, 1991) and vocalist Yu Sangdo (1993).

Despite having debuted on October 24, 2013, ToppDogg have had a strong following for many months prior to debut due to individual members’ pre-debut activities. Members Jenissi, Yano (previously known as Snoopy Swaggy), and Kidoh released many mixtape tracks on their personal SoundClouds as Stardom Entertainment trainees. Kidoh especially was well known as a member of hip hop crew DaeNamHyup and former trainee for Big Hit Entertainment’s group BTS. Many of the boys were also back-up dancers for fellow label mates EvoL during promotions for their second mini album, creating more hype. Following this, Stardom Entertainment’s official YouTube channel released three mixtape tracks “Bang,” “TOP,” and “Y U MAD” which were re-recorded from Kidoh and Yano’s previous mixtape tracks to include all three of the known Topp Dogg rappers as well as vocalist Hansol (featured in “Bang”). In addition to this, member Nakta was previously featured in Jellyfish Entertainment’s reality program MyDol as a contender for a spot in VIXX and member Hojoon was in a similar program from Brave Entertainment called Bigstar Show for a chance to be in Bigstar.

Although their official debut is October 24, ToppDogg held a debut showcase on October 22, 2013 in order to introduce and unveil their talents before releasing their debut mini album ‘Dogg’s Out.’

‘Dogg’s Out’ consisted of five tracks including the title track “말로해 (Say It)” which was dominated by ToppDogg’s unique and tough sound, most showcasing their incredible rap and overall performance skills. Aside from “말로해 (Say It)”, their album also featured tracks called “Dogg’s Out” and “Play Ground” which portray their strong entrance into the K-Pop scene along with a more bubbly song “귀여운 걸 (Cute Girl)” to exhibit their versatility and Kidoh’s solo “너 같은 여자 (A Woman Like You)” which exposes his individual talent.

Quickly following this album, ToppDogg continued to make their presence known and continuously released three mini albums, three repackage albums, and a single album over the course of a year, starting with their repackage album for “Dogg’s Out,” which was titled ‘Cigarette’ and featured the title track “Cigarette.” “Cigarette” was a complete change from “Say It” as it is a softer, sweeter song produced by lead vocalist Gohn. This album also included the Chinese version of “Say It,” featuring the rap and lyric-writing skills of Chinese rapper Andy A47 who was credited as a member of sub-unit UnderDogg.

Following ‘Cigarette,’ ToppDogg came back with their mini album ‘Arario,’ promoting the title track “들어와 (Open the Door)” which showed off their versatility and transformation from very rough and tough to more “polished” with “an R&B pop number that integrates both straight and swing rhythm, as well as, slap bass” that showcased their dance capabilities. After this promotion cycle, ToppDogg quickly moved on to promote another track on the album, re-released as the title track for their repackage album, ‘Arario Special Edition.’ The title track “아라리오 (Arario)” brought forward another unique concept from ToppDogg with the use of traditional Korean music and fan props.

Continuing on with the incorporation of different musical sounds, ToppDogg released their 3^rd mini album, ‘AmadeuS,’ working off the classical sounds of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This promotion period, the boys went sans Kidoh who took time off promotion to prepare for his solo debut and split up into two teams: Team Amadeus and Team Salieri, who was Mozart’s rival. The album had three tracks, the title track “TopDog”, “Amadeus” which highlighted the group’s strong vocal skills and “Salieri” which highlighted the group’s rap abilities.

Around this time, ToppDogg’s youngest member Yano released his first mixtape album post-debut called ‘YANO BOUT ME: FICTION’ which featured nine tracks released on Stardom’s SoundCloud that all come together into one intense manifestation of his rapping ability. Along with this release, Yano filmed a fun video to go along with one of his tracks “썅년 (B*tch).”

The repackage album following ‘AmadeuS’ was released as the deluxe edition of ‘AmadeuS’ and included two new songs – a warm melodic track called “나 왜이래 (Why Am I Like This)” and the edgy hip hop track called “Peekaboo” performed by the “new generation of Stardom rappers” in ToppDogg. It was during this period that additional sub-unit members Jung Hyuntae and Han Jiwon were introduced.

After this, the eldest member and rapper Jenissi become the second to release his own mixtape on Stardom’s SoundCloud titled ‘Stop&Play#1.’ Of the six tracks, the track titled “Go to Church” was featured on On Air Stardom’s YouTube channel which introduced fans to his individual style of rap.

Next, ToppDogg had its first official solo debut with rapper Kidoh. In his self-produced mini album titled ‘Small Album,’ Kidoh brought out his versatility and underground hip hop skills with six new songs including a slower, jazzy “Taxi on the Phone” featuring the vocals of member Sangdo.

In just over the course of a year, ToppDogg have rapidly risen in the ranks of K-Pop rookies with their extraordinary sounds, concepts, deliveries, and impressive covers (“Some,” “Eyes Nose Lips,” “Maps“). They are currently promoting their song “Annie”, a fun nineties-esque dance track released on their first anniversary that took inspiration from Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer’s nostalgic styles and uses vinyl disc props to further capture the essence of the era.

ToppDogg have also recently announced their upcoming first solo concert tour called 1st Turn Up in addition to their first U.S. Showcase tour happening February of 2015, amazing feats for such a young group. With their determination and ingenuity, ToppDogg’s ToppKlass fandom is rapidly expanding as they continue to receive much love for their abilities.

See why and explore their social media platforms below!

TWITTER (KIDOH) // FACEBOOK // DAUM CAFE // STARDOM ENTERTAINMENT YOUTUBE // ON AIR STARDOM YOUTUBE // WEIBO //  STARDOM ENTERTAINMENT SOUNDCLOUD