“Cosmos” by B.I., Sunday, June 16, 2024

 

The authorities take drug allegations in South Korea very seriously and can have significant consequences for those involved. The country has a strict anti-drug policy, and drug offenses are punishable by severe penalties. Usage of substances such as cannabis that are legal or decriminalized in other countries can lead to jail time in South Korea.  But besides legal implications, there is a social stigma that comes with drug use. Allegations can ruin a career, which almost happened to the Korean rapper and leader of the idol group iKON, B.I (비아이). In 2019, Kim Han Bin (김한빈) was found guilty of attempting to purchase drugs. In 2019, Kim Han Bin (김한빈) was found guilty of drug possession and attempting to purchase drugs. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison for three counts of drug possession, including two counts of possessing marijuana and one count of possessing LSD.  

DON’T FALL LIKE PETALS ON A FLOWER. Following the allegations, YG Entertainment terminated B.I’s contract and the singer departed iKON. The group recorded some of the songs the former band leader had written. But unlike many Korean stars who faced drug charges and allegations, B.I returned to music in 2021. He offered his fans an apology and returned as a solo artist, first featuring on a track by Epik High, on their tenth album. B.I’s solo return came with a charity three-track single, Midnight Blue. B.I pledged to donate all proceeds of the streams and physical release sales to World Vision, the Christian humanitarian aid organization. For his debut solo full-length album Waterfall, released in June, B.I also donated the proceeds to World Vision. Both projects specifically continue to fund the “Basic for Girls” project in Zambia, providing the funds to build women’s restrooms. Streaming and purchasing the albums will fund the project for sixty years after the rapper’s death, as is the statute of copyright law.

SHE CAN BE A PAINTING LIKE A MUSEUM. The June 2021-released Waterfall was followed by November 2021’s EP, Cosmos. This EP would be the first part of his second full-length album. The title track, “Cosmos,” has a rock-styled introduction. The lyrics of the song play on the meaning of the word cosmos, meaning an astrological coincidence that the speaker and his lover are together, and with the fall release of the mini-album, the song also references the flowers that bloom in the autumn, just before the winter cold sets in. Not every fallen star in the cosmos can be reborn. B.I seems to be a charismatic rapper, well-connected with fans and the hip-hop side of K-pop. His apology also helped his career, but perhaps the best way for a star to be reborn is through charity. By donating proceeds to charity, hesitant fans feel less guarded about funding someone embroiled in a scandal. So by the time B.I released Cosmos, his fan base trusted him, and he could make money in music again.

Read “COSMOS” by B.I on Genius.

Read “B.I - COSMOS (English Translation)” by Genius English Translations on Genius.