What's up you guys?

This week has been...unconsciously long, so to bring my mood up I've been listening to songs. A lot of you probably don't know, but I love Korean music. Like, I LOVE Korean Music, it is awesome,  poppy and, in my opinion, a lot more entertaining than American music. Just saying. Anyways, as I was saying, I was listening to "Knock Out" by G-D and T.O.P. , two popular Korean rappers, when I realized that I've never seen this duo perform the song on popular music shows like they did their other songs. This struck me as strange because the song had received a lot of positive feedback and quickly gained popularity, so as I did with Rebecca Black, I did some research. Apparently, the song was banned because of the inappropriate lyrics the song displayed, but when you really look into it, the lyrics, or word, that was found 'inappropriate' was "bbeokigayo." Bbeokigayo is a slang word that literally means "Knock Out." The word was deemed inappropriate because of the lack of 'real meaning' behind it. This seemed like such a a dumb reason to me that I had to go into the way songs are 'censored' in Korea.

When a song is deemed inappropriate by the media, such as live music shows, they are banned from being performed. This then leads the artists or their label company to change those specific aspects of the song until it is allowed to be performed. A lot of the times a song is labeled as inappropriate because lyrics either hint or promote sex, drugs, or any ideas that are seen as morally wrong by society. This, to me, is ridiculous in comparison to the songs played on the radio in America today. Korean lyrics seem to be nothing in comparison to the American songs today that promote sex, drugs, partying, and straight up inappropriate behavior. Personally, I think the Koreans take it too far in deciding whether a song is appropriate or inappropriate. There are also times in which a song is considered inappropriate because the music video to the song contains 'unneeded' material that promotes unlawful activities.

Here is a list of popular songs that were originally banned from being performed on music shows. These songs have either had their lyrics changed to fit the criteria of an appropriate song, or they have not and are continued to be banned for it.

1. GD & TOP- Knock Out This song was banned due to the slang word bbeokigayo
2. DBSK- Mirotic The lyrics in the song were deemed too sexual
3. Rain- Love Song In the MV of this song, Rain is seen running on the street, an illegal act in Korea
4. GD & TOP- Don't Go Home The rap in this song was deemed to have inappropriate lyrics
5. Taeyang- Move This song's lyrics were said to be dirty
6. Taeyang- Take It Slow The lyrics were said to be dirty
7. Taeyang- After You Fall Asleep the lyrics are said to be dirty
8. Se7en- Drips  The song was also said to have inappropriate lyrics