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omonatheydidSays Trayvon Martin-like Instagram photo was both "HUGE misunderstanding" and reference to cover art from Big Bang mastermind's next solo effort
An Instagram photo of South Korean pop idol G-Dragon wearing what appears to be a hoodie and dark coloring over his skin was not meant as a comment on race or politics, according to a rep for the Big Bang leader.
"GD was simply wearing different facepaint colors and this is a HUGE misunderstanding," the spokesperson said in an email to SPIN. "The facepaint is only a color variation for his album cover which includes black, white, and red. It is in no way meant to be a political or racial statement."
The rep further clarified, "It’s being derived by a simple photo shoot where GD was using different facepaint colors for his upcoming album."
G-Dragon's spokesperson also said SPIN's article reporting on the image "is completely wrong and taken out of context."
The response comes after we reported on the photo, noting its resemblance to an iconic image of slain Florida youth Trayvon Martin and pointing out that it had drawn criticism online. Though the singer's Instagram account made no mention of Martin, the image bears an eerie similiarity to a meme that had Frank Ocean, Diddy, the-Dream, and others posting photos of themselves in a hoodie last year. (Rap-Up has a good collection of these Martin-inspired images.) Online forums Oh No They Didn't! and One Asian World previously pointed out an alleged connection to the Martin tributes.
G-Dragon is set to appear at KCON 2013, a K-pop convention in Los Angeles on August 24 and 25, and he is readying a new solo album. G-Dragon's 2012 "Crayon" was SPIN's No. 1 K-pop song of the year. His group Big Bang's "Bad Boy" was one of SPIN's 21 Greatest K-Pop Songs of All Time. Check out our coverage of a Big Bang concert in New Jersey here.
The original Instagram photo is below:
That's some Justin Bieber level of PR...
EDIT:
the official omona twitter has shared our open letter with authors from spin and the la times who wrote articles about GD.
Spin
An Instagram photo of South Korean pop idol G-Dragon wearing what appears to be a hoodie and dark coloring over his skin was not meant as a comment on race or politics, according to a rep for the Big Bang leader.
"GD was simply wearing different facepaint colors and this is a HUGE misunderstanding," the spokesperson said in an email to SPIN. "The facepaint is only a color variation for his album cover which includes black, white, and red. It is in no way meant to be a political or racial statement."
The rep further clarified, "It’s being derived by a simple photo shoot where GD was using different facepaint colors for his upcoming album."
G-Dragon's spokesperson also said SPIN's article reporting on the image "is completely wrong and taken out of context."
The response comes after we reported on the photo, noting its resemblance to an iconic image of slain Florida youth Trayvon Martin and pointing out that it had drawn criticism online. Though the singer's Instagram account made no mention of Martin, the image bears an eerie similiarity to a meme that had Frank Ocean, Diddy, the-Dream, and others posting photos of themselves in a hoodie last year. (Rap-Up has a good collection of these Martin-inspired images.) Online forums Oh No They Didn't! and One Asian World previously pointed out an alleged connection to the Martin tributes.
G-Dragon is set to appear at KCON 2013, a K-pop convention in Los Angeles on August 24 and 25, and he is readying a new solo album. G-Dragon's 2012 "Crayon" was SPIN's No. 1 K-pop song of the year. His group Big Bang's "Bad Boy" was one of SPIN's 21 Greatest K-Pop Songs of All Time. Check out our coverage of a Big Bang concert in New Jersey here.
The original Instagram photo is below:
That's some Justin Bieber level of PR...
EDIT:
the official omona twitter has shared our open letter with authors from spin and the la times who wrote articles about GD.
Spin
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no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 06:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:04 pm (UTC)it was irresponsible to leave a captionless photo like that. why didn't he choose a photo of his white or red face instead? or just none...
that was a really stupid move.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:05 pm (UTC)SHE GETS A FAIL
EVERYONE GETS A FAIL!!!!!!
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Date: 2013-08-01 07:06 pm (UTC)Way to spin negative press to tell us of the next fail album tho. Ugh
(And a huge LOL at all of you saying it was a mask)
no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:07 pm (UTC)I know he's done some shit in the past and he should get all the rage and upset in the world for it, but I thought this whole situation was ridiculous, especially from a journalistic stand-point. The way media will just grab onto the faintest of straws for a story is eye-roll inducing. He never gave any real indication that he was attempting some kind of Trayvon homage, but it got tossed around like a stated fact.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:07 pm (UTC)Anyways, GD was stupid and wrong, the world is round, sky is blue, etc. The end.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:09 pm (UTC)ikr! tho the Nightcrawler cosplay excuse was my favourite
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Date: 2013-08-01 07:09 pm (UTC)Oh, right, the pic. Dumb as fck, GD. You took an L with this, homie, you took an L. Sorry.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:12 pm (UTC)But I honestly think some ppl had it spot on; the face paint started off as one thing and GD took it and ran with it and gave it an ambiguous (/dumbass) meaning.he knew what he was doing.
Innocent or not, it wasn't wise nor cool - esp considering his and some of his labelmates BG.
no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:17 pm (UTC)Hyung didn't mean it~
no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-08-01 07:19 pm (UTC)lol
please