The young Korean rappers of YG Entertainment, Bobby and Mino, made solo debuts this week, finishing off with a double music video release Thursday. They released their EP under the name MOBB with a total of four songs, which are now available on iTunes.
Bobby kicked off the week’s releases with his solo “Holup!” on Tuesday, and Mino followed shortly after with “Body” on Wednesday. The two debuted as MOBB with two music videos Thursday, titled “Full House” and “Hit Me.” The videos were released via Naver TVcast, Korea’s version of YouTube.
[MOBB – '붐벼(FULL HOUSE)' M/V]
— YG FAMILY (@ygent_official) September 8, 2016
(출처 : YG FAMILY | 네이버 TV캐스트) https://t.co/G8navR4LOj#MOBB #맙 #MINO #BOBBY #송민호 #바비 #붐벼 #FULLHOUSE #YG
[MOBB – '빨리 전화해 Feat. KUSH(HIT ME)' M/V]
— YG FAMILY (@ygent_official) September 8, 2016
(출처 : YG FAMILY | 네이버 TV캐스트) https://t.co/GBbPYDp3xU#맙 #MINO #BOBBY #송민호 #바비 #빨리전화해 #HITME #YG
Bobby and Mino both participated in writing the lyrics and composing the two tracks. YG’s in-house producers Teddy and Choice37 were among MOBB’s music team, as well.
“Full House” is more of a turn up track, with Bobby and Mino spitting a verse each. The chorus delivers a hard and repetitive hook, featuring the two rappers looking swag and suave between partying and sporting all black. Girl group 2NE1’s legendary leader CL—who just made a solo rap debut herself—also makes a cameo appearance in the video.
In “Hit Me,” the boys take on a more fun and youthful concept. At the beginning of the video, the guys can’t seem to get a phone call through to make plans, resulting in frustrated sighs and tantrums. Bobby and Mino eventually meet up and dance, sing, and rap to a catchy tune, making their way to Itaewon—an area of Seoul with a heavy Western influence that’s famous for clubbing. They filmed the music video there with the night’s crowd.
The rappers created a dynamic sound as MOBB, pulling from their individual styles—which is more clearly showcased in their respective solos.
The first to publish was Bobby’s video “Holup!” which is a hard-hitting track that highlights Bobby’s deep, raspy voice. Bobby seizes his opportunity at center stage to show off his capability and to prove why he deserves to stand among the ranks as a solo rapper like BTS’s Suga and Vixx’s Ravi.
Mino’s song “Body” takes a different turn with a smooth and sexy track about a scandalous relationship. With a much slower tempo than “Holup!” the song takes on a mature sound with a heavy, banging beat setting the scene for his longing lyrics. Mino creates a strong presence through both his rap and acting skills.
In their normal activities, Bobby is a member of iKon, while Mino comes from Winner. The two competed against each other on opposing teams in the reality show WIN: Who is Next in a battle for a debut stage in 2013. Ultimately, Mino’s group won, earning the debut as Winner in 2014, and Bobby’s group debuted as iKon in 2015 after winning a different show. Both rappers have also competed and won on Korea’s rap competition show, Show Me the Money.
Despite any past rivalries, the two make a vigorous duo with these fierce tracks.