Review: G-Dragon Comes On Strong! The Big Bang Rapper Brings It On The Debut Single For 'Coup d'Etat' Featuring Diplo And Baauer [VIDEO]

Psy may be K-pop's most recognizable international star, but Big Bang rapper G-Dragon just might be the first artist to show Westerners the genre's tremendous crossover potential.

And, perhaps most surprisingly, he's doing it without the help of his Big Bang bandmates.

Seeming to share a similar career path to Justin Timberlake, whose charisma and musical gifts skyrocketed him to solo fame that far surpassed that of his 'N Sync boy band members, G-Dragon could be the pop star that shows Western pop stars, it okay to go K-pop.

And already, there are some takers.

Last month, G-Dragon headlined the KCON festival in Los Angeles as a solo artist with American hip-hop icon Missy Elliott, where the pair debuted their new collaboration for the Big Bang leader's new solo album "Coup d'Etat."

Entitled "Niliria," the three-minute long song, featuring a sample from a Korean traditional folk song of the same name, was the highlight of the two-day festival.

For the single "Coup d'Etat" G-Dragon brought in more Western pop heavyweights.

DJ and producer Baauer is best known for writing the song "Harlem Shake," which inspired a viral video craze on YouTube and artist and record label mogul Diplo, who helped the former to clear the samples on that song when it became a monster hit.

On "Coup d'Etat" the pair helps G-Dragon create a sound that bubbles and churns, with quantized snare rolls that often threaten to slip into dubstep territory, but they don't.

In fact one of the best things about "Coup d'Etat" is that it fails to head too strongly into one specific sound or genre, which keeps its freshness intact.

The track is an excellent vehicle for the singsong rhyme style that G-Dragon is known for, yet Diplo and Baauer keep the song moving on a fast track towards sonic innovation.

And speaking of innovation, longtime G-Dragon collaborator Suh Hyun Seung directed a stunning music video "Coup d'Etat."

Seeming to draw from graffiti, spy films, comic books and the minimalist art movement, the "Coup d'Etat" music video makes it clear that the director shares G-Dragon's complete boredom with the expected.

Check out the new music video for the title track off of the new album "Coup d'Etat" by Big Bang rapper G-Dragon RIGHT HERE

Watch G-Dragon and Missy Elliott burn the house down at KCON 2013 RIGHT HERE

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Baauer
Coup Detat
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