For his first full-album release in four years, G-Dragon has given fans a taste of COUP D'ETAT by dropping the first half of the album today - and it has exceeded all expectations and then some.

On September 2, G-Dragon released the first five tracks and the music video for the song "COUP D'ETAT" off his latest album project.

It is hard to explain the Big Bang leader's musical genius to those who have never heard his music before, and COUP D'ETAT is no different. A must-listen so far, it has us even more excited to hear the rest of the album when it is released in a few days.

The first song "COUP D'ETAT" is edgy and raw. The slow beat and lyrics show an evolved approach to G-Dragon's unique rap style as he references his past hit singles. Though the song has a rather dark atmosphere, it is the repetitive rhythm and melody are impressively original.

Fans who attended KCON last weekend already got a glimpse of his dynamic collaboration with Missy Elliott, and the studio version of "Niliria" allows us to hear just how well their two styles blend together. A non-Elliott version will also be included on the full album.

"R.O.D" continues the same feel of the first two tracks while bringing in a 'techno-reggae' element and a catchy hook sung by Lydia Paek. The song's verses have a feel similar to "MichiGO" which was released earlier this year and will also be included on COUP D'ETAT's full release later this week.

Things mellow out a bit with the fourth track "Black" featuring Jennie Kim, a YG Entertainment trainee who also appeared on G-Dragon's mini-album One of a Kind. The song is reminiscent of his YG label-mates Epik High, but with a distinct GD sound.

Another version of "Black" featuring vocals from Sky Ferreira will also be included as a part of the physical album release.

The last song to be released as of today is "Who You" and it is quite different from the other tracks. It is upbeat and features non-rapping vocals from G-Dragon - and even a bit of skatting! It brings us back to his work with Big Bang and has a much lighter feel than the other tracks.

So far a diverse bunch of songs from G-Dragon but they definitely exemplify his understanding of how musical elements can and should be blended together to create something that is uniquely G-Dragon.

The other nine tracks will reportedly be released after a few more days and the track listing is as follows:
6. Shake the World
7. MichiGO
8. Crooked
9. Niliria (G-Dragon version)
10. Runaway
11. I Love It (feat. Zion.T and Boys Noize)
12. You Do (Outro)
13. Window (album only)
14. Black (feat. Sky Ferreira) (album only)

What do you think of COUP D'ETAT so far? Let us know in the comments section below!