Block B’s sub group BASTARZ causes controversy before debut

(left to right) U-Kwon, P.O., and B-Bomb are the members of Block B’s sub-unit BASTARZ. Each member was slowly revealed throughout the beginning of April.

On April 9, Block B released a teaser for their first subgroup BASTARZ. The teaser previewed the tracks for their upcoming mini-album “Conduct Zero.”

The teaser for their title track, “Conduct Zero,” raised quite a few eyebrows. The teaser featured several females dressed in kimonos, the traditional dress of Japanese females, seductively removing the outfits to reveal risque garments underneath. All K-Pop was the first to report on this.

Some thought it was disrespectful and presented a negative image of Japanese culture and compared it to the Korean hanbok. That’s probably not a good argument, since they’ve probably done it. Anyhow, some fans were not impressed.

This is not the first time the group has had some cultural clashes. Earlier this year, Block B’s leader Zico was the source of controversy when he wore a jacket with the Confederate flag on the arm in his music video “Tough Cookie.” He also took some heat for using derogatory words toward homosexuals. He later issued a public apology for his ignorance.

Despite the minor mishap, the group is still set to release their album and music video on April 14. The album will feature six tracks with the last track being an instrumental of the title track, “Conduct Zero.” A tour bus with the BASTARZ logo on it is also set to roam Seoul for the duration of the group’s promotional activities.

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