The CURRENT STATE of YG Entertainment (potential downfall)

This is my analysis on the current state of YG Entertainment.
My Social:
Instagram - cloudchungxiao
- Content -
0:00 - Intro
0:53 - 2023 Recap
2:06 - AKMU
3:35 - Winner
5:13 - Blackpink
6:01 - Treasure
7:26 - Baby Monster
9:24 - Final Thoughts
10:35 - Outro

[@HetaliaLovino]

Enjoyed hearing your thoughts! I personally feel like YG gets overlooked quite a bit by western fans since most of YG’s fanbase is focused in Asia. I know there have been rumors about a new boy group since male trainees have been spotted at the YG building so I wonder if that has something to do with the collab with Avex. I’m very curious to hear your thoughts on the state of SM. SM has being going through a lot the past 12 months and honestly I can’t truly tell how the company is. The groups they have are popular but everything behind the scenes is a mess. Thanks for another great video!

[@cloudchungxiao]

Thanks. Haven't heard too much about a new boy group, but I do remember YG the person talking about almost eliminating Asa to put her in the upcoming japanese girl group so lowkey thought maybe that. And then to add to that, Hikaru from Kep1er is also from Avex and so I was like maybe she might stay in Korea??? Yea, with SM, I think the catalyst event that has caused this shift was when Lee Sooman left and then the wholle restructuring with Kakao and then HYBE getting involved. That was a definite shift that lead to a domino of things happening.

[@lowendplayer4259]

IMO YG will never go down as among all the agencies YGE have the strongest fanbase that they build up all the years and they are hardcore one and they love the YG sound. YG have the "quality over quantity" thing which is the reason they don't make many comeback which I'm fine with but I think they need to speed up that a little as how competitive 4th-5th gen is or going to be. And about Treasure I don't mind them being only famous in ASIA..K-pop is way too focused on Western market that it has became a little tiring to look at. And I think YG are slowly but surely will overcome this hard time as they are listening to fans more and they even recruited more producers for their artist. We can see the effect as BAEMON already released their 1st mini album and their full album release date is around Aug of this year too.

[@Molly-iw1rc]

Yg 100 percent doesn't have a quality or quantity mindset. Other companies with more releases make much better quality content in less time. Yg waits months or years to release the same songs with the same concepts. But I agree they have a strong fanbase despite being currently the laziest company.

[@cloudchungxiao]

I think there is for sure a strong fanbase of company stans for YG which definitely helps there case. However, whether it's because of the artists or because of the companies music can be debated because with more artist exodus, that strength starts to dwindle. Not too sure about quality over quantity for YG considering for the girl groups; their has been this discussion of using the same recycled formula so don't really see the quality in that. They have had decen music but hopefully YG's new generation proves me wrong in that we see more quality. Yea, I think that's the real big takeaway from YG Ent. Western market seems to be our main gage of success, but they really aren't the only market which is why there is such a contrast in my initial perception of the current state of YG Ent compared with after doing this video.

[@idkidkidk170]

Quality over quantity only works when there’s actual quality though…

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, it definiely used to be quality for YG. However, it seems as though they have seen the success of their previous quality and for the most part recycled that same formula as their way to continue the success of some of their groups. Not saying everything sounds the same with all releases but definitely not innovative with the quality

[@sweetcupcake2741]

I LOVE the way YG trains their artists but CREATIVE DIRECTION is necessary. As much as Oh is may be so lame to spend thousands on a concept it wouldnt hurt to do something sorta different. Alot od people expected that y2k hiphop since everything now is sorta throwback but im not mad i just think BM concept is their biggest mistake

[@cloudchungxiao]

What type of concept do you think suits BM? Not sure how to really describe their concepts besides a predominant girl crush concept in the forefront

[@xxibbilsc]

it's like..YG can't think another concept aside from girl crush.. it's been going on since 2nd generation aka their very first idol girl group. maybe it's one of their branding but come on.. i've been stanning for god knows how long my heart just cannot witness countless talent being wasted with their old ass management anymore.. and currently, there's a shift in gen 5 gg which is how concept is more favourble than talent. right now, every gg debuting has their own genre that define their identity strong (just like nj-y2k, illit-dreamcore, yp-oldschool hiphop,etc) and with this current trend i doubt babymon will left a legacy and there you go another wasted potential😢. idk man i just wanna see YG golden era again, i was too young back then to see their glory😔

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, also there are variation that can be done to girl crush because I can see the branding of YG suiting girl crush but it doesn't always have to be the same version of girl crush.

[@sweetcupcake2741]

@@cloudchungxiao possibly something like sugarcoat by natty. Or the same idea as their song “like that”. Even better if they tried something a old style hip hop.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Ohh sugarcoat would be a great b-side type of song for them. But yea, I was lowkey think Badvillian (the new girl group debuting in BPM) could be the vibe that they could try too. Not sure if that's old hip hop though

[@sliverhalo9286]

great video! I will look forward to the next video

[@cloudchungxiao]

Thanks :)

[@mahabubajannathashi1199]

The last group I stand from YG is Treasure, Babymonster feels boring to me so I just gave up one them. I was a hardcore Blink and VIP, now after individual members of these group has departed from yg, it doesn’t makes sense for me to stan YG so hard anymore lol

[@S2458hzxcvbiyhhh]

How can you say bm is boring it's just their debut. Their album is so versatile it's has hip hop, ballad, western song, emotional song, a party remix. I never seen such a versatility in any debut album. In future they will comeback with fire music maybe big western Collab so it's early to judge them now

[@TheRyno525]

@@S2458hzxcvbiyhhh People are going to hate just to hate, BM has shattered so many records already, they sold more albums in the first week then any other kpop girl group. let them hate because the numbers speak for themself.

[@skylarmartin4247]

@@S2458hzxcvbiyhhhyeah but thats literally just a BP album if you think about it, take, for example, Square Up, it has Ddu-du dud-du, forever young, really, and see you later. All great songs, but they aren’t giving baby monster their own flavor that hasn’t been done even in their own company. I think the members are really talented and I hope they find their own place in YG. That’s not a younger version of BLACKPINK. Even BLACKPINK, who was called “a copycat of 2ne1” had their own flavor to it. “Grammar edits”

[@S2458hzxcvbiyhhh]

@@skylarmartin4247 if you noticed wisely you can see that babymonster did ballad which bp never did. In their other song like - dream, like that they use very good vocals, bp never used that kind of vocals in their song only rose carried the group's vocals so there is a lot of difference between them only sheesh and batterup is hip hop style song which is a genre of yg not bp. If yg don't want to loose their style then I don't think it anything wrong in this, and it's just debut let's see more combacks they will make their own place in the industry with their talent. And I noticed now people don't compare them much with bp like before because they know that these girls are really talented and they will do better in future

[@haewonized]

why would u stan treasure tho 😭😭

[@Molly-iw1rc]

NOT THE YG STANS IN YOUR COMMENTS LOLLL

[@cloudchungxiao]

Hahaha, it's always interesting to see the different perceptions of other people.

[@softgrungewitch]

My main issue with YG, beyond all the drama behind the scenes & how tightly I associate the company with Yang Hyunsuk, is how paradoxically unoriginal their music sounds. BP has always reminded me too much of 2ne1, Treasure reminds me of early IKON and now BM sounds like a retread of a retread. The only current acts of theirs I still listen to are AKMU & Winner and I have been listening to them since their debuts.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Interesting timing because YG released a 2025 plan for the company with 2NE1 back in the game. Doesn't really influence your issues but do you think with three active-ish girl groups, there will need to be some distinction in the music so potentially them all not sounding the same?

[@ZDubbed]

Not a fan of treasure but I DEFINITELY wasn’t a fan of the braids in MAMA. If there’s one thing YG is good at it’s cultural appropriation

[@cloudchungxiao]

Ohhh yea, I've heard about this being a recurring issue with them. Sounds like they don't acknowledge it as much if it still continues to happen?

[@darklightss_]

I recently just started watching the videos and I really like how they structured everybody in the comments seem to me like dick riders because it’s like you’re right because I’ve been noticing this too especially since 2023 ever since the blackpink situation people call you a hater, but it’s the truth baby monster is just kinda writing off pinks legacy right now and nothing else. They don’t have an identity and because of this. What they could’ve done for baby monsters kind of gave them his concept because they’re still young and put a hip-hop spin on it like uh oh from (g)i-dle you know keep it Y2K because that’s what’s really trendy. Cute video by the way and imagine stanning a company because that’s kind of embarrassing!

[@darklightss_]

But I think I’m sending a notice that we’re trying to rely on the western fan base more than the Korean fan base because when I noticed from she said a lot of Korean didn’t really enjoy sheesh that much compared to what I heard from the western side of it so I wonder what they’re gonna do w it-

[@cloudchungxiao]

Hahaha thanks. I think as long as Baby Monster can build upon their success and create their own identity, then we can see them establish their own legacy. Plus it is still too early to just completely dismiss them. But yea, haven't heard too much about the ratio of international vs domestic so not sure what the promotional activities will look like for them or will they actually reuse the whole dungeon again.

[@Ankit-uv3yp]

With BP, YG lost their golden goose coz there is no group activity till next year

[@cloudchungxiao]

When you say til next year, do you mean 2025? And if so, was there confirmation from somewhere?

[@Molly-iw1rc]

I will watch the video after writing this, but YG makes me so angry right now. I feel like YG is literally hurting the potential of Baby Monster anf their future groups, and it's disrespectful to the artists working hard under the company. Everyone has to be stuck under the YG sound and aesthetic, which limits groups like Baby monster who can easily do a concept that is better that the "YG concept" that they keep recycling. I wish Baby Monster was just in a different company who actually tried to make unique concepts for their groups. I hate all the companies for different reasons, but at least SM and HYBE have some distinct concepts anf sounds for their groups. Aespa isn't Red Velvet. Lesserafim isn't News Jeans. TXT isn't Seventeen. They all have their own things. But YG can maybe only say that for their older groups and maybe Treasure but Treasure seems to make most of their stuff themselves.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Ohhh what kind of concept were you thinking for Baby Monster. And yea, I think there is a way that YG can keep the aesthetic or sound but still do something different. But i don't know if they want to experiment too much in fear of a "unsuccessful" reception.

[@Molly-iw1rc]

@@cloudchungxiao they should go for a hard hip hop focused aesthetic. and I mean HARD, like the girls can dance the butts off and have the charisma for something genuinely strong sounding. I think like XG, maybe like something like Girl Gang, where it was hard hitting and showstopping and rap focused. The rappers in Baby Monster are so talented. I also think conceptually the theme shouldn't be like the "I am the best" vibe like most YG gg songs, or at least not in the way they are currently doing it. Sometimes it feels like YG has a very simple way of portraying the "I am the best" theme, I think they could do something more creative like I would say Aespa's drama has this "I am better than everyone else" quality to it while still having a creative specific concept. Baby monster doesn't have a specific concept in their videos, styling, or music to me. So, if they could just latch onto literally anything other than just "YG concept" it would be more satisfying (this kind of applies to BP as well with their videos). I agree, I think YG doesn't want to experiment too much. I think they can find a way to have a YG aesthetic while upgrading what YG groups can be. Most companies can do it, I hope they can have more creativity conceptually for the sake of showing off the talent in the company on a wider scale. Even though I dislike Itzy's last comebacks conceptually, it still feels more creative than what YG is letting Baby Monster do, which I hope changes because to me that's a low bar.

[@cloudchungxiao]

Ohh nice. That would sound pretty dope. I think the whole hard hip hop aesthetics would work for Baby Monster while still feeling like YG too. The only slight issue that I can see from that is whether their age might influence how effective the concept would be. There all still pretty young and some kinda don't at first glance feel like they may suit the aesthetics. But yea, I wonder how much their future releases will do considering the contrast of how they are treating batter up to sheesh is so different that there might be hope.

[@Molly-iw1rc]

@@cloudchungxiao I can see how their age might make it hard to take them seriously. I don't take their current concept seriously either though. I feel like the members are more confident with a stronger choreography and vibe, I really hope they try it in the future!

[@cloudchungxiao]

Yea, for sure. Just really about maturing into the concept. But they defs have the well rounded skills do well in the future.

[@nnnn-sc2im]

10:05 don’t forget the way he met his wife

[@cloudchungxiao]

That's true. So much side eying issues.

[@julieorais5773]

Haters like you said every year that it's the end of YG but YG still standing with high gross from concerts, tickets, albums. You don't know the mind of YG. His more experience than you.

[@byulharangforlife]

stop being stupid. it's obviously just their opinion they arent a "hater" yall YG stans make yourselfs look trash

[@byulharangforlife]

also worshiping YG as a person is disgusting... he's a disgusting man

[@haewonized]

imagine stanning a company

[@cloudchungxiao]

Hahaha, wouldn't say I'm a hater and if you watched the video, I didn't mention the end of YG. It was more trying to align my initial perception of the current state with what is actually happening. But yea, they will always continue to do things for sure and with Baby Monster's success, they seem to be heading into their new era of YG.

[@janeiiy365]

bro what 😭😭

[@kimble90126]

Omg

[@cloudchungxiao]

In a good or bad way?

[@TheRyno525]

"Not a complete bad debut" Thursday, April 11 (NEW YORK, NY) - YG Entertainment’s rising K-Pop group, BABYMONSTER, has sold over 400,000 copies of their debut EP, BABYMONS7ER, breaking the record for highest first-week album sales for a K-Pop girl group and making their mark on the global music scene. “SHEESH,” has been captivating listeners and climbing music charts across the globe, including the Billboard Global 200 chart. " The music video debuted at No. 1 on KZbin’s global music video ranking and already has over 100M views. Billboard called the song “pop-rap magic” "Their KZbin streaming numbers have broken records worldwide, most notably with their debut single “BATTER UP,” which has amassed over 230M views on KZbin, making it the fastest K-Pop debut song to reach that milestone". "The track debuted at No. 5 on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart, marking the group’s official first Billboard chart-topping track, ranked #1 on iTunes in 21 countries, and has already amassed over 90M streams on Spotify". Shattering numerous records is "Not a complete bad debut" In your view. lol

[@cloudchungxiao]

I mean people's opinions are subjective and aren't completely based on numbers and charting. Nmixx is an example of a group who did well in album sales and their debut had a negative reception. That same debut album was also included in a blind package that JYP created in anticipation for their debut and people were buying it without really knowing anything about Nmixx. It just shows that sometimes music isn't the main reason for the debut thriving, which is also the way that I determine my opinions on debuts. It's cool that they are getting these achievement but doesn't mean I need to conform to the hype when it might not be my complete vibe.

[@ZDubbed]

Yes throw more stats at us, that will convince our ears.

[@aerinimk]

Here is an example of kpop fans stanning achievements. Tbh, I'm really not that impressed about album sales in the current state of kpop with kpop fans bad habits of hoarding albums and throwing it on the streets. It is especially noticeable among big4 groups so it's guaranteed if you are a big4 group with company stans backing you up you will definitely have more album sales, views and payola. Tell me would baemon achieve this feats if they debuted under a small company??

[@ZDubbed]

@@aerinimk “kpop fans stanning achievements” is so true. It’s the issue that I have been unknowingly annoyed at all this time but wasn’t sure how to put into words. Everyone wants to prove that their faves are objectively better than others when music was never objective to begin with