Having spent the entirety of my summer in a shameless BTS spiral, my current Apple Music Replay numbers are a bit… skewed. In an effort to bring a little variety back into my music listening, I decided to let the ole app choose my music for me and I’ve gotta say, while I hate handing control of my music decisions over to the corporate overlords and their mindless machines, the ZombieMamma station this dumb app has created is fairly on-point.

I can honestly say that I have been enjoying the crap out of this odd mix of 80’s rock, alt rock, J-Rock, pop-rock, 4 generations of K-Pop, feminist rage, and random crooners. It’s definitely an eclectic mix of music but it has been such a treat for the ears! I’ve especially been enjoying all of the 2nd & 3rd gen K-Pop, which have brought with them such a happy flood of memories and emotions, it almost brings a tear to my eye.

Which got me thinking… How many fantastic songs are out there in the world that new K-Poppers have never heard of? The truth of the matter is, far more than I could ever possibly write about. But what if I took a minute to shine a little light on an old favorite? Would it be worth it? Does it even matter? 

The simple truth is, it matters to me, which is all the reason I need. 

That’s why I’m presenting, for your listening enjoyment, one of the songs that was recently brought back to my attention. Not that I ever really forgot about the song, more it just got lost in the vast collection of music I’ve amassed since its release, back in 2016. Are you ready for this? 

Drumroll, please!

짜잔!

So why did Block B’s “Toy” stand out so much to me, both now and back in the day? One simple reason: Singing. Rappers.

Yup, that’s right. Rappers who sing. 

Now I know that in this modern age, “all-rounders” are all the rage and I totally get that. Logistically, it just makes sense for companies to put together groups of talent that can do it all, mostly because they don’t have to worry about filling holes, should a member need to take a step back, or let’s be real, quit altogether. And you know, the marketing perks aren’t bad either.

But back in the day, when groups had very defined roles for their members, it was rare for a rapper to have a chance to show off their vocal prowess. Which meant that when they did, our collective jaws would drop to the floor. 

BECAUSE WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS MAN CAN RAP AND SING!?

Talk about a life-altering experience! Not only was your brain rushing a million miles an hour to try to process the fact that this ridiculous rapping machine could also sing like a canary, but your heart was trying to decide whether it was going to switch biases or just flat-out explode. To say it was a lot to deal with would be a HUGE understatement! 

At least I can say in all sincerity that ZICO has always been and always will be my Block B bias, but I swear, every time he sings, my knees get all sorts of weak and I find myself fighting off a serious swoon. *whisper screams* Because what do you mean this man raps and sings!?

Honestly, it’s the timbre of his voice that sends me. Good lord! That deeper, gravely growl that he does so well in his rap turned into buttery velvet when he sings? Are you freaking kidding me!? To be fair, he doesn’t sing all his lines at this register but that opening line? I could listen to it from now until the end of time! (And yes, there have been days when I have tried.)

With Block B being one of my favorite groups of the early 2010s it feels a bit wrong to only mention this one song when they have so many good ones. If you love this singing Zico as much as I do, you definitely need to check out “Movie’s Over” and “Be the Light.” Both are fantastic songs that perfectly highlight just how well this ridiculous man sings. 

If you prefer songs with a higher BPM, Block B definitely has you covered. Bangers like “Jackpot,” “H.E.R,” “Nillili Mambo,” “NalinA,” “Very Good”(the Rough Version will always be my favorite), will all have you up and dancing or at the very least, would make a fantastic addition to a workout playlist. And yes, I am speaking from experience on this. “H.E.R” actually sits near the top of my running playlist and I always enjoy the boost it gives my mid-run tempo.

Like many K-Pop groups, Block B didn’t just perform as a single unit. They had a couple of sub-units, including my personal favorite, BASTARZ. Was the unit created by pulling random member’s names from a hat? Yes, yes it was. (Well, that was the story at the time anyway.) Did that matter to any of us? Not even a little bit! U-Kwon, B-Bomb, and P.O made a fantastic trio and “Zero for Conduct” still tops my list of favorites. (I’m adding the MV here but you’ll have to watch it on YouTube because the world is dumb.)

Of course you can’t forget about the group’s other sub-unit T2U, which was good, but never really took off the way anyone hoped it would. The same could be said of the members and their solo work. Most of them gave it a solid try but none were as successful as ZICO. Which does make sense, considering he’s not only a rapper but also a singer-songwriter and producer. (Yes, other members have production credits as well, I know, but I’m trying to keep this somewhat short so let’s just agree to leave it at that and move on.)

While I do love a lot of ZICO’s solo work, including “Boys and Girls,” “Eureka,” “I Am You, You Are Me,” and “She’s a Baby,” some of my all-time favorites are the collaborations he did with other artists. When he and Winner’s Mino teamed up on Show Me the Money 4, to bring us “Okey Dokey,” I lost my ever-loving mind! The same thing happened when he, Dean, and Crush teamed up as FANXY CHILD to bring us “Bermuda Triangle.” There’s just something magical that happens when ZICO and other artists pair up!

I know that there are a lot of us older K-Pop fans out there who can look back on these “older” days with fondness and a reminiscent smile. Those were good times, weren’t they? Collaborations were fun and collaborative performances were a genuine treat! Like the time Block B & BTS stormed the stage of the 2014 Mnet Asian Music Awards with a song and dance battle that will forever be engrained in our little brains.

If you were a fan of Block B, you remember the struggles the group faced, really, from the very beginning, and how every time they caught a bit of momentum, another tragedy of one sort or another seemed to strike and they’d have to start all over again. Honestly, being a BBC was always so difficult! Not because of the group, but because it seems like they just couldn’t ever catch a break. Still, their music was fun, their performances were fantastic, and they brought so many of us so much joy. To this day, my signed copy of Jackpot is one of my most prized possessions and I will forever have memories of the times I saw them live (and a very specific look from ZICO), floating around in my brain. *happy sigh*

For those of you who have no idea who this group is, please, go look them up! They might have been slightly rebellious and maybe a little too much for some people but honestly, that was exactly why the rest of us loved them. There’s just something about that edgy, bad boy persona that’s just so hard to resist, ya know?

As for those of you that loved Block B as much as I did, (BBC follow me!) I have to ask, which albums/songs/MVs/performances were your favorite? Who was/is your bias? Let me know! I’d love the chance to reminisce together!