B.A.P’s ‘Young, Wild & Free’ Music Video & Song Review

It was a painstaking 12 months for B.A.P’s B.A.B.Y’s world wide, but all the frowns were turned upside down when the K-pop group announced their official comeback for November 15^th. Fans were on massive pins and needles waiting as teasers were dropped weeks before “Young, Wild & Free” was released. Was the grueling anticipation all worth it? Let’s find out!

Meaning

Even if the sun sets and the darkness comes, keep running til the end.

What’s your goal in life? Happiness? Success? Love? Whatever it may be, there’s no reason as to why you can’t achieve it, that’s what B.A.P is telling us. Maybe you’ll get it right in just one try or maybe you’ll fail 99 times before finally succeeding on the 100^th try. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how you get there; the most important thing is that you get there. Don’t let your past failures cast shade on your potentially brighter future. Even if you feel like all the doors of opportunity have closed, just keep knocking because sooner or later one will open up and that’ll be that one that’ll lead you right to where you should be.

The song is retrospection on the part of B.A.P It’s been a long journey for them. From the cancellation of their South American leg of their “Live On Earth” tour late last year to filing a contract nullification lawsuit against TS Entertainment nullifying their contracts shortly afterwards, they’ve had a hard time. Only to then face what looked like a grim future, one in which everyone was questioning if they’d ever perform as six again. Whether you’re a fan or not, you’re probably aware that B.A.P is an exceedingly hard working group, one that made multitudes of music in a relatively short amount of time. They’ve been worked to the bones and continue to work just as hard, if not harder, despite all the drama that’s occupied their lives in the last year. B.A.P probably had a few more darker days than they did bright ones during their hiatus but here they are, a year later, bouncing right back into action.

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Song

Leader Bang Yongguk is extremely hands on when it comes to the production that goes into B.A.P’s music. Being the lyricist that he is, Yongguk always makes sure to include the most eye opening of verses. The phrase “young, wild and free” can be used in a number of ways. For most people it’s like the catchphrase “yolo” which means “you only live once.” When one uses the term “yolo” it usually correlates to a situation(s) in which that person is doing whatever, anything and everything, with no set boundaries nor any worries of what the outcome may be, whether it be bad or good.

In B.A.P’s case, their title track “Young, Wild & Free” takes on a deeper meaning than that. This is their anthem, their “surprise, we’re back” jab at those who thought they were completely done for but also a “sorry, it took us so long” for the fans who waited and believed in their return. This song could’ve started off just like any other song, but instead, they decided that it was best to hit the listeners with all the feels at the very beginning by including Himchan’s touching monologue “but we took each others’ hands again, and the six of us prepared to stand on our own two feet and run again without falling down.” B.A.P sure knows how to get the momentum rolling, seeing as it never once stopped in this song.

“Young, Wild & Free” sounded all too familiar and yet very different at the same time. This has always been the kind of genre B.A.P was known for; “Warrior,” “No Mercy,” “Excuse Me,” and “Bang x2” all played around with the same pop and rock infused concepts, as does this song. Maybe it’s because we’ve always been so spoiled by never having to wait this long in between releases that we started to forget what B.A.P’s sound was like. No worries though because they made sure to refresh our memory with this track. The song is a bit edgier with the incorporation of nu-metal, which adds a nice little zing to this comeback.

The rap in the song was especially exciting. I’m always waiting on Yongguk’s exhilarating rap verses and the usual in your face force because I know he won’t disappoint and he never does. Similarly, with every comeback Zelo surprises listeners with his various rapping styles. Although I was waiting for his notorious LTE raps to pop up, his new rapping style was just as good, adding an interesting twist to the song. Yongguk has always been the one that’s known for his low baritone, in speech and rapping, so I was a bit taken aback when I heard how deep Himchan’s masculine voice got as he bounced in between the other members.

Of course, every group has their vocalists and although Daehyun and Youngjae are both the group’s main and lead vocalists, Daehyun is usually the one singing the higher octaves and belting out the more strenuous notes. However, Youngjae shone the brightest in this song between the three minute twenty-five second and three minute and thirty-six second mark when he swooned all the B.A.B.Y’s hearts with his refreshing and surprisingly velvety scales. What was pleasing about “Young, Wild & Free” is that instead of highlighting the vocal skills in which we already knew Daehyun and Youngjae have, the parts were more so evenly dispersed, which in return shed light on Jongup’s new and improved vocals. Rather than giving one member more lines, each member sang more memorable parts, even though they were shortened lines.

Videography

Wait, what’s that lioness doing there? Is that a purple Lamborghini? This may not be a $900,000 production like their “One Shot” music video but, holy cow, TS Entertainment sure didn’t hold back with this comeback!

First off, let’s briefly talk about how much B.A.P as a whole has matured and grown. Given the circumstances that they were in this recent year, these guys had no other choice but to grow up and get it together. But even prior to all of their contract issues, B.A.P has always been a bit more sensible than others. But really, let’s take a good look at how much these handsome guys have blossomed! The members have shed their youthful images and traded it in for an upgraded manlier image. Call Youngjae baby face no more since all his cheek fat is gone. And Jongup’s jawline is so sharp he might accidently cut you, hopefully not though. The director knew exactly what he was doing with all these angled profile headshots; he was out to break some hearts, that’s what. The stern stares, intense gazes and one-sided smirks are deadly enough to give one a heart attack!

Even though the entirety of the music video was filmed indoors, the sets were very open and minimalistic which in return allowed the members to run freely and move about. The music video didn’t have that generic indoor boxed up feeling like some other videos out there. There was simplicity with each set, aside from that lioness and Lambo. But besides the presence of those two things, there’s wasn’t an abundance of unnecessary props.

Like the song, instead of focusing solely on individual members, screen time was very much shared throughout the filming. There were a few snippets of each member during their one-liners, but they were all relatively quick; as soon as the members line ended, the camera would quickly change over to the group shots. A majority of the music video is of B.A.P together, as one, frolicking around and having some real genuine fun. It honestly wouldn’t be surprising if it were their prerogative to have as many scenes together as possible in this music video. Although the dancing machines Jongup and Zelo had their fair share of dance breaks, it’s a rare sight to see a B.A.P music video with little to no group choreography. But at the same time, it’s also just as heartwarming to see the members spending as much screen time together as possible, to display their unity, to show that B.A.P is indeed one.

Aside from “Crash” and “Stop It”, the rest of B.A.P’s music videos have always showcased a more serious and tough image. “Young, Wild & Free” is just as compelling as their previous works but with the incorporation of the spray painting and colorful powder scenes, it allowed B.A.P to also show off their more sentimental sides. The members started off this music video as assertive looking men, to them then channeling their inner eight year olds at the chance of wrecking a room with paint. But I guess everyone’s inner child unleashes when given the freedom to go wild spraying paint everywhere! B.A.P really is “Young, Wild & Free.”

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Overall Thoughts

Even though the last 12 months have been a whirlwind of emotions, rather heart wrenching at times, the eagerness for B.A.P’s comeback never subsided, if anything it only escalated. What started off as a potential never-ending battle between B.A.P and their label TS Entertainment has finally ended. B.A.P showed their harmony as a group more than ever through “Young, Wild & Free.” This is their homecoming. The members are screaming loud and proud, declaring to the world that “if we’re together we can do anything, I know we better together.” So don’t expect them to go anywhere!

Was the wait worth it? Share your thoughts in the comment section below and be sure to subscribe to the site and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr to keep up with all of our posts.