One of a Kind (EP)

One of a Kind is the first extended play of South Korean singer-songwriter and rapper G-Dragon. It was released on September 15 digitally, and September 18 physically, through YG Entertainment.[1] The EP consists of seven songs all written or co-written, and co-composed by G-Dragon himself.[1]

One of a Kind
EP by
G-Dragon
ReleasedSeptember 15, 2012
Recorded2012
Genre
Length24:46
LanguageKorean
LabelYG
Producer
G-Dragon chronology
GD&TOP
(2010)		 One of a Kind
(2012)		 Coup d'Etat
(2013)
Singles from One of a Kind
  1. "One of a Kind"
    Released: August 24, 2012
  2. "That XX"
    Released: September 1, 2012
  3. "Crayon"
    Released: September 15, 2012
Alternative cover
Gold edition

Upon release, the album was a commercial success in South Korea.[2] It peaked atop the Gaon Albums Chart and on the Billboard World Albums Chart. The EP also entered the Billboard 200 peaking at number 161, making G-Dragon the first Korean soloist with a Korean-language album to enter that chart. As of 2017, the album has sold over 260,000 copies in his native country, making it the highest selling album by a Korean soloist since the release of his debut album Heartbreaker (2009).

Release and promotion

The lead single from the EP, "One of a Kind", was released on August 24.[3] "That XX" and "Crayon" were later released as second and third singles off the EP. Originally, the song "Without You" had a featuring first credited as "? from YG New Girl Group", when it was first announced that YG was starting a new girl group. Almost four years after the EP was released, the featuring vocals were revealed to be Rosé from said new girl group, Blackpink.[4]

G-Dragon held a live-stream to countdown to and celebrate the release of the EP through Naver's Line TV, with guests Lydia Paek, Taeyang, producer Choice37, and rapper-producer Tablo of Epik High.[5]

G-Dragon embarked on his first world tour, the One of a Kind World Tour, in support of the EP which marked the first time for a Korean soloist to hold a Japanese dome-arena tour. Many of his YG label-mates made special guest appearances on various stops throughout the tour, including his bandmates Big Bang, as well as 2NE1, Tablo, Lee Hi, and Akdong Musician. The tour began on March 30 and concluded on September 1, 2013, at Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Seoul, South Korea.

Critical reception

Allmusic reviewer David Jeffries gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, remarking while "few others would have the daring or money for his flashy wardrobe, [G-Dragon] deserves that swagger due to his talent as well". Jeffries complimented the production in the tracks "One of a Kind" and "Crayon", and compared the record to Lady Gaga's music, writing that the rapper took his "'little monster" attitude and did "some envelope pushing" with the EP.[6] Korean online magazine IZM included One of a Kind in their list of best albums of 2012, highlighting the variety of genres heard in the album, which included rock, hip hop and acoustic. IZM complimented G-Dragon's artistic direction and felt that the album brought the "recovery of swag and madness."[7]

Commercial performance

One of a Kind charted at number one on the Gaon Album Chart and became the best selling album of September, with 171,512 copies sold.[8] By the end of the year the EP had sold 204,326 copies, becoming the fourth best-selling album of 2012.[9] In 2013, the album sold additional 45,332 copies, and was the 43rd best selling album of the year.[10] In Taiwan, the album went platinum with over 10,000 copies sold.[11] In the United States, the album entered the Billboard 200 at number 161, making G-Dragon the fourth Korean artist to enter the chart. One of a Kind also topped the Billboard World Albums chart and peaked at number six on the Heatseekers chart.[12]

With only one day of sales, the songs from the album sold over 1 million digital copies combined,[13] and on the second week the songs sold 1.7 million copies.[14] As of August 2016, the album and its songs has sold over 8.2 million copies.

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsMusicArrangementLength
1."One of a Kind"G-Dragon
  • Choice37
  • G-Dragon
3:26
2."Crayon" (크레용; Keureyong)
  • Teddy
  • G-Dragon
Teddy3:17
3."Without You" (결국; Gyeolguk) (featuring Rosé)G-Dragon
  • G-Dragon
  • Ham Seung-cheon
  • Kang Uk-jin
  • Ham Seung-cheon
  • Kang Uk-jin
4:03
4."That XX" (그 XX; Geu XX)
  • G-Dragon
  • Teddy
  • Teddy
  • G-Dragon
  • Seo Won Jin
  • Teddy
  • G-Dragon
3:20
5."Missing You" (featuring Kim Yoon Ah)
  • G-Dragon
  • Teddy
  • G-Dragon
  • P.K
  • Teddy
P.K3:27
6."Today" (featuring Kim Jong Wan)G-Dragon
  • G-Dragon
  • Choice37
Choice373:39
7."Light It Up" (불 붙여봐라; Bul Butyeobwara) (featuring Tablo and Dok2)
  • G-Dragon
  • Tablo
  • Dok2
  • Teddy
  • Tablo
  • G-Dragon
  • Dok2
  • Teddy
  • G-Dragon
3:34
Total length:24:46

Charts and sales

Accolades
Year Award-Giving Body Category Result
2013 Seoul Music Awards Record of the Year[25] Won
Golden Disk Awards Digital Bonsang[26] Won
Korean Music Awards Best Dance/Electronic Album[27][28] Nominated
2012 Mnet Asian Music Awards Album of the Year[29] Nominated

Release history
Region Date Format Distributing Label Ref
Worldwide September 15, 2012 (2012-09-15) Digital download YG Entertainment [1]
South Korea September 18, 2012 (2012-09-18) CD
[30]
Taiwan October 12, 2012 (2012-10-12) Warner Music Taiwan [31]
Philippines December 15, 2012 (2012-12-15) Universal Records

References
  1. "G-Dragon - First Mini Album Tracklist". YG Life. 2012-09-03.
  2. http://www.allkpop.com/2012/09/g-dragons-tracks-from-one-of-a-kind-ep-dominates-real-time-music-charts
  3. "YG Yang Hyun Suk's Happy Dilemma, 'Psy or G-Dragon'". 2012-08-22. Retrieved 2012-09-09.
  4. "YG, 새 걸그룹 네번째 멤버 로제 공개..호주 출신 실력파..'강렬'". Retrieved 2016-08-15.
  5. "Watch G-Dragon's Count Down To 'One Of A Kind' EP Release". prefixmag.com. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  6. Jeffries, David. "One of a Kind - G-Dragon". AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  7. "2012년 올해의 가요 앨범". IZM Magazine (in Korean). Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  8. "2012년 09월 Album Chart". Gaon (in Korean). Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  9. "2012년 Album Chart". Gaon (in Korean). Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  10. "Gaon Chart - 2013". Gaon Chart. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  11. "G-Dragon's concert in Taiwan finished with a great success". Yahoo!. May 11, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  12. "G-Dragon Enters the Billboard 200 and Places First on the Billboard World Album Chart". Yahoo!. September 20, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2017.
  13. "2012년 38주차 Download Chart". Gaon (in Korean). Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  14. "2012년 39주차 Download Chart". Gaon (in Korean). Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  15. "2012年09月24日～2012年09月30日のCDアルバム週間ランキング (Oricon's Weekly chart for October 10th)" (in Japanese). Oricon. March 13, 2012.
  16. "2012년 39주차 Album Chart". Gaon (in Korean). Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  17. "2012년 09월 Album Chart". Gaon (in Korean). Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  18. "World Albums / Billboard.com". Billboard. March 8, 2012.
  19. "2013년 13주차 Album Chart". Gaon (in Korean). Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  20. "2013년 01월 Album Chart". Gaon (in Korean). Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  21. "2014년 01월 Album Chart". Gaon (in Korean). Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  22. "Gaon Album Chart 2015년 31월". Gaon (in Korean). Retrieved May 19, 2015.
  23. "Gaon Album Chart 2016년 08월". Gaon (in Korean). Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  25. "Winners from the '22nd Seoul Music Awards'". Allkpop. Retrieved 2013-01-31.
  26. "Winners from the 27th Golden Disk Awards (Day 2)". Allkpop. 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
  27. "KMA 2013 - Nominees List 1". KMA. 2013-01-29. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  28. "KMA 2013 - Nominees List 2". KMA. 2013-01-29. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
  29. "[MAMA] Nominees for the 2012 MAMA Announced". 2012 Mnet Asian Music Award. Mnet Media Corp. October 23, 2012. Archived from the original on December 26, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
  30. "GD* - One Of A Kind". Discogs. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  31. "G-Dragon/ One Of A Kind台灣獨占限定盤-天下大銅版(CD+台灣獨占贈品：G-Dragon PVC巨星偶像夾B款)" [G-Dragon/One of a Kind Taiwan Limited Edition] (in Chinese). G-Music. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
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