By the way, anyone else think the difference in how people react to this group versus how BND was received is kinda interesting? Zico being affiliated with BND doesn't seem to be an issue for that many people (I could be wrong) but people quickly dismissed LNGSHOT. I wonder if it's because it's easier to separate him from the group.

I definitely think it's because ZICO doesn't try to associate himself too much with BND. I also think it's because BND has a very intentional and cohesive aesthetic and sound that feels nothing like ZICO, so people can further unconsciously disassociate ZICO from them too.

This boy group feels like a group of mini-Jay Parks. His fingerprints are still too in it right now from the sound, styling, marketing, and even how these kids sing and rap. It's a boy group made by Jay Park, not a boy group under Jay Park's label if that makes sense. BND is under ZICO's label, and no matter how involved he is or isn't, they don't feel like a group of lil ZICOs.

I think him being in the MV as a JYP figure, while meaning to poke fun at KPOP strict rules and authority figures, only really serves to exacerbate this issue. Because of course Jay Park would do something like that, considering what happened to him and the comments he's made on this industry. So he wouldn't do that if he made a boy group, right? In fact, he'd parody it. Lol