[Single Review] CL "The Baddest Female"
When it came to CL's solo debut, there was pretty much only one way it could go- the self-proclaimed "baddest female" had to show us that she could uphold the title all on her own. In a lot of ways, she proves it just by daring to step out as a soloist. The media, netizens, and even her own CEO have taken shots at her, needlessly reminding her that they found her unattractive. In fact, in an interview she even stated that2NE1's "Ugly" was written based on her own feelings and experiences. WhenCLcomes out and says "I'm the baddest female", or (to paraphrase a lyric from the song) 'I've got a killer smile, and if you don't like it, it's your loss', it's not an act of arrogance, but an act of defiance. She's saying that she is good enough exactly as she already is, and then she goes on to prove it by sending her song racing up the charts.
Musically, "The Baddest Female" isn't all that exciting- it's in the same vein asG Dragon's "One of a Kind", but not as intense. That said, while "Baddest Female" has definitely been done before by left-of-mainstream (Western female hip-hop artists in recent years) it's a style that hasn't really crossed over to mainstream K-Pop until now. So it clearly stands out against the rest of the idol market. It may not be the most forward-thinking single on a global scale, but since the style was bound to show up in K-Pop eventually, CL will at least have the bragging rights to have done it first. If anything, with the attention it's getting on western news sites andFuseTV, this single could be a much bigger step towards2NE1's long, long, long awaited stateside debut than their feature on will.i.am's underwhelming and entirely non-promoted "Gettin' Dumb".
It's reallyCL's identity that shines throughout the song, from her laid-back, tongue-in-cheek attitude to her ever-changing fashion to the many, many 2NE1 title references throughout the song. "Baddest Female" isn't all that musically exciting, but that's kind of the point- it takes a backseat to CL's persona, and when she gets that right, she gets it really right. She's cool, she's confident, and she's unapologetic about who she is.
Oddly enough, for a song that is supposed to be very much aboutCLand how great she is, the last forty five seconds of the video appear to take place in some generic, run-down corner that wouldn't exist in Korea. CL grew up relatively well-off in Korea, France, and Japan- why not choose an environment that's representative of her life to let her shine, instead of coming up with some false and generic ghetto that doesn't have anything to do with her? This attempt to manufacture some kind of street cred, which undercuts just how cool she is all on her own.
CL's quite a character, and "Baddest Female" makes that abundantly clear. Not everyone will appreciate it, but CL's never been about trying to win over the haters- why pay any attention to them when she's got so many fans to keep her company?