bapofficial:

hi, semi here! thought I’d make a post about 151115 for B.A.P fans who joined the fandom after the lawsuit. this will partly be factual, and partly my personal take on it.

B.A.P all filed a lawsuit on 27th November 2014, suing their company TS entertainment for:

• not paying them properly and no transparency in the company of where their profits were actually going
• overworking the members to the point where they had to go to the hospital, and were then being made to leave it (after paying the fees themselves!!) early to perform
• damage to their mental and physical health
• no free time or social life / time to see family
• excessive number of (very expensive!!) overseas concerts to milk out international fans’ pockets (the cheapest LOE ‘14 London ticket was £89! for a 2-year-old group!! fun story: my naive 15-year-old self messaged the B.A.P Facebook page raising my concerns over this hahahahahdsdsfd they never replied lol) instead of giving B.A.P exposure in Korea apart from music show promotions (does this sound familiar?)
• concerts being planned without the members even knowing etc
• more detailed info here!

personally, before the lawsuit I wasn’t that involved in the fandom itself and instead followed B.A.P attentively but from afar. I remember being really surprised to see TS cancel a leg of the LOE ‘14 tour for the members’ health, thinking that TS was a good company for paying attention to that. but now that I think about it, for TSent to cancel concerts (£££) makes me think it must have been really bad. 

the lawsuit period flipping sucked. minimal updates from the members, who probably had enough shit on their plates without going on social media; honestly to think about it, we get so restless if we don’t hear from them for a few days, so imagine weeks/months. no news apart from shitty news of TS postponing courts (with my non-existent legal knowledge, I feel like they were trying to drain B.A.P of money or ??? something idk but they must have gained something from dragging it out and making everyone else so frustrated). it was just a dark time of uncertainty, and with each passing month, the possibility of B.A.P coming back to the k-pop scene together was becoming less likely. I originally cheered B.A.P on when I first read the news of the lawsuit, being proud of them for standing up for themselves against injustice, presuming they’d be able to pull a Block B and find a new company soon enough. but as time went on (Yongguk released AM 4:44 and Zelo released No Title in around April/May 2015, voicing their frustration too), I started to realise it wasn’t going to happen. “I miss bap”, “where did bap go”, “it’s so sad about bap” etc etc… 

the news of B.A.P returning to TS ent on 1st August was a strange surprise. on the one hand, a lot of us were really happy at the prospect of B.A.P being back! but on the other, how could we be sure that TS wouldn’t mistreat the members again? B.A.P insisted that they talked things over with the company and that things are now better, and though TS continues to show signs of profit-oriented use of the group (eg two world tours in two years! wtf!), and just general poor management and lack of thought/communication, B.A.P chose to go back for a reason, and I trust their reasoning. being a person who generally sees the best in things, I just sat on my bed half-stunned and blasted their most badass songs at the highest volume, finally being able to thoroughly enjoy their music again without feelings about the lawsuit nagging at me. from what I can see, there are still definite improvements to how B.A.P are treated:

• more free time 
• better pay, if some members having cars/scooters (lmao) and going on holiday is anything to go by
• Yongguk and Daehyun being able to have their own homes, and Zelo being able to move back in with his family, and the other three moving into a better apartment. in the early days, all 6 members used to sleep in one room!!
• they’re going to be releasing their third full album soon!!!
• member solo activities: Daehyun acting in musicals, Youngjae being a host for The Show, Yongguk and Zelo working on their own music, etc
• Yongguk given a break from all activities for a few months to focus on his mental health

so anyway, B.A.P announced that they’d be making their comeback with their 4th mini album Matrix on 16th of November 2015, but on the 15th they’d hold a comeback showcase. they made a V App channel, had a live video of them literally standing there in their matoki suits, bodies completely covered…..and it was the most wonderful feeling watching them all together again. you really don’t fully appreciate what you have until it goes. their matrix showcase was aired live on V App so everyone could watch B.A.P stand together on stage for the first time in almost a year. I’m not exaggerating when I say it was one of the most surreal and happy days of my life to see and feel what I never thought I’d experience ever again. I woke up in the middle of the night to watch them singing again, and looking so happy to be back doing what they love. after such a miserable period of time, 151115 marked a fresh page to a new history of better things. it’s the symbol of their rebirth into the B.A.P we know now.

some people these days will complain about how the lawsuit damaged B.A.P’s popularity and success etc, and they’re right: it did. disappearing for months (not years!! people exaggerate how long the hiatus was) at such a crucial time of rapid change in the k-pop industry lost them many fans, but what would the alternative have been? a popular, successful B.A.P who were being worked to death on a minimal wage, singing on stage about social justice when they had none themselves? no matter what, I’m extremely proud of B.A.P for taking action and I’m glad that they did. the journey was bumpy (and often still is), but it’s still much better than what it was before. we shouldn’t focus so much on all these ‘lost fans’ and ignore the fact that B.A.P have been active for the last two years, gaining new fans and making new music and memories.

B.A.P continues to grow: it’s clear how much they improve with each and every comeback (see: line distribution). TS still sucks, but a tiny bit less than before (seriously though if they announce another world tour in 2018 I will go over there and slap a bitch). but yeah, most importantly, B.A.P is back! and has been now for exactly 2 years! they’re back and they’re here and they’re amazing and I love them and I’m so proud to call myself their fan :’)