Released March 19, 2015
Track Listing
- Welcome to Wondaland (Intro)
- Hello Happy feat. Yoo Heeyeol
- Half Time
- Buckubucku feat. EE, Rap Monster of BTS & Dino-J
- Love Fortune
- Make It Last
- Hollywho feat. Dok2
- Rebel Music
- Bang Diggy Bang Bang
- Yes Yes Y’all Dance (performed by Seo Jordan)
- Angel
- 6am
- ForePlay feat. Sonnet Son
- Let It Go feat. Yong Junhyung of Beats
- Love and Peace feat. Jeon Inkwon
- BizzyTigerYoonmirae (Smells & Reno Remix)
- Buckubucku (Clean Version)
Review
MFBTY (My Fans Better Than Yours) is a Korean hip-hop group consisting of Korea’s hip-hop couple Tiger JK and Yoon Mirae, but also Bizzy, who has been a part of the Drunken Tiger group along with Tiger JK since 2008. As a collective, MFBTY has put out music before, with Sweet Dream, The Cure, and Angel (which also appears on MFBTY). Now they have come together once again to put out a full-length album.
For the most part, the album is a success. The trio has cultivated the chemistry seen in their earlier releases. It shows in the various genres of music they delve into. Tracks like Hello Happy or Love Fortune feature R&B elements, Bang Diggy Bang Bang goes the Bollywood route, and Love and Peace show off their reggae ability. I was quite surprised they didn’t do an album of straight-up hip-hop. It ended up being a positive. It’s a testament to the trio to be willing to try something new and have the skill to execute it. But for those who are seeking straight-up hip-hop, MFBTY has that in spades.
Hollywho is Pay Day 2.0, which is a great thing. Rebel Music is also here to provide the head-bobbing music people expect to hear from the group. Not to mention Buckubucku, while it may not sound as mean or have the same bass as Monster, but is certainly in the same vein. If reading about the group’s experimental tracks worried you, there’s no need. They still have the ability to take your head off.
There are some downsides to the album. After my first full listen to the album, during subsequent listens to the album, I found that Make It Last and Let It Go were the tracks I ended up skipping. They fall flat, especially when looking at the highs of the album. 6 am isn’t a bad song by any means, but it didn’t do much for me on this album. Also, having a clean version of Buckubucku is a nice touch and a gracious addition for DJs who want to spin that song, but it makes the run-time for the album longer than it should be. Removing those three songs would have made the album much tighter and more of a cohesive piece of work.
My biggest gripe with the album is the number of guest features. It’s great to see so many people contribute to the project, and it certainly adds to the album’s eclectic nature, but MFBTY already has three strong and distinctive voices and styles. Having so many guests was unnecessary. Having one or two guests are fine, but having so many other voices clouded the project rather than enhancing it.
Despite the shortcomings, WondaLand is solid front-to-back. It plays with the expectations one would have come into the album with. WondaLand gives MFBTY a strong base to build off. There’s no reason why any future music from the group should fail to excite.
