Known for his ruthless style and straightforward approach to criticizing society, Cho PD was once called the representative 'bad boy' of the Korean music industry.� However, by acting as a judge on audition programs and even producing his own rookie group, he's taken one step closer to the public with a gentler image. When the industry was losing its footing due to the influx of 'hook songs' that were flooding the market, Cho PD gave the industry a breath of fresh air with a song titled "Friend" by Insooni.� He's one of the few musicians in Korea that says what he wants, so after receiving a rare interview opportunity with the man himself, BNT News did not hesitate to ask what he's been up to.� With a hearty laugh, he replied, "I was just a company employee." Cho PD continued, "I've already finished my album, but it's taken the backseat for the past four to five years for Block B.�It was supposed to be released around November of 2010 but it was postponed for Block B's debut schedule. I'm going to have to release it no matter what this year." When asked whether fans can expect another 'national hit' like "Friend", he replied, "Everyone's anticipating something of that style, but it's not.�I've taken a long time preparing it so I'm thinking of releasing three albums at once.�It has a lot of the same colors as my first and second albums." - Earlier, the hypocrisy surrounding evaluations for lyrics by public broadcast networks became a hot topic. With that said, will his next album contain the ruthless lyrics and societal criticisms that he's so known for? When carefully asked, he revealed, "Broadcast networks have their own standards, so it's something I take into consideration when writing lyrics.�They're an interest group, so I can understand why they feel the need to have their own rules, but I definitely think it's nonsense for a third party outside of the networks to raise problems with lyrics." Not being able to express what you want in your own album is a form of oppression in itself.�How did he handle it?�Without hesitation, he replied, "I just put a parental advisory sticker on. Honestly, Block B also ran into some trouble with their lyrics during evaluations, but it wasn't anything worth worrying about.�But as the members and the fanbase they're catering to are both young, it wasn't easy for me to just put that sticker on them. Since the opinions of the company and members are important, I took them into consideration."

At the mention of his stance on the monopolization of copyright rights, he revealed, "There's something the industry does out of habit, and I feel like the problems aren't being addressed and are just being let go.�It's definitely time that we clear out the air.�It's important for me to protect our artists, and I don't want our kids working in an environment like that, which is why I'm really nailing it in." Speaking of headlines and controversy, MBC's "I Am a Singer" is also at the center of the attention, and Cho PD headlined for praising Im Jae Bum on his Twitter. "I was originally going to ask Im Jae Bum-ssi to feature in a track for me around 2010, but I lost the timing while working on Block B.�He was already famous, but now that he's even more famous, I blamed myself for being lazy even as I was writing that tweet." When asked whether he would join the program if he could, he replied with a laugh, "My wife tells me to try it but I haven't been asked yet.�Since it is based on vocal talent alone, I won't be a sought after contestant, but I'm quite confident with my singing if I do say so myself (laughter).�I'd like to show my wife that side of me, but for now I'm focused entirely on Block B." To conclude the interview, he was asked his thoughts on artists having a two week life span in the market.� "I did notice it when I looked at the Korean music industry alone, but now I think that the Korean market is just fast paced period.�Hallyu is getting so big and it's garnering a lot of international fans.�The period of� being trained and debuting falls under the preparation period, and I think they eventually bloom as flowers internationally.�It's something that's come about because of the influx of new artists, so I'm not too upset about or disappointed about it." Source + Photos: BNT News