"Effortless" and "relentless" might describe G-Dragon's characteristic swagger in the music video for "Too Bad," a t effort with Anderson .Paak that premiered alongside G-Dragon's new album Übermensch. In the relatively short space of time since its debut, "Too Bad" has earned the prestigious achievement of a "Perfect All-Kill," meaning it's reached number one on the real-time, daily and weekly charts over in Korea. Few artists have managed this remarkable feat; G-Dragon's former group BIGBANG claims the second-highest number of songs to earn a Perfect All-Kill. G-Dragon himself: tied for fourth.

All of that to say, even casual K-Pop listeners will probably be aware of G-Dragon's presence on the scene: A Hip-Hop-loving quadruple threat (producer, rapper, singer, dancer) whose tenure stretches back decades, G-Dragon's status has never been overshadowed by any of the controversies he's found himself in, although there have been plenty. The recent release Übermensch too falls under the specter of misfortune that seems to follow G-Dragon's career—but the release, from its conceptual foundation to its artistic execution, is a work of genius everybody should check out.

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The controversy starts with the concept of Übermensch itself. The term, alternatively translated into English as "overman" or "superman" (and indeed the inspiration for the superhero of the same name), arose from the works of Friedrich Nietzsche. For Nietzsche—with some important caveats—the "Übermensch" referred to a kind of human who, rather than taking the values (i.e., what's good or bad, worthwhile and worthless, etc.) provided by their society, determines the values of things for themselves. Making a long story short, the Nazi regime embraced Nietzsche's writings into its own philosophy.

For his own part, Nietzsche's distaste of antisemitism and nationalism in his own lifetime is well-documented. The historical record intertwining Nietzsche and the Nazis is prolifically studied by 20th-century post-war scholars of Nietzsche and the later philosophers he inspired.

Back to G-Dragon: The first real demonstration of G-Dragon's intended direction for the album came alongside the single "POWER," which kicks off with the transparent line "When GD's in the house—Übermensch." Afterward, hype for the album slowly grew. "Home Sweet Home," a gift to BIGBANG's fans featuring fellow Daesung and Taeyang, would be performed alongside "POWER" during G-Dragon's performance at MAMA 2024. This was followed by a trickle of teasers announcing the comeback album's apparent title, Übermensch. Aside from "Home Sweet Home" and "POWER," the other tracks were kept under tight wraps.

The teasers drew out the ire (or, at least, the caution) of fans, who noted unfortunate parallels to Neo-Nazi imagery. First, the promotional materials incorporated Fraktur, a German font family. G-Dragon's prevalent Germanic fascination raised questions (although Fraktur was actually banned by the Nazi party). Secondly, this font was used in tandem with 88, G-Dragon's birth year. The K-Pop artist has long professed a fascination with the number eight, being born on August 18, 1988; unfortunately, that number has been adopted by Neo-Nazi groups as code for "Heil Hitler" (it represents "HH," with "H" being the 8th letter of the alphabet).

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Looking beyond icks and perceived improprieties, though, G-Dragon's theme for the album makes total sense. He had, in his own words, summed up the concept of "Übermensch":

Übermensch means ‘Beyond-Man,’ representing an individual who transcends themselves. This album embodies the idea of presenting a stronger and more resilient version of oneself to the public. I hope this strength resonates with my fans through my music (via Billboard).

G-Dragon's love affair with Nietzsche stretches deeper, too. Nietzsche is a writer who was, purposely, all over the place—a "throw it at the wall and see what sticks" approach. What "sticks" says more about the reader's sympathies than Nietzsche himself. For G-Dragon, who has posted several excerpts from Nietzsche on social media over the years, what "stuck" appears to be a reading that would thwart and undermine any suspicions of nationalistic sympathies. For example, one since-deleted excerpt posted on Instagram and archived by K-Pop news site Koreaboo reads:

Bet On Your Ideals, Not The Country’s

The nation will put its survival as its first priority and the key to national interest is what maintains the country. And with the justification of achieving the ultimate goal, it has the tendency to sanctify disgusting and inhumane behaviors. However, it is unfounded that the national goal is to maintain the country. That’s because only those who are blinded to their own interests gather in the power system of the state. Therefore, you do not have to throw away your ideals or change your values for the sake of the country. Rather, it is more fulfilling to sacrifice the nation in order to achieve your own ideals.

Given this post emerged during G-Dragon's mandatory military service, there's an obvious context to it. But when one considers, for example, that "POWER" was released in cooperation with a Palestinian-owned record label, or GD's willingness to experiment with and defy gender norms in the name of fashion, what's clear is that G-Dragon sympathizes with causes typically considered left-wing. Naturally, this puts him far and away from the fascist connections some fans seem to be drawing.

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Considering that "power" is a concept deeply embedded in Nietzschean philosophy, G-Dragon seems to have a rich appreciation for Nietzsche's thought and its nuances. Few tracks so effortlessly show how Nietzsche conceptualizes power, and what he means by "overcoming," like "DRAMA," which is a thinly veiled song about an abusive relationship. Although the lyrics don't put this front and center, his performance on M COUNTDOWN, where his makeup evokes the visage of someone who has been physically battered, drives the idea home. On their own, the vocoder woo-wees are an ethereal layer, but in musical context—say, the recent disbanding of Daft Punk—they evoke a roboticism: a total depersonalization trying to satisfy, well, "a drama queen who got it from [their] mama."

It's not "DRAMA" alone that represents Nietzschean overcoming, but the fact that "DRAMA" comes immediately after "Too Bad" and before "IBELONGIIU" ("I Belong 2 U"). In the face of this traumatic experience, G-Dragon, as the narrator, possesses the ability to pick himself up—to find himself in bad situations, overcome them, and go on to seek love again. The raw but encumbered sensuality of the later "BONAMANA," in translation, suggests that such experiences don't have to lead one to dissolve their feelings or sensuality, nor abandon one's capacity for nuance in situations that are "bad" in other ways.

Übermensch has received mixed reviews. While some critics and fans have hailed it as the pinnacle of G-Dragon's artistry, others find it lackluster, problematic, or—possibly worst of all—mundane. Perhaps it's unfair to compare Übermensch to Lisa's hotly anticipated solo album but, given the proximity, the comparison feels appropriate. Where Lisa's Alter Ego has faced accusations of being a cynical production overcrowded by features, G-Dragon's Übermensch is a living, breathing statement, full of truly fascinating production decisions, of where G-Dragon stands as an artist—and where his ambitions lie relative to the K-Pop industry writ large, whose mores he seems eager to overcome.