According to the Korea Herald, an industry source revealed that T.O.P is said to be in talks with CJ ENM about a potential exclusive contract to support his solo career.
Last month, the rapper shared his plans to return as a solo artist this year in a promotional interview for Squid Game with an international media agency.
After leaving YG Entertainment in 2022, T.O.P has not signed a contract with any management company.
"T.O.P is negotiating with CJ ENM on a solo contract, including a plan for a new solo album scheduled to be released in the second half of this year. But among global music distributors, CJ ENM is just one of many options he is considering, the source said.
CJ ENM is a large entertainment company in Korea, operating in the fields of film production, music, television...
CJ ENM owns subsidiaries in the music industry such as WakeOne Entertainment, Stone Music Entertainment. The company also operates Lapone Entertainment, a joint venture with Japanese conglomerate Yoshimoto Kogyo, which is known for producing Kpop groups with Japanese members.
It is not yet clear which CJ ENM subsidiary is participating in the negotiations with T.O.P.
When asked about this issue, a representative of CJ ENM stated: "There have been no negotiations regarding exclusive contracts or the return of T.O.P".
T.O.P parted ways with YG Entertainment in February 2022 after his exclusive contract ended after 16 years. In May 2023, the male rapper announced his departure from Big Bang, entering a new chapter in his life.
Since then, T.O.P has become a freelance artist and has not had any new music products. His most recent solo song was "Doom Dada," released in November 2013.
Last December, T.O.P made a surprise comeback on screen in Netflix's hit series "Squid Game 2" as a former rapper named "Thanos".
This is the first time T.O.P has appeared in public since he received a suspended sentence in 2017 for using marijuana.
In an interview with the Korean media earlier this year, T.O.P publicly apologized for the past incident and expressed his desire to continue his career.
For the past 10 years, I have only been back and forth between home and the studio. I have composed many songs. There is currently no exact release date yet, but I have a plan for the near future, T.O.P said in an interview in January.
Recently, T.O.P attracted attention when he was chosen as a promotional face for Korean content on Netflix worldwide.
Meanwhile, Big Bang will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year. Big Bang debuted in August 2006 with 5 members, then became one of the most influential Kpop groups in history.
After Seungri and T.O.P left the group one by one, Big Bang continued to perform with 3 members G-Dragon, Daesung and Taeyang. Last year, Big Bang returned with the song "Home Sweet Home", included in G-Dragon's solo album.
