B.I signs with American agency Wasserman… The Devil’s talent that made drug scandal fade away
Former iKON member B.I is continuing his activities despite the drug scandal.
B.I‘s agency IOK announced on Feb 17th, “B.I has recently signed a contract with Wasserman, a large American agency.”
Wasserman is an American agency in charge of numerous global artists such as Coldplay, Imagine Dragons, Ed Sheeran and Skrillex. B.I will be supported by Tom Windish, who has a strong influence within the American entertainment industry. B.I previously signed a management partnership with Transparent Arts. This time, he plans to spur global activities by joining hands with Wasserman.
Of course, domestic public opinion toward B.I is still cold. In 2019, B.I was embroiled in allegations of purchasing and inhaling LSD, then he withdrew from iKON and terminated his exclusive contract with YG Entertainment (hereinafter referred to as YG) as well. At the time, he denied drug charges, but admitted to smoking marijuana in the subsequent police investigation. In the process, suspicions arose that former YG CEO Yang Hyun-suk persuaded and threatened Han Seo-hee to reverse her statement about B.I.
In 2021, B.I was sentenced to 3 years in prison, 4 years of probation, 80 hours of community service, 40 hours of drug treatment lectures and an additional 1.5-million-won fine.
However, as he continued his activities by releasing albums despite the trial, criticisms whether he had “no self-reflection” rained down on him. After leaving iKON, he did not show any behavior that could be called “self-reflection”. Even after the sentence of probation was issued, B.I‘s agency announced the resumption of his activities, which sparked another controversy.
Nevertheless, his popularity abroad remains. Last month, he participated as the first Asian artist in GRAMMY.com’s performance series “Global Spin”. His first full-length album “Waterfall” released last year topped the iTunes albums chart in 24 regions around the world right after its release. It received good responses, including being selected as one of the “2021 Best K-Pop Songs and Albums” by Time magazine.
With popularity, his drug records are also blurred from memory, and only the bitterness is growing.
