Big Hit Entertainment To Acquire KOZ Entertainment Founded By Korean Super-Producer/Rapper Zico

SHANGHAI, CHINA – OCTOBER 17: South Korean rapper Zico Woo Ji-ho attends A.W.BVLGARI’S show on … [+] October 17, 2019 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images)

VCG via Getty Images

After filing to go public and confirming millionaires and a new billionaire at its company, Big Hit Entertainment has shared it’s in the process of acquiring another influential label in the Korean-music scene.

Big Hit Entertainment, the music label and management home to BTS and Tomorrow X Together, and its chairman and CEO Bang Si-Hyuk announced that the company is to acquire KOZ Entertainment which is the label founded by hip-hop superstar and producer Zico who has one of Korea’s biggest hits of 2020 with the viral single “Any Song.” The 28-year-old initially entered the industry as the leader of boy band Block B and has maintained a balance of underground hip-hop credibility along with the high interest like most K-pop idols.

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Only created in November 2018, KOZ Entertainment is a relatively young label to join the Big Hit label system that includes Source Music (home to chart-topping girl group GFriend) and Pledis Entertainment (that houses fellow mega-selling boy bands Seventeen and NU’EST). KOZ currently boasts a lineup including Zico as well as singer-songwriter Dvwn, who was recruited to the label last November and has collaborated with respected industry names like producer Giriboy and vocalist Cheeze.

Earlier this year, Zico appeared as a mentor and judge alongside Big Hit’s Bang Si-Hyuk on the boy-band singing competition show I-Land that created ENHYPEN in the first joint project between Big Hit and Korean-entertainment conglomerate CJENM.

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The CEOs of both companies shared their excitement and anticipation of the merger in a press release to the media.

“KOZ values artists and content, and strives for innovation in the music industry,” said KOZ CEO Yoo Seung Hyun. “Its philosophy is in line with that of Big Hit which is innovating the business model of the music industry. Under cooperation with Big Hit, we will continue to find talented artists and advance our global business.”

Meanwhile Big Hit’s Bang added, “I am happy to stand together with Korea’s top producer and artist Zico. I look forward to the success of KOZ artists in the global market through Big Hit’s global network and organized music production system…I look forward to the synergy that Big Hit and KOZ will create together.” Big Hit added in their release that “the deal is expected to pave way for Big Hit to expand on artist IP and production capacity.”

The news of the acquisition comes in a busy month for Big Hit as BTS readies their upcoming album Be dropping this Friday, November 20, led by the sentimental new single “Life Goes On.” Then ten days later, on November 30, ENHYPEN will release their debut album Border: Day One.