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Rapper D. Ark has formally exited the South Korean record label and entertainment agency P-Nation almost a year after signing with them in December 2020.
The 17-year-old Korean-Chinese rapper, also known as Kim Woo Rim, first came into the limelight as a contestant in MNet’s rap competition, Show Me the Money 777, which aired in 2018. Two years later, D. Ark made his debut under P-Nation’s banner, with the single "Potential", which was well-received.
D. Ark had been involved in numerous controversies before his exit from P-Nation
On November 12, P-Nation, founded by South Korean legend Psy, announced D. Ark’s exit from the label, stating that their contract had come to an end.
P-Nation said,
"We would like to notify you that our exclusive contract with D.Ark has come to an end. D.Ark is an artist with great musical potential and talent. We would like to bless D.Ark wholeheartedly in his future music endeavors from now on, and we will cheer him on as an artist."
While several people claimed that D. Ark had been kicked out of the agency, given the various controversies, the rapper himself came forward to state that it was not the case, and the contract reportedly ran out. P-Nation and D. Ark chose not to renew it.
Ever since the beginning of his career, the young rapper has been embroiled in a number of controversies. At the time of Show Me the Money 777, D. Ark was accused of rape by his ex-girlfriend. The rapper, though, addressed the controversy by calling it a misunderstanding between the couple. Things eventually died down, and D. Ark signed up with P-Nation in December of 2020.
In September 2021, though, the underage rapper got involved in another scandal. D. Ark came under fire for posting a picture on his Instagram account showing several glasses of beer along with food. The legal age of drinking in South Korea is 19, and the 17-year-old was evidently underage. The singer got a lot of flak from netizens, forcing him to come up with an explanation. The glasses of beer, D. Ark stated, were not his.
He said,
"This is D.Ark. This past Instagram update was a picture I took at the dinner with two producers, who ordered beers. After realizing that I have done something wrong I promptly deleted the picture and I just wanted to share the brothers' world. I will reflect upon my actions and will be more careful from now on. I apologize."
While P-Nation has not stated the reason for not renewing the contract, several fans of the rapper found it strange, given that it had not even been a year since D. Ark was signed. Several have come out in support of the young idol, and have accused the agency of being too harsh on him, given how the beer incident was misunderstood.
Prior to his untimely exit, D.Ark was all set to join P-Nation’s first K-Pop boy group, which is expected to debut in 2022.
