[Comprehensive] Maket Lane Rappers 'Nafla, Loopy, Blue, Owen, Young West' Caught Smoking Marijuana... Agency "Taking Responsibility"

On the 19th, Channel A's 'News A' reported that five rappers?Nafla, Loopy, Blue, Owen, and Young West?were caught by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Narcotics Investigation Division for marijuana smoking charges.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] It has come as a shock that famous rappers Napla (real name Choi Seok-bae, 28) and Loopy (real name Lee Jin-yong, 33), who took first and second place respectively on the hip-hop competition program Mnet's 'Show Me the Money 777,' were later revealed to have been caught on suspicion of marijuana use. Their agency, Maket Rain Records, expressed their apology, stating, "We deeply acknowledge our responsibility."

The fact that they smoked marijuana was made public on the 19th when Channel A's 'News A' reported, "Five rappers including Napla, Loopy, Blue, Owen, and Young West were caught by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Narcotics Investigation Division on suspicion of marijuana use."

Nafla and Loopy, who won first and second place on Show Me the Money.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Napla, Loopy, Owen, Blue, Young West booked on charges of violating drug control laws

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Narcotics Investigation Division booked five rappers affiliated with Maket Rain Records?Napla, Loopy, Owen, Young West, and Blue?last September on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act. They are suspected of smoking marijuana at their agency's studio and other locations between August and September of last year.

After detecting drug-related suspicions involving some of them, the police conducted a search of the agency. As a result, positive drug test results were reportedly found in hair and urine samples from Napla and Loopy.

Subsequently, the prosecution took over the case and indicted Young West among the five in July. Napla, Loopy, Blue, and Owen received suspended prosecution considering they were first-time offenders.

When news of the rappers being investigated for drug charges broke, the agency and the rappers' names rose to the top of Naver's real-time search rankings, drawing public attention.

Rapper Owen. Photo by Owen Instagram capture.

Maket Rain Records: "All members admit wrongdoing and reflect... We feel a heavy responsibility"

On the same day, Maket Rain Records issued an official statement acknowledging, "All of our affiliated artists were investigated last year on suspicion of marijuana smoking."

However, Maket Rain stated, "During the police investigation, all artists sincerely cooperated with the necessary legal procedures and tested negative in urine tests," adding, "In this process, they admitted to smoking marijuana in 2019, and in July, the case was finally given a suspended prosecution decision, while Young West is currently undergoing trial."

They also said, "All members sincerely admit their wrongdoing, deeply regret it, and are reflecting on their actions," and "Our agency also deeply acknowledges the heavy responsibility for this unfortunate incident."

Maket Rain emphasized, "We have prepared recurrence prevention measures and internal disciplinary plans at the agency level to ensure such incidents do not happen again, and we will respond strongly going forward."

They further stated, "Currently, not only the management but also the internal management system has been completely overhauled, and we are closely monitoring and managing the private lives of each artist."

Rapper Blue. Photo by Blue Instagram capture.

'Show Me the Money 777' Napla, Loopy, 'Downtown Baby' Blue, 'Show Me the Money Season 9' Owen

Napla and Loopy gained recognition by taking first and second place respectively on Mnet's 'Show Me the Money 777,' which aired in 2018.

Blue recently attracted attention as the original artist of 'Downtown Baby,' sung by Lee Hyori on MBC's 'How Do You Play?'. Thanks to this, 'Downtown Baby' climbed to the top of music charts two and a half years after its release, achieving a reverse hit.

Notably, Owen appeared as a contestant on the first episode of 'Show Me the Money Season 9,' which aired on the 16th. Owen received praise for being "definitely different in skill from other contestants" and easily passed the first preliminary round. However, with the revelation of the drug charges, changes in his future appearances and screen time are expected.

Mnet stated regarding Owen's marijuana use allegations, "We had no knowledge of this." In response to criticism about negligence in verifying contestants, they explained, "Since we are not an investigative agency, it is difficult to know such matters in advance." Mnet is currently discussing measures to be taken for future broadcasts and VOD services.

Meanwhile, netizens who learned of the news expressed reactions such as "It's very disappointing as a fan," "Why would they do it knowing it's illegal?" and "I was listening to Napla's songs after work, and this is shocking."