While writing the songs for the then-untitled album, leader G-Dragon and lead rapper T.O.P began to break away to collaborate on their GD & T.O.P project.

— G-Dragon[5]After nearly two-year hiatus, BigBang made their comeback in South Korea in February 2011 which kicked off with their annual concert, Big Show 2011.

[8] The performance has been hailed as "sensual and stylish" as well as "luxurious" by Lee Soo-yeon of Newsen[6] while it was called "fresh and bold" by Yonhap News, which also went on to state that "Big Bang has come back brilliantly.

"[9] Park Young-gun of the Star News also applauded the group for their use of lavish props, calling the performance "compelling" and "explosive" and declaring that "Big Bang has come back stronger than ever.

[4] The EP has received mostly positive praises, with Expo Flat News complimenting it for its "impressive, sophisticated sound textures.

[18] After the release of Big Bang Special Edition, it topped the weekly and monthly album charts in April 2011.