Navigating the self in a challenging and polarised world: the rappers of BTS and their solo work
As I listened to RM’s latest album, ‘Right Place, Wrong Person,’ I noticed an interesting pattern in the works that the rap-line of BTS have put out since going on a break to focus on their solo projects. RM (Kim Namjoon), SUGA (Min Yoongi, who goes by Agust D as a solo artist) and j-hope (Jung Hoseok) reflect on navigating themselves through a polarised world in which they are constantly under scrutiny. While I personally am not a rap fanatic, I really enjoy listening to the solo works of BTS’ rappers for their insightful lyricism and how they excellently tie their albums together to tell a clear story. With this post, I decided to focus on RM’s albums ‘Indigo (reviewed here)’ and ‘Right Place, Wrong Person,’ Agust D’s ‘D-Day (also reviewed here),’ and j-hope’s ‘Jack in the box’ and ‘HOPE ON THE STREET VOL. 1.’
I divided the songs into three categories. In the first one, Namjoon, Yoongi and Hoseok reflect on the world they live in and the expectations that this world places on them. Often, these tracks are rather bold and outspoken in their critique of society and reject the restrictions that the three find placed on themselves. The second category addresses how the rappers deal with existing in such a polarised and challenging society, exploring feelings of loneliness and anxiety about the future. Finally, they manage to find peace with themselves, finding a philosophy to guide them and ground them in a world that is increasingly demanding to live in.
The World and How It Sees You
A world that points fingers, a world that discriminates, a world that polarises without stopping to think. A world where constant discourse is rife, information abounds and yet somehow there seems to be no critical thinking or sense. This is the world that Namjoon, Yoongi and Hoseok notice and critique in their most comprehensive solo works to date.
Yoongi is most fierce in his critique of this world. His forceful style of rap flow and punchy sounds make for an angered reflection on the state of the world today. I want to start with his most insightfully written song, ‘Polar Night.’ ‘Polar Night’ is a clever double entendre. He describes, first, the quality of online discourse and how most people see only ‘black’ or ‘white,’ much like the all-encompassing polar nights and days. Often, he says people are “not interested in facts,” seeking an “interpretation that only suits [their] mood.” Indeed, he says that the ‘polar night’ of this incessant, exhausting discourse of people quick to attack but never to listen to new information or opinions overshadows the real ‘polar night’ of oppression that covers us all – “What’s the point of us fighting and hitting each other? /Look at the end of the spear.” Yoongi addresses similar themes in ‘Haegeum,’ outlining many types of oppression that we have become “slaves to:” “capitalism,” “hatred,” and “prejudice” that drive us to be selfish and greedy, “blinded by envy and jealousy.” In reality, though, these put “shackles” on us and restrict our thought and freedom.
Yoongi focuses also on how endless information and discourse constrain critical thought. In ‘Haegeum,’ he says, “Endless influx of information prohibits freedom of imagination, and seeks conformity of thought.” Seeing too many perspectives and arguments, it’s difficult to know what to believe in, to form your own opinion, and is instead easier to just follow the majority. “Controversy,” to him, “triggers confusion in judgement.” He thus asks an important question connected to this in ‘Polar Night’: “Between so many truths and so many lies/ Are we seeing this world right?” The sea of information and propaganda thrown at us inhibits us from seeing the world objectively or trying to evaluate whether what we are seeing really makes sense. Thus, in losing ourselves in pointless arguments and constant information, we lose sight of what we should truly be fighting against – oppression and discrimination. The powerful message he presents in these songs is particularly relevant today, as peoples across the world in Gaza, Sudan, Congo and more try to resist decades-long oppression, but people turn a blind eye to the suffering they repeatedly implore us to see and address, instead debating whether the oppression they face exists at all.
Yoongi thus rightly says that this world “is all dirty”, adding as an afterthought on the backing vocals, “Am I also clean? Are you clean?” To him, nothing is truly ‘ethical’ in a world tainted by all sorts of discrimination and oppression. Thus, constant argument and pointing fingers at others is worthless without understanding the context of the harsh systems of capitalism and discrimination that shape every aspect of our lives. He ends the song with these questions: “Am I also clean? Are you clean,” leaving us to reflect on how the information age has blinded us to the reality of the systems we live in today.
Namjoon is similarly forceful in his distaste for the ‘information age,’ expressed in his song ‘All Day.’ He explicitly says, “Fuck the AI, fuck the algorithm/ I need to think, fuck all the rhythm/My biorhythm gives me no time to think….” His poetry with these lyrics captures the repetitive way that AI and algorithms feed us an incessant stream of content and hinder us from thinking for ourselves. Namjoon further suggests that this sea of information is meant to suppress our critical thinking – “they want you in fear/how dare you say what you think? […] They got you by your balls and your socioeconomics” and thus restrict us from speaking out against the oppression and issues that affect us all. Thus, Namjoon frames everyday life during the information age as “fighting all day” – we need to actively work to think critically and absorb various nuanced perspectives. He urges us to speak up for what we believe in despite being forced into silence: “We gotta fight when they say, ‘behave!’”
‘HUH?!,’ also by Yoongi and featuring j-hope, is framed like a typical ‘diss track’ and offers another critique of the information age – although here, Yoongi specifically focuses on how the information age has impacted the way the world perceives him. He suggests, with this song, that people who constantly argue and criticise him online are in fact ‘all about him,’ while simultaneously knowing nothing about him – after all, it takes a significant amount of energy to actively seek someone out just to openly express your dislike for them. Hoseok’s verse conveys a sense of indifference to these accusations and perceptions – featuring an indifferent “huh?” as he asks the detractors about the things they think, do and say about him. He shows only nonchalant confusion to people who are so intent on gaining attention from their constant critiquing and arguing. He implies that he doesn’t understand or care for their incessant discourse. ‘HUH?!’ describes how the information age has driven people to lack nuance and critical thinking while being quick to point fingers and criticise others. It could also offer a critique of ‘cancel culture,’ where people are quick to pounce on others for mistakes which are sometimes trivial and irrelevant. Thus, Yoongi says, “the Internet world and reality are quite different/Live your life,” suggesting people spend far too much time and energy spewing such hate and ‘cancelling’ others online for problems and discourse that are irrelevant in the real world.
Namjoon similarly focuses on trying to shake off the expectations and confines placed on him by this ever-argumentative world in his song ‘Groin’.’ He describes the pressure of being under the spotlight as BTS’ leader, with people constantly scrutinising his every move and word. He says,
He seems to feel rather restricted in his speech – his words are often twisted and “misunder[stood],” probably by the people who ‘cancel’ others over everything and nothing. He feels ever anxious about trying not to offend others or say the wrong thing, almost needing to be a stoic “monk” or “diplomat” because of all the movements and people he’s expected to represent, at the expense of being able to speak his own mind and share the things he himself believes in. With his song ‘out of love,’ he expresses anger at people’s constant criticism of him and his activities: “Smoking kills, I know/It’s my business, you bitches stop, don’t talk shit.” He’s sick of constantly hearing what people think of him when he’s just living his life – “I can’t give you my time/Can’t waste my goddamn time on you.” This feeling of frustration is conveyed throughout the ‘Right Place, Wrong Person’ album through his use of punchier, upbeat hip-hop sounds that contrast the more contemplative indie style of his previous solo works. “Before I die from anger, let’s say what I have to say” – he finally takes this opportunity to express his true feelings without worrying how the world sees him.
So far, we have delved into Namjoon and Yoongi’s explicit and outspoken critiques of the information age and its constraints on thought and freedom of expression. Hoseok, however, expresses his thoughts on today’s world rather differently. True to his stage name ‘j-hope,’ his ideas of the world are reflective and hopeful. This is especially seen with his song ‘STOP,’ whose Korean title actually means ‘there are no bad people in the world.’ With ‘STOP,’ Hoseok preaches a message of empathy, explaining how every person is shaped by the environment they live in. He says, “these days, the world is smarter/but filled with things that aren’t smart/remote conversations filled with anger.” He thus explores a similar theme as his peers of online discourse and how people are quick to anger without thinking or understanding things. Similarly, with his song ‘= (Equal Sign),’ Hoseok questions the realities of discrimination: “The world is wide/But people have a very narrow mind/It doesn’t have to be the same/Why is being different a sin?” He expresses his confusion at our inability to reconcile our differences, and recognizes that “the victims of prejudice/are none other than ourselves.”
However, rather than solely expressing his confusion at these realities, he tries to rationalise and understand what drives people to be the way they are. In ‘STOP,’ he questions, “It’s hateful and wild, but think about it one more time/How are they all alike, how are they all the same?” – he believes that despite all the hatred and anger that he sees dominating the world, there has to be something that brings us all together. He “relies” on “human nature,” requesting it to “please be right.” He wishes that people’s humanity would prevail over all else, showing them that hate is not the way to guide themselves in such a challenging world. He looks forward with hope, suggesting that “the world is changing because there are no bad people.” With this song, he inspires a sense of self-reflection in his listeners. Using jarring rhythms as he raps, “Wait, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, stop/Calm down, down, down, down, down, down, down,” he jolts us into stopping for a second, recalling our humanity and thinking about others as our fellow humans before judging them and spewing unnecessary hate.
BTS’ rap-line thus explore how social media and an explosion of information have increased the tendency to argue and debate without thinking clearly and taking the time to form your own opinions. They also explore how these arguments and constant scrutiny have affected them personally, making them feel restricted in their expression and irritated by others’ unnecessary opinions.
You and the World
The rap-line’s albums then explore what living in this world feels like – it’s often lonely and induces confusion and anxiety about the future.
Beginning with ‘LOST!’, Namjoon examines a sense of confusion and loneliness, expressed in the chorus as Namjoon almost shouts, “I’m goddamn lost.” He explores a mental state of flux. With ‘LOST!’ he seems to alternate between losing himself in his mind and then distracting himself just enough to feel sane: “Damn, now, thank you don’t worry/ I jump into it, suddenly I’m in an empty street/Time flies like an arrow, fourteen now they’re thirty.” Although he just said he was fine, he is suddenly struck by the passage of time and how he has grown old. He experiences a whirlwind of emotions as he tries to find himself in the world:
He feels “lifeless” but also has “excitement,” yet somehow also “sickness.” These emotions could be reflective of how Namjoon felt trying to deal with fame – he depicts his discomfort with being in the public eye through the music video for this song. Thus, while being in the spotlight makes him feel excited and loved, he can’t help but also feel drained, lost and confused after spending all his life representing his group, being the face of a team but not having the time to think about himself and his inner voice.
Namjoon explores similar feelings of being lost in ‘Forg_tful,’ wherein he explores a state of absentminded disassociation: “I keep forgetting about yesterday/ I don’t know what today is either […] Why can’t I remember? /My friends are sad/I’m sorry, I have too many thoughts.” He describes watching life simply pass by him as he grows numb and lost in this state of forgetfulness: “With numerous thorns/The morning that comes and goes/In my own way/I am anaesthetising myself.” I love how both songs address similar feelings with completely different sounds – ‘LOST!’ is upbeat, sounding desperate and much like running through a maze unable to find your way out. Meanwhile, ‘Forg_tful’ has a very soft, soothing sound, mirroring the numbness and confusion Namjoon describes as he sings it. In contrast, it sounds as though Namjoon is almost resigned to this state of alienation and aloneness.
Namjoon and Hoseok further explore confusion about their direction in the world. Two songs that I think are wonderfully similar in message and structure are RM’s ‘Right People, Wrong Place’ and j-hope’s ‘Safety Zone.’ Namjoon’s song features just two lines, one of them being “right people, wrong place.” However, these words slur as he repeats them over and over, and it’s often unclear whether he says “wrong people, right place.” Often, he simply repeats “right, wrong, right, wrong,” as he debates whether he is the wrong person to live his life, or if the place he’s in is wrong and hindering him from living his life, or if he’s surrounded by the wrong people who are hindering him from finding his right place. Punctuated by the quick beats in the background, his confusion is emphasised and we see how he loses himself in his mind. Similarly, with ‘Safety Zone,’ Hoseok explores feeling disillusioned and being unable to enjoy things that he once loved, things that were his ‘safety zone.’ The chorus is produced beautifully, showing how Hoseok feels lost – he asks “where’s my safe zone? /Left, right, go straight? /Where’s my safe zone? / Here, over there, or X?” Each word “left,” “right” and “here,” “over there,” is panned to play in first your left and then your right ear on headphones, almost as if listeners follow Hoseok searching everywhere for his safe zone, and for the passion and love he used to find in his life.
Hoseok further expands on this sense of disorientation and loss of direction in ‘What if…?’ This song is composed with repetitive and desperate piano melodies that echo the growing stress and confusion Hoseok expresses in the lyrics. He feels confined by the optimistic, happy and hopeful persona that he’s known for – he questions, “am I really like that? /Hopeful, optimistic, always with a smile on my face?” He wonders if he maintains this persona only because he feels he has not truly faced hardship – “I wonder what hardships and ordeals mean to you/ Since you only walked up intact stairs […] Can you still tell people to love yourself and have hope/If it means those things will be taken from you?” He desperately questions, “What if I have no house? /What if I have no car? /What if I have nothing? /Can I do that shit?” Thus, Hoseok is scared to lose his success. He questions if, in detaching from his team temporarily, he will lose the support he has received that has kept him hopeful, and thus the entire optimistic persona that he’s worked hard to build and represent himself as.
More generally, with his focus on losing out on both tangible (“car,” “house,” “money,”) and intangible success (“dream,” “passion,” “vision”), he echoes what the realities of the harsh capitalistic society can do to an individual. We spend our childhood and youth dreaming big of having money, a nice house and a job, because that’s what we are told to want, that’s what we are told is success. But as we grow older, and finally start facing societal hardships like struggling to find jobs, to find our direction in life, to make ends meet, we realise it’s not easy to continue dreaming big, to keep that youthful hope and happiness alive when the entire world seems turned against you. Hoseok thus beautifully uses this song to express his own difficulty staying optimistic as his direction changes in life, but also ensures it is universally relatable to societal struggles with finding one’s place in a challenging and demanding society.
These feelings of confusion, disorientation and disillusionment about their own lives and the future evoke feelings of loneliness in the rap-line, where they even lose faith in the world they live in.
RM expresses this in ‘out of love,’ where he appears to have completely lost faith in the kindness of the world. The song uses dissonant melodies and instruments to support the rap, and opens with a distorted, grating screech of “my life is out of love.” With this, Namjoon expresses anger, frustration and hopelessness as he believes there’s no love left for him to have. He screams to the world that he’s better off alone – a common reaction to feeling lonely and abandoned by those who you trusted and loved. This is seen when he says, “I’m going to burn down all the love and the hate, the right, the wrongs.” He then says, “I don’t belong here, poetry and love was buried.” He thus contrasts his current anger and loss of faith in love with his previous songs like ‘Trivia: Love,’ which featured linguistic metaphors and poetry in a beautiful description of how love changes someone. As he faces more and more criticism and scrutiny from people for simply trying to live his life, he retreats further into himself and distances himself from the world. He loses faith in the beauty of love since all he receives is hate and thus disposes of his former poetic and romantic nature. He repeats the line “love will probably fail” at the end of the first verse, emphasising his distance from the feeling of love. The more this line is repeated, the more distorted and muffled it sounds, almost as if he’s unsure whether love will fail and does not truly wish to make such a bold statement. He tries to do so anyway and convince himself of it, as though trying to put on a strong persona and show he doesn’t care for all the pain he has received from the world. He portrays that he has simply accepted that he’s not meant to receive any love, despite feeling lonely and upset at the way he’s been treated deep down. Having been the subject of incessant hate, scrutiny and criticism, Namjoon uses this song to express how he has lost faith in ever receiving true love again.
RM’s ‘Around the world in a day’ puts a different spin on these emotions, expressing them more mildly. He describes a feeling of distance from the love he desires but is more peaceful about it and suggests he’s willing to be alone until he finds real, true love. This song features more hope and faith that the real love Namjoon desires is out there and he will be able to find it in time. “Look around/Say I love ‘em, all your lies/ Only time will sort it out” seems to describe settling for a relationship that is not ideal or real, hoping that time will bring Namjoon the love he seeks and deserves. He deliberates whether it’s right to let himself have subpar connections he does not truly enjoy – “Is it right? Is it wrong? Could you tell me?” – but continues to hope that time will bring him what’s meant for him “If it’s by design/ Only time will sort it out.” The gentle guitar tones and soft melodies of featured artist Moses Sumney’s voice could show an attempt to comfort oneself using these words. But as Namjoon “see[s] lovin’ all around the town,” the kind he desires, a stronger electric guitar sound jumps in and builds before he explodes into how he truly feels with his rap. Here, he expresses that he’s lost and lonely, but he wants to keep going until he finds himself again: “I’m gonna ride till the hate and love don’t matter.” To him, “after losing the path, the scenery is more beautiful/[…] We lost the path, we ain’t look so pitiful.” He seems to embrace his confusion, loss and loneliness. Even though he “misses the chit-chat,” he has “outgrown” connections that don’t truly suit him and just wants to go with the flow, seeing the world around him until he finds what he’s looking for.
Two songs that similarly explore the difficulty of finding real love and connections are Yoongi’s ‘SDL’ and ‘People Pt. 2.’ In a world where Yoongi feels judged, scrutinised and lonely, he questions what the word ‘love’ even means with both these songs: “This thing called love/Maybe it’s just a fleeting list of emotions” (People Pt. 2), alongside “Who else are you smiling for? /Who do you cry for? /Could this be love?” (SDL). He feels that love has been glorified by placing countless expectations on it and assuming it should be grandiose and, in some ways, the be-all and end-all of life – “Thanks to the grandeur of the word love/What is easily forgotten is called love.” He thus asks, in ‘People Pt. 2,’ “Is love wholly perfect on its own?” He questions if love really needs to be something grand and virtuosic – could we just appreciate love for simple and small things on their own too, could we simply experience closeness together without needing it to meet some serious huge expectation?
Yoongi further examines how this emphasis on grandeur has made it difficult to maintain close and deep relationships with others. This has indeed become a reality since the pandemic. “Relationships are really difficult/It wasn’t right from the start/The gap between the two of us/Trying to narrow it down is unreasonable” (SDL), meanwhile “I want it, a sincere connection with others/Forever’s something like a sandcastle, you know/It comes crumbling down at the calmest of waves” (People Pt. 2). In ‘SDL,’ Yoongi recognises that some relationships are not meant to work no matter how much you want them to, so letting them go hurts less than trying to salvage a connection with someone who’s not right for you. Similarly, in ‘People Pt. 2’ he describes how we all hope for ‘forever’ in a relationship, but that hope is temporary as a sandcastle – constructed easily, but fragile and breakable to the tides of time. These fleeting relationships and losses are our reality, but somehow, they are still scary since they remind us of the dread of being alone. In accepting this reality, Yoongi suggests that life itself is “a struggle against loneliness (People Pt. 2).” We try to avoid these fleeting relationships and seek deep connection earnestly, but it’s best to live in the now and not try to chase and force love before it’s ready to come to us. Instead, he urges us to see love in the simplest things around us, and in ourselves, because we are “more than enough to be loved.” Both songs are a beautiful comment on the pervasive sense of loneliness that many young people experience today in an ever-changing world where it’s challenging to find the connections that sustain us as humans.
The rap-line thus explore how being constantly scrutinised in a challenging world full of oppression can induce feelings of loneliness and anxiety about one’s future. They explore the entire spectrum of these feelings, from a complete disillusionment with love and a deep sense of anxiety about the future to appreciating that these feelings will pass and eventually bring them the love they deserve.
Finding Your Place in the World
After reflecting on the difficult world we live in and how it affects our sense of self, the rap-line find their own philosophies to navigate this world. They begin with finding a sense of self and direction, detaching from loneliness and confusion. They explore living for the love that truly matters to them and fulfils them, before ending with a positive outlook on the future.
RM’s ‘Heaven’ progresses out of the loneliness described earlier as Namjoon slowly detaches himself from a love that does not serve him and is harmful to him. He describes it as though this person is taking his ‘heaven’ that they are not a part of – since they are insecure or do not have their own happiness, they drain his in a toxic way. In doing so, they “delight” and “ruin his vibe,” enjoying their own happiness at the cost of bringing Namjoon down (“Go grab your knife/ Watch me collapse”). Namjoon says that even though he’s lost his ‘heaven,’ possibly his innocence or happiness, he’s glad that they’ve taken it from him – “I’m feeling so good here with me/Feelin’ so full here with me.” He feels whole even though he lost a part of himself to this person because he’s now at peace and can focus on himself without feeling inhibited and hurt by this other person’s actions. As he recognises and enjoys the calm he experiences on his own, he makes peace with losing this person – “Your words and face don’t kill me/You know you not a loveable.” With this, Namjoon accepts the lessons and pain he faced from a toxic relationship as he slowly detaches himself from a love that doesn’t serve him. The slow and soft melodies that accompany this song match a feeling of awakening and healing from the things that hurt you, embracing a calming solitude over a toxic, painful connection.
Moving on to ‘Domodachi,’ Namjoon pivots from enjoying solitude to describing the friendship he desires. In this song, he seeks connection and friendship that are a support and a respite from the scrutiny and spotlight that he inevitably must face due to his position. He describes fake friends who only want to benefit from his status (“my friends wanna get around in O’s/all my friends wanna take another pose”) and impact (“muhfuckas want a bigger growl/muhfuckas need a damn patrol”). He also critiques fans and detractors who are simply interested in scrutinising his every move and are dazzled by his fame – “you know my name, but you do not know me.” He rejects all this, saying, “no more goofin’ around/ I want cool shit.” He uses this song rather sarcastically, calling all these people “friends” and saying “let’s dance here.” He engages these people, but deep down knows what he truly seeks. Alternatively, he could be using “let’s dance” to mean he wants these people to confront him to his face, he wants to take them on first-hand and show them what he really thinks of them. The eerie-sounding, robotic chorus that sings this line evokes this threatening feeling that underlies Namjoon’s overtly welcoming tone to the ‘friends.’ In a way, his sarcastic tone gives them a taste of their own medicine – they claim to support and like him, seeming friendly at the start, but deep down only seek to criticise him or take advantage of his fame. Little Simz, a British rapper featured on this song, supports him with her section of the song, saying she will be a true friend who will “go all out” for him and that “you can’t put one hand on my friend.” She similarly rejects people who are friends with Namjoon simply to benefit from his position and personifies the connection he truly desires in a friend. The production and melodies of this song are unconventional and seem to clash with the rhythms of Namjoon’s rap, featuring a distorted guitar and what I thought was an oboe (?). These sounds emphasise the sarcasm Namjoon intends to put forth with this number. This is also seen with the title ‘Domodachi’ – one would expect the word ‘Tomodachi,’ which means ‘friend’ in Japanese. However, Namjoon slightly alters it to be ‘Domodachi’ instead, showing that these people appear as friends, sound like friends, but aren’t really friends at all. As he grows ever sure of himself and his position, he understands the type of connection he seeks in the world and rejects those who do not meet this standard or take advantage of him.
While Namjoon explores what love means to him, j-hope’s songs appeal to letting love for humanity and our loved ones consume everything we do as we search for the love we desire in our lives. With “= (Equal Sign),” Hoseok questions the realities of discrimination and envisions a world filled with love, equality and acceptance. He questions first why prejudice is so prevalent in this world: “Confused and frustrated/ The world is wide/ But people have a very narrow mind/ It doesn’t have to be the same/ Why is being different a sin?” He assures us that prejudice and hate affect all of us, “paralys[ing] our minds.” Thus, it’s our responsibility to unlearn our internal biases and become more accepting of those who are different from us: “Starting with myself/You must know that the victims of prejudice/ Are none other than ourselves.” He further describes differences as “not something to discriminate against” and appeals to listeners’ humanity:
Age, gender and other such qualities do not set us apart from one another when we are all human, aspiring for the same things and feeling the same emotions. In addition, Hoseok says that we are all “looking for love in a different light,” and he thus sings this song “for love in this world.” As humans, we all desire to be loved and want to be appreciated and respected – so why shouldn’t we be the ones to provide that love to ourselves and other humans, no matter how different they may be from us?
He concludes the song with a beautiful line, “equality is you and me.” With this, he suggests that he finds everyone (including the listeners of this song) to be equal to him. However, he also implies that “equality” begins with “you and me” – unlearning prejudice, bias and a tendency to reject all that’s different from you is a long-term, ongoing internal project that one needs to work on all their life. He sings a large part of this song in English and uses a gentle, simple melody for the chorus with catchy and repetitive lyrics. In this way, he makes his message accessible to listeners worldwide and really drives home his belief that we can all contribute to creating an equal and unbiased world. Hoseok thus emphasises to us that a world of acceptance and equality is completely possible so long as we are willing to put in the work and effort to unlearn our biases and “find the equal sign” that lets us see others as our fellow humans.
j-hope further preaches the message of living for love in his songs ‘on the street’ and ‘lock/unlock.’ While ‘= (Equal Sign)’ preaches a far-reaching love for all of humanity, ‘on the street’ and ‘lock/unlock’ focus on love for people, things or activities that give you hope and direction in a challenging world. In ‘on the street,’ Hoseok describes how the very foundation of his life is his love for what has let him reach his current position. He describes how his loved ones have given him strength through his dark times: “On the dark path, above, we try to smile/On the dry path, above, we try to cry/ On the tough path, above, releasing rough screams/ See the scarred flower path blooming.” He suggests that recalling sources of love during tough times and using them to give you strength will eventually help you get through the hardest moments, and before you know it, the “flower path” will bloom before you again. Thus, with the chorus, he expresses how he feels he owes every happy moment he spends to the support he receives:
He echoes this sentiment in ‘lock/unlock:’
With both songs, Hoseok recalls how support from his loved ones has allowed him to receive the opportunities he has today. In ‘on the street,’ he reflects on how consistent love has kept him going such that he feels he owes every step and movement to those who are cheering him on through it. Meanwhile, he goes a step further in ‘lock/unlock,’ wishing to multiply the love he received to sustain both himself and those who support him (“for our world”). With these songs, Hoseok urges us to recall compassion and love during trying times, letting it consume us and fashion every breath we breathe and step we take. Just as Yoongi described the difficulty of finding true love and deep connections in ‘SDL’ and ‘People Pt.2,’ Hoseok echoes this – since real love is so rare, let it consume you when you do feel it and guide you through a world that seems void of such love.
As the rapline find faith in love and humanity, they feel prepared to take on the future, presenting a more optimistic outlook in select songs from these albums.
Namjoon’s song ‘Still Life’ comments on the transitionary nature of life. With this song, he describes being a “still life” that is “moving” and “going forward.” In capturing a specific setting or moment, a still life painting lets that moment carry on and move forward forever. More specifically, traditional Dutch still life paintings portrayed the rich and decadent lifestyles of the merchant class – and each item portrayed conveyed a specific meaning, often about the fleeting nature of life, wealth and decadence that is displayed in these paintings. Thus, although a ‘still life’ captures a moment and lets it carry on forever, it also shows how fleeting every moment is.
The title of the song ‘Still Life’ itself is a wordplay that comments on this transitionary, fleeting nature of life in various ways. First, in describing himself as a still life painting (“I’m still life, but I’m moving”), Namjoon suggests that he’s on display to the world, constantly being observed and critiqued for his outward appearance. He accepts that he will always be observed and watched by others, but that shouldn’t stop him from evolving and changing as a person as he learns more about himself with each passing moment of his life. He could also suggest that he’s “still life (still alive)” – his life continues to move and change, and he can’t be “locked” “in the frame.” He rejects convention and definitions, accepting that he’ll morph constantly so long as he’s alive. “Still life” could also mirror the Dutch ‘stilleven’ (still = quiet, silent, calm life) that inspired the title for this genre of paintings. Indeed, Namjoon says, “I calmly live errtime” – despite the chaos of his life in the spotlight, he still finds a way to experience and embody calmness and peacefulness in his everyday life. ‘Still Life,’ thus, presents almost an entire life philosophy: live in the moment, don’t look back, let yourself live calmly and free yourself from conventions because life is fleeting, so focus on the present, on the “life” we are “still” living.
j-hope’s ‘Future’ similarly urges listeners not to look back on the past and take on the future as it comes. Much like ‘Still Life,’ Hoseok recognises the ever-changing nature of life: “it will all eventually change/nothing lasts forever.” He presents a beautiful metaphor about going with the flow and moving forward: “Going up the river/It can’t be salmon.” He contrasts humans and salmon – salmon swim upstream, against the current, as they grow up. Their life, in a way, progresses by moving ‘backwards.’ However, Hoseok suggests to us that we cannot live our lives only looking upstream or looking back – we must “go with the flow” and move ahead. He accepts that “the closer you get, the scarier [the future] gets,” making it easier to look back on the past and on things that comfort us. However, to him the future is just “something that can’t be decided” and once we “decide” to accept this fact on our own, we can truly move by “betting on courage, faith and hope.” As he looks to the future where things are challenging and uncertain, he believes the only way to move forward with strength is by “walking into the future/ with a step of hope.” He lets hope and optimism consume his every step and decision, and thus fashion a bright and happy future for him even when things seem uncertain and scary.
Namjoon conveys a similar message in his song ‘No.2.’ With this song, he reminds us that through every past mistake and experience, we simply did the best with the knowledge we had at the time (“No lookin’ back/You’ve done your best”). That’s why it’s best to accept your past mistakes and their lessons rather than dwell on them when life “remains like a bonus” before you, waiting to be lived. He assures us that it’s okay if we’re not perfect – “I smile/ that I ain’t gotta prove myself/ That I ain’t the one/ That I ain’t the shit.” Being perfect isn’t important – it’s being you that’s important since you are the only one you have for the rest of your life (“I’ve only learned one thing so far/I’ll be forever me”). Featuring a soft, gentle accompaniment and Park Jiyoon’s melodic and comforting voice, this song feels like a hug and a pat on the back for all the progress one has made. With ‘No.2’, he urges us not to “look back” on our past mistakes, but instead take their lessons in stride as we try to accept ourselves and “move forward” constantly.
Having accepted the past and their need to move forward with the lessons they learned from it, the rap-line now feel ready to take on the future, presenting the philosophies they will live by to navigate the difficult world that has put them through so much.
Namjoon’s philosophy for life is presented in his song ‘Yun,’ named after his favourite contemporary artist Yun Hyong Keun and the learnings Namjoon gained from his art. With this song, he uses Yun’s words to help him navigate his artistic direction separate from the team BTS and tries to reconcile what he wants to share with the world as a solo artist and how to do so (“You’re actually nothing without a team/Why would you veer onto a trail from the highway/Just listen to me or you’ll lose it all”). His key message in this song is, “I wanna be a human, ‘fore I do some art.” Creating art is a distinctly human quality – it’s something only humans can do and no other species has done. In wanting to be “human” before doing “art,” he could mean he wants to be grounded and in touch with his feelings so he can express them authentically through his art. Indeed, he quotes Yun in the second verse:
He suggests that there’s no point in art that’s technically flawless, featuring the perfect skills, techniques and methods if it has no humanity or emotion behind it. He thus wants to get in touch with his emotions and consequentially his humanity before he makes art so that it is ever apparent in the purpose he takes in life – in his case, this purpose is his art (music). Thus, he preaches art (and by extension, a life) that is lived by staying true to one’s intrinsic humanity and being in complete touch with oneself and one’s emotions. This is what will help you direct yourself in life even when you are not ‘representing’ something (as he did with BTS) like a team or organisation.
j-hope’s ‘NEURON’ and Agust D’s ‘D-Day’ seemed to me the best songs to conclude this post, presenting a philosophy to help us tackle a challenging and uncertain future with strength and positivity. Hoseok uses clever wordplay in ‘NEURON’ to show how he prepares his mind and body to take on the future with a newfound strength. He plays on the words “neuron” and “new run:” as his “neurons” respond, he gets ready to run forward into a new day, a new life and “a time for [him]self.” The chorus, featuring a choir that sings “N-E-U-R-O-N, attention/N-E-W-R-U-N, ain’t enough” sounds rousing and motivational, giving the listeners strength to take on the future too. In ‘D-Day,’ Yoongi creates a similar uplifting atmosphere, beginning with “Future’s gonna be okay,” and “D-day is coming, it’s a fucking good day.” Just as Hoseok sees a future where he runs towards the new, Yoongi too sees a future of complete revolution and rebirth: “the stupid past is over now/let’s toast again to us who will be reborn.”
Both songs do recognise the underlying anxiety about the future that will always recur. In ‘NEURON,’ featured artist Gaeko describes this: “anxiety about the future lurks beneath the stage like a ghost.” Similarly, Yoongi has chosen to call his song about confidence in the future ‘D-Day,’ which is commonly synonymous with something dangerous or ominous that signals doom. Yoongi still embraces ‘D-Day’ as “a fucking good day,” and Gaeko allows himself to “relax with a home-cooked meal” to calm his anxieties about the future. Both Yoongi and Hoseok are able to reconcile the hardships of their past to look ahead at the future. Yoongi expresses this with a wordplay on the lyric, “look at the mirror and I see no pain.” The way he pronounces “mirror” resembles the Korean 미래 (mi-rae, future). Thus, he suggests that he both looks in the mirror, at himself, and feels no pain – he accepts himself; he also looks at the future and feels no pain, he accepts what comes to him on this D-Day. Similarly, Gaeko expresses almost the same sentiment when he says,
Thus, these songs conclude the rap-line’s journey of navigating their selves in a challenging world that scrutinises them endlessly. Caught in the information age of endless argument and discourse where people are constantly being observed and critiqued by others on social media, it is easy to feel isolated and confused about who you are and where you should go in the future. It can also be hard to find genuine connections in such a world, inducing a lot of loneliness and pain. However, relying on faith in humanity and accepting the future as it comes without staying stuck in the past is the best way to navigate challenging feelings and relationships in today’s society.
P.S. It was really fun (although quite a lot of effort!) to write this post! I sort of just had a brainwave one day that BTS’ rap-line have this pattern in their albums and felt like writing about it although it felt like a huge and difficult task. All the same, I hope you enjoyed my thoughts and analysis of these albums. I’m hoping to write similar things in the future as I love finding insightful ideas in music from different artists like this!
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