Kpop ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡

J-Hope

Artist

j-hope (Jeong, Hoseok) is a South Korean rapper, dancer, songwriter, music producer and member of 21st century pop icons, BTS. Known as the ‘lead dancer’ of the group, j-hope boasts his performance skills that are nearly perfect. His originality in music as an artist also comes from the fact that he learned music through dance. j-hope has been participating in making music such as “Intro : Boy Meets Evil’ and “MAMA” in WINGS, and his solo works. j-hope’s first mixtape Hope World (March 2018) expressed his honest emotions and personal narratives, suggesting his vision as an artist. Globally-famed “Chicken Noodle Soup (feat. Becky G)” released in 2019 showcased his own musical personality with exhilarating energy and performance. j-hope also validated his capability as a creative director by leading all aspects—from music to concept and visual elements—of his solo album, Jack In The Box (July 2022), which addresses his passion and agony he goes through as an artist. In 2022, j-hope made history as the first South Korean act to headline a main stage at Lollapalooza.

BTS

Artist

Record-breaking South Korean boy band BTS (aka Bangtan Boys) balance an energetic blend of dance-pop and hip-hop with deeply introspective lyrics, which helped them build a devoted global following while also becoming the most successful K-pop act in U.S. chart history. Debuting in the early 2010s with their Skool trilogy, they steadily expanded their audience until breaking into the mainstream consciousness with the Love Yourself series. In May 2018, their third official full-length, Love Yourself: Tear, topped the Billboard 200, becoming the first K-pop to hit number one in the U.S. and the highest-charting album by an Asian act to date. Formed by producer Bang Si Hyuk, the septet's lineup includes RM (Kim Namjoon), team leader and rapper; Jin (Kim Seokjin), singer; Suga (Min Yoongi), rapper; J-Hope (Jung Hoseok), rapper and choreographer; Jimin Park, singer and choreographer; V (Kim Taehyung), singer; and Jungkook Jeon, singer, rapper, and choreographer. In addition to production and composition, the members of BTS also write their own lyrics, which tackle topics like mental health, self-acceptance, and empowerment. With their youthful blend of club-worthy dance anthems, stirring love ballads, and aggressive rapping, BTS connected with a devoted fan base (dubbed "ARMY") and set themselves apart from the K-pop industrial machine when they debuted in 2013 with the first installment of their "School Trilogy" series, 2 Cool 4 Skool. A few months later, they released the second EP of the saga, O!RUL8,2? The trilogy was completed with Skool Luv Affair, which was released around Valentine's Day in 2014. Later that year, BTS released their full-length debut album, Dark & Wild, featuring the single "Danger." As their fan base grew and international tours sold out, they released The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1 in April 2015 and the follow-up, Pt. 2, some months later in November. They embarked on a massive world tour as The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2 topped a record-setting six international music charts, including Billboard's World Albums chart. After four weeks, they set a record as the first K-pop act to achieve such a feat. The group continued to break records with the release of their sophomore LP, Wings. Released in late 2016, Wings not only became the first BTS effort to debut atop both the Korean album and song charts, but they were the third K-pop act to land in the Canadian Hot 100. However, the album's impact was most apparent on the Billboard charts. The best showing to date for a K-pop act, Wings debuted in the Top 30 of the Billboard 200 -- both their highest U.S. chart debut and most sales to date -- becoming the first K-pop artists with three albums to enter the main album charts (Wings became their sixth Top Three hit -- and second number one -- on the World Albums chart). They also became the first K-pop act to spend four weeks on the charts. Wings continued the artistic and creative growth for the septet, featuring seven solo tracks that showcased the personality of each member. Four months later, BTS re-released the album as You Never Walk Alone. The updated version added four new songs to the original Wings track listing, including the singles "Spring Day" and "Not Today." With their presence in the United States continuing to expand, the group went on to win the Top Social Artist Award at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards. Their fifth EP, Love Yourself: Her, arrived that September and became the first K-pop album to debut in the Billboard 200's Top Ten, entering the chart at number seven. In early 2018, BTS received their first double-platinum certifications in Japan and became the first Korean act to receive two gold certifications in the U.S. That spring, they issued their third Japanese LP, Face Yourself, which featured Japanese versions of tracks from Wings and Love Yourself: Her. The set -- which included just two previously unreleased songs -- debuted just outside the Top 40 on the Billboard 200. The next month, BTS released their third official full-length, Love Yourself: Tear, which included the single "Fake Love." Days later, they returned to the Billboard Music Awards, performing and winning Top Social Artist for the second year in a row. Their Billboard success continued when Love Yourself: Tear soared to the top of the Billboard 200, becoming the first foreign-language chart-topper on the U.S. chart in over a decade. BTS repeated the feat that summer with the conclusion to the trilogy, Love Yourself: Answer. The chart-topping compilation featured a handful of new tracks, including lead single "Idol," packaged with previously released songs from Her and Tear, as well as some remixes and a Nicki Minaj-assisted version of "Idol." Riding the international success of the Love Yourself series, the boys closed the era with a sold-out global stadium tour, which primed them for the start of the next BTS wave: Map of the Soul. The first single from the album, "Persona," showcased a solo RM referencing both Carl Jung and BTS' own 2014 track "Intro: Skool Luv Affair," while the follow-up "Boy With Luv" recruited American singer Halsey. ~ Neil Z. Yeung

I NEED U (Remix)

Song

I NEED U(Japanese Ver.)

Song

INTRO : Ringwanderung

Song

Jin

Artist

J-Hope

Artist

House of Cards (Full Length Edition)

Track · BTS

SWIM

Song

Lost

Song

KEEP SWIMMING

Album

Go Go

Song

Love Yourself 結 'Answer'

Album

BTS Cypher 4

Song

Silver Spoon

Song

MAP OF THE SOUL: 7

Album

Only ten months had elapsed since MAP OF THE SOUL : PERSONA established the already massive K-pop group as a mainstream worldwide phenomenon. So how much magic could BTS summon in such a short time, which included a month-long vacation? As the follow-up MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 shows: plenty. 7 examines the scars and wisdom they’ve collected since they debuted in 2013. The album begins with five songs from PERSONA, including the 2019 hit “Boy With Luv,” setting the stage for a candid unpacking of fears and doubts. On “Interlude : Shadow,” Suga’s distorted voice rages against internal and external pressures and calls into question his own motivation. “Black Swan” is similarly steeped in self-reflection as the walls close in and the group wonders whether music will offer the same salvation it did when they were kids. Fears eventually turn to gratitude during the album’s second act—the project’s emotional core. They use both hindsight (“Inner Child,” “Friends”) and depth perception (“00:00 [Zero O’Clock]”) to continue a dialogue that they’ve had with their ARMY fanbase since basic training. “We are not seven with you” is worded breathlessly and repeatedly at the end of “We are Bulletproof : the Eternal,” sealing the bond. Along with this rollercoaster of moods, 7 takes surprising turns. “UGH!” is a trap banger that verbally slaps the phones out of anonymous haters’ hands. On the Slow Rabbit collaboration “Moon,” Jin struts the boardwalk to a grip of groovy woo-oohs that invoke another famous boy band, The Beach Boys. The UCLA marching band adds a drumline to “ON,” while Sia appears on an alternate version of the song, playing a supporting role similar to Halsey’s on “Boy With Luv.” RM compares “ON” to a diary of the past seven years, telling Apple Music it’s a shrunken version of BTS’s identity. “It's kind of about how we could stumble from time to time but we get back up,” RM tells Apple Music. “It's like a declaration that we have admitted to our destiny, all the pains and shadows.” MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 shows BTS at their commercial and communicative peak, fulfilling a role as the most intuitive musical and emotional cartographers of their generation. BTS has laid out an intimate, reflective road map that charts where they’ve been over the past seven years and where they want to go. It’s a reassuring confirmation of ARMY's continued significance and servitude inside and outside of the BTS universe.

BTS Cypher Pt.1

Song

BTS Cypher, Pt. 2 : Triptych

Song

Heartbeat (BTS World Original Soundtrack)

Song

BTS Cypher 4

Song

V

Artist

Jimin

Artist

RM

Artist

As main rapper and leader of <a href="spotify:artist:3Nrfpe0tUJi4K4DXYWgMUX">BTS</a>, Kim Nam-joon -- also known as RM -- topped charts and broke records across the globe with the K-pop powerhouse boy band while also launching a successful solo career in 2015 with his debut mixtape RM. He followed in 2018 with Mono, an international Top 30 hit. In 2022, his official full-length debut Indigo finally arrived. In addition to his own hip-hop-influenced material, he collaborated with the likes of <a href="spotify:artist:2B4ZHz4QDWJTXPFPgO5peE">Warren G</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7jVv8c5Fj3E9VhNjxT4snq">Lil Nas X</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0Vw76uk7P8yVtTClWyOhac">Honne</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:4UXqAaa6dQYAk18Lv7PEgX">Fall Out Boy</a>. Born in Dongjak District, South Korea, the Seoul-based artist developed a love of hip-hop at a young age (influenced by Korean rap outfit <a href="spotify:artist:5snNHNlYT2UrtZo5HCJkiw">Epik High</a>) and honed his English skills by viewing the American television show Friends. He started performing as Runch Randa and collaborated with fellow Korean rapper Zico. It wasn't until 2010, during auditions with Big Hit, that Kim was recruited as the first member of <a href="spotify:artist:3Nrfpe0tUJi4K4DXYWgMUX">BTS</a>. Soon joined by Suga, <a href="spotify:artist:0b1sIQumIAsNbqAoIClSpy">J-Hope</a>, Jin, Jimin, <a href="spotify:artist:6HaGTQPmzraVmaVxvz6EUc">Jungkook</a>, and V, Kim, and his <a href="spotify:artist:3Nrfpe0tUJi4K4DXYWgMUX">BTS</a> bandmates quickly ascended to the top of the K-pop ranks, breaking chart records in the U.S. -- where they became the first Asian act to top the Billboard 200 with 2018's Love Yourself: Tear -- and selling out world tours. On the side, Kim branched out with his own solo material, debuting in 2015 with the self-titled mixtape RM, which peaked at number 12 on the U.S. World Albums chart. Three years later, just months after <a href="spotify:artist:3Nrfpe0tUJi4K4DXYWgMUX">BTS</a> scored their first number one on the Billboard 200, he issued his sophomore solo effort, Mono, which bested his previous effort with a strong number two showing on the World Albums chart. A record-breaking run with <a href="spotify:artist:3Nrfpe0tUJi4K4DXYWgMUX">BTS</a> followed with the Map of the Soul era, carrying Kim and the band into the 2020s. In 2021, during that year's BTS Festa, he released the solo track "Bicycle." The following year, <a href="spotify:artist:3Nrfpe0tUJi4K4DXYWgMUX">BTS</a> announced a temporary break for its members to pursue solo projects (and enroll in mandatory military service). For RM, that meant his official debut solo album, Indigo. The set arrived in December 2022 and featured guests <a href="spotify:artist:7IfculRW2WXyzNQ8djX8WX">Erykah Badu</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:3jK9MiCrA42lLAdMGUZpwa">Anderson .Paak</a>. ~ Neil Z. Yeung, Rovi