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| Juicy Jamsss |
Jung Hoseok, internationally known as J-Hope is a member of the South Korean superstar boy group BTS. After debuting in 2013, the seven-membered group consisting of Kim Seokjin, Min Yoongi, Jung Hoseok, Kim Namjoon, Park Jimin, Kim Taehyung and Jeon Jungkook struggled as a group, having an immediate international following but not being very popular with their fellow Koreans. They were launched into the limelight with the release of their two-part album The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt 1 &2, and with the release of the repackage The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever. The subsequent release of WINGS, anyone sleeping on BTS definitely woke up, breaking records and placing the group in a league of their own regarding their Korean and global popularity.
Honestly, if you don't know who BTS is, if you haven't heard of them, where have you been??? The group's members are more than just pretty and extremely good-looking faces. They are superlatively talented, each member excelling in various creative mediums.
J-Hope happens to not only be the main dancer and an amazing one at that, but he has the singing voice of an angel and is a skilled lyricist and rapper. He is one of three members of the rap line, along with Namjoon and Yoongi. Namjoon and Yoongi each have showcased their rapping, music production, writing and composition skills with their own mixtapes and now it is J-Hope's turn with the release of his highly anticipated "hixtape" Hope World.
j-hope - daydream (백일몽)
The MV
'Daydream' is the promotional single on the mixtape Hope World, for his first time showcasing his abilities solo, J-Hope has done a phenomenal job. The MV was a testament to J-Hope's personality; very colorful, fresh, and quirky. The video was simple but not at the same time. It was like being on a giant acid trip with the use of the cinematic scope effects, shadow effects, the funky fonts and the bright colors and with how the video progressed. It was easy, carefree and psychedelic.
The Song
Even though he didn't showcase his ace dancing skills, we got a closer listen to his vocal and rapping abilities. The up-tempo, retro, and youthful track had an old-school urban funk sound mixed with modern rap, which made for a different yet trendy, feel-good track. It was also the perfect opportunity for J-Hope to show us who he is as a rapper. He is one of the most versatile members of the group, being a rapper, vocalist, and dancer. But, he is often underutilized because his style of rapping doesn't always pair with the tone of BTS's tracks and the rapping style of the Namjoon and Yoongi. The two tend to be hard-hitting, charismatically dark and "cool" with their flow as demonstrated in their mixtapes compared to Hoseok's lighter, fun, non-traditional style. Now, we know he can fit Namjoon's and Yoongi's styling if need be, as seen in 'Boy Meets Evil ' off of WINGS, but that's not who he is as a person. This has led some to believe that he's not as strong a rapper as the other two when he is just as capable just different; he breaks stereotypes of what a rapper is. This mixtape showed us his true ability and reaffirmed his vivid, almost acid trip of a personality.
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| courtesy: j-hope 'daydream' |
If the mv seemed like it was just for fun, and carefree, shouldn't we know by now that BigHit and BTS always have hidden meanings in their songs and music videos? The lyrics speak of the struggle Hoseok has with maintaining his two personas; his idol persona, the always bright, cheerful "I'm your hope, you're my hope, I'm J-Hope!", and his "real" self, the person he is when he isn't performing or feeling down. Avid fans of the group know his struggle with feeling like he has to maintain this sunny disposition even if all he wants to do is show his pain. He chose the name "J-Hope" because he wanted to be a light to the group and fans. This is both his blessing and curse. With his starry personality, he can lead others to better days, but even the brightest of stars dim. Out of fear of disappointing fans, he often has to save face when all he might want to do is scream and cry. That's a hard way for anyone to live, celebrity or not.
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| courtesy: j-hope 'daydream' |
Well! That's it! Wasn't this track JUICY? I could say so much more about J-Hope and BTS because they're one of my favorite groups and I love them! Their music has helped me through so much. I hope 'daydream' provides you the same comfort. It's a laid-back track with a profound message that we can all relate to. The mixtape is short with only seven tracks, but seven amazing, well-thought-out, stellar tracks; so go and give them a listen! I think there will be at least one you can jam to on the regular.
If you have been living under a rock or you're stubborn or just new to the k-music world, go give some of BTS's tracks a listen, there is something for literally everyone. Many people like and dislike them for all sorts of irrelevant reasons, but what's most important is the music. They are a truly talented group of individuals, who worked hard to create amazing content. (even john cena like them!) It's mind-boggling but fascinating when you discover the effort and hidden gems they placed into the stories they tell.
As always, thanks for reading!
Jen M. :)
