A weekly support group for @drakewalkerwhipped soul crushing saga Autumn Blues. This meeting is for those in the sub fandom to rant/rage/vent/and theorize.
Dialogue: I think we can all agree that this is a really messed up chapter. So messed up that @drakewalkerwhipped muse is to be put on trial for crimes against breaking our hearts. ⚖🏛⚖🏛⚖🏛⚖🏛⚖🏛⚖🏛⚖🏛⚖🏛⚖
Okay, so, I love listening to rappers, and it’s not uncommon for my to bias a rapper in a KPop group (if I don’t bias the rapper, then they’re my bias wrecker). I feel like there’s a lot of emotion that can be put into a rap song, and I like when they rap about something other than sex or how much money they have or whatever. I’m a broke asexual, that doesn’t resonate with me.
Now, when reading this list, you’ll see there’s some overlap between the artists I like. I’ll compare their music, but only to show why I love it so much. I’ll talk about the videos, but only to talk about the style I enjoy seeing. You’ll also see that not all of the artists are Korean, and not all belong to a KPop group.
Without further ado- Here’s my Top 5 Rappers.
#5: NF
Okay, show of hands, who has heard of NF? I gave him the #5 entry because I haven’t heard a lot of his music, but I really like what I have heard. His songs are real, talking about mental illness and struggles. While the video I link is “When I Grow Up,” it was “Real” that inspired me to make this list. "Real” is from 2016, and the sound of it brought memories of RM’s earlier work (particularly, “Joke,” especially with the aesthetic of the music video in the “abandoned” location).
What’s really amazing about NF’s songs is that they’re something real and relatable. Its not just “hey look at me! I get all the girls and I’m rich!” Instead, it’s him rapping about mental illness, triggering topics, etc. With that, I want to warn readers that look into his music that some videos and songs can contain triggering topics, so proceed with caution.
#4: BANG YONGGUK
I am a very casual Yongguk fan. I never really got into B.A.P, but I love the solo work he’s released since leaving the group (not to say it’s good he left, but just to say I only started listening to him after).
While he’s released a video since “Hikikomori" came out, I have to say that I still favor “Hikikomori.” It’s a song that’s very honest about his experiences and what hes been through. It takes a lot for people to be able to be open about things like mental health and what they experience, especially when your every move is being watched by the public. Korea also isn’t known for their excellent viewpoint of mental health and mental illnesses (as we can see with the tragic lost of SHINee’s Jonghyun and BIGBANG’s T.O.P’s attempted suicide). Idols don’t have a lot of freedom to open up, and it’s really only in these past few years that I’ve noticed Koreal idols being more open with their experiences.
I think it is great that Yongguk was open about his stories, as it is something extremely personal. I feel like this is something listeners can relate to much better than a song about getting girls.
#3: Agust D
When it comes to Agust D, I love the speed, the lyrics, everything. I can easily say I still have his songs on my playlist years after their release. The self-titled track “Agust D” is probably one of my top three in his mixtape. I still remember the day it came out. I was on another website, watching as people posted updates and reactions to the MV. They were mostly freaking out over him cussing and flipping off the camera. I loved it. I had always kinda been interested in Suga, he had this dark air around him that made me want to know more, and I didn’t know a lot of people that biased him. This video really made me even more interested and his mixtape really helped highlight his abilities to fans that maybe hadn’t had a chance to look into it.
I still remember jokes online when J-Hope’s mixtape got added to Superstar BTS and fans were doing their best to succeed. They said that the day they add any Agust D songs is the day our thumbs fall off.
I love it. And I always will.
#2: Jackson Wang
I’m not gonna lie, all of Jackson’s solo work has been either a hit or a miss for me. I like his music genuinely, or I kinda laugh at the lyrics. I like that he’s stepping into a different style, in a sense. Most fans know him for his role in GOT7 as a rapper (with amazing arms and a cute smile). Many fans also know he is from Hong Kong. So, when I heard he first released a solo, I expected it to be in Chinese (like how EXO’s Yixing’s solos are) or Korean. I was pleasantly surprised each time he released a song to find out they’re in English, even though I knew he speaks English. I feel like, of all the languages, I just didn’t expect it.
That’s why he’s number two. He didn’t do something expected. I feel like he’s found a style he likes and is sticking to it, and I am 100% positive that the songs will get better in time, just as GOT7′s music grew over time. Unlike the other rappers on the list, he isn’t releasing songs in his native language or the language he’s been rapping in whenever he’s on concert. He’s doing something different, and I’d be shocked if it’s not a bit of a challenge for him. That’s admirable, and we like admirable.
#1: J-Hope
Throw stuff at me virtually all you want for including two BTS members, but I can’t help myself.
I honestly couldn’t decide which JHope song to link for this one. I love all of his solo songs, though I am partial to “Hangsang,” “Airplane,” “Boy Meets Evil” (that dancing, am I right?), “Daydream,” and “Mama.” I actually did a project in college where I wrote about how the lyrics of “Mama” related to the story we had read. Granted, I bullshitted the entire essay since I did not actually read the story. I just wanted to write about a JHope song.
While I support all of BTS’ members, J-Hope was actually one of the last two members I learned to identify and came to love. It breaks my heart, looking back. He stole my heart while watching him perform “Mama” live when I saw BTS during their Wings tour. Seeing his energy and how much he was enjoying himself, especially with the fans going “Hey mama!” with him...it warmed my heart.
A lot of rappers on this list have a dark aesthetic, especially with their music videos. Hoseok really switches things up, as he almost always seems to have a contagious smile on his face. While RM and Agust D’s (Suga’s) music videos for their first mix tapes were dark and gritty, Hoseok kept his bright and cheerful. That’s why he’s #1: he’s done something I have yet to see another idol do.
HONORABLE MENTION: HyunA
I 100% was going to make HyunA #2 instead of Jackson (sorry, Jackson) but...as far as I’m aware, she hasn’t released anything yet since leaving CUBE (because CUBE sucks and we support HyunA’s right to date). It’s expected, of course, since it hasn’t been long and it takes time to produce music and make music videos and all that. I want to support her fully once she’s releasing music at the new company, and as such prevented myself from listing her.
I will say, though, I love her style, her confidence, and her voice. She’s great because I feel like there’s nothing she can’t do.
