are BTS the only kpop group to write their own songs? no. the only to often have important messages? no. the only with great vocals, genrebending songs, self production, alternate universes? no.

but who else does All of that? at that level? nobody. that makes them exceptional.

you can almost always say someone else did something BTS did at least kiiinda, but i cant think of any other artist that can combine all the elements that daringly, that exceptionally.

in addition, their rapping, their attention to other cultures and their ability to showcase great character as humans behind the scenes and publicly, their longevity, their many commitments to promote arts and culture are all pretty much unmatched.

i feel that a lot of times people who love k-pop try to be Too objective to the point that they become biased against BTS. it’s true that k-pop has much to offer and that stigmas against k-pop are often distorted and orientalist—i’ll be the first to say that. but still, be clear.

BTS are exceptional. it is okay to say that. it is okay to admit that and not enjoy their music. it is okay to admit that and prefer, even push other k-pop groups. but acting like BTS aren’t exceptional just confuses me. who else does it like they do it?

maybe what they do isn’t for you. we all know at least One thing that everyone else seems to love but we personally can’t get into. that is not the same thing as acting like that One thing is actually derivative.