why ‘moonlight’ was the perfect opening to the masterpiece d-2 —a very technical & emotional thread;

a quick but necessary disclaimer before i begin ahem this thread is a thread based on my experience with production, music and interpretation. yoongi himself did not explain moonlight other than his vlive & left the interpretation up to listeners aaand that's where i come in

the first time we heard a snippet of moonlight dates back to july 2019 vlive when he played a bit of it as a song he was making for epik high's album he called it a rough draft & even looked surprised to find it much better than he recalled

we see his genius workflow in motion, enjoying his amazing mix of synth, maschine beat, piano chords and trumpet. it’s a relatable moment for any creative out there,looking at your work w a fresh mind after drowning yourself in it to a point of frustration

next time we hear moonlight it’s the a+ prelude of d-2. it’s no wonder yoongi listed architecture as one of his ideal career in an alternate universe.he understands structure at its core. he built on the solid frame of a good beat and melody till the song stood so tall & strong

but why? let’s elaborate why i’m so amazed by his mind,,we start the song with a rich but muted synth, it builds tension for the listener as we tune in then in 0:09 scratches kick in & voila he already set a strong mood for the song. it’s old school, very 90s and textured

it wouldn’t be yoongi if he didn’t pay homage to his roots, it’s time & time again yoongi includes old school elements & techniques in his song like a private love letter to hiphop it’s intimate,,, this production style is called boom bap, a style of hiphop prominent in 90s

moonlight carries all the characteristics of boom bap; the best is a combo of kick, snare, hi-hat and bold audio mix. then yoongi puts the cherry on top of this nostalgia gem with a small “freestyle” as his first lines,, another characteristic that’s specifically 90s. it’s improv

in fact yoongi’s deep connection to boom bap has also been briefly mentioned by namjoon during a vlive,, boom bap has a very specific sound with very characteristic application of beat & the fact that yoongi is able to apply this style and produce songs with a modern take? insane

the bold kick-snare and hi-hat combo meets smooth guitar riffs and a funky bass line,, it’s incredibly smooth and playful that even piano chords play a little hide and seek with us. there’s so much fun to this song that i can’t stop talking about it and to top it off?? trumpets!!

the lyrics of the moonlight begin with a line reminiscent of the movie “parasite”, yoongi paints a picture of his hometown, the basement and the hill high up to hannam hill, it’s a metaphor of success just like in bong joonho’s “parasite”,, the stairs, the hill, it’s a climb up

but instead of showing off with this wealth, yoongi raps about the pressure on his shoulders by public’s expectations, the dread essentially what makes him keep on going w what he’s doing: his passion. to me, this was a silent nod to black swan and his love for hiphop

“i started just because i love music” lyrics fit in like a puzzle for a song produced in a 90s style yoongi fell in love with as a child and decided to be a rapper. what better way to say those lyrics than make a song as a homage to those roots? moonlight’s a love song in my eyes

it’s a love song for hiphop. it’s a reminder to himself beyond all the expectations, pressures and adjectives, he’s a guy who liked rapping, making and listening to music, there’s something so poetic there, even vulnerable paired w his vocal chorus

i also want to note the static change in the chorus for the line “change is fated to happen to everyone perhaps how we change is our karma to bear”,, i noted before how yoongi plays with static in his audio during monologue/reflection part of the song

the static change often happens in yoongi’s songs to add a textured, rougher effect to his voice— it sounds harsher to me, almost like a reality check. yoongi’s lyrics are to himself, a pat on himself to remind “change is okay to happen”

in a song that’s so groovy and old school, touched with trumpets and rich synths in the bg this processed voice effect (static) adds a modern touch,, it’s a lead up to the next song daechwita that’s also full of traditional elements (korean instruments) and trap beat

yoongi seems to love this juxtaposition in his songs and rightfully so,, he’s so aware of different techniques, music history and sounds that production feels like his playground to experiment and create masterpieces with “old meets the new” vibe

long story short ‘moonlight’ that yoongi mentions in the song is a metaphor for his passion for music, the track was perfect to set the mood of d-2 and yoongi=genius,,,, T H E E ND