Sharing my thoughts on the #RMixtape. Here, Namjoon creates a podium on which he speaks to his identity crisis between idol and rapper, to critics on both sides, and to himself as he fights to prove what he's capable of. + #RMverse
#방탄소년단RM #KimNamjoon #RM #BTS

Before we dive into each song, let's remember this is Kim Namjoon of 2015. Back then he used to go by the name Rap Monster, abbreviated here as "RM" to title his first mixtape. In 2017 he changed his stage name to "RM" as he matured out of his older name. +
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The "Rap Monster" origin is a pre-debut track of the same name Namjoon made in 2012. The song is influenced by rapper San E's 'Rap Genius'. At the first recording, only 'Rap Monster' came out, BigHit staff jokingly called him that so he kept it as his stage name. +
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To fully understand #RMixtape, we have to know about Namjoon's underground days. He started rapping in 2007 at 12 yo. He was doing well both solo and in various groups, before he temporarily quit late 2009 after a bad audition. He met Bang PD shortly after. +
vid by @zomgheysteph

Namjoon was actually quite popular as an underground rapper in Seoul, before he joined BigHit. Many of his peers didn't understand why he gave up his popularity to become a trainee for an 'idol' group, claiming that he would lose his artistic integrity. This is where we start.+

The first track of #RMixtape is Voice. Namjoon was a very good student in school, he studied hard, got high grades. In Voice, he tells us these grades didn't bring him happiness. In between his work books he started writing down his thoughts, his lyrics, and he found himself.+

Not only is Namjoon telling his past with rap in Voice, he is also talking to nay-sayers, telling them he'll keep going because this is what he's meant to do +

At the end of Voice, Namjoon calmly and gently asks the listener to turn his voice's volume up, so we can know (understand him) and so he can reach us (with his message). Now fasten your seatbelts and turn the volume up, he's got A LOT to say to A LOT of people! +

Now with the calm piano ending to Voice, no one would expect the next track to be Do You, where Namjoon pretty much criticizes his critics. He calls out the hypocrisy in their comments, first by disguising them as 'self-help books': people who give you back-handed advice. +

Namjoon struggled with his identity, first as a rapper, then as an idol. In Do You, he says that his voice doesn't have labels, and all labels do (in life, or in music) is trap you and tie you down. People box you in a category and are content with themselves, he says FUCK THAT.+

Namjoon also calls out people who constantly compare rappers, at the time both him being compared to other idol rappers or to rappers he left behind in the underground scene. He says he's not interested in comparisons, he'll do him and you do you.+
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Following the message of Do You, Namjoon finally realized that he's not just one box, he's all of them. That includes also accepting the boxes he was put in. He has this catharsis in Awakening, the 3rd track of the #RMixtape. +

In Awakening, Namjoon accepts that he is an "idol", despite the harsh criticism he received from the hiphop community for "selling out". Not only is he accepting the title, he is embracing it and loving it. It is a part of him. +

Before we move on to the next track, I just wanted to take a moment and appreciate this lyric from Awakening. It is entirely in English, and....WOW. It's incredible. He's saying that words of criticism aren't just "play" but are endless useless fighting like a war. +
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After his awakening, his decision to accept his titles as part of him, and shed the criticisms of those who think they know better, Namjoon gains his confidence back. In "Monster", he's no longer struggling with his identity, he knows who he is, a proud roaring lion returning.+

In Monster, Namjoon is coming at his critics, particularly rappers in the underground scene with lower skills than him, who accused him of selling out and not being 'hiphop' enough. He shrugs them off and says his music is not for them, plain and simple. HA. +

Namjoon's got his mojo back, he's confident, he's standing tall, so what's his next move? Getting us HYPE AS SHIT in track 5, Throw Away!!! It's a rap meets hard-rock meets electro track, it is FIIIRRRREEEEEEE! +

Throw Away is really about throwing away all your worries, prejudices, biases, getting hype and enjoying his music! Step on the accelerator pedal of your life, live it to the full 100, and free yourself of your shackles! That's the message Namjoon has in this track. +

A couple of interesting lines here. The iconic "automatic d*ck" line is from this track, for someone who doesn't drive he sure makes a lot of car references! Namjoon also calls back to Yoongi's line from Cypher Pt. 2 "my domain is dopeman. com"! Namjoon's domain is "RM". +

In Throw Away, Namjoon steps it to 100, he's got nothing to lose. When someone has nothing to lose, they become unhinged: he's ready to bite back. We go now to the 6th track of the #RMixtape, Joke. It's called Joke because Namjoon just wanted to mess around on a track and flex.+

Namjoon often was criticized by other rappers for not rapping fast (unfortunately he got compared to Yoongi a lot, who is VERY FAST). Namjoon made Joke to send a message to the critics: here's a track where he raps fast and spits back in their faces with immaculate wordplay.+

I'm not going to unpack everything in Joke because its purpose is to quickly overwhelm the listener with the speed of the wordplay happening. I highly recommend you listen to it and pay attention to the tens of rhyme schemes he uses throughout, it is MASTERFUL. +
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The 7th track of #RMixtape is God Rap. This track is actually not on the Soundcloud mixtape release, it's a hidden track available on the Bangtan blog. It samples J.Cole's God's Gift. In God Rap Namjoon opens up about religion and his atheism. +

Namjoon wants to be his own religion, his own god. If you look closely at the lyrics, he means that he wants to accept and love himself, he wants to see the good in himself. You too can become your own god, because you have goodness in you. +

The 8th track of #RMixtape is Rush, featuring Krizz Kaliko. There aren't many lines by Namjoon in the song, so not much to unpack. Rush is wishful thinking by Namjoon and Krizz about where they'd like to be, the kind of star they want to be. +

The chorus of Rush has an interesting duality: while they want to achieve their dreams by pushing a "rush on it", they also comment on life going too fast, and all this wishful thinking (or greed?) will end up taking life away too fast.+

After putting a rush on it and realizing that's not the right way, Namjoon slows down and contemplates his life in track 9, Life. It strongly reminds me of the Mono mixtape (his second mixtape, in 2018) and may be in the start of the period of introspection Joon goes through. +

In Life, Namjoon essentially strips away all his anger, his greed, his fervor to prove himself, and is left with a feeling of loneliness. He contemplates the ephemeral nature of life, and how precious moments of light are. +

The song feels like halfway between Rain (from Dark&Wild) and the Mono mixtape. Namjoon's characteristic spoken word poetry rap shines in this song, as he tells us his deepest insecurities about life, coming into adulthood, trying to find his footing. +
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In the mixtape so far, Namjoon has clawed and stripped away multiple layers of his identity, either the labels put on him or the ones he put on himself. His persona, his beliefs, his greed, have all been laid out. In track 10, Adrift, Namjoon questions what it's all for. +

Adrift is his identity crisis overwhelming him, he's full of doubts, he feels cornered, stuck between worlds. Namjoon understands and accepts all his decisions thus far, but he's not sure where he's going from here. +
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The #RMixtape took a pretty heavy turn, but Namjoon is not one to give up. He has lots of thoughts and worries, but he's picking himself back up. The final track of the mixtape is I Believe. +

Ever since those textbook pages as a kid, Namjoon never lost his voice. He's always believed in himself, his own god, and believed in his god rap. He may not always know who he is or where he's going, but Namjoon always trusts that he'll always have stories to tell. He believes.+

In I Believe, Namjoon celebrates himself, his love for life and music, his passion, his drive, and the trust he puts in himself. The world is beautiful and full of things worth enjoying, so please believe. +

Namjoon's message in I Believe is that sometimes things don't look up, and you don't feel like believing in yourself, or you hold your head down. Life is still in you, as long as your heart beats you've got a life to grab, so please believe. +

The ending of I Believe, and the ending of the #RMixtape, has all of @BTS_twt singing the chorus with Namjoon. This is a beautiful end showing that Namjoon is not alone, he's got his brothers with him, and they'll all believe together+
#RM #RMixtape

I hope you've enjoyed this thread! #RMixtape deserves more love, please go listen to it on Soundcloud, on BTS' Soundcloud account!+
#RM #RMverse https://soundcloud.com/bangtan/sets/rm-rap-monster

You can listen to the hidden track, God Rap, here +
#RM #RMverse #RMixtape https://soundcloud.com/skiesjpg/rap-monster-god-rap

Namjoon actually performed most of his #RMixtape at the 2015 All Force One concert, you can watch it all on Youtube! He is AMAZING.
#RM #RMverse