Sometimes I think about how much Bangtan changed with the addition of vocal line, like they originally were set to be a hip hop group and then things changed. I was thinking about how Joon and Yoongi, at least, got backlash for becoming idols, and how people

did not respect them because they wore makeup, and even they admitted it took some adjustment to get used to wearing it. I'm sure Hobi probably got some backlash too from his underground pals, but I don't have any evidence of that, but watching them over the years, you can see

where that idea that others put on them, that make up somehow made them less "hip-hop", melted away, and I think maybe the addition of the vocal line helped them come to terms with that. Because there were these other four other boys who were idols, who were singers, who

wore makeup, and danced, and they were incredibly talented, and people they had grown close with, loved, they were their friends, their best friends, and so to insult the group who wore makeup, danced, and call it manufactured was an affront to the boys who they knew.

Like maybe it helped them to settle their mind about things knowing the truth. I don't know if I'm making any sense, Namgi did get a lot of hate from former friends for choosing to be in Bangtan, but they have never ONCE lost sight of who they are, and what they wanted.

I'm not purposefully trying to leave Hoseok out here, cuz I know I've specifically mentioned Namgi and the vocal line (you could add Hobi to either the rap or vocal line tbh haha) It's just that I *know* for a fact NamGi faced hate, and I think that left an impression on them.

And I think that helped shape Bangtan into the unique group it is today. Cuz Bangtan hasn't been welcome in the "hip-hop" community of Korea because they were idols, but Bangtan also does NOT fit the "standard" for idols, so they aren't welcome in the idol industry either

They are "too rough around the edges" to be idols, but they are "too soft and wear too much make up" to be a part of the "hip-hop" underground of Korea. I'm speaking only about Korean industries here. Really, they've always been alone, they've only ever had each other.

And this thread has a lot of words and I hope I am making sense but they are a once in a lifetime group. Incredibly special, different, and really marking out their own path (pave the way) not just because of the records they've broken, but because of who they are as a group.

All that to say is, I was just thinking about how the love and respect that Bangtan have for one another is just amazing, and I think it's the core of what makes them so incredibly special. Because NamGi could have joined in and been like "ikr fuck idols" but instead I think in

that moment, they were not just thinking of themselves and the hard work they had put in to get to where they were, they were thinking of the other guys, who worked just as hard. Although they were reluctant to dance, and wanted to give up, somehow that changed.

I think it changed because their mindset changed and they decided that they wanted to do music with these other guys who had the same values and interests and them. Who loved music and worked just as hard. Better than some weak-willed rappers in Korea's underground whose heads

are so heavy with toxic masculinity that I'm surprised they can even lift them.

Instead, they decided rather than fit in here or there, they would just be themselves, all 7, and that made all the difference.

I hope this thread made sense, it was just a stream of consciousness.

And one last thought is Bangtan doesn't fit into the idol industry, or the hip hop underground of Korea, and now they feel unwelcome in the western scene. They are truly the 52 hertz whale, but what a relief they are 7, and what a relief we heard their song, and they heard ours.