I don't often get into that logic and I'm not doing this to put down other groups but I'm kind of tired of seeing this rethoric either on my tl or by people trying to slide into my dms comparing what BTS does to what EXO does. And yes I am going to name names.+

I understand EXO was and continues to be one of the most popular groups in South korea and they are still well known in many parts of the world. And I am not knocking their music and skills because they are a talented group of men but thats where it stops because first of all+

The style of music that exo sings and performs (notice I did not say write because for the most part they do not write their music and there's nothing wrong with that because i can still appreciate the skill with which perform and embody the songs they are given) is not+

Comparable to the style of music that BTS performs. BTS has made their own brand of fusion music that they've perfected throughout the years, that they crafted themselves because again our boys actually write 90/95% of the stuff that they perform. Next up is that +

While EXO is most pop/rnb/EDM.
The conceptual foundation of EXO is fictional (that's cool and all) and that was a conscious decision from SM's part for obvious reasons which I'm not gonna get into. And the subject matter of most of their songs has been following +

An almost cartoonish/unrealistic at times strain. They keep it as ethereal as possible, the lyrics are sometimes laughable, at times a little alarming, some of the concepts they've done have been pretty darn dark but there's always a disconnect because of the make believe +

Concept they've been with from the beginning. And so it's easy to overlook EXO lyrics for a lot of times because we're following a pattern, it's digestible quite easily and the depth of it is pretty skin deep (again that's fine). Exhibit A let's take the title track from +

Their debut album XOXO. The song named wolf and compare that to BTS title track from their full debut album Dark and wild. Without me analyzing anything, yall read for yourself.

WOLF

BTS DANGER.

When you see things like that it is quite understandable and discernable that BTS concept is based in the real and the tangible because they are writing from experience. The boys are not approaching us and their craft from some fictional pov and character that they+

Have to play. No it's the other way around, the boys are the concept and even when they integrated a fictional storyline into their discography that storyline was built to narrate a story of growth and impart lessons that our boys have been learning along the way as their real+

Selves. In other words, BTS are the concept, not the other way around. So that comparison stops there.
Wanna compare some more? Here

EXO BABY DONT CRY

Baby don't cry still. Do you see what I mean by the idealistic/puppy like/very pop typical lyrics that they had and still have? With songs like non stop and more and then you have BTS saying things like +

This as teenagers, this is a perfect depiction of what is going on into a teenaged boys brain, aint nothing unrealistic about that. The painful awkwardness of being a hormonal teenager and experiencing attraction. Again bold af but true to themselves, and of course they got+

Backlash for it.

Another song from EXO first debut album (by the way this is for the most part what most of their songs are about in terms of subject matter, I kid you not)

EXO Black pearl

And then you have BTS. First debut album talking about this

COULD YOU TURN OFF YOUR PHONE and anthem about the way we are losing the human touch with the advance of technology. +

Here's what the credits http://look.like  for EXOs first debut album

And here's what it looks like for BTS. Do you peep the names of the writers on these tracks? Do you understand why they get the accolades they get from us? Because they are not just performers but creators, they are not just actors but they are scriptwriters and directors+

So if you wanna compare. Please take all of that into consideration before you come for me or other ARMYs who are merely stating the fact that there's a substance they find with BTS that doesn't exist with other artists, one of them being EXO. Take into consideration +

The fact that BTS has to do 3 times the work that most other groups do Because they are not only practicing and recording this stuff (which is HARDWORK by itself and I admit that, every kpop artists works super hard) but they are also creating this stuff and help conceptualize +

It. So it only makes sense that the payoff and praise they receive from us and others who understand this, is proportional to how much they put into it. We are not saying that BTS are the only artist out here doing this, we're saying they are in the minority and should be +

Appreciated for that. We're not saying what EXO does is trivial and not worthy of praise because EXO are great entertainers and very good performers ( in terms of singing/dancing and acting), what we're saying is you cannot compare it to what BTS does because you are putting +

The EXO boys at a disadvantage and that's unfair to them. Their success was never going to be on the same caliber or the same brand or even the sake ballpark as BTS success because they weren't created to have the impact that BTS had. They did exactly what they were created to +

Do. These boys are the very definition of pop stars, idols, and they were marketed and continue to be marketed as such. Their company has had a history of taking people with artistic potential and raw talent and turning it into polished stones to exhibit and showcase, +

Taking away the opportunity for these raw skills to do anything more than what they cut them to do. Whereas in BTS case, big hit took the raw talent, placed it in an environment that promoted growth, helped cultivate it and let them shine through and do their thing so +

This is BTS and their "concept"

This is EXO and their concept

This is BTS and their environment

This is Exo and their environment

So next time yall wanna compare and throw a fit and be ridiculous. Please keep in mind that you are doing your group a disservice. Or maybe take a step back and think about the fact that perhaps you are living in denial, and analyze the truth about that first. Because when we +

ARMY say that the authenticity of BTS speaks to us or when we gush about BTS artistry we are not just talking about their ability to look good on camera and carry a note or performing a choreography. We are talking about everything that is BTS. +

Like comparing couture to ready-made or handmade items to mass produced goods smh it does not live in the same category and it is unfair to compare the two each serve their purposes and each have their merits but they are not the same thing. This has been my #ARMYRANT