u/Actual_Reaction_1795

I’m curious how people discovered K-pop and what their music taste was like beforehand. What group/artist got you into it ? How old were you at the time? Did u start with 2nd gen, 3rd gen etc.?

Also what kind of music were you mainly listening to before K-pop? Pop, rock, r&b, rap, edm, metal, etc

Interested to see if there’s a pattern or if everyone came from completely different music backgrounds.

I saw a thread comparing BTS rapline to Western rappers and I felt like some people in the comments were unintentionally downplaying how broad and sophisticated Black American rap already is.

This was basically my response:

I think technically and artistically BTS rapline is genuinely strong, especially RM and Suga. They clearly study hip hop seriously, understand rap structure/songwriting, and engage with the genre beyond just “idol rap.”

But I also understand the hip hop purist perspective that rap isn’t only about flow or technical skill. Hip hop comes from a very specific Black American cultural and historical context, and that matters to a lot of people too. And I think sometimes K-pop fans accidentally downplay how artistically broad and sophisticated Western/Black hip hop already is when comparing BTS to it.

Like Western hip hop already contains:

• conscious/political rap (Mos Def, Kendrick, Common)
• abstract/experimental rap (MF DOOM, Earl Sweatshirt)
• nerd/technical rap (Lupe Fiasco, Aesop Rock)
• emotional/introspective rap (Kid Cudi, Mac Miller)
• jazz-influenced rap (A Tribe Called Quest)
• gangster/trap/drill rap (Future, Chief Keef, Pop Smoke)
• poetic storytelling rap (Nas, Tupac)

So when people say BTS rapline feels unique, I personally think it’s less that they invented a completely different kind of rap and more that they blend Korean lyrical sensibilities/emotionality with styles already existing within hip hop traditions.

RM especially reminds me of poetic/conscious rappers and I think that influence really shows considering RM himself has mentioned Nas multiple times as one of his inspirations. Suga leans into emotional confession and aggression in a way that overlaps with both underground and mainstream rap traditions, and J-Hope’s rhythmic/playful style reminds me of more performance-oriented rappers.

So I don’t really approach BTS rapline as “better or worse than Western rappers” in a direct competitive sense, because a lot of Western rap is tied to lived experiences and regional histories BTS obviously don’t share.

What makes BTS rapline stand out to me compared to most idol rappers is that they usually rap from their actual experiences and seem genuinely artistically invested in hip hop as an art form rather than just performing the aesthetics of it.

What do you guys think?

Genuine question because I feel like a lot of fans romanticize meeting idols, but I wonder how people would actually react in real life.

If you saw an idol in public would you approach them or just leave them alone?

And for people who want to go to fansigns/fancalls, what would you even want to say? Something meaningful, something funny....

I don’t know if this is actually unpopular, because a lot of people seem to view comments like “you saved my life” or “you taught me how to love myself” as purely positive things that idols appreciate hearing.

And I do think many idols are genuinely touched knowing their music helped people through difficult moments.

But I also think at some point that kind of emotional dependence can become an enormous burden to place on another human being.

A lot of idols got into music because they love singing, dancing, rapping, performing, producing, or expressing themselves creatively. Of course it’s beautiful when their art comforts people or helps someone feel less alone. But I can’t imagine how heavy it must feel to constantly hear that people’s entire will to live or mental stability depends on you.

Especially because idols themselves are often struggling mentally too, insecure, overworked, trying to figure themselves out, and still learning how to love themselves as people.

I always think about when RM reacted to "love letters" that ARMY song where the lyrics said things like “you showed me how to love myself” and “you’re the reason that I stayed,” and his response was basically, “I still don’t know how to love myself, but I’m happy if you guys learned it.”

And honestly that response made me sad a little, because it showed the gap between the image fans emotionally project onto idols and the reality that idols are just flawed people still figuring themselves out too.

Imagine being treated as someone’s beacon of hope while privately feeling lost yourself.

I feel like that kind of pressure would make anyone overthink everything they say or do, because now every mistake, scandal, hiatus, relationship, or personal struggle suddenly feels emotionally loaded.

I’m not saying fans shouldn’t feel inspired, comforted, or emotionally connected to music/artists at all. Music genuinely can help people through hard times.

I just think there’s a difference between “this artist/music helped me during a difficult period” and “my emotional survival depends on this person.”

At some point, I think fans have to save themselves too instead of unconsciously placing that responsibility onto strangers who ultimately do not personally know them.

Fly to my room is the shittt guys. I feel like people just brushed past this album, I don’t see any discourse around it.

I don’t know if this is actually unpopular, because a lot of people seem to view comments like “you saved my life” or “you taught me how to love myself” as purely positive things that idols appreciate hearing.

And I do think many idols are genuinely touched knowing their music helped people through difficult moments.

But I also think at some point that kind of emotional dependence can become an enormous burden to place on another human being.

A lot of idols got into music because they love singing, dancing, rapping, performing, producing, or expressing themselves creatively. Of course it’s beautiful when their art comforts people or helps someone feel less alone. But I can’t imagine how heavy it must feel to constantly hear that people’s entire will to live or mental stability depends on you.

Especially because idols themselves are often struggling mentally too, insecure, overworked, trying to figure themselves out, and still learning how to love themselves as people.

I always think about when RM reacted to "love letters" that ARMY song where the lyrics said things like “you showed me how to love myself” and “you’re the reason that I stayed,” and his response was basically, “I still don’t know how to love myself, but I’m happy if you guys learned it.”

And honestly that response made me sad a little, because it showed the gap between the image fans emotionally project onto idols and the reality that idols are just flawed people still figuring themselves out too.

Imagine being treated as someone’s beacon of hope while privately feeling lost yourself.

I feel like that kind of pressure would make anyone overthink everything they say or do, because now every mistake, scandal, hiatus, relationship, or personal struggle suddenly feels emotionally loaded.

I’m not saying fans shouldn’t feel inspired, comforted, or emotionally connected to music/artists at all. Music genuinely can help people through hard times.

I just think there’s a difference between “this artist/music helped me during a difficult period” and “my emotional survival depends on this person.”

At some point, I think fans have to save themselves too instead of unconsciously placing that responsibility onto strangers who ultimately do not personally know them.

I’ve been thinking about this lately because even though CORTIS and LNGSHOT are both heavily influenced by hip hop/R&B and both participate in writing/composing, the criticism around them feels really different.

CORTIS definitely gets criticism too, especially from people who dislike their sound/music style. But when I see people talk about LNGSHOT negatively, it often feels more centered around authenticity or them feeling “forced” rather than just the music itself.

What’s interesting is that LNGSHOT clearly has talent and a lot of people genuinely like their music too, so I don’t think it’s as simple as “one group is good and the other isn’t.”

I wonder if part of it comes from the specific styles and personas they lean into.

CORTIS feels more influenced by that atmospheric/opium/travis-scott-inspired sound with heavy autotune and a more abstract/artsy image, but lyrically they still often talk about pretty relatable teenage experiences like:

• dreaming big as kids
• vintage shopping
• buying cheap clothes
• small personal memories
• hanging out/everyday youth experiences

Meanwhile LNGSHOT feels much closer to modern khiphop culture with heavier rap, flexing, confidence-heavy lyrics, romance, status, and a much more unfiltered image than people are used to from idol groups, especially at such a young age.

So I’m curious if people subconsciously respond differently to those approaches. Like maybe audiences are more forgiving of experimental/artsy hip hop influences when the actual themes still feel youthful and grounded, while LNGSHOT’s more overt confidence/flexing style makes people question authenticity more quickly because it feels closer to “performing” a certain hip hop image directly.

I don’t even necessarily have a conclusion here, I just think the difference in perception is interesting and wanted to see other people's opinion.

Before anyone misunderstands this post, this is NOT:

• “BTS are culture vultures”
• “Korean artists shouldn’t do hip hop”
• “BTS secretly hates Black people”
• “you can’t enjoy BTS”

I’m ARMY and I genuinely think RM, SUGA, and j-hope are real artists who sincerely love music and hip hop culture. This post is more about a contradiction I’ve been thinking about lately, especially during this recent “Arirang” era.

I also want to say Black fans are not a monolith. Some may completely disagree with this post, some may agree strongly, and some may not care at all. I’m not trying to speak for Black people. I’m trying to think through critiques I’ve seen from Black fans and writers in a serious way instead of dismissing them as “hate.”

What I keep coming back to is this question: What does it mean to present an album/project as deeply Korean while using musical languages heavily shaped by Black American culture?

That’s the tension I can’t stop thinking about.

The reason “Arirang” specifically stands out to me is because Arirang is not just a random reference. It’s one of the most symbolic pieces of Korean cultural history:

• colonial trauma
• longing
• separation
• national identity
• collective memory

So when BTS references Arirang, they’re making a statement about Koreanness itself.

But sonically, a lot of the project draws heavily from:

• hip hop
• trap
• R&B
• Black vocal aesthetics
• AAVE/slang patterns
• Western rap production styles

And that creates an interesting contradiction.

The perspective is Korean:

• the lyrics
• the emotions
• the idol experience
• the references to alienation in the West
• the pride in being Korean

But the musical language often comes from Black American traditions. Especially on songs like “Aliens,” where they’re talking about feeling foreign or misunderstood in Western spaces, they’re expressing Korean alienation through musical forms born from Black American struggle and expression.

And honestly, I don’t think this makes the music fake or “not Korean.”

Modern Korean culture IS globalized. Korean music has already absorbed influences from:

• American music
• Japanese music
• jazz
• rock
• gospel
• hip hop

just like modern American music is shaped by African, Caribbean, Latin, and Asian influences too.

But I do think BTS reveals something bigger about globalization:

Black American music has become the emotional language of modern global pop culture.

Hip hop especially has become shorthand for:

• authenticity
• coolness
• rebellion
• emotional honesty
• struggle
• seriousness

So even artists expressing non-Black experiences often express themselves through Black musical forms.

And I think that’s where some Black fans’ discomfort comes from sometimes.

Not necessarily: “BTS is stealing.

But more: “Why does Blackness still function as the global language of authenticity?”

That’s a deeper question.

This is also why I think some of the recent criticisms hit differently for people:

• the heavier AAVE usage
• the more aggressive hip hop styling
• the Howard imagery controversy where an HBCU ended up visually de-Blackened in the animation
• the increased use of LA/western production pipelines

Individually, none of these things automatically make BTS malicious.

But together, I can understand why some people feel uncomfortable and feel like the project wants proximity to Black cultural symbolism while making it globally digestible at the same time.

And I actually think RM makes this conversation more complicated, not less.

Because unlike a lot of global pop artists influenced by hip hop, RM has generally come across as:

• reflective
• historically aware
• willing to learn
• aware that hip hop comes from Black culture
• conscious of BTS’s past mistakes

Which is why I don’t think this is a simple “appropriation” conversation.

The issue isn’t: “BTS bad.”

The issue is that global pop culture itself is built on complicated cultural exchanges where Black music becomes universal while Black people themselves are often less centered.

That contradiction is bigger than BTS.

Honestly, BTS might just be one of the clearest examples of it because they are simultaneously:

• Korean cultural ambassadors
• global pop stars
• artists deeply influenced by Black music traditions
• products of a massive entertainment industry
• and people sincerely trying to express themselves

All at once. And I think reducing that complexity into either:

• “they’re exploiters” or
• “they’ve done nothing worth discussing”

kind of misses the point.

Curious what other people think, especially Black ARMY or fans of both hip hop and BTS.