MUSIC
BTS J-Hope, ‘surprise’ news from the military… Handwritten letter ahead of new album release
J-Hope will simultaneously release the special album 'HOPE ON THE STREET VOL.1' worldwide on the 29th. This is J-Hope's first album released in 7 months since his solo album 'Jack In The Box (HOPE Edition)' in August last year.
In a handwritten letter released through his agency Big Hit Music, J-Hope expressed anticipation ahead of the release by saying, “This album and content will allow me to get to know my friend J-Hope a little more than usual, and it is one of the cultures that I want to continue to lead.” reported.
J-Hope expressed his beliefs about dance and music, saying, “‘Good music makes good dance.’ This is the meaning of dance, the charm of street dance, and the first thing I want to show with this album and content,” and added, “I always "The excitement when what I want to express comes out into the world is enormous. My goal is to keep trying until this individual's satisfaction becomes everyone's satisfaction. Please enjoy it," he added.
'HOPE ON THE STREET VOL.1', which contains J-Hope's original thoughts, is an album based on his artistic roots, 'street dance'. This album includes the title songs 'NEURON (with Gaeko, Yoon Mirae)', 'i wonder... (with Jung Kook of BTS)', and 'lock / unlock (with benny blanco, Nile Rodgers)'. (Rock/Unlock), 'i don't know (with Heo Yun-jin of LE SSERAFIM)' and 'on the street (solo version)', a new song with J-Hope's version. ), a total of 6 songs are included, including 'what if... (dance mix with JINBO the SuperFreak)', a dance remix of 'What if...' from the solo album 'Jack In the Box' .
J-Hope participated in writing lyrics for all the songs on this album and showed off his abilities as a musician. Here, artists with diverse musical styles participated in featuring, further enhancing the album's completeness. Artists crossing genres include BTS's Jungkook, American producers Benny Blanco and Nile Rodgers, hip-hop duo Dynamic Duo's Gaeko, rapper Yoon Mirae, producer Jinbo the SuperFreak, and Heo Yun-jin of the group Le Seraphim. contributed to the realization of J-Hope's wider musical world.
# "NEURON, NEW RUN" (My roots are a new beginning)
This album's title song 'NEURON' is a genre of old school hip hop from the 2000s that had the greatest influence on J-Hope. 'NEURON' refers both to the dictionary meaning of generating electricity and transmitting information to other cells when stimulated from the outside, and to the name of the dance crew he was part of before his debut. Through this song, J-Hope sings about his musical roots, motivation in life, and expectations for a new start.
With this song, J-Hope looks back on his 'roots' and at the same time conveys his aspirations through the repeated lyrics "NEURON, NEW RUN" (my roots are a new start). The featuring of dynamic duo Gaeko and Yoon Mi-rae, combined with J-Hope's addictive rapping, also adds to the charm. They added depth to the song by talking about what a 'neuron' is to each of them.
# The highlight of the 'HOPE ON THE STREET' project
What makes this new album more enjoyable is its organic combination with J-Hope's 'HOPE ON THE STREET' project. J-Hope expressed the message he wanted to convey in a more three-dimensional way by producing a documentary series and a special album of the same name based on 'street dance', his beginning and roots. The documentary series, whose first episode was released on the 28th, features J-Hope interacting with street dancers of various genres in Osaka, Paris, Seoul, New York, and Gwangju.
The 'HOPE ON THE STREET' project will conclude with ''HOPE ON THE STREET' POP-UP', which will be held in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul from the 30th to the 5th of next month. The pop-up, decorated with a street sensibility, consists of spaces where visitors can get a glimpse into artist J-Hope's identity, including dance workshops in which visitors can directly participate.
Lee Min-kyung, Ten Asia Reporter 2min_ror@tenasia.co.kr
