ARMY Magazine - Monthly Issues ARMY Magazine ISSUE NO.2 - DEC 2018 | Page 49

Back in 2015, RM became the first member of
BTS to put forth a mixtape which perfectly fit the
mold of what a rapper’s mixtape should be with
his trademark of containing a message.
However, that fit the mold of a rapper,
not Namjoon. With MONO, things changed
dramatically. Atmospheric and reflective,
it shows the artist’s brilliant growth as both a
musician and conceptualizer. The main themes
this time around are loneliness and longing,
as the name of the album implies.
A lot can be said about a person if you listen to
their playlist, and that is likely the reason RM
has termed his work as a playlist rather than an
album or mixtape. In terms of musicality, the
playlist features soothing and contemplative
music, befitting its theme.
“Life is a word that sometimes you cannot say,
And ash is a thing that someday we all should be,
When tomorrow comes
How different it’s going be?
Why do love and hate sound just the same to me?”
“Tokyo”, the first track of the playlist produced
by RM and Supreme boi, creates a sense of
contemplation with its lyrics being questions
and connotations rooting from them and the
whistling that signifies thoughts that haven’t
exactly reached their conclusion —unanswered
questions from one’s personal reflection.
In one’s life, they may feel as if they’re not truly
alive. Instead, they feel as if they’re just corpses
waiting to be turned to ash, already having lost
their identities and purpose. “Tokyo” depicts
these thoughts, weaving them into questions
like, “Do I miss myself?”
“If love and hate are the same words
I love you Seoul.
If love and hate are the same words
I hate you Seoul.”
“Seoul”, a collaboration with HONNE, stands in
contrast to “Tokyo” with a more positive vibe to
it as well as a more upbeat tune. Namjoon goes
to describe his fascination with the city he calls
home, adding on things he likes and dislikes
about it balancing each other —much like the
contrasting harmony between happiness and
sadness, between love and hate in one’s soul.
Love and hate are both strong human emotions
with similar roots, stemming from being fueled
by a passion, which Namjoon also applies to
Seoul and his own soul, not having any defined
relationship with the city or himself based on
love or hate but simply passion.
“Moonchild you shine
When moon rise, it’s your time
C’mon y’all
Moonchild don’t cry
When moon rise, it’s your time.”
References to the moon have been part of BTS’s
concepts since their 2014 album Dark & Wild with
the song “Blanket Kick” and that reference has
been used here again in “Moonchild”—looking to
the moon instead of the sun. This metaphorized
the idea of finding light and hope in times
least expected, to find them in shadows instead
of the light sometimes. This song is dedicated to
“Moonchildren” —the silent sufferers who also
shine during the extreme moments of crisis.
“Kill me, kill me softly
Kill me, kill me softly
Kill me, kill softly
Have me be scattered as fragments.”
One of the shortest songs in the mixtape,
“Badbye” is the opposite of a happy farewell with
contributions from eAeon.
46