ARMY Magazine - Special Issues ARMY Magazine Yoongi Special Edition | Page 22

GIVE IT TO ME: RISE OF THE D While BTS have been applauded for defying the system, and for the varied message they deliver through their artistry, Suga's own works, no­ tably his first solo mixtape A GUST D (2016) released under the titular alias, has been noted for being outspoken, uncensored and raw. Even so, prior to his debut under the stage name Gloss, as part of the hip-hop crew 0-Town, BTS' Suga produced and composed "518-062," a song com­ memorating the Gwangju Uprising, a pro-democratic movement led by local university teachers and students against a military authoritari­ an government. Although meant for the 7080 Chungjang-ro Recollec­ tion Festival in Gwangju in May 2010, the song failed in the first preliminary round, but the patriotic emotion it carries is noteworthy. "Reluctant to just throw it away", he posted the seW-made video under the Nate Video section on Pann. After signing with Big Hit Entertainment, primarily as a producer for the company, Yoongi found himseW in the makings of what is now known as BTS. With the stage name SUGA, he debuted together with the six other members, one of them also coming from the underground hip-hop scene - RM. Having to shift his previous, somewhat aggressive, style of rapping Yoongi made some changes to match his new platform. He had to adapt his rapping style to complement the other two rappers', as well as diverge from the "true" underground scene and shift towards more Pop-like sounds. HOWEVER, EVEN SUGA NO STRUGGLE WITH BEING LOOKED UPON BY HIS PEERS, ACCUSING HIM ''SELLING OUT'' HIP-HOP BY BECOMIN IDOL RAPPER (WHICH STILL MOSTLY H NEGATIVE CONNOTATIONS TO THIS DAVJ, ONE THING WAS STILL CRYSTAL-CLEAR HIS DESIRE TO REACH PEOPLE WITH H MUSIC, TO PROVE HIS WORTH TO T WHO WRONGED HIM. 21