ARMY Magazine - Special Issues ARMY Magazine Yoongi Special Edition | Página 5

Although he started off as a small-town rap­
per from Daegu, South Korea, SUGA has
reached astronomical levels of success. Ev­
olving from his modest beginnings, this incre­
dible artist now carries many titles, including
rapper, producer, and songwriter. SUGA has
produced for BTS as well as many other
acclaimed South Korean artists, and is now
recognized as a producer by the Korean
Copyright Music Association . In recent ye­
ars he has collaborated with artists such as
Lee Sora, Suran, and Tablo of Epik High.
In Daegu, he was part of the rap group, D­
Town. He and RM faced heavy criticism
from other underground rappers after their
debut, who claimed these two artists had
"sold out by becoming idols". Many consid­
ered idols as lacking true talent, and not st­
aying true to the roots of hip-hop. Ultimately,
this type of criticism fueled the boys and ins­
pired them to prove their haters wrong.
Chosen for the group because of their
talents as rappers and acclaim in the hip­
hop scene, they continued to work hard
and prove hip-hop didn't need to stay und­
erground to be good. SUGA has frequently
referenced his dual personalities in his songs,
acknowledging his status as a rapper and
idol, and celebrating both.
Transitioning from his former stage name
"Gloss", he ultimately chose the name SUGA
as it is a play on words referencing the pos­
ition he played in basketball - shooting guard.
The name SUGA is derived from the first syll­
ables of each of these words SUGA also
mentioned that he chose the name because
his skin is pale while adding, "I'm pretty
when I smile, and because I'm sweet. I
chose this name because I want to promote
sweetly". He chose to release his mixtape
under the alias Agust D , combining the
initials of his hometown with a reversal of his
BTS stage name. While still SUGA of BTS,
this name change allowed him to distance
himself from his image as an idol.
Before moving to Seoul to pursue his dream
of being a producer, he experienced many
hardships. Writing about topics such as
depression, social anxiety, and OCD pa­
ints a bleak picture of the struggles SUGA
endured before reaching his celebrity
status. A fan of rap and hip-hop from an
early age, he began writing his own lyrics
and music while still in school. He would
sell his music on the street to make extra
money, and many times was scammed
and never paid for his work. He struggled
to afford bus fare and food, but continu­
ed to hustle despite frequent setbacks.
Never giving up, he auditioned through
Big Hit's "Hit It!" competition. Coming in
second place, during the competition, he
was offered a contract with the company.
As a trainee, he was given a position in a
hip-hop crew that would allow him to fo­
cus mostly on his dream of producing
and had no choreography like a typical
idol group. T hrough this, he was introd­
uced to Kim Namjoon , another well-
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