Suga of BTS Gets Some Global Attention with Culturally Inspired Hit
Suga of the boy band BTS is stepping out on his own and one song on his new album is generating some interest with global music fans.
Photo Credit: Soompi
The rapper, songwriter and producer released an album called D-2 and its lead track Daechwita refers to a genre of traditional Korean music that was once performed at king’s parades and military ceremonies. It mainly features wind and percussion instruments.
Suga brought his own hip-hop and pop influences to a traditional sound source that was provided by the National Gugak Center. The songwriter took a risk and it paid off as the song soared reaching number 76 on the Billboard’s This Week Hot 100 Chart. This means it was one of the most popular songs spanning all genres.
Here’s what some fans are saying about the release. “BTS is making me learn Korean history and music. This is interesting,”
And while the song is opening fan’s eyes to a genre of music they may have not known much about previously, it’s also stirring up interest for the National Gugak Center. A five minute explanatory Youtube clip posted by the Gugak Center four years ago shot up to 120,000 views. Another video the Center had posted featuring an original full version of the song got to more than 140,000 views over the weekend.
The Center responded by adding subtitles to the videos to enhance understanding. “Look how fast the National Gugak Center is responding to the trend. It is great to see English subtitles,” one viewer commented.
Others stated that watching the explanatory video helped them understand Suga’s song better. “After watching Suga’s music video as a fan, I wondered what the man is saying at the beginning. I had no idea even though I am Korean. It is great to discover the details this way,” a BTS fan commented.
The YouTube video explains that the new song and the traditional version both begin with the conductor, a man named ‘Jipsa’ shouting out the words, “Myunggeumilha ‘Daechwita’ harapsinda.” This means the performance will begin when a traditional Korean percussion instrument makes the sound ‘jing’.
The fact Suga included traditional elements in his song should come as no surprise to fans. The BTS song ‘Idol also pays tribute to the Korean culture with elements from a traditional lion dance drama called “Bukcheong Sajanoreun”.
D-2 is not the only song on Suga’s release that is gaining attention. The rapper also includes a controversial song, “What Do You Think”. It has been criticized because it features a vocal sample from a speech given by cult leader Jim Jones who led the infamous suicide of over 900 people in the Jonestown massacre. As a result, BTS management company Big Hit Entertainment released an apology for using the speech and re-released the track without the sample.
Suga’s D-2 is available on all streaming services and on many online platforms. Check it out and see what you think.
