The current lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic has affected our entertainment sector quite a lot.
But fear not, because Suga, a member of BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan) the largest Korean band at the time has just come out with an explosive mixtape.
Back with his alias Agust D, which in part is his stage name ‘Suga’ spelled backward and TD being a reference to his hometown Daegu in South Korea, he just dropped his mixtape called D-2.
His first mixtape simply called Agust D came out in 2016 and this one was just released on 22nd May after a very interesting promotional campaign.
Their agency Big Hit Entertainment released the title image bit by bit on a daily basis with the caption of D-7, D-6, and so on as a form of countdown.
You can find the whole mixtape on Spotify or BTS’ official SoundCloud and make sure to check out the MV (music video) of the title track here:
The title track of “Daechwita” which means ‘a great blow or hit,’ is extremely interesting to watch with its powerful lyrics and symbolism not only to Korean culture and history but also to other films.
The MV has already crossed 6 million views on YouTube.
Here are some thoughts I had after watching the MV:
#1. Follow Up To Shadow?
One thing that jumped out to me was the dual characters that Min Yoongi (real name of Suga) is playing in the video.
It kind of reminds me of the ‘Interlude: Shadow’ Comeback trailer from their MAP OF THE SOUL: 7.
The tussle and back and forth between two sides of the same person was a big part of that song. In Shadow, Yoongi and his ‘shadow’ are fighting for dominance, with the former asking from escape from it and the latter wanting their surrender.
The MV to Daechwita though seems like a follow up to that where the ‘shadow’ now in a prominent place is trying to execute the main persona, however, it eventually leads to their own downfall.
One could also take it as the raven-haired rebel version of Yoongi trying to kill or suppress a negative version of him (the blonde-haired king Yoongi).
The king version has allowed power to corrupt him and make him think he is invincible and can simply get rid of his competition by beheading them.
one a king and one a rebel gang leader. The king rules with no mercy as he sentences dozens of people to death by beheading them and then collecting heads as trophies. The rebel challenges his rule and methods but is captured and sentenced to death. He is saved from execution however, as it is implied he bribed the executioner at the start of the video to spare him and hand him a gun, with which he finally shoots and takes down the despot king. Agust D’s portrayal of the two characters is highly impressive and scenes that stand out include his performance of a traditional Korean sword dance while dressed in a Hanbok. Visual references include the subtle nod to the rest of BTS with six members in Agust D’s gang and the presence of flames, consistent symbolism with Agust D’s fiery videos from 2016. Another theory behind the meaning of the video could be the struggle of idol versus artist; the flashy king signifies the glittery world of idol stardom and the rebel is the artist who defies the system
#2. Korean History
There are heaps and heaps of Korean history included in the MV with the main palace setting seeming to come from the Joseon dynasty.
Then the name of the song coming from a genre of traditional Korean music where military music is played with wind and percussion instruments usually during a march.
This type of music is typically played as a way to welcome a King, high official or oversea guest while they visiting a certain place.
Another scene shows a filming set constructed in a similar manner as a prison from the Joseon dynasty.
Read More: BTS’ New Single ‘Black Swan’ Perfectly Encapsulates My Fear As A Millennial Blogger
#3. Referring Movies
Several people also noticed that there are similarities with some TV shows and movies.
Movies like the 1998 Leonardo DiCaprio starring, The Man in the Iron Mask, where a group of people attempts to replace the evil King Louis XIV with his twin brother who was kept in a dungeon with an iron mask covering his face.
Another reference could be to the 2012 South Korea period movie, Masquerade, where a king has an identical double stand in his place after he multiple assassination attempts.
#4. Calling Out The Music Industry
The whole is essentially a diss track against the wrong practices held by the music industry.
Mentions of ‘pill-popping’ and a word in the line being a double entendre to being weak or taking drugs point at the common practice of various artists taking drugs and other measures.
Someone also noticed that the scar on ‘king’ Suga is telling of how BTS and the artist himself rose above common perception.
Apparently as per ancient Korean society, a person with such a mark or scar on their face could never become a king or ruler of the land.
However, the fact that Suga’s version was able to climb to that status shows that with hard work anybody can be successful.
The vibe from this mixtape was more self-reflective and mellow as compared to his first one. Instead of being angry and loud, this one although has more energetic pieces also takes a look at what is inside.
In one of the songs Dear My Friend featuring Kim Jong Wan of NELL, Suga talks about a friend who ended up in jail. Suga in the song misses his friend but also doesn’t like the present version of his friend.
The lyrics are all about what could have been if Suga had been there and could have done something to prevent his friend from going down a harmful path.
The mixtape is currently raging across music charts with the mixtape already earning #1 on the US iTunes Album Sales chart and every single track from the playlist within the Top 11 on Song Sales Chart.
The YouTube mv also crossed 20 million views in just around 17 hours from being posted.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Time, Doolsetbangtan, Billboard
Find the blogger @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Daechwita, bts, bts suga, bts suga mixtape, d 2 mixtape, agust d, agust d bts, agust d mixtape, Daechwita mv, Daechwita bts suga, min yoongi
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