J-HOPE'S 'HOPE WORLD' MIXTAPE

It's finally here. The most highly anticipated mixtape has finally been dropped by BTS's J-Hope. He's been working on this mixtape for over 2 years and has been toying with his fans about when he was going to release it. He's been saying for the last year that it would be released 'soon'. Most people thought it would be released on his birthday, 18th February, but they were wrong. J-Hope actually released his debut mixtape 'Hope World' on 2 March 2018. His mixtape was firstly released for free on Soundcloud, but was also later released on Spotify and iTunes. Although his fanbase could listen to his mixtape for free, they all decided to either purchase the album, or stream it on Spotify to get it ranked on the charts.

Hope World had two music videos released alongside, the first being 'Daydream 백일몽' which was released at the same time as the album on 2 March. The second music video 'Airplane' was released 4 days later on 6 March 2018. Both these music videos got mass views totalling over 40 million views combined.

This mixtape broke records for the debuting solo artist J-Hope. He became the first Korean solo artist to have his album ranked #1 on British iTunes. His album was also ranked #1 in over 63 countries, the most for any Korean solo artist ever. He also made history by debuting at N. 63 on the Billboard Top 200.

Without further due, let's talk about each track individually.

Track List

Hope World: It begins with sounds as if it's surfacing from underwater. It has a very relaxed beat and really expresses J-Hope's branding of being the 'hopeful' and 'sunshine' of BTS. He's described this song as being an introduction to himself and his world, which it does perfectly. It really paves the way for the rest of the album to follow and is the sort of track you would expect from Hoseok. It's extremely catchy and has become one of the most streamed tracks on this album. As a fan, I think it's incredibly sweet of Hoseok to let us into his 'Hope World' and share with us his passions and desires. If any song summed up J-Hope, it would be Hope World.

P.O.P (Piece of Peace) Pt 1: Hoseok has said that this song has a particular place in his heart as he talks about wanting to be someone's piece of peace. It explores his want and ambition to provide happiness to his fans and people around him. He said that this is a theme he wants to carry on delving into, labelling this as a part 1 knowing he will further this concept. The beat and lyrics of this song is chilled yet upbeat and is one of my favourite tracks from the mixtape. The meaning behind it is very personal to Hoseok and very clear to his audience, I hope he realises that he is ARMY's piece of peace and he doesn't need to wish he was because he already is.

Daydream: This is the title track of Hope World and has been the most popular on the mixtape. This song surrounds the idea of dreaming during the day and wanting to escape to a different world. This was the first song I heard from the mixtape as it was the first MV to be released. He varies from hard rap, soft whispers and sings throughout. This song really shows his versatility and is basically a bop. If I had to play any song to encourage someone to get into J-Hope's mixtape, this would be the one I'd play.

Base Line: This song acts as an interlude going from one genre to another. Hoseok is known for having a harder side to himself and this song really introduces this. It has a hard beat and an ever harder rap. It's such a hype song and if you don't dance to it I would judge you. I wish it was a full song rather than an interlude because it's so good and deserves to be longer. It surrounds the idea of Hoseok saying he's always had a base line within him that has come from his dance background and has followed through to the music he likes to listen to and create.

HANGSANG (ft. Supreme Boi): Hangsang (Always) follows this harder vibe that Base Line introduced. Hoseok talks about how although this is his solo project that he's always with his team and they're indestructible together. He refers to BTS as his 'boys' and 'dawgs' who are making their mark on the world. This is the only song that features another artist, which is Supreme Boi. SB was a major investor in Hope World and helped J-Hope quite a lot, he also performs the chorus in BTS's Cypher Pt 3 so it's no surprise Hoseok asked him to do a verse on Hangsang as he is equally part of the team.

Airplane: This is another title track from the mixtape and has a mixture between a calm beat but has quite a hard side as well. Like P.O.P, Hoseok has said that this song has a particular meaning to him as riding in an airplane has always been a dream of his and has a sentimental meaning to him. Alongside this, J-Hope calls this his 'bragging song' where he talks about all the things he's achieved through BTS and how he lives this luxurious lifestyle now. It's quite a chill song with a harder meaning and lyrics, which works perfectly together showing how J-Hope is talking about his achievements casually, bragging with a certain type of swag without being arrogant.

Outro: Blue Side: This was the first song that Hoseok wrote. He said that he wrote the outro 2 years ago without the intention of it being the outro track. It's a very simple song with echoing lyrics and a soft beat. Hoseok elaborated saying that this song was about him longing for the past where he was care free and didn't know what he did now. Knowing this meaning, the echoing lyrics and soft beat makes it incredibly emotional and moving to listen too. It's quite a short song as it is the outro and if I could ask Hoseok for anything it would be to make this into a longer song because I think it's beautiful and it makes me cry whenever I listen to it. His music really is that powerful.

Music Videos

Daydream: This was the first MV to be released and wow oh wow we were not disappointed. Simultaneously, this was the first time I'd heard the song as well and it was so much to take in.

The visuals are bold and vibrant and there is just so much going on. The MV is packed with lots of different scenes, locations and outfits. There are sections where J-Hope is merely dancing and vibing to his own music in front of a green screen with vibrant animations happening behind him.

There are sections where he's sat in a bedroom lip syncing to the song while crazy animations and effects showcase the 'daydream' he is having. Alongside the bold and vibrant, there are some more chilled out moments where he is the focus of the scene with a neutral background.

This MV shows all sides of Hoseok where it's fun and playful, shows off his acting and his dance as well. There isn't a choregraphed dance as such, merely him free styling to his music, but he does this with such swag and confidence it's great to watch.

Another thing this MV holds is a cameo from one of the BTS member's. For a long time ARMY's thought it was Jin who slapped Hoseok in the second shot, and Jin who was in the bed with him. We were proved wrong. In the BTS Episode showing the behind the scenes of the MV we saw that it was Hoseok who slapped himself, and Taehyung who was in the bed, much to Yoongi's disappointment. The music video ends with Hoseok telling Taehyung to wake up and we see a shadow of an airplane across the wall, that could only mean one thing.

Airplane: This was the second MV to be released from the mixtape and we should've seen it coming. With the blatant clue of the airplane silhouette at the end of Daydream I can't believe we didn't catch on sooner.

Airplane had a different vibe to Daydream, showing another side of Hoseok that wasn't merely sunshine and rainbows. This music video is one of the best I have ever seen. You may think I'm biased because I love everything BTS, but as you will have seen from my other BTS blog post I am critical, but this music video I cannot fault.

The cinematography is beyond exceptional, the beginning two shots are mesmerising and I knew from that second that this was going to be spectacular.

They really did something different with this one, they used some special effects but nothing crazy, they really focused on the location they were in and tried to extenuate it with different angles and shots.

I find it difficult to talk about this MV because there's so much I love about it, but equally it leaves me speechless. It's a remarkable video and brings life into the song. Although this MV is way more simple in comparison to Daydream, I find it's impact to be tenfold.

Everything about the MV has been done so well and the passion Hoseok has for this song transcends into the music video and it gives you a connection with him that I can't fully explain. If this music video doesn't make you appreciate the quality of Eastern music I don't know what will.

Overall

'Hope World' is truly a blessing. We are such a lucky group of people to receive golden content such as this mixtape and both music videos for free. It was amazing to have Hoseok let us into his world and share his passions and thoughts with us.

His mixtape has a very different style to both RM and Agust D but it's refreshing and true to him. It's an amazing album and he deserves to break the records he did because every song goes without fault. He spent two years crafting this mixtape and has truly blessed us with it. I've played this to some friends who are unaware of kpop, alongside songs from BTS and SEVENTEEN and each time they have said the songs from 'Hope World' have been the most unique, interesting and therefore their favourite.

Without having a biased opinion I would rate this mixtape 9 out of 10, as I would love both Base Line and Blue Side to be slightly longer. But with my biased opinion because I love everything they do and I'm a shameless ARMY who will talk about BTS until the day I die, Hoseok deserves 10 out of 10 for this.

Tune in next time for another ramble about something I like, or a rant about something I don’t.

Hannah xo