BTS member, J-Hope (Jung Hoseok) has released his long-awaited mixtape after a good and long three-four years of anticipation. Considering I am a huge BTS fan, and I love the ball of sunshine that is J-Hope, I just knew I had to write about his mixtape. Hope World has been rising high on the Billboard and iTunes Charts, as well as views on the two music videos he has released in the past week on YouTube. However, since this is a review, I am going to go in depth on my opinions on each song, so you have been warned.
Let’s start this.
Track 1, Hope World: This song has a great intro and outro! The background instrumentals are something I don’t think I’ve heard ever musically. The song begins with water sounds, like you’re being submerged, and then comes in with a repetitious melody that will be stuck in your head for an enjoyable time. While the chorus is the same throughout the song, it’s still a great bop.
Track 2, P.O.P (Piece of Peace) pt1: NGL, this track is my favorite. I don’t know if it’s because of the steel drums or the catchy chorus, either way, I just love this song. I am in love with the intro of the song, with the seemingly heavy bass line, but it transitions to low piano chord, and OMG, if that’s not the best thing! This track is just one of those songs you can chill out to and just listen to the music.
Track 3, Daydream: Here comes the lofi hip -hop vibes! This song is something special to me—mainly because I literally skipped a class just to freak out about it—and while there’s not too much going on with it, the mellowness of this track is great. J-Hope incorporates whisper rapping into this, along with a bit of rap-singing which isn’t too shabby, I actually really like it. J-hope’s rap style is showcased well, his flow is smooth, and pleasing to the ear. Many people may think it’s a bit bland, but I like the simplicity of it.
[Courtesy of BigHit Entertainment]
Track 4, Base Line: This track comes in and it’s not here to play, I can tell you that! Only being 1:29 long, this song throws some heavy beats at you, and shocks you to the core. Throughout this song, you won’t be able to do anything but crump, or bob your head while listening to it. This song showcases J-Hope’s harsher style of rap, with a smart intro that leaves you confused when the bass drops. This is a very interesting song, and I can see why people love it.
Track 5, Hangsung (ft. Supreme Boi): Another great song, but with a more modern style that is easily recognizable; trap. It has a repetitious beat, but with changes in the instrumentation, the song doesn’t become boring, something I appreciated. It features BigHit Entertainment Supreme Boi, a producer for the company, as well as a close friend of J-Hope, who raps along with him. It’s a great song, maybe not my all-time favorite, but I enjoy the song enough to blast it on my speaker when I feel like it.
Track 6, Airplane: This track is so chill, that you feel the need to just take a seat, and stare up at the sky, maybe even dab when the moment strikes you. I can’t say too much on this song, not because it is bad or anything, but because while there is not a lot going on, it’s super chill and I vibe to that type of music. So, this was right up my alley. Musically, it sort of reminds me of old Drake a bit? I don’t know, all I know is that it’s a nice song.
Track 7, Blue side (Outro): Talk about a terrific way to end this mixtape! It’s mostly instrumental with J-Hope in the background rap-singing, repeating the phrase, “Blue side, back to the blue side,”over some subdued vocals in Korean.. It’s a fairly short song, but it’s a nice touch to end the mixtape on a calm note.
Overall: My thoughts on Hope World are generally positive, there wasn’t too much that I didn’t like, which is a great thing for me, considering I’ve listened to this mixtape on repeat for almost a whole week. I applaud J-Hope’s work on Hope World and hope to hear even better songs from him in the future.
So, please go give Hope World a listen on: iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud, and YouTube. The Mixtape is free to download on iTunes, and anywhere else you can find it.
J-Hope, Hwaiting!