J-Hope - “Daydream” / “Airplane” (Video)

on Mar 13 in BTS • K-Pop/K-R&B/K-Hip Hop • Passport Tunes • Videos

A couple of weeks is FOREVER AND A HALF in internet time and so here I am just getting around to posting about J-Hope’s “Daydream”, and he’s already on to the next one releasing a new video for single #2! 

OK, full disclosure… I initially had no idea that J-Hope was part of BTS. As much as I love K-Pop, there are very few groups where I know every member cuz the headcount can range from a (Western) traditional 5 to a (Asian Idol Group) sports team-esque total of 18 — ahem NCT 127 — and that’s just way too many people to keep track of.  With BTS, the only one who I knew by name and would recognize is RM.  Now that I know J-Hope is in the group, I had a “oh that’s him!” moment when listening to “Not Today” recently.  I also had no clue that J’s mixtape Hope World has been a long time coming so its release is a big payoff for BTS fans who have been patiently settling for all sorts of IG posts, tweets and other teases promising its arrival. 

I was down with “Airplane” about a minute into my first listen/viewing.  J-Hope’s impressive flow rides a beat that is a perfect fit for the track’s chill 90s hip hop vibe.  The trippy visuals complement the lyrics as J manages to make Alice In Wonderland and Harry Potter references work seamlessly with LL Cool J influenced style choices.  This is what I love about K-Pop productions—- they brilliantly take seeming disparate influences (House! PM Dawn! Dee-Lite! Tribal Print Varsity Jackets!) and somehow make it seem like a “duh, of course!” melting pot of ideas.

Get all up in the insta-masterpiece that is “Daydream” below as well as the comedown and less impressive follow-up “Airplane” and the full Hope World Mixtape.