{"id":62583,"date":"2026-04-16T11:05:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T11:05:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/16\/bts-rapper-on-making-arirang-hip-hop-whats-next\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T11:05:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T11:05:28","slug":"bts-rapper-on-making-arirang-hip-hop-whats-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/musicianvoice.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/16\/bts-rapper-on-making-arirang-hip-hop-whats-next\/","title":{"rendered":"BTS Rapper on Making ‘Arirang,’ Hip-Hop, What’s Next"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\n\t\t<\/span>he story goes that Suga<\/a>, born Min Yoongi, got his nickname from the phrase \u201cshooting guard,\u201d but he prefers to focus on another, more apropos meaning: \u201cIt\u2019s a nickname you sometimes give to athletes that have great technique,\u201d he says, pointing to Sugar Ray Leonard and the UFC fighter \u201cSuga\u201d Sean O\u2019Malley. As a rapper, Suga has a seemingly infinite arsenal of up-to-the-minute flows, paying close attention to the evolution of U.S. hip-hop. He started out as a producer, too, in his hometown of Daegu, and never stopped making beats \u2014 he self-produced much of his 2023 album, D-Day<\/em><\/a>,<\/em> and produced the Arirang<\/a><\/em> bonus track \u201cCome Over.\u201d In the studio, he listens more than he talks, and steps up to mediate disagreements between other members. In our interview, conducted in February at Hybe headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, he calls his work in BTS<\/a> \u201cthis job,\u201d but makes it clear that he loves his work.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn 2023, you completed a trilogy of releases under the name Agust D, your alter ego. Did that give you a sense of completion, and that you were ready to move on, both in life and as an artist?<\/strong>
Yeah, and I went to the military right after that. So I did feel quite resolved after finishing the trilogy. I felt like Agust D was wrapped up.\u2026 After that final album, I don\u2019t have any negative feelings left in my body.<\/p>\n

\n\tYou said that you always had anger in you. Where does that come from?<\/strong>
When I was younger, I guess I had a bit of an inferiority complex. As well as some frustration with society in general, of course. I think it was some combination of those things.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tRolling Stone\u2019s May issue features the most ambitious cover-story package in the magazine\u2019s nearly 60-year history: eight different print covers in all. In addition to the group cover and story, we\u2019re rolling out the seven solo covers \u2014 each with a video and solo Q&A \u2014 through Monday, April 20. Click here<\/strong><\/a> for continuing coverage, and click here<\/strong><\/a> to buy a box set of all eight covers.\t<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\t\tRolling Stone\u2019s May issue features the most ambitious cover-story package in the magazine\u2019s nearly 60-year history: eight different print covers in all. In addition to the group cover and story, we\u2019re rolling out the seven solo covers \u2014 each with a video and solo Q&A \u2014 through Monday, April 20. Click here<\/strong><\/a> for continuing coverage, and click here<\/strong><\/a> to buy a box set of all eight covers.\t<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tOne of the things that makes BTS so interesting, and I think one of the secret reasons that you\u2019re so successful, is that it\u2019s not the typical personalities or artists that you might expect in an idol group. Just like RM, the way that you are as an artist, the way you think \u2014 it\u2019s not necessarily a natural fit for you to be in an idol group.<\/strong>
I was making music in Daegu before I came up to Seoul, and back then I didn\u2019t really understand idol groups. But then once I joined one \u2026 I learned that it\u2019s a lot of work, it gets super busy, and it\u2019s not easy at all. Now that I\u2019m used to it, I think I\u2019m actually a good fit for this job.<\/p>\n

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\t\tEditor\u2019s picks<\/p>\n<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

\n\tWhen you went into this album \u2014 and again, you\u2019re so involved in production and you think so sonically \u2014 what was your imagined version of how it would sound, and how did that compare to what has come out?<\/strong>
Our biggest priority was to pursue a new kind of sound that you haven\u2019t heard from us before. And I do think it\u2019s just a well-made pop album, so we\u2019re very satisfied. It wasn\u2019t easy to write so many songs and go through all the rewrites and edits, but it was also a lot of fun, so I think that\u2019s why we got good results.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\tWatch the video interview below\t<\/h2>\n
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