Active during his pre-debut days as an underground rapper ( Runch Randa ). 13-year-old Nam-joon was already a prodigy in rap, he'd often attended gigs in his hometown Ilcheon and earned a place for himself in the underground scene at an early age, impressing even older underground rappers. He had made a collab with the famous rapper Zico back in 2008, the track can be found on many platforms including YouTube and SoundCloud.
In early 2015, RM earned not only the approval from big names in the Korean Hip-hop scene, but he had also gained respect from the American Hip-hop figure Warren G. The two came together for the track "P.D.D", where RM asks his haters to stay alive to witness his success. The west coast rapper stated in an interview with CJ America, "I couldn’t understand all his lyrics, but I can say that it was very good because his flow, style, and rhythm are all excellent.” He then even went on to say, "When I hear Rap Monster’s songs, it sounds like Snoop Dogg or me rapping with the beats we’ve made.”
On March 4, 2015, RM released a single with Warren G entitled, "P.D.D (Please Don't Die)" ahead of his first solo mixtape RM following an offer by Warren G to collaborate. The track reflected how RM felt towards those who hated and criticized him at the time, which he used to find very upsetting.
That same March, RM collaborated with hip hop project group MFBTY, EE and Dino J on the song "Bucku Bucku". He featured in the song's music video and also had a cameo appearance in a music video for another song by MFBTY, "Bang Diggy Bang Bang".
He released his first solo mixtape in the same year, titled 'RM'. It's a work where Namjoon gives his take hip-hop's influence in his life, the hardships he'd experienced in pursuit of his career, as well as his struggle with self-love and self-acceptance. "Awakening", the third track of the mixtape, talked of his internal conflict between his two identities of "rapper" and "idol", as he had received backlash from the underground Hip-hop community prior to his debut with BTS, claiming that he'd betrayed his roots as a rapper. To this day, the mixtape is considered one of the best works inside the Korean Hip-Hop scene.
Following RM's release, he featured along with Kwon Jin-ah on Primary's "U" that April. In August, RM collaborated with Marvel for Fantastic Four's soundtrack in Korea, releasing the digital single, "Fantastic" featuring Mandy Ventrice.
In August 2016, vocal duo Homme released a single titled "Dilemma", which was co-produced by RM and Bang Si-hyuk.
In 2017 was released the track "Change", a collab between Wale and Rap Monster (RM). The song talks of global violence, the school system, social injustice, and bullying. The two conversed through lyrics, claiming that people were controlled by the higher power and voiced out their wish of a changing world.
In 2018, he came out with a second mixtape named "mono". A project containing a few collaborations (with artists such as HONNE, NELL, eAeon) where Nam-joon experimented with lofi Hip-Hop and ballad. Though different from his previous works, he was still able to showcase his soul-deep lyricism, where he often implemented his skill of using wordplay and metaphors to further reach his listeners. With this mixtape, he continued to explore his own identity and life through a microscope, touching topics like loneliness, self-doubt, longing, and even explored the concept of love and hate. 'mono' proved RM a unique artist of diversity and growth. The mixtape is available on Spotify, iTunes, and SoundCloud. During its first day of release, the mixtape reached high positions on stream platforms, giving RM a profile with verification, resulting in his becoming of a more acknowledged rapper, producer, and songwriter.
In December, RM collaborated on a remix of Fall Out Boy's song "Champion". The track reached number 18 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles and helped RM reach number 46 on the Emerging Artists Chart for the week of January 8, 2018.
In November, RM also collaborated with Tiger JK on his last and final album under the stage name Drunken Tiger, featuring on the track "Timeless". Tiger JK originally expected RM's lyrics to contain self-praise, which was the trend of rap at the time; RM instead wrote lyrics about leaving behind the historical meaning of Drunken Tiger's name.
A lot of prestigious artists, from South Korea and EUA, found interest in RM and invited him for collaborations. Famous American rappers like Wale and Lil Nas X, even the rock group Fall Out Boy and famous Korean artists like Drunken Tiger and Gaeko.
On March 25, 2019, Honne announced that RM would feature on their remake of "Crying Over You" alongside singer BEKA, which was released on March 27.
The same day, Big Hit Entertainment released the song "Persona" as a trailer for BTS' EP Map of the Soul: Persona, performed as a solo by RM.
In 2019 Lil Nas X called RM for one of the remixes of his hit "Old Town Road". And this collab gave Namjoon and the other BTS members a chance to perform along with Lil Nas X for the first time on the 2019 edition of the Grammy's stage.
On December 29, it was announced that RM would feature on Younha's track "Winter Flower", released on January 6, 2020.
RM also featured on "Don't", the lead single of Korean singer eAeon's second solo album released on April 30, 2021.
BTS, on June 14 2022, announced that they will be taking a break from group activities to focus more on solo projects. RM subsequently appeared as a featured artist on the single "Sexy Nukim" by alt-K-pop group Balming Tiger in September,
RM released his debut solo studio album, Indigo, led by the single "Wild Flower", on December 2. The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, making him the highest-charting Korean soloist in chart history. he also has a girlfriend
Closer
RM Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I can't get close enough to you
I feel it most in the nighttime
Even though that's when I'm closest to you
If I could be under your skin
Closer than we've ever been
We'd be closer than we've ever been
Oh, no
Mm, I feel it most in the nighttime, yeah
Me never on your timeline, yeah
See you always in the limelight
Keep me rollin' in the deep, yeah
Not a tease, no joke, I do mean it
Don't cease, baby don't, why you floatin'?
Wanna lock you up in my sight
But you run away like fish, yeah
I keep you right next to me (to me)
Only just in my dream (my dream)
I see you in red, blue, green (oh)
Don't wake me up from sleep
I think I'm losin' my grip (my grip)
Everything off the beam
Why you showed up in my life
Like this? So sudden, oh God, no
I get a feelin' sometimes
That I can't get close enough to you
I feel it most in the nighttime
Even though that's when I'm closest to you
If I could be under your skin
Closer than we've ever been (uh-huh)
We'd be closer than we've ever been (uh-huh, mm, ooh-ooh-ooh)
Come holla at a Yungin from the block, baby, uh
Say the time don't wait for nobody
Oh, I bet you thought baby (bet you thought I'd leave, huh?)
But the time gon' stop
When you and I make our lips, lock baby (oh, ah, trust me)
And once again you made me misplace my pride, baby (oh, so trust me, I, oh)
Promised myself never again, yeah (oh-oh-oh-oh)
But you got me doing the same thing all over again (mm-mm-mm)
And I make her body di-diddy diddy bop
Di-di-di-diddy bop
Mm-mm, mm-mm, mm-mm, mm-mm
I wanna show you how I gets down
Baby girl, come on (come on and oh-oh-oh-oh)
Please leave your message after the beep
If love ain't for us (if love ain't for us, if love ain't for us, oh)
이걸로 만족할게 (이걸로 만족할게)
I don't need your touch
(I don't need your touch, I don't need your touch, yeah)
너의 사랑이면 돼 (너의 사랑이면 돼)
(Come closer, come closer, yeah, yeah)
Yeah, if this is all we can do
Yeah, just lookin' at you (at you, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh)
There's gon' be no take two
Stay where you are
If this is all we can do (can do)
Yeah, just lookin' at you (at you)
There's gon' be no take two
Stay where you are (stay where you are)
Stay where you are (oh)
Just stay where you are (oh, stay where you are)
Stay where you are
Stay where you are (ooh)
Stay where you are
Stay where you are (stay where you are)
Yeah
The lyrics to "Closer" by RM Paul Blanco Mahalia speak to the feeling of longing for someone and wanting to be even closer to them. The singer expresses a deep desire to be under the person's skin and have a closer connection than ever before. They feel this the most at night, when they are physically closest to the person, but still, it doesn't feel close enough. The singer is frustrated by the person's constant presence in the limelight and their tendency to run away like a fish. They want to lock the person up in their sight, but they can't seem to make that happen.
The lyrics also touch on the singer's dream state, where they see the person in various colors and desperately hope not to be woken up from sleep. The singer feels like they are losing their grip and everything is off balance. They question why the person suddenly showed up in their life and express a strong longing for them. Despite promising themselves never to go through this again, they find themselves repeating the same patterns.
In the bridge, the singer talks about the passing of time and how it stops when they share a kiss with the person, causing them to once again lose their pride. They acknowledge that they keep making the same mistakes, but still want to show the person how they truly are.
Overall, the lyrics depict a deep yearning for emotional and physical closeness with someone, expressing frustration, longing, and a willingness to repeat past mistakes.
Line by Line Meaning
I get a feelin' sometimes
I occasionally have a strong intuition
That I can't get close enough to you
That I am unable to establish a close enough connection with you
I feel it most in the nighttime
I experience it predominantly during the nighttime
Even though that's when I'm closest to you
Despite that being the time when I physically am closest to you
If I could be under your skin
If I could deeply understand and connect with you
Closer than we've ever been
In a level of intimacy beyond anything we have experienced
We'd be closer than we've ever been
Our bond would reach an unprecedented closeness
Oh, no
Expressing a sense of concern or realization
Mm, I feel it most in the nighttime, yeah
I strongly sense it particularly during the nighttime
Me never on your timeline, yeah
I never fit into your schedule or plans
See you always in the limelight
I always see you in the center of attention
Keep me rollin' in the deep, yeah
You keep me emotionally engaged and invested
Not a tease, no joke, I do mean it
I am sincere and serious, not playing around
Don't cease, baby don't, why you floatin'?
Don't stop or hesitate, why are you drifting away?
Wanna lock you up in my sight
I want to keep you within my view or attention
But you run away like fish, yeah
But you constantly evade or elude me
I keep you right next to me (to me)
I always keep you close to me
Only just in my dream (my dream)
But only in my dreams or imagination
I see you in red, blue, green (oh)
I visualize you with different emotions or states
Don't wake me up from sleep
Don't disrupt or end this fantasy or illusion
I think I'm losin' my grip (my grip)
I feel like I am losing control or stability
Everything off the beam
Everything is off balance or out of alignment
Why you showed up in my life
Why did you suddenly appear in my life
Like this? So sudden, oh God, no
In such a sudden and unexpected manner, oh God, no
Come holla at a Yungin from the block, baby, uh
Come talk to a young person from the neighborhood, baby
Say the time don't wait for nobody
Time does not wait for anyone
Oh, I bet you thought baby (bet you thought I'd leave, huh?)
Oh, I'm sure you believed, baby (you thought I would leave, right?)
But the time gon' stop
But time is going to stop
When you and I make our lips, lock baby (oh, ah, trust me)
When you and I share a passionate kiss, baby (oh, ah, trust me)
And once again you made me misplace my pride, baby (oh, so trust me, I, oh)
And once again, you made me lose my self-esteem, baby (oh, so trust me, I, oh)
Promised myself never again, yeah (oh-oh-oh-oh)
I vowed to myself never again, yeah (oh-oh-oh-oh)
But you got me doing the same thing all over again (mm-mm-mm)
But you have me repeating the same actions all over again
And I make her body di-diddy diddy bop
And I make her body move rhythmically and playfully
Di-di-di-diddy bop
Move rhythmically and playfully
Mm-mm, mm-mm, mm-mm, mm-mm
Implies humming or enjoying the music
I wanna show you how I gets down
I want to demonstrate my true self or capabilities
Baby girl, come on (come on and oh-oh-oh-oh)
Come on, baby girl (come on and oh-oh-oh-oh)
Please leave your message after the beep
The caller is requested to leave a message after the beep sound
If love ain't for us (if love ain't for us, if love ain't for us, oh)
If love is not meant for us, if it doesn't work for us, oh
이걸로 만족할게 (이걸로 만족할게)
I will be satisfied with this
I don't need your touch
I don't require your physical contact
(I don't need your touch, I don't need your touch, yeah)
(I don't need your touch, I don't need your touch, yeah)
너의 사랑이면 돼 (너의 사랑이면 돼)
If it's your love, that's all I need
(Come closer, come closer, yeah, yeah)
(Come closer, come closer, yeah, yeah)
Yeah, if this is all we can do
Yeah, if this is the extent of what we can achieve
Yeah, just lookin' at you (at you, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh)
Yeah, just observing you (at you, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh)
There's gon' be no take two
There won't be a second chance or opportunity
Stay where you are
Remain in your current position
If this is all we can do (can do)
If this is the only thing we are capable of (can do)
Yeah, just lookin' at you (at you)
Yeah, just observing you (at you)
There's gon' be no take two
There won't be a second chance or opportunity
Stay where you are (stay where you are)
Remain in your current position (stay where you are)
Stay where you are
Remain in your current position
Stay where you are (ooh)
Remain in your current position (ooh)
Stay where you are
Remain in your current position
Stay where you are (stay where you are)
Remain in your current position (stay where you are)
Yeah
Expressing agreement, affirmation, or understanding
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Andy Clutterbuck, Benjamin Hart, James Hatcher, Mahalia Burkmar, Hyo Won Kang, Paul Blanco, Nam Jun Kim
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind