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
No.2
RM Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
그 많은 파도 다 지난 뒤에, 으음
무수한 만일이 널 괴롭혀도
이젠 네가 널 지켜줄 거야
그대여 더는 뒤돌아보지 마, 음
선명히 뒤섞인 기억 뒤에, 으음
이 남은 삶들은 덤처럼 남아
그대여 더는 뒤돌아보지 마, 음음
어느 길이던 아쉬움 없을까, 음음
그래 넌 그리 특별하지 않아 (yeah)
이젠 이 말에 울지 않아
I smile
That I ain't gotta prove myself
That I ain't the one, that I ain't the shit
그저 인정이 고프던 어린아이
이젠 노인정이 더 잘 어울릴 mind
나로 가득 차 터져버린 나의 풍선
터지고 안 건 그 안은 텅 비어있었단 거
끝없이 물었네 그냥 흘러도 되는 거야
속하고 싶지 않던 데 속해도 되는 거야?
Oh 영원할 것 같던 melody
그래 나, 나의 felony (ooh-ooh)
여태껏 배운 건 겨우 한 가지
I'll be forever me (ooh-ooh)
필연이라 믿었던 그 모든 사고
영겁처럼 길었던 그 모든 밤도
최선을 넌 다했을 뿐이야
그대여 더는 뒤돌아보지 마, 음
그 많은 파도 다 지난 뒤에, 으음 (stop)
무수한 만일이 널 괴롭혀도
이젠 네가 널 지켜줄 거야
그대여 더는 뒤돌아보지 마, 으음
선명히 뒤섞인 기억 뒤에, 으음
이 남은 삶들은 덤처럼 남아 (yeah)
최선을 넌 다했을 뿐야
So no
No lookin' back, no
No lookin' back, no
No lookin' back
Don't look back no more
No lookin' back, no
No lookin' back
최선을 넌 다했을 뿐야 (no lookin' back, don't look back no more)
So no
No lookin' back, no
No lookin' back, no
No lookin' back
Don't look back no more
No lookin' back, no
No lookin' back
이젠 네가 널 지켜줄 거야
The lyrics to RM's song No.2 are a declaration of moving forward and not looking back at past mistakes. The rapper urges the listener to not dwell on the past or allow themselves to be haunted by the what-ifs and instead focus on the present moment. The chorus, "그대여 더는 뒤돌아보지 마" which translates to "Don't look back anymore," reinforces this message. RM acknowledges the pain that the listener may have gone through but also assures them that they are not alone and that they themselves are capable of facing any obstacle that may come their way. Overall, the song is a message of hope and resilience in the face of adversity.
The verses in between the chorus expand on the theme of self-love and acceptance. RM shares his own struggles with constantly feeling like he needed to prove himself to others. He admits to feeling like a lost child in the past, always seeking validation from others. However, he has now embraced his identity and no longer feels the need to conform to anyone's expectations. The line "그래 나, 나의 felony" which translates to "Yeah, me, my own felony" represents this shift in mindset. He has embraced his flaws and has learned to live without seeking approval from others.
Line by Line Meaning
그대여 더는 뒤돌아보지 마, 음
Don't look back anymore
그 많은 파도 다 지난 뒤에, 으음
After going through all those waves
무수한 만일이 널 괴롭혀도
Even if countless 'what-ifs' haunt you
이젠 네가 널 지켜줄 거야
You will protect yourself now
선명히 뒤섞인 기억 뒤에, 으음
Behind memories that are clearly confused
이 남은 삶들은 덤처럼 남아
The rest of your life is left like a bonus
최선을 넌 다했을 뿐이야
You did everything you could
어느 길이던 아쉬움 없을까, 음음
Will you regret whichever path you choose?
그래 넌 그리 특별하지 않아 (yeah)
Yes, you're not that special
이젠 이 말에 울지 않아
You won't cry anymore over those words
I smile
I smile
That I ain't gotta prove myself
That I don't need to prove myself
That I ain't the one, that I ain't the shit
That I'm not the only one who can do it
그저 인정이 고프던 어린아이
I was just a little kid who craved for recognition
이젠 노인정이 더 잘 어울릴 mind
Now the lack of recognition suits me better
나로 가득 차 터져버린 나의 풍선
My balloon that bursts when it fills to the brim with me
터지고 안 건 그 안은 텅 비어있었단 거
When it bursts, it was already empty inside
끝없이 물었네 그냥 흘러도 되는 거야
I kept questioning myself if it was okay to just go with the flow
속하고 싶지 않던 데 속해도 되는 거야?
Is it okay to belong somewhere I didn't want to be?
Oh 영원할 것 같던 melody
Oh, the melody that seemed to last forever
그래 나, 나의 felony (ooh-ooh)
Yes, me, and my felony (ooh-ooh)
여태껏 배운 건 겨우 한 가지
I only learned one thing until now
I'll be forever me (ooh-ooh)
I'll always be myself (ooh-ooh)
So no
So no
No lookin' back, no
No lookin' back, no
이젠 네가 널 지켜줄 거야
Now you will protect yourself
최선을 넌 다했을 뿐야
You did everything you could
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Nam Jun Kim, John Eun
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@BANGTAN16
He has the best voice and the most beautiful face He has strong abilities in rapping, dancing and acting He has many strong talents Leader of a great K-group He writes his own lyrics He does it all in order to come out as a responsible leader of a big group Namjoon is the best ever
@Siddhi66666
True
@heemangjoon
Best human ever
@jikookiemeradost6215
Best leader Kim namjoon- hyung 👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍
@ndoknurul7629
He is beautiful in my word 💜
@godhuli.roychoudhury
Yes, absolutely. The man is gorgeous and has a great voice.
@LYBTS7
His voice is so sweet. How could ppl even hate him. He is a sensitive person with a gold heart. My koyaaa
@arissalarinapanday1450
I have no idea why people can hate such a peaceful soul he deserves all the love in the world
@lulaulaf7111
Porque hay gente que no puede deleitarse con sus obras de arte!!! Es real, solo saben odiar, y cómo él mismo lo dijo: dejen a los odiadores, odiar, y los que aman, amen!!!
@missbahing6070
@@arissalarinapanday1450 people are always hate those people who have kind heart