Kim Namjoon (Korean: 김남준; born September 12, 1994), better known as RM, is … Read Full Bio ↴Kim Namjoon (Korean: 김남준; born September 12, 1994), better known as RM, is a South Korean rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is the leader and the main rapper in the South Korean boy group BTS, managed under Big Hit Labels.

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

badbye
RM Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Bad badbye, no goodbye
Bad badbye, no goodbye
Bad badbye, don't say goodbye
Bad badbye, 'cause it's a lie
Bad badbye

Kill me, kill me softly
Kill me, kill me softly

Kill me, kill me softly
날 산산조각 내줘
Kill me, kill me softly (kill me)
Kill me, kill me softly (kill me)
Kill me, kill me softly
날 산산조각 내줘

You and I
Bad try
You and I
And I cry
You know why

I cry
You know why

Overall Meaning

The song "badbye" is a collaboration between RM from BTS and eAeon of the band MOT, and was released on RM's playlist "mono." The song speaks to the pain of a relationship ending badly, where the goodbye being said is insincere and only adds to the hurt of the situation. The repeated phrase "bad badbye" emphasizes the falseness and emptiness of the goodbye being given. The repeated phrase is also a play on words, sounding like "bat bbai," which is Korean for "quick goodbye." Even though the phrase is similar, the sentiment behind it is vastly different. The song's lyrics also carry a subtle theme of suicide, with lines like "kill me, kill me softly," calling for the singer's pain to end. The chorus's line, "kill me softly" is a reference to a Roberta Flack song of the same name, which has a melancholy, introspective feel that matches the tone of "badbye."

The verses further emphasize the singer's pain and regret. "You and I, bad try" references a failed attempt at a relationship, and the following lines "and I cry, you know why I cry" suggest that the breakup has left the singer in emotional turmoil. RM's verses blend English lyrics, referencing his experiences as a Korean artist in the global music industry, along with Korean lyrics, further emphasizing the song's duality and cross-cultural themes.

Overall, "badbye" is a somber but evocative track, with the lyrics digging deep into the pain of ending a relationship, and the inability to find a resolution or closure.

Line by Line Meaning

Bad badbye, no goodbye
This departure is not good, therefore goodbye is not appropriate.

Bad badbye, don't say goodbye
This departure is not good, therefore saying goodbye is not acceptable.

Bad badbye, 'cause it's a lie
Leaving like this is not good because it is dishonest.

Bad badbye
This departure will leave a bad taste in the mouth.

Kill me, kill me softly
End my life gently and quietly.

날 산산조각 내줘
Break me into pieces.

Kill me, kill me softly (kill me)
End my life gently and quietly (kill me).

Kill me, kill me softly
End my life gently and quietly.

날 산산조각 내줘
Break me into pieces.

You and I
We are together.

Bad try
But it's not going well.