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.
Hectic
Rm Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There was nothin' romantic
If I can just find a reason
To keep this endless chasin'(chasin', chasin')
Yesterday was a hectic
There was nothin' romantic
If I could only imagine
Just one another heaven (yeah, yo)
또 멋쩍은 나의 웃음
낡아빠진 추억들
할 말이 없는 사람들의
돌고 도는 liquor talks
하루 더 죽어가는 느낌
밤의 올림픽대로
형형한 불빛, 난폭한 택시
이젠 지겨워진
Met the people, people, people (talkin' same shit)
Hate the reason, reason, reason (that they all spit)
If bornin' is a pain
How should we do this game?
Keep on thinkin', thinkin' and I
Yesterday was a hectic (na-na-na, na-na-na)
There was nothin' romantic (na-na-na, na-na-na)
If I can just find a reason (na-na-na, na-na-na)
To keep this endless chasin'(chasin', chasin')
Yesterday was a hectic
There was nothin' romantic
If I could only imagine
Just one another heaven (yeah)
Yeah 어디로 가는지도 모르게
적어 내려갔던 시도
어느덧 걸어온 그 길이 되었네
지난 기억 속에
더 이상 길을 잃고 싶지 않은 날
좀 구해줘
Met the people (yeah) people (yeah) people
(Talkin' same shit)
Hate the reason (yeah) reason (yeah) reason
(That they all spit)
If bornin' is a pain
How should we do this game?
Keep on thinkin', thinkin' and I
Yesterday was a hectic (ooh)
There was nothin' romantic (na-na-na, na-na-na)
If I can just find a reason (na-na-na, na-na-na)
To keep this endless chasin'(chasin', chasin')
Yesterday was a hectic
There was nothin' romantic
If I could only imagine
Just one another heaven (yeah)
Yo, hangover's over
관능적인 이 도시의 posture
슬픈 밤 서울을 위한 nocturne
우린 알면서 또 하루를 놓쳐 (ooh)
Ayy 행복이란 뭘까?
그토록 바래왔던 작은 평화
마음이 빛바랜 자들을 떠나
마침내 우리가 수놓은 별밤
꿈을 꾸듯 눈을 감아
지그시 숨을 참아
춤을 추는 사람들의
걸음은 곡선으로 oh, yeah
흘러가는 걸 붙잡을 수는 없대도
We still love and hate this city, yeah
The song Hectic by RM is about feeling exhausted and frustrated with the routine of everyday life. The lyrics describe a day where everything feels chaotic and lacks any romance. The singer is searching for meaning and purpose in the endless cycle of chasing after something, anything, that will make life feel less mundane. He longs for something better, for a heaven where life is not so hectic. The Korean verses add to the sentiment of feeling lost and desensitized in the city of Seoul. The lyrics show how city life can be meaningless and how it can leave a person feeling disconnected from themselves and others.
The song explores the concept of happiness and peace and how elusive these things can be. The chorus repeats the phrase, "yesterday was a hectic," as if to emphasize how every day feels the same, and how the singer is struggling to find a reason to keep going. The second verse mentions a hangover, a physical manifestation of the chaos that the singer is experiencing. The lyrics show that it is not just in his mind but in his body, a feeling that many can relate to.
As a whole, the song is a commentary on modern life and how it can be difficult to find meaning in it. It shows the frustration that can come with constantly chasing after something better and how it can lead to exhaustion and burnout.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday was a hectic
RM had a busy and tiring day yesterday
There was nothin' romantic
The day was not pleasant or enjoyable
If I can just find a reason
RM wants to find a motivation to continue with his stressful routine
To keep this endless chasin'(chasin', chasin')
He wants to find a reason to continue chasing his dreams and goals
If I could only imagine
RM can only think of a fantasy world or an easier life to escape his daily hectic life
Just one another heaven (yeah, yo)
A peaceful and perfect world without stress and worries, that's what RM longs for
Met the people, people, people (talkin' same shit)
RM gets tired of meeting people who say the same things over and over again
Hate the reason, reason, reason (that they all spit)
He dislikes the common reasons people give for their actions or decisions
If bornin' is a pain
If living is a painful journey
How should we do this game?
How can we survive or succeed in this difficult journey of life?
Keep on thinkin', thinkin' and I
RM keeps on thinking and searching for answers
어디로 가는지도 모르게
RM finds himself lost and unsure of where he is headed
적어 내려갔던 시도
RM has tried to write down the path he is taking, but it only led him to where he is now
어느덧 걸어온 그 길이 되었네
The path he has taken has become a part of him, and he has come a long way
더 이상 길을 잃고 싶지 않은 날
RM doesn't want to get lost on his journey anymore
Met the people (yeah) people (yeah) people
He meets different people or groups of people
(Talkin' same shit)
But they talk about the same things that he has already heard before
Hate the reason (yeah) reason (yeah) reason
He hates hearing their excuses or reasons for their actions or decisions
Ayy 행복이란 뭘까?
RM ponders on the meaning of happiness
그토록 바래왔던 작은 평화
He craves for a little peace or serenity in his life
마음이 빛바랜 자들을 떠나
He chooses to leave behind negative or toxic people
마침내 우리가 수놓은 별밤
But he finds solace in the stars that he and his loved ones have made together
꿈을 꾸듯 눈을 감아
RM closes his eyes like he's dreaming
지그시 숨을 참아
He takes a deep breath and holds it
춤을 추는 사람들의
He watches people dancing
걸음은 곡선으로 oh, yeah
The dancers' steps are curvy, fluid, and beautiful
흘러가는 걸 붙잡을 수는 없대도
Even though he knows he can't stop time from flowing
We still love and hate this city, yeah
He still has love-hate feelings towards the city he lives in
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Hee Soo Kim, Nam Jun Kim, Hyo Won Kang
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@sakshirana_02
Namjoon doesn't just sing...he touches the souls 💜
@joannapatriciabaula4675
Agree!
@kimobito-yt8kn
Agree
@mohammedshoukathullah9363
Yes
@mohammedshoukathullah9363
Yes
@user-qs8ei7vo4e
Namjoon's voice is a second world. His voice is soothing to the ear. Let's give him all the love
@absaralig
Let's go army to give him love
@user-ll9qr1cm6r
agree
@Milli_21
Yes
@joysantiago6203
Yesssssssss