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.
everythingoes
Rm Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
지나가 언젠가 분명히 확실히
지나가 지나가 지나가 지나가
지나가
(Everything, everything, everything goes
Everything everything everything goes) 지나가
(Everything, everything, everything goes
(Everything, everything, everything goes
Everything everything everything goes) 지나가
(Everything, everything, everything goes
Everything everything everything goes) 지나가
(Everything, everything, everything goes
Everything everything everything goes) 지나가
(Everything, everything, everything goes
Everything everything everything goes) 지나가
(Everything, everything, everything goes
Everything everything everything goes) 지나가
(Everything, everything, everything goes
Everything everything everything goes) 지나가
밤이 가고 아침이 오듯이
봄이 가고 여름이 오나 (yeah, yeah)
꽃이 지고 열매가 익듯이
모든 것은 아파야만 해
세상을 안고 숨을 훅 들이 마셔봐
내 폐 안에 가득 들어찬 따가운 공기가
모든 걸 말해, 그래 수 없이 도망치고 싶었던
아파하고 무뎌지던 오랜 시간들 바로 그 아래
Every day I pray (every day I pray)
내가 좀 더 나은 어른이 될 수 있게
And every day I stay (every day I stay)
사람도 아픔도 언젠가는 죽기에
무뎌지려면 바람을 맞아야 하잖아
꿈속에서는 영원할 수가 없잖아
힘내란 뿌연 말 대신
다 그렇단 거짓말 대신
그저 이 모든 바람
바람처럼 지나가길 yeah yeah (지나가)
(Everything, everything, everything goes
Everything everything everything goes) 지나가
(Everything, everything, everything goes
Everything everything everything goes) 지나가
(Everything, everything, everything goes
Everything everything everything goes) 지나가
(Everything, everything, everything goes
Everything everything everything goes) 지나가
(Everything, everything, everything goes
Everything everything everything goes) 지나가
(Everything, everything, everything goes
Everything everything everything goes) 지나가
(Everything, everything, everything goes
Everything everything everything goes) 지나가
(Everything, everything, everything goes
Everything everything everything goes) 비가 와
비가 와
모든건 지나가
The lyrics to RM's song "everythingoes" reflect on the ephemeral nature of life and the inevitability of change. The repetitive refrain of "지나가" (jina ga) which means "passing by" or "everything goes" emphasizes the transitory nature of all things. The verses make use of various analogies, such as the passing of day and night, the changing seasons, and the process of flowers withering and bearing fruit. All these serve as reminders that nothing lasts forever, and everything eventually comes to an end.
The song also touches on the topics of pain, loss, and growth. RM sings about the need to face and embrace pain in order to move forward and become a better person. He mentions the importance of endurance and perseverance, even in the face of difficult situations. The lines "다 그렇단 거짓말 대신, 그저 이 모든 바람, 바람처럼 지나가길" (da geureotdan geojitmal daesin, geujeo i modeun baram, baramcheoreom jinagagil) which roughly translates to "Instead of lies that everything will be okay, I hope these winds pass like the wind" express a desire to let go of illusions and falsehoods and accept things as they are.
Overall, "everythingoes" is a song that encourages listeners to embrace change and the passage of time, learn from their experiences, and keep moving forward.
Line by Line Meaning
지나가 언젠가 분명히 확실히
Everything goes someday, clearly and surely
지나가 지나가 지나가 지나가
Everything goes, over and over again
밤이 가고 아침이 오듯이 봄이 가고 여름이 오나 (yeah, yeah) 꽃이 지고 열매가 익듯이
As night turns to day, and season turns to season, things come and go like the flowering of a plant
모든 것은 아파야만 해 세상을 안고 숨을 훅 들이 마셔봐 내 폐 안에 가득 들어찬 따가운 공기가 모든 걸 말해
We must experience pain for everything to pass, so take a deep breath and listen to the cold air inside your lungs, it tells everything
그래 수 없이 도망치고 싶었던 아파하고 무뎌지던 오랜 시간들 바로 그 아래
The times we wanted to escape, the times of pain and numbness, they are right below us
Every day I pray (every day I pray) 내가 좀 더 나은 어른이 될 수 있게 And every day I stay (every day I stay) 사람도 아픔도 언젠가는 죽기에
Every day I pray to become a better adult, and every day I stay to face the fact that both people and pain will eventually die
무뎌지려면 바람을 맞아야 하잖아 꿈속에서는 영원할 수가 없잖아
In order to become numb, we must face the wind, and in dreams, nothing can last forever
힘내란 뿌연 말 대신 다 그렇단 거짓말 대신 그저 이 모든 바람 바람처럼 지나가길 yeah yeah (지나가)
Instead of meaningless words that say 'be strong' or lies that say 'everything will be okay', I just hope that all these winds pass like the wind itself (everything goes)
비가 와 모든건 지나가
When the rain comes, everything passes
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jong Wan Kim, Nam Jun Kim
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind