Abi Scaife

A stark difference from previous mixtape ‘RM,’ ‘mono’ shows fans a new side to Kim Namjoon aka RM, the leader of K-Pop sensations BTS. Equally baring, ‘RM’ is the epitome of emotional displacement; a tortured young man whose sadness feels somehow like anger, protecting his heart in the only way he knows how. Conversely, ‘mono’ speaks to an intense period of maturity; once a boy, now a man; still in pain, but now more able to understand it.

Title track ‘forever rain’ demonstrates this the best. Performed in a recently adopted style of rap, one much more relaxed than previous spitfires shown in BTS’ Cyphers, RM proclaims ‘I wish it would rain all day / ‘cause I’d like someone to cry for me’ over the simplistic animation that only adds to the vulnerability of the song. Showing a young man, presumably RM himself, walking alone in the rain, surrounded by ugly figures covered by umbrellas, we can see that RM is once more showing us the hypocrisy of mankind. In our own isolation, we forget that others are also alone and this is our downfall.

The stripped style in which the music is written leaves room to consider the lyrics, something that is clearly intentional, as we know from listening to music written by RM for BTS, that he is more than capable of following through on complex compositions. However, the beauty of the mixtape lies in its simplicity. Marketed as a playlist (i.e. a musical conversation, shared between friends) rather than a mixtape (a transaction between artist and fan) and named ‘mono’, therefore without colour or embellishment, his personality is written all over it. This is not Rap Monster, nor RM, nor the leader of BTS. This is Kim Namjoon.

To take just one thing from this mixtape is that loneliness is inside all of us. It rears its ugly head when we least expect it, whether we are with our family, or performing in front of a crowd of thousands. It does not discriminate, not by race, class or gender, and it can only be beaten through the paradoxical act of befriending it. ‘mono’ is a story, of coming to terms with yourself and your own loneliness; a journey RM appears still to be on, but one he has not shied away from sharing.

Listen to ‘mono’ here: https://soundcloud.com/bangtan/sets/rm-mono-2018
Watch the ‘forever rain’ music video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvb76hBX_Oc