Within the opening episode of Hope On The Avenue, J-hope’s new docuseries devoted to road dance, he describes himself as being in a reflective temper forward of his navy service. “What did I like up to now? What was my mindset after I debuted and carried out on stage? What’s it that made me who I’m at this time?” he requested himself, and his conclusions all the time got here again to 1 factor: “If I didn’t have dance, I wouldn’t be the place I’m proper now.”
So massive does dance loom within the BTS rapper’s life that his love and expertise for it’s usually one of many first stuff you find out about him whenever you first begin digging into the boyband’s story. He acquired his begin doing road dance as a child in his hometown of Gwangju and joined native dance crew Neuron earlier than efficiently coming into Massive Hit as a trainee. His lifelong ardour has served him effectively, making his performances – whether or not with BTS or solo – a pleasure to look at.
That unbreakable bond with dance fills ‘Hope On The Avenue’, the six-track soundtrack album for his docuseries. Sure, every track on the document is one thing that might simply be danced to, however the connection runs deeper than that. It’s poured into not simply the beats and genres used right here however within the lyrics too. “Simply dance proper now,” goes the funk snap of ‘I Marvel’, a collaboration between J-hope and his BTS bandmate Jungkook. On the Benny Blanco and Nile Rodgers-assisted ‘Lock/unlock’, he makes use of dance phrases like “management”, “break”, and “step” to subtly tie the aim of this album along with the tales he’s telling.
These tales are key right here, taking this from mere soundtrack to non-public missive. Throughout the document, we’re taken into J-hope’s mindset and recollections as he pays tribute to his roots and appears towards what is likely to be on the horizon for him. ‘Neuron’, the old-school hip-hop gem that closes the album, tackles each, nodding to his previous dance crew and to a contemporary begin as he spells out “Neuron […] new run”. The refrain that vows to “by no means ever surrender” is a brilliant and inspiring name to push forward, whereas its selection of legendary visitor stars – Dynamic Duo’s Gaeko and MFBTY’s yoonmirae – level to sources of inspiration from J-hope’s youth.
Very like the docuseries it accompanies, ‘Hope On The Avenue’ takes one thing of a world strategy. You may really feel that within the genres it runs by and the collaborators it collects. On album spotlight ‘I Don’t Know’, that angle grows even stronger. It opens with LE SSERAFIM’s Huh Yunjin narrating the intro in French earlier than she and J-hope swap verses that reply one another in English and Korean. “Sure, we’re on the sting / Attempting to determine what’s actually in your thoughts,” Yunjin sings; minutes later, her host replies: “Sure, we’re on the sting / It’s true that I’ve been caught up in my thoughts.”
In addition to brand-new songs, there are two up to date takes on acquainted materials right here. The album begins with a solo model of J-hope’s J.Cole collaboration ‘On The Avenue’, boasting a brand new verse through which the BTS rapper’s voice feels rawer than ever, and he asks the ever-relatable query: “What the hell is time?” ‘Jack In The Field’’s ‘What if…’ will get a brand new dance combine courtesy of Jinbo The SuperFreak, ramping up the electrical energy within the monitor and making its beat extra pronounced.
Again in 2022, J-hope made a daring assertion from the musical aspect of his creativity together with his solo debut album. Right here, he returns with virtually as robust a imaginative and prescient however in ode to the rhythms and worlds which have moved him from Gwangju dreamer to world celebrity. ‘Hope On The Avenue’ is brilliant and sensible and a tantalising reminder of its creator’s multi-faceted abilities.
Particulars
- File label: Massive Hit Music / HYBE
- Launch date: March 29
