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In 2016, Suga (real name Min Yoongi) from the notable k-pop group BTS, released his first-ever mixtape under his second alias Agust D, and it was critically acclaimed by many. On May 22 of this year, he released his much anticipated second mixtape, “D-2.”
Prior to D-2’s release, Suga’s label Big Hit Entertainment tweeted a countdown for several days leading up to the surprise drop of the project. It includes ten tracks, four of which are collaborations with fellow BTS member and leader RM (Kim Namjoon), American singer-songwriter Max, rapper NiiHWA, and Kim Jong Wan from the Korean rock group, Nell. The music is mostly hip-hop but there are some elements of pop, R&B, and rock as well. We will examine the lyrical content of each song and interpret its meaning.
“Moonlight” + “Daechwita”
D-2 opens with the old-school nineties hip-hop sounding track “Moonlight,” where Agust D ruminates on his past, living in a basement in Namsan-dong, Daegu, and now currently lives in a luxurious penthouse on Hannam the Hill. He also reveals his inner conflict with his life as an idol. Sometimes he thinks all of his privileges came to him too easily but he also thinks that he’s earned the privileges due to his hard work.
One could argue that the “moonlight” he’s referring to is his mental health issues, which he has discussed in his previous self-titled mixtape because he’s not sure whether he’s earned his success or not and he asks God why he made him live his life the way he does. Although BTS has earned a lot of money and accolades over the years, he confesses that he still struggles with feelings of anger, laziness, and emptiness.
The second track, which is also the lead single of the mixtape, is called “Daechwita”. The meaning of “Daechwita” is a genre of traditional Korean military marching music played by wind and percussion instruments when the military or a foreign leader is arriving in their country, hence why Agust D uses this genre to highlight his “king” status in the k-pop industry.
Like many rap songs, he boats about how much money he makes, flying on his private jets, and seemingly disses other rappers who either depend on drugs to write their music or makes references to drug use in their music to make a hit song. Either way, Agust D believes this is not indicative of being a skilled rapper.
He emphasizes his rags to riches story by comparing himself to a born slave rising up the socioeconomic ladder to the kingdom and compares his brutal flow to that of Gwanghaegun, who was a king during the Joseon dynasty era and was known to have murdered his older brother who was a threat to his position as king.
“What Do You Think?” + “Strange” (Feat. RM)”
“What Do You Think?” is an unapologetic call out to the haters who blame him for their failures in life and people who are given space in the media to criticize him and BTS more than BTS are given opportunities to appear in the media. It is yet another celebratory song in which Agust D gloats about his music charting number one on Billboard and having “ten zeros” in his bank account.
On the flip side, he calls out “money boasters” who don’t have the money to boast about: One could say he’s contradicting himself but he’s differentiating himself from people who brag about being rich yet have nothing to show for it, whereas he does. In one line he addresses rumors about BTS enlisting in the military, which is a sensitive topic for BTS’s fanbase, ARMYs, but he simply says “we’ll be sure to go to the military when it’s time.” Among k-pop fans and non-fans alike, there is a debate about whether k-pop is “real music,” and just like how he feels about what his haters think about him, he simply doesn’t care.
“Strange,” featuring RM, is a socio-political piece critiquing capitalism. He points out that wealth reveals the level of greed one has and that the wealthy depend on the working class majority to help make them richer. In the pre-chorus, he bemoans the fact that people who do not conform to the toxic status quo are seen as “mutants” and those who know truths about the world are made blind by those who don’t want them to know the truth. RM starts off his verse saying that our personal preferences are determined and controlled by capitalism.
One of the most striking lines in his verse is where he basically says that no matter how much your income is, you are still a slave to the system. In other words, even if you’re rich, you still have to answer to your higher-ups and the people who invest a lot of money in you, and if you don’t conform to the status quo, your socioeconomic status is threatened.
“28” (Feat. NiiHWA) + “Burn It” (Feat. MAX)”
“28” is an atmospheric song that reflects Agust D’s life as an adult (he’s 28 in Korean age) and his struggles with his mental health. He sometimes finds himself crying for no reason and thinks it might have been better if he didn’t know everything about the world, which is understandable given how scary the world can be sometimes. He thought his personality would change immensely the older he gets, but he’s constantly struggling with his inner demons. He once had dreams of having a “big house, big car, and big rings” but came to realize that attaining your dream is not as simple as you would like for it to be.
“Burn It” featuring Max is Agust D’s desire to metaphorically “burn” his past self that was filled with jealousy, hatred, and rage. These personal flaws can be found in his current self as well. Max sings that the person he sees in the mirror is someone that he doesn’t recognize, therefore he needs to “burn it till it’s all gone.” In the last line of Agust D’s second verse, he tells the listener that giving up can sometimes be a sign of courage.
This line is important because people tend to spread the message that giving up is a sign of cowardice. Agust D, however, believes that sometimes giving up is necessary, therefore it is a sign of courage.
“People” + “Honsool”
“People” reflects on who Agust D is as a person and people in general. People change. People are capable of good and bad. People sometimes get hurt. When he talks about his “ordinary” being someone else’s “special” and vice versa, this could be interpreted as him comparing his life as an idol to life as a regular citizen. Many of us who are not rich and famous want the lives of celebrities who live in mansions, travel the world a lot, and buy expensive clothes, cars, and jewelry. Some famous people, however, would like to be able to walk down the street without worrying about being recognized and being bombarded.
They would like to do and say things that non-famous people do without worrying about being heavily scrutinized. The grass always seems greener on the other side. “Honsool” is the pronunciation of a Korean word that means “drinking alone.” Every voice in the background and the slowed-down beat is seemingly made to mimic what one experiences when they’re drunk.
It could also represent the dark nature of drinking by yourself when you’re trying to ease the stress you’re going through. When he gets home after a grueling work schedule, he drinks alcohol to the point where he “feels like flying.” He’s not admitting to being an alcoholic. He drinks after an exhausting day, but in moderation. In fact, he doesn’t even party all the time, which we’d expect all famous people to do.
“Interlude: Set Me Free” + “Dear My Friend”
Agust D can be heard singing, which is rare for the artist, in “Interlude: Set Me Free.” He wants to get away, float freely in the air, even though he feels the path he would go down won’t bring him everything he wants. On the other hand, escape is not what he wants either. So what exactly does he want to get away from? It’s not made clear, but many can relate to the feeling of wanting to escape something sometimes.
The last song of the mixtape, “Dear My Friend”, is a pop-rock song written in the form of a letter to an old friend of Agust D’s who he used to share dreams of “conquering the world” with. They eventually drifted apart and his friend ended up in a detention center for an unspecified reason. Agust recounts the time he visited his friend in jail every week. When his friend was released, his friend asked him to try something that made him upset. The implication here is that he may have encouraged him to try a drug.
Agust says he hates his friend, but if anything he hates what his friend has become, and misses what his friend used to be. Overall, “D-2” is a melancholic but inspiring autobiography about a young South Korean man who had dreams of being a successful producer and rapper when he was a kid, and beat the incredible odds of achieving his dream at the expense of his youth and his mental health. The lyrical content is riveting and the musical production (describe how the production goes well with the lyrics). D-2 serves to break the bubble of those who think being a celebrity is an everyday party.
He’s clearly very grateful for the privileges that he has, but he has moments where he desires to be normal again. Maturity is accepting that you will have your ups and downs no matter how rich or poor you are and Min Yoongi a.k.a. “Agust D” has matured a lot.