The Singles Jukebox

Rapper out of BTS takes a solo sojourn…

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[6.17]

Alex Clifton: Of all the rappers from BTS, Hobi’s been the one to grow the most since the band’s debut nearly five years ago, and the Hixtape showed his own voice more strongly than I could have imagined. “Daydream” is effervescent and optimistic, much like the man himself. It’s kind of goofy but also feels grounded, and has such a groove to it–seeing as Hobi’s a dancer, I should have expected that. It’s nice to hear something and feel like nothing else in the world matters for a few minutes, and I’ll happily live in Hope World for a little while longer.
[8]

Alfred Soto: The BTS rapper releases a sullen “Motownphilly” complete with a semblance of a shufflebeat. More atmospheric than I’d prefer from BTS, but the house accents keep him perking along.
[6]

Will Rivitz: Flat and expressionless bass, plenty of off-putting harmonies, and just enough extra kick drums off the beat combine to form the most claustrophobic house track I’ve heard in quite some time. j-hope’s stressed lyrics, expressed monotonously, only heighten the song’s oppressively cramped atmosphere. It’s certainly a departure from the smiling, goofy energy the rapper exudes as part of BTS, but it’s done with such attention to detail — every little bit throwing the beat more and more off-kilter — that I can’t fault him for trying something different.
[7]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: So utterly devoid of personality and an actually danceable groove that it’s only appropriate that j-hope decided to interpolate lines from the equally lifeless “Young, Wild & Free”. This is K-pop drained of all its color. Incredibly, that could very well be the point given the lyrics, so it’s simultaneously a [7] and a
[3]

Ryo Miyauchi: The Alice in Wonderland and Harry Potter references are cheesy but also don’t exactly fit. J-Hope’s daydreams aren’t a rabbit hole down some extravagant fantasy but a rather innocent wish to live an ordinary person’s schedule: sleep in, eat out, get drunk. In the hands of another world-conquering rapper, this could’ve been a woe-is-me piece on fame and celebrity. For Hope, his goofy slacker persona plus the modest hip-house beat levels his star power for the better.
[6]

Leonel Manzanares de la Rosa: I know mixtapes are supposed to be projects in which you embrace an explorer’s attitude and try new things, but j-hope’s Hope World tries so hard at so many different settings, it just feels forced. But even when he stumbles on hard-edged bounce-rap or hazy retro-leaning R&B (both which would sound a lot better if helmed by RM and Suga respectively), he has picked the right single. “Daydream”, with its breezy, percussive hip-house production and his playful flow, is the mixtape’s undeniable highlight; his energy and comfort in this kind of beats are unmatched, and he projects a sense of offhand coolness that is the more alluring. Definitely a good look for j-hope. I hope this is the direction he takes in future solo adventures. 
[7]