Review

Song Review: J-Hope (BTS) – More

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J-Hope - MoreNow that BTS are on group hiatus (or whatever HYBE wants to call it), it’s time for the members to further develop their solo pursuits. This kicks off with J-Hope, who already has several singles to his name. Ahead of his headlining performance at this year’s Lollapalooza, he’s set to release his first official album Jack in the Box. This is preceded by new track More, which may offer a taste of the sounds he’ll reveal later this month.

For those familiar with J-Hope’s past solo work, More will feel like a hard turn. Gone are the bright colors and upbeat energy, replaced by a grungy style that capitalizes on the resurgence of rock guitar in K-pop (and global music, for that matter). After BTS’s past few singles, I admire J-Hope’s decision to release something this un-commercial. More draws from many tried-and-true influences (90’s hip-hop, that aforementioned grunge), but doesn’t tie them into a neat package. There’s barely a notable hook to be found, and the energy is quite confrontational throughout. Entire segments are given over to muffled shouts. Butter, this ain’t!

Of course, admiration doesn’t automatically mean I’m dying to replay the song. More isn’t really for me, nor was it designed to be. It’s too amorphous to hold much favor on my playlist. The boisterous guitar during the hook is super satisfying, but without a chorus to support it the instrumental comes across as great production in search of a great song. The same could be said for the beat, which hits surprisingly hard for a track this freeform. Still, More is going to find many avid fans, and it’s fun to see J-Hope explore new musical avenues.

 Hooks 6
 Production 9
 Longevity 8
 Bias 7
 RATING 7.5

116 thoughts on “Song Review: J-Hope (BTS) – More”

  1. this is the kind of song that feels pretty exciting when i listen to it, but without a memorable hook, will probably leave my memory right after. i love the instrumental though

    also r.i.p technoblade, he was one of the best minecraft youtubers right now and cancer had to take him so soon and so young. i loved his bedwars videos a lot and i tried taking notes from him to do better in the game. may he rest in peace

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  2. My thoughts on this song are mixed. On the one hand, I’m really in love with that rock guitar which appears during the chorus.
    On the other hand, it’s absolutely hookless. Just because of this, I don’t think I’ll be returning to it often, and the song has got a big chance to leave my memory soon.
    Agree with your rating.

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  3. Is that all he could write for the chorus???

    My rating’s 7.5-7.25. I love, loveeeeeeeee the production; Big, Killer drums are everything to me. But that chorus is horrible, we get nice ass guitars but with little to no words.

    Also, stop mentioning the Grammys in your lyrics, please.

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        • Are you even able to understand the chorus?? Are you so dumb?? The lyrics of this mv and the symbolism is genius. I guess you are just habitual to those repetitive meaningless songs. I mean you are saying that this is all he could write?? I mean if you are so stupid that you can’t even understand the MV why are you here commenting? I mean you could have said you don’t like instrumental but the lyrics..they are much more meaningful than other idols whole discography. I don’t know why these international 12 year olds think themselves to be music critic. If you can’t understand the lyrics then you see the analysis of it on YouTube kid.

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          • You’re literally acting so immature while calling other people 12. Honestly, it’s an insult to 12 year olds. Let people have their opinions and if you think they couldn’t understand try explaining what you got out of it respectfully. The way you went about this doesn’t matter anyone want to reconsider their thoughts because your hostile and unaccepting of other opinions

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    • The song is not at all hookless for me…it’s ringing in my mind whole day..even when I was at work. This is actually a way deeper song. You should have done an analysis on that atleast. Seriously..if you can’t understand so many references in songs..then it will be meaningless for you. Any song without any meaning is obviously forgettable just like so many k-pop songs I have listened. To be honest..I don’t get much time to stan BTS but still here we are..this song is just damn so good. And what is hookless seriously? I have never listened to such a comment 😂.. hookless?? I guess it’s your opinion but I was waiting for a whole MV analysis. This song is going to be remembered for a long time. It’s a drastic change.

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      • Cuando mencionaste “grunge” en tu análisis dejó de interesarme. Grunge es un movimiento salido de seattle en los 90′ no tiene nada que ver con un sonido, averigua antes de ponerte a analizar, los estilos que toca j hope son otros.

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    • The mention of Grammy’s..do you even got what that meant?? 😂😂 You just got one word and decided to ignore the whole lot of lyrics. You know not everyone can understand art.. obviously..this song is an art. Do you got it when jhope was laying on the icu bed?? The cap on his head..do you know what does that mean? I guess no!..right. So first try to understand the MV please..you know..one of my friend is an exo L and Stay..and she don’t use to follow BTS..but this song..her jaw dropped while watching this.

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    • Since you are a fellow human being..I am here to teach you about the More MV. First read what I am going to copy paste write here. And before that I would like to tell you that the black hat jhope was wearing is a jester cap..jester were people who used to mock the king in the name of entertainment. Here you go :

      Jack isn’t evil. The man he trips is the boss of tired workers who are crushed by the weight of his expectations! Jack makes the boss look like a fool, he is the jester mocking the king, he is our dissatisfaction at the status quo, he is our rage against the machine.

      Also I can’t get over the scene at the end which he stares into the world within the box, the world where he trips the boss, creating a rebellion. It represents how he has a different perspective that no one else has, he can see whole picture, and sees the world for what it is.

      The perspective of the Jester is the same, an outsider. They were in the court but not respected. As the lowest member of the court, undoubtedly, Jesters would see everything that happened, but the difference was they could criticize the King as long as it was entertaining.

      He can be privy to secrets, he can mock the King, he can criticize the world, but if he does any of it, he better be entertaining, or else. That’s how a Jester rebels, that’s how a Jester overthrows a King. Through song and dance and sounds of laughter.

      Kinda makes you think.

      Also there are many hidden meanings in the MV. You may hate the instrumentals if you are deaf but the lyrics..they are genius girl.

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  4. This is just a prerelease single, the main title will be released the 15th if I’m not mistaken.
    I totally love the song, I agree that the chorus could have been stronger (the lyrics, not the instrumental), but still a bop for me, and I love the garage rock influences. And I am a sucker for Jhope, so I know he will deliver more bops in the future, he has so much potential imo.
    I guess BTS is now so popular that everyone has very high expectations, hence why I see so many complains lately 😦

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    • Don’t worry dear..these people will find anything to criticize about BTS. Have you ever heard a comment.. hookless?? What does that even mean? Don’t worry these few people who criticize BTS no matter what are much lesser than there fans who really fell in love with this song. This person won’t criticize nayeon solo..pop..that doesn’t even make any sense in the whole song..but will critize a BTS song without even understanding there lyrics. So just move on rather than clicking on such websites

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      • You are the one that sounds like a dufus here LOL. Hookless means there is no hook. Google hook as it relates to music. Looks like you’re the one who doesn’t get it LOL. We ubderstand what Hobi is trying to say. We just don’t loke the song. You’re allowed to like it all you want, but stop attacking people who don’t like it. You’re coming off really ignorant LOL. You don’t even know what a hook is abd you come here lecturing everyone like you know the secrets of the universe. And no one is hating on hobi. We just don’t like the song. Get over it.

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      • What a heated up discussion has been started in this comment session 😛

        I’ve been reading this blog for like a year and I’ve never seen the author disrespect any artist. My comment was in general, in the last year nobody seems to be happy with BTS work. Some songs like Permission to Dance I didn’t really like, but I move on and pay attention to the things I like instead of starting wanfars or insulting people who have a different opinion.

        As of the lyrics, now that I’ve listened to the song more and looked up some translation (nor English or Korean are my first languages, and I don’t really trust translations because some nuances are difficult to translate to languages so different as English or Spanish which is my language), and I am falling in love with this song more and more everyday, its like I can’t stop listening to it. Damn, I can’t wait for the whole album!
        But I know this style is not for everyone, and I respect that. To each their own.

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    • Those who think that lyrics must have had been stronger than I am damn sure that they don’t even have the IQ to understand the lyrics of this song. You should tune into twitter to understand the whole MV my friend rather these useless sites. These people will praise meaningless noisy k-pop songs but will find BTS hookless dumbheads. Sorry my English is not that good. Here in korea everyone is loving this totally so ignore these wannabe music experts.

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    • I literally didn’t have high expectations because it’s been a while since I was in love with a BTS song. I love this instrumental but the song over it doesn’t do it for me

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  5. For a supposedly hookless song this has set up its own room in my brain and is getting ready to build a new wing. I want more. Looking forward to the album. And, if I’m honest, I am weak for Jhope. I mean, look at the man.

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    • I agree, it exceeded my expectations. I agree he could’ve had more lyrics in the chorus, but honestly it wouldn’t make much of a difference of my love for the song.

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    • I wish people like you acknowledged your obsession and how that’s gonna make you more inclined to like it. I can’t blame y’all because the companies try to do that and you weren’t disrespectful with your comment. But it’s hard to take your opinion into account when you have such a bias for the artist

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      • Well I did say I was weak for him. Jhope is my bias, sure. No reason to take my opinion into account – I’m just sharing my enjoyment.

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        • Gotcha. I was a bit harsh in my comment towards. The type of person I described definitely exists but it’s not you. I think coming off of other people being gatekeepers and immature I took your comment harder than I should’ve. I’m glad you responded with so much grace.

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  6. I like don’t love. To me this is a performance piece as much any boisterous “blip blop bang” noise rap bg track can be. It’s a mood piece that allows J-hope to try on these new personas and vocal textures. I think it’s cool to listen to once or twice, but won’t be a replay for me. I really like the yelling and distortion on the vocals, but yah would love there to be a thru-line strong song holding it all together.

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  9. As The Title Suggests I Do Want “More” Of The Breakway From The Bubblegum Easy Going
    “Butter” A Referral To BTS’s Smooth Vocals And Easy To Follow Dance Routine. J-hope Is Truly
    Giving Us A Taste Of The Individual Solo Creative Side Of BTS, I Want “More” J-hope Please!!

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  11. To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand J-Hope’s “More”. The humor is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of empty chorus physics most of the jokes will go over a typical viewer’s head. There’s also Hoseok’s nihilistic outlook, which is deftly woven into his characterisation – his personal philosophy draws heavily from Caillou Gets Grounded literature, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depths of these jokes, to realize that they’re not just funny- they say something deep about LIFE. As a consequence people who dislike J-Hope’s “More” truly ARE idiots- of course they wouldn’t appreciate, for instance, the humour in Rick’s existencial catchphrase “Hah, shout out, I say “more”,” which itself is a cryptic reference to Eternity’s epic “I’m Real.” I’m smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as J-Hope’s genius unfolds itself on their ears. What fools… how I pity them. 😂 And yes by the way, I DO have a J-Hope tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It’s for the ladies’ eyes only- And even they have to demonstrate that they’re within 5 IQ points of my own (preferably lower) beforehand.

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        • Really?? A joke. Well if it’s a joke then dear joker..you had made a fun of yourself as you have literally described the song exactly. Maybe you are on of those simpletons scratching head. It’s okay.. people who think they are joking turn out to be a real joke. Itsok 😂😂. I would like take my apologies with all disrespect I can. Thank you ☺️

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          • i liked the part where “Hah, shout out, I say “more” referenced eternity’s “i’m real” (aka the greatest, most meaningful kpop song ever written)

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            • You got so much time to create a parody but if you had taken this much useless time of yours to understand the lyrics then a simpleton like won’t be scratching head right here. Well..god bless you and your brain.

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              • nick doesn’t take lyrics into account since he isn’t korean nor does he speak the language, he doesn’t need to understand how “deep and meaningful” the lyrics are

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                • Well I am Korean. Sorry if you don’t understand my english. It is not my first language. But the excuse of not understanding the lyrics and then giving a review is a total waste. Without lyrics a song is not a thing. There are subtitles in the video..I guess Nick can understand English from there. And you comparing BTS song with that bad song in real is just too much. It is an insult to just satisfy your ego. Maybe that above person don’t know about that song that’s why thanked you and say sorry. But you are not like that. If you don’t understand the lyrics then what is the use of listening to Hangul songs? Listen to English. And are you also a Korean? If yes then don’t you know about the love and respect we have for BTS artistry. My college friends always discuss that how kpop is just creenge but BTS songs are like a breath of fresh air. Well whatever satisfies your ego.

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                  • im japanese and i listen to tons of jpop and i didn’t give a shit about the lyrics

                    plus, about your point on “what’s the point of listening to hangul songs,” I DONT HAVE TO UNDERSTAND IT. i mostly focus on the melody and instrumentals

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                    • You don’t have to understand them? Well this is one of the dumbest thing I ever read. You don’t have to understand Hangul but there are english subtitles doen there. Even jpop songs are beautiful but I can call them beautiful only if I like it’s lyrics. I guess the simpleton you were talking about in your earlier comment was you yourself. You don’t need to understand lyrics..joke of the year. If you can’t understand lyrics then you will never know about BTS. You are from Japan right? I went to japan when there was BTS concert there. Japanese people are the most cultured and nice people who appreciate art. I made so many Japanese friends on the day of concert. It’s like..you need to read a book to like it.. funny.

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                  • You don’t get to tell people what to listen to. He’s allowed to feel however he wants and from his perspective it’s underwhelming. Don’t forget that your opinion isn’t gospel

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    • Couldn’t have said any better. Thank you for this comment and I apologise for earlier if I sounded too bad. The thing is I wasn’t able to put my thoughts into words. You are a word genius 💜

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  12. Wow, really wow, what kind of review is this?!?! As a longitme reader of your blog I’m deeply disappointed. I’ve been reading your reviews since June 2022 and I’m just so frustrated that you can’t see that Jung Hoseok only put out bops. Like this song is so good, and did you know they came from a small agency? Their career has been so hard and everyone is giving them online hate. I’m sorry Nick but this is honestly soty material. Even before I even listened to the song I even knew it was even soty material. You know what else is soty material, all of Enhypen and TXT songs, their songs still weeks way but I know my queens will revolutionize the music industry. Your faves could never. J-Hope is revolutionary and did you hear about their deep lyrics. They talk about really sad moments in everyones life and it gets so deep. The part that made me cry was when they talked about when you feel like you’re going to sneeze but nothing happens. Ugh he is just so revolutionary J-Hope world domination! EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN EVEN STREAM GUYS WE HAVE TO GET TO 10K BEFORE BLACKSTINK EVEN IF YOU DONT LIKE THE SONG PLEASE STREAM IF U TRU FAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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    • dang why you gotta rope in txt and enhypen in there, hate how every one who doesn’t like bts gotta just cancel them too like they aren’t their own bands lmao
      also 2/10 for comedic value

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      • Cause the people they’re parodying would do so. Also, I have a feeling the only people who don’t find this funny are the ones who participate in this toxic idol worship culture. Granted maybe there’s another reason… I can’t think of one

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  13. J-Hope’s “Move” is an ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE IN KPOOP!!!! The pacing is not too fast but not too slow, so it is in the perfect middle ground. The MV was an absolute tear jerker, and the characters were so well written I almost thought that Hoseok oppar and everyone else was real. There were enough good lyrics and hooks in the song itself to rival every T-ara and Twice song ever MADE!!!! The lyrics and instrumental was so good it rivals the styles of SM Entertainment and Woollim Entertainment by a LONG SHOT. All the Infinite songs compared to this song are TRASH! Lovelyz, Girls Generation, the ENTIRETY of Super Senior, and any other good discography combined still cannot beat this one song. I give this an 10000000/10, because it’s just PERFECT

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    • Shame on you. My english is not good but these three words are for you. Maybe you have the habit of liking the songs of your oppas because they are your oppas but BTS is not like your oppas so stop wasting time here and go support your flop oppas.

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        • This is just so bad. International people try to mock BTS without even knowing about them. Well what I can expect from a person who says you don’t need understand lyrics to like a song. Funny.

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          • You really don’t need to understand lyrics to like a song. If you do, that’s you. I never looked into lyrics of Kpop songs unless I like the song in the first place. I like “More”, but pretentious people like you are just annoying. You shouldn’t be coming to opinion blogs if you get angry this easily.

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  15. Uhm, what’s happening here? Woah, your blog is getting tons of traffic Nick if the Twitter trolls are casually lounging here. It did give me a laugh on a pretty bad day so thank you trolls I guess?

    Anyways, I thought the “song” was ok. It’s not my cup of tea but I appreciate Jhope’s attempts to do something different. PTD, this is definitely not. As an ARMY, I def. did have a mini-breakdown about the hiatus but I think the guys def. do realize that their music had been a letdown and they need time to sort out what musical direction they want to take. I am worried that their solo ventures will be either too left field(like this) or go quite cookie-clutter (like Jungkook’s collab with Puth) but we’ll see, I guess.

    I read the billboard piece and it’s so sad that the fandom harasses journalists for expressing their opinion about BTS’s music. A hiatus is a break and I don’t like how RM tried to blame journalists for saying what they did. Of course, people are going to speculate and some would point towards disbandment but its not like anyone’s covering BTS like they are tabloid fodder that he went off on journos like that. Unless local coverage in Korea was such, this was avoidable. I mostly stay away from twitter because its truly dumpster diving into humanity’s worst personalities. My interactions with other ARMY have not gone well and we don’t need to switch off our brains to support a band but I realize that common sense arguments cannot be had on twitter. The only other toxic fandom that I have seen is BLINK and I remember seeing Army and Blink just going off against each other and they need to get a grip.

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  16. A couple of people have made the vibe in this comment section quite peculiar..it was an amusing read regardless.

    The first time I listened to this song I thought “Wait, that’s it?!” once it finished, since I was waiting for some sort of climactic/catchy hook to reel into the song. It’s definitely not bad though, I do think the drum and guitar make it a pleasant song to groove to, especially if I’m working on something.

    I think it’s definitely a fun song to bop my head to when I’m in the moment, but unfortunately the lack of hooks makes it difficult for me to come back and re-listen. Since it’s still a new release I’ll give it a few more tries, but I don’t see myself coming back to this song very often.

    Regardless, a commenter here did point out that this isn’t the main title for Jhope’s album, so still looking forward to his future releases! I really enjoyed his mix tape.

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  18. I can’t tell from the comment thread if I missed the party or didnt miss the party here, but clearly there are many stages of grief going on here, especially denial and bargaining.
    For the song, it’s a classic solo vanity project. Current stans usually get it; nonstans usually don’t. Heck, my own bias Kyuhyun puts out another ballad every quarter, so who am I to judge.

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  19. “The battle of the COMMENTS”😂 epic war convo going on in the comments section for real like y’all got me laughing real hard , I think we can all agree that the song more is definitely not something we expected I mean bts has offered us pastel colours, smooth vocals and all round beautiful sceneries but “more” is in a league of its own I’m not a musical genius buh dudes this song made me want more cuz it made me feel like “I don’t know these guys at all as individuals”I only know bts and I think I might have put them in a box but the bold step jhope took in releasing more made me feel woah there’s so much more to this guys than I know and so I’ld love to see and hear more from them individually. But for more I like the beat, the colours and vocals but I also know that not everyone is open to this type of music so yeah (everyone is entitled to expressing his or her opinion) it most likely is a one-off for most but for me I just want to see each member explore their individuality and show us their styles,tastes and everything in between 🙃🙃I’m here for it and so even though I’m an average music lover and I only started paying attention to bts music this year 😂😂 I’m staying so guys after all this epistle I just wanna say express yourselves but be sure not to hurt others while doing so, words can go a long way you might not mean to sound a certain way but once words come out not even an apology can tak’em back in essence chill on the comments 🤸🤸🤸

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  20. I seriously doubt that BTS or Jhope would appreciate the nasty comments being lobbed at the reviewer. BTS are the opposite of such attitudes. I find it distressing when people try to rip into someone for stating their opinion. He already said the song isn’t meant for him. I personally love the song – love the surprise of it, the dark punk sensibility – but it doesn’t work for him. It’s not gonna hurt BTS or Jhope. Their reputations are firmly established. I don’t understand why people who claim to love a group that is all about acceptance are so freaking vindictive. That sort of poison will eat you up.

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  21. When you mentioned “grunge” I stopped taking your review seriously. Grunge was a Movement of seattle in 90′, It has nothing to do with a tipe of sound, search before you think you are an expert of music.

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  22. I Loved the song, it exceeded whatever expectations I had for Jhope. I know not everyone will enjoy this sound, and that’s okay. Personally despite it’s lack of hooks, it’s stuck in my head. Recently I’ve getting into grunge, rock, heavy metal type music and I think if this song came out earlier, I wouldn’t like it. It’s good timing on Jhope’s part, like he’s reading my mind lol.

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  23. Okay, I’ve stopped being able to tell the difference between the parodies and the actual comments from the toxic fandom reps. This is comedy gold. But…now the cool kids will never let me sit at their table.

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  24. I was prepared to ‘dislike’ it. But this song kind of rocks. Production-wise, this is really excellent. Totally un-HYBE-ish.

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  25. Seriously after reading the comments am like wtf y’all are just complaining cause it’s not what you were expecting 😂😂 and for the Grammys part it’s just a matter of time haters gonna hate lovers gonna love

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    • Most of the hate is coming from the people who say they like the track.😬 You’d know if you read the comments

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