Even though today marks KiiiKiii’s official debut, it feels like they “debuted” weeks ago with their pre-release I Do Me heavily promoted on music shows. I still find that track incredibly generic, but its earworm melody has snuck up on me through sheer repetition and the group sell it well on stage. Now, it’s time to see what KiiiKiii have up their sleeves for their first mini album.
BTG leads this album as its title track (though I’m not sure it’s ever officially been designated as such?). Rather than the sweet melodicism of I Do Me, this song unveils an airy, dreamlike sound punctuated by surprisingly heavy rap. It’s as if K-pop’s current “beigepop” trend has been hijacked by a more attitude-forward energy. It all comes together during BTG‘s “been that girl” hook, which melds soft textures with a confrontational chant.
To KiiiKiii’s credit, BTG does sound like a small step forward compared to many of their peers. It’s an interesting piece of music, even if it’s not always enjoyable. The production during the verses moves from minimalist to apocalyptic to hypnotic in the space of a few seconds, catching the listener off guard. Yet when it comes down to it, BTG is yet another K-pop track that builds itself around a spoken word catchphrase and relegates melody to its pre-chorus. Even with the most exciting instrumental, this approach feels like an unfulfilled tease.
| Hooks | 7 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.5 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
It’s okay, cute, though I lowkey dislike the trap-esque verses. Production’s a bit too generic imo, but I love the pre-chorus and bridge (c’mon people, don’t make just those two the only melodic parts of the song!). Better than Debut Song though, though I prefer I Do Me more.
7.25 (7, 7, 8, 7) for me.
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Okay Starship, now that you’ve debuted KiiiKiii, can you finally start thinking about giving WJSN their long-awaited comeback?
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Considering how they barely even bothered telling fans about which members did and didn’t renew their contracts, I think Starship has just kind of left WJSN behind in favor of Ive and now KiiiKiii. It’s sad, but I think I’m going to be shocked if we get a release from WJSN ever again.
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and that’s such a shame, we’re less than a year away from their ten year anniversary 😭
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This took me completely by surprise. I’m so used to the gen 2 concept of all vocalists/1 rapper that the inverse is surprisingly refreshing. Also, something else refreshing? A 3 minute song. I don’t think on paper that I would be taken by this but by the final chorus repeat they’d sold me.
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My biggest gripe with this song is the writing. The rap verses… For context, Lil Cherry is a credited writer on this track, and was also the sole writer credited on Debut Song. She was also the feature on Yves’ LOOP. It’s one thing when the lyrics don’t make sense, it’s another when you’re getting blasted with AAVE in the first verse and now have to sit with that for the rest of the track. And it sucks because everything outside of those verses is actually pretty nice. I always love some Jersey Club and the switching between the styles is interesting, but they seriously need a writer for the rap verses that will make something cohesive.
Granted, none of this has been as egregious as to what Kid Milli wrote for SICKUHHH (which is the worst track NMixx ever released, you can’t just change some letters and slot it for the n-word), but it is something that, even with the gimmick KiiiKiii is trying to sell, the rap verses presented here are almost a turn off for the whole track.
6 (6, 8, 6, 4), sorry for the long write up, but God, the writing actually does affect my enjoyment of this a bit. And I like K-Hip Hop, it’s just that these collaborations have been backfiring in very recent memory.
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That’s my gripe as well. The rest of the song isn’t enough to tempt me to make it through THAT right at the beginning.
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And that isn’t to say getting a different writer would solve EVERYTHING, it would just be a step up from what we’ve seen Lil Cherry do. I am fully aware that KPop has always profited off African American/African artistry and culture, since the beginning of it’s explosion to popularity. Unfortunately, most groups can get away with it without it severely harming them (backlash exists, rightfully, but diehards will be diehards). That said, if they are going to do it, they need someone who will not just throw a bunch of words together to seem “cool”. And mind you (the reader), this song is mostly in English.
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Oh Lil cherry being connected to this explains so much! I never understood the appeal, She’s a terrible rapper (lyrics/flow). Always felt like people praise her just to pretend they’re cooler than you “look she’s so different, so innovative, you don’t get it”. remind me of hipster kids obsessed with Pitchfork reviews back a few years back here
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agreed with everything, but I’m curious as to what happened with Nmixx & the lyrics for Sickuhh? I didn’t know Kid Milli was even involved in its writing.
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Well, a potentially torn rotator cuff will make one really bored while resting…
Kid Milli is a rapper in the K Hip Hop world, and is also the sole credited writer for SICKUHHH (using his real name). A song in which the chorus flat out says “Big stepper, go and get it, we’re not chaser, go getta, you already know Sickuhh…” (quoted from the NMIXX wiki). How no one in any part of producing this realized the problem here, and how no one really got flamed for this is incredible.
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I didn’t see your response, otherwise I would have replied already, sorry.
…I didn’t even GUESS that Kid Milli was from k-hip-hop, that’s how much the blaccent seemed real. Yikes.
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As a PinkPantheress fan, this is so funny. It’s literally a PinkPantheress song, the vocal is so similar. Just the rap part hits harder. So I’m biased here. I kind of like it even if it’s cut and paste from another Western artist. Starship are trying hard to get to bigger markets here…
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I’ve always loved every Starship girl group but it looks like KiiiKiii are breaking that streak.
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On a scale of 1 to 10, I give it a yeah its all right! There are minor quibbles her and there, but on balance it works, or works well enough. Rating is about right, maybe a touch low.
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Might be the worst GG debut track the last 4-5 years
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I would’ve been able to get into this, if it wasn’t for the rap verses. In an industry filled with cringe raps, this really got under my skin, I can feel my nervous system acting up. I think I’m just gonna refrain from engaging with kiikii. It’s all so off-putting and low-key triggering. There’s so many other groups who deserve my attention
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Aside from the cringy lyrics in the rap verses, I think this song works okay and it kind of establishes a different sound for the group compared to IVE. Though judging by their previous releases, KiiiKii will most likely drop songs in different styles, I don’t think they’ll stick to hip-hop-influenced track.
I enjoyed the pre-chorus and also liked how it steps up a bit in the production by adding up some Jersey Club beats.
I’m not super impressed but this is acceptable, let’s see what they wil be going with in the future. My raiting is about the same as Nick’s
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There’s interesting stuff in the beat but I don’t think that’s saying much. At least it’s better than ‘debut song’
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Thumbs up purely because they successfully subverted my expectations about what their title track would sound like. I’m not even sure what they were, but they weren’t this. Well done Starship. This kind of versatility bodes well for their future.
But also I’m finding the dreamy pre-chorus strangely addictive, while the backing track goes hard throughout. (Not entirely unexpected with Dem Jointz involved.) I’m usually not into rap-heavy tracks but I’m thoroughly enjoying listening to this.
And finally, people in this comment section are complaining about nonsensical lyrics in a K-pop song? Really now?
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I don’t love the song, but I love the aesthetic and vocal color these girls are bringing to the table. Truly liking the branding of the group so far!
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AI generated ahh song. Lyrics were horrendous.
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