BKF Review: We Are BulletProof Pt. 2
Just to get this out of the way, I am a huge fan of BTS. So far, the boys have more than impressed me. So much so that I learned their names and faces with a quickness because I liked them that much. I was impressed with “No more dream” (albeit with a little case of the giggles at the lyrics) and I looked forward to anything else the boys wanted to do. That brings us to the review at hand.
This week they released their new music video for their second single “We are Bulletproof Pt. 2” and ladies and gentlemen, I was floored. They maintained their signature hip hop influenced style (and by hip hop, I mean more like the popular hip hop that we have in America, i.e. rappers like Tyga or Meek Mill to be specific) and I liked the beat right off the bat. For organizational purposes, I’m going to split my critique into three different parts: Music Video, Choreography, and Song/Lyrics. Without further ado, here it is.
Music Video
Ah yes. This video managed to combine hip hop with fanservice in the best way possible. Apart from the abs, which were A+ (yes lawd), I loved the simple concept of the video. To go with the bulletproof theme, there are gunshots and the visual of guns to match that, and most of the members have some type of prop with them to give them a badass sort of role in the group. For example, Jungkook had the football player thing going on with the padded equipment, while Rap Monster had a cane with a ‘$’ on the end (oh RapMon). I loved how the english lyrics would display on the screen and also, this was a very high quality video in general. I find that with rookie groups, maybe their obscure companies can afford decent video quality, but they can’t really grasp a strong concept. With this video, BTS kept it simple and showed us all what they can bring to kpop and why we need that. The shots were simple to help the viewer learn the members easily which was a good contrast to the dynamic shots from the “No More Dream” MV. Basically, if you weren’t focused on a member, you were watching them kill their choreo. The MV was incredibly effective and I was definitely pleased with it.
Score: 5/5
Choreography
It’s no secret that BTS is heavily inspired by not only hip hop as a music genre, but also hip hop as a genre of dance. Their choreo always has that raw feeling that I get from some of the top hip hop choreographers in America and it really helps to solidify their hip hop concept. Much in the way that YG’s artists like to employ popular dances from America in their choreography, BTS does the same, but somehow it feels like this is the way the boys would want it to be, rather than simply a concept. The choreo is exciting to watch, it works with the music, and somehow, it’s still simple. They aren’t trying too hard yet they’re still giving me life. J-Hope, Jimin, and Jungkook have a dance break at the end that is no short of epic. I’m a sucker for great dancers in kpop groups since I do feel that that’s something I don’t see as often with a lot of American pop artists besides people like Beyonce, and BTS more than supplies that.
Score: 4.5/5
Song/Lyrics
This is a badass song. The beat goes in, and it reminds me of the songs I hear throughout my house that my younger brother plays. It gets you hyped up and ready to feel, I don’t know, just cool. When you hear it, you feel like you’re a beast along with them. For the record, it’s not a song with deep and moving subject matter, but instead, it’s more of an anthem for where BTS feels that they are in kpop and where they want to be. The english translation talks about the steps they’ve taken to become a group and now that they are one, how they feel about those people that might look down on them. Some of my favorite lines are: “When you guys partied, I gave up sleep for my dreams”/“All you who are called rappers because you can’t sing, the rapper title is an extravagance for you”/ “…hyungs who only had hip-hop pride told me it’d be impossible”. They’re basically letting guys who are less than them know just why they are better, but they’re also bravely addressing k-hip hop artists who look down on idol rappers for not being genuine enough to what it really means to be a hip hop artist. After a song like “No More Dream” where the song sounded hood and badass but the lyrics were tame to say the least, it’s definitely a step up to have BTS do what I’m used to rappers doing: Defending their stance, and making it clear that they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Score: 3.5/5
Overall
In conclusion to this monster of a review (hehe, rap monster), as you can tell, I loved this song and video. I look forward to where BTS goes in kpop. I have a theory that many of the rookie groups we have now are just new and improved replacements for some of the older groups. I can imagine who BTS might be trying to replace (won’t throw shade though) but something tells me that these boys aren’t simply looking for a group to dethrone, but rather, want to cement their own spot amongst the biggest names in Kpop. I support them thoroughly and definitely hope they succeed. With songs like this, they may just be on their way.
Overall Score: 4.5/5