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[INTERVIEW] RM,SUGA,JHOPE'S STORY

RM, SUGA, JHOPE'S STORY [INTERVIEW] - (130718)

Rap Monster. Real name Kim Namjoon. Born on September 12th 1994. During my underground days, I used the stage name Runch Randa. I got that name from the character my friend (who introduced me to rap) and I were taking care of in Maple Story. I read lots of books and all sorts of writings while writing rap lyrics to increase my vocabulary. It didn't really work out after debuting though, because we're so busy. But if I ever get an idea or remember good words, I always right them down on a notepad. At one point, my nickname was "Dance Prodigy" - I was so bad at dancing that my dance teacher and the company staff called me that. The difference between the things I'm good at and the things I'm bad at is extremely obvious. I thought "Ah, that's not my speciality. Everyone has their own thing, and there are just some things you shouldn't do." about dancing. But turns out, it wasn't impossible. Nowadays I'm told that I actually dance like a normal person. The members might not agree with that, though. (laughs) Although I don't show it, I'm really nervous on stage. I used to watch people on TV walk out from behind LED doors on Mnet <M! Countdown> so actually doing it was fascinating and nerve-racking. I once went on stage without my microphone pack so I started fretting about that also. But when I got on stage, I got the feeling that I was in charge of the place. I think you need that kind of mentality when doing hip-hop. Because I have a fierce image, I often think "I'm the best here." But unlike what you see, I have a shy personality in real life. The members tell me that there's a big gap from me on stage and off-stage. (Suga: On stage, he wears sunglasses and has a powerful image but he actually likes cute things. He keeps the <Pocket Monster> ball he received at a fansign on his bed.) I have a habit of singing loudly at night in the dorm. I always sing so I never thought that it'd affect the members. I realized that after a while but the members never said anything - probably because I'm the leader and I was the first member in the dorm. (laughs) I think I've improved by 7, 80% now. I always check the current affairs and general topics in the news. It's easy to neglect things happening around the world because of our busy schedules. I don't like that so I check the news. If I ever have a girlfriend who isn't an idol, I want to write them a song that apologizes for being an idol. Imagine how much the girl would dislike the fact that I'm an idol, since I'm always busy and because there are so many other fans who like me even though she's there. I would like her to know that 'I'm a much better person than you think.' It's because no matter what others do or say, I know myself the best. Also, even though this may make me sound arrogant, I want to say that I haven't shown half of half of my abilities. I have a lot of charms and hope to show them in the future.

Suga. Real name Min Yoongi. Born on March 9th 1993. There was a stage name I used as a lyricist in Daegu. I wanted to use that but people said it had no impact and that I should have a prettier name so Bang Sihyuk PD and I came up with a few ideas. Out of those choices, he said "Suga" suited me best so that's how I got this name. It's kind of a dazzling name but I think that's what people wanted. It's a name that contradicts the image I have on stage. When I first came to Seoul and went to the recording studio, Rap Monster and two other trainees were wearing Adidas tracksuits in different colors - blue, green, and black. I felt like I had to buy one too, so I got a blue tracksuit. (laughs) The name Bangtan was finalized before we even thought of other names. There were a few other suggested names, though. Young Nation, Big Kids, and a few others were candidates but we decided that Bangtan sounded cooler. I decided to pursue a career in music after hearing Stony Skunk sunbaenim's "Ragga Muffin" in 6th grade. I chose to rap after listening to "Fly" by Epik High sunbaenims. I had some basic Midi gear that was essential in music-making before entering the company. They were things that I had bought as a lyricist after saving up enough money by walking around for two hours every day and skipping dinner every day. But all the equipment in our logs are things that Bang Sihyuk PD gave us. (laughs) In our pre-debut song "Satoori Rap", I rap in my native Daegu satoori. My satoori is kind of awkward now because I've fixed it, but it'll be solved with a quick visit to Daegu. In one of the lyrics that I wrote in 2011, there's a part that says "My rapping makes Superstar K's Huh Gak gasp~" I had that much confidence in myself but as my training period got longer, I couldn't help but think "I'm only worth this much. Should I just give up?" Even while saying that, I always wrote raps at midnight and trained a lot. My role is to nag or scold the younger members when they make a mistake. It's because I'm the only member in the group who can speak harshly. I have an honest and blunt personality so if I feel that something isn't right, I always speak up about it. I've posted it on Twitter before but once I get all the necessary supplies, I'd really like to have a cooking battle. Jin hyung is good at cooking but I also have some know-how that I've collected. (laughs) On Twitter, I use the words "슙슙" and "응캬캬" frequently. There are people who like it and people who say it's greasy. My real personality isn't aegyo-y like that and I'm actually quite straightforward. I just write like that because I want to do that with fans. You could say that it's my special way of showing fans that I like them.

J-Hope. Real name Jung Hoseok. Born on February 18th 1994. I received commissioned education in Gwangju after signing a contract with my company. I thought 'They're so cool. There are these type of people at my company.' after Rap Monster and Suga hyung were revealed. I moved to the dorm in December but there was a really big difference. My hopeful fantasy of trainee life shattered. (laughs) I got a lot of prizes in Gwangju for my dancing. I won an underground dance battle and even performed at a festival. (V: I can confirm this. While enrolling at Korea Arts School, there were lots of trainees coming from different districts. When I debuted with Bangtan, my friends asked me "J-Hope hyung, is he the one from that dance academy in Gwangju?" That's how famous he was.) Before debuting, the members and I always did midnight dance practices. Me, Jimin, and Jungkook would often take lead and practice at midnight or sometimes even 1 or 2 am, practicing for two hours each time. First we practice the basics, then move onto details. Dance has freestyle like rapping, so sometimes we'd gather in a circle and dance. What I like best about dancing is that we all can agree. They understand faster when I explain by saying "In rapping you do this, it's the same in dancing. Let's try it out." These days I think V is the best at catching up and understanding. At first I thought "Ah....what do I do." but now he enjoys dancing and is showing a lot of interest in it. Rap Monster's dancing skills have also improved a lot. In other words, he's become great [at dancing]. (laughs) I'm the only member with an older sister. She's five years older than me but we're really close. You could say that she's a tree who gives me constant support. There's a lot of negative things about wearing a mask. First of all, it's really hard to breathe and it gives me bad skin. I have to put it on straight after singing but depending on the type, there are some masks that don't pull up that well and it's hard. But lots of people recognize me because of it so I'm happy. Jin hyung made seaweed soup* for me and it tasted really good. It made me speechless. It tasted like my mom's. (Jin: That was before we had a diet menu so I could put in soy sauce, salt, and beef into the soup.) I'm the type of person to approach someone without hesitation and my speaking habits are also like that. I sometimes nag Rap Monster and he says "Okay. I won't do that anymore." but he never really listens. (laughs) Of course, now most of his bad habits are fixed. (Rap Monster: If I'm fire, J-Hope is water - he's good at 'turning off' my bad habits. He's really sociable so he's good at mixing with others and our group members.)

* It's a Korean tradition for somebody celebrating their birthday to eat seaweed soup.

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Source: IZE.CO.KR

Trans cr; Christie @ BTS-TRANS

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