BTS: Beyond the Story

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Limitations

Looking back on the production of "No More Dream" in their debut album2 COOL 4 SKOOL, SUGA recalls:

______When we were working on that song, I sat in Pdogg's room in theCheonggu Building and thought, 'Aw, I really want to go back to thedorms,' thousands of times a day. We should be going to the dormsto sleep by seven or eight in the morning, right? But we had to finishour work by the end of the day, for days on end ... That was thehardest part."

I pick up my pen every night

And close my eyes after the sun rises

These lines from "We are bulletproof PT.2" were a perfectencapsulation of RM, SUGA, and j-hope's reality as they composed thelyrics for the songs in 2 COOL 4 SKOOL.

They would practice all day topolish their razor-sharp choreography until they were in frame-by-framesync while also working on the songs for the album.

In the little time theyhad in between, they would shoot their vlogs and other videos and managethe blog."No More Dream," the title song of the album, loomed ahead like thefinal boss at the gates of BTS's debut.

Jimin describes what the song was tothem:

______It's not difficult now, but back then, the choreography ... We couldbarely breathe.

The dance accompanying "No More Dream" is made up of big, wildmoves, which had to be performed in perfect sync.

Each member had tostart and stop each movement with military precision, tense and readythroughout the entirety of the performance-and make sure to jump up toexactly the same height.

And as mentioned earlier, even their diet was understrict control.

Jin discusses the team's vibe at the time:

______In "We are bulletproof PT.2," we all had to show off our abs, so weworked out, and we couldn't eat what we wanted because of theprescribed diet ... Everyone was cranky.

While the members pushed their physical limits in the practice studioand the dormitory, RM, SUGA, and j-hope also pushed the limits of theirsouls in the studio, struggling with the lyrics to "No More Dream."

RM hadto compose a staggering twenty-nine versions of the rap lyrics for thisparticular song.

______I once went up to Hakdong Park near the Cheonggu Building andscreamed out loud. The rap just wasn't coming, and I felt like I wassuffocating.

Producer Bang Si-Hyuk had the final say on which version of the lyricswould be chosen, and, at the time, he and RM had different perspectives onthe rap lyrics to the title song.

RM explains:

______Bang Si-Hyuk thought we should reflect the latest trends. But I'mfrom the generation that grew up with Nas and Eminem, so therewas a point of conflict. It was about whether or not I could acceptwhat we call "trap flow," and it was hard for me to accept. Our bigissue with the debut album was how we could quickly reflect newhip-hop trends, and that's where Bang PD and I had trouble comingto a compromise.

A common misconception outside the idol industry was thatmanagement companies were in charge of everything about the music,taking the lead in musical creativity.