K-Bops in K-Pop

OOOOOOH BOY. I may have disappeared for a while, but if you thought I was going to be MIA during this momentous occasion, you thought wrong. This is the review I’ve been waiting to write for years and it’s finally time. You can imagine that my expectations were set pretty high and I was already predisposed to love whatever Hoseok put out. That said, he pretty much threw away any expectations I may have had and did something entirely original and ridiculously innovative.

The Vibe

Hobi is a bright, beautiful person so it is no surprise that his beats are equally vibrant. There was a stylization to his mixtape that was entirely his own, custom-built with dreamy visuals and soothing vocals. The hixtape was all about showcasing Hoseok’s versatility as an artist and his innate ability to create things that are artistic and new but still pleasantly familiar.

I’m thinking particularly of two songs: Daydream and Airplane. Don’t get me wrong, I loved every song on the hixtape. But there was something about Daydream and Airplane that spoke of the very depths of Hoseok’s essence. They weren’t necessarily raw and revealing like the songs off Yoongi’s mixtape, but they were so much a representation of Hoseok’s personality that I truly felt like they were features off an already perfect mixtape.

The Lyrics

I have so much admiration for the lyricism in the hixtape because I know Hoseok is such a richly complex person. He is so much more than energetic angel who makes his members feel good; he is someone with past struggles and whose internal dialogue was not always positive. In the hixtape, we get to see that at its finest.

Hob talks about his desire to be much more than himself and to contribute to something bigger in P.O.P and he speaks about his personal wishes and the want to be honest about who you are in Daydream. There was even a precious line in Hope World where he talks about liking cursing in his regular life but not in his music that shows what kind of person he is and how he is conscious of he presents himself to the world and to his fans. Not only did it make me smile, but it made me remember how much I loved him for being unapologetically himself.

Final Thoughts

Someone rather important to me once told me that music is more than a reflection of a person’s soul, it is a part of a person’s soul. A piece that they choose to share with the world. And when you listen to it, you receive it and you become exposed to them in a way you couldn’t have been any other way. This person said that to me in reference to my sadness at the loss of Jonghyun, but it applies here too. Hoseok put his soul into his mixtape and his soul is stunningly bright and endlessly colorful and I am happier for having been exposed to it.

I hope Hobi holds so much pride in his heart for this mixtape because it truly is such a gorgeous example of who he is. Congrats, Hob! You’re incredible and we love you.

Check out Daydream and download the hixtape then leave me a comment and let me know what you thought!