Celebrate j-hope of BTS’s Birthday with These 10 Songs

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j-hope, the dance leader of BTS, turns 30 today (February 18th), and while I’m tempted to just write an essay about how much I love the song “Dis-ease,” I’ll broaden my horizons just a bit.

Since BTS debuted in 2013, j-hope has reminded audiences and fans time and time again just how critical of a piece he is to the BTS puzzle. In addition to his notoriously sharp eye when it comes to group choreography, j-hope is a songwriter, producer, and member of the rap line, and the care and attention he pours into his music has helped shape the band’s musical identity over the last decade.

Between solo tracks in the BTS discography, his unit songs with his fellow rap line members RM and SUGA, and the mixtapes and album he delivered on his own, there’s so much great music credited to j-hope. So, in honor of all things Hobi, we’ve narrowed his impressive discography down to just ten favorites. Read through them below, and scroll to the bottom to take the full playlist with you.

“Trivia: Just Dance”

The Love Yourself album trilogy really is a treasure trove of music, and the solo tracks throughout Love Yourself: Answer are among the band’s best. j-hope’s contribution, “Trivia: Just Dance,” is an incredibly on-brand burst of energy and optimism.

“Daydream”

From the ’90s beat to the bright colors, “Daydream” is the kind of escapist joy j-hope does best. His Hope World mixtape is characterized by the deeply intentional and specific nostalgia that’s on full display in both the music video and song itself. Here, j-hope imagines life among us regular people, free from the restrictions that come along with the level of fame BTS has achieved.

“Outro: Ego”

BTS’s monumental Map of the Soul: 7 album wouldn’t have been the same without this energetic sendoff. Everything about “Outro: Ego” is so quintessentially j-hope, from the records scratches to the dance-ready structure. It’s the incredible vocals at the end that really make this one soar.

“Chicken Noodle Soup” (with Becky G)

It’s one of the most fun international collaborations in the BTS canon; Becky G seemed so excited to guest on this track with j-hope, and the two have continued their friendship since this outing. Becky G even joined j-hope onstage at Lollapalooza in 2022.

“Outro: Tear”

This rap line track is easily one of the most emotional songs in BTS’s discography — 2017 and 2018 were a particularly challenging time for the bandmates, to the point where they’ve since revealed that they considered disbanding. Had they done so, “Outro: Tear” would’ve been their last song, ever, and there’s something haunting about the way the track wraps with j-hope gasping for breath. Thankfully, the breakup didn’t come to fruition, but this song is a capsule of the complicated emotions of that era.

“MORE”

j-hope’s solo album, Jack in the Box, unveiled an entirely new side to the historically bubbly artist. The project was a major contrast to Hope World, instead offering a darker exploration of frustration. He kicked things off with “MORE,” and the music video that marked the era is great — but the live performance at his headlining Lollapalooza set is next-level.

“on the street” (with J. Cole)

Just before leaving to fulfill his enlistment duties, j-hope said his (temporary) goodbye to ARMY with an incredibly cool collaboration. Over the years, he’s made no secret of the fact that J. Cole is one of his musical heroes, and getting to watch the two artists work together was as much of a treat for fans as the song itself was. Be sure to check out the behind-the-scenes vlog, where j-hope is utterly beside himself about the team-up.

“= (Equal Sign)”

This cut from Jack in the Box is certainly one of the more upbeat tracks on the LP, offering a brighter message to balance some of the internal turmoil throughout the solo effort. Here, j-hope muses on a world “beyond age, beyond gender, across the borders” in lyrics co-written with Melanie Fontana, a songwriter who also contributed to BTS hits like “Boy with Luv.”

“MAMA”

BTS’s interconnected universe of music videos, which stretched over a few years and multiple albums in their discography, was so compelling and widely discussed that some newer fans believed the events in j-hope’s character’s storyline (which involves him being abandoned by his family) to actually be autobiographical. Thankfully, that’s not the case at all, and j-hope uses his solo track on the Wings album to serenade his real-life mother and thank her for all the support she provided growing up.

“Blue Side”

Last but certainly not least, “Blue Side” was first released as an outro on Hope World; a few years later, j-hope picked it back up and shared it as a completed track. It’s a perfect encapsulation of the scope of j-hope’s talent, as an impressive rapper who also has a strong singing voice, and a burst of energy unafraid of revealing his more vulnerable side. If anyone has the range, it’s always him.

Celebrate j-hope of BTS’s Birthday with These 10 SongsMary Siroky

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