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Happy Birthday to BTS RM! Bangtan’s frontman and ARMY's president turned 28 years old today. BTS RM is a multi-talented artist--rapper, songwriter, performer, record producer, crab lover, moonchild, best leader, ARMY's president, and the inspiration behind “Namjooning.”
ARMYs are aware that the BTS’ leader has two distinct personas, one being the tough and spitfire rapper RM who is fierce on stage, while the other is Kim Nam-joon (his real name) who is kind, lovable, clumsy, and essentially “God of Destruction” as fans have monikered him. Both sides of his personality come together to make the talented artist we know as Kim Nam-joon aka BTS RM, who is a source of healing, happiness, and harmony for ARMYs.
The talented artist debuted with BTS in 2013 as Bangtan's rapper, writer, and leader.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, the idol was quite popular as the underground rapper Runch Randa before BTS’ producer and HYBE’s owner Bang PD recruited him to join BIG HIT MUSIC (then Big Hit Entertainment). Kim Nam-joon then debuted with the name Rap Monster, which he later shortened and changed to BTS RM.
Over the years, he grew to be a powerhouse of an artist who contributed to BTS’ discography with his poetic lyrics, meaningful songwriting, fierce rapping, empathetic leadership, and music production.
Moving beyond group projects with BTS, RM also released two successful mixtapes--RM in 2015 and Mono in 2018. In 2020, Bangtan’s leader was promoted to full member of the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA). Today, he boasts 199 songs credited to him as a songwriter and composer by KOMCA, making him the youngest and second most credited in the organisation's history.
To celebrate his birthday, we will recommend five songs for BTS RM’s Namjooning special playlist.
BTS RM Birthday playlist: Spring Day, Forever Rain and more for the perfect “Namjooning moments”
ARMYs are well versed in what “Namjooning” means but for those unaware, “Namjooning” is the act of living life as BTS RM, which includes going for a walk in the nature, soaking in the balmy sun, riding your bicycle, and catching crabs and gently patting them.
Today, we have curated the perfect five-song playlist for “Namjooning” to celebrate BTS RM’s birthday. Check out our birthday playlist below:
1) Spring Day
Nation’s comfort song, Queen Spring Day, is part of Bangtan’s 2017 repackage album You Never Walk Alone, also known as HYYH and is nothing short of a masterpiece.
The song is both hauntingly beautiful and magically healing and belongs to the alternative hip-hop and pop rock category. BTS RM penned the lyrics for this beautiful song along with bandmate SUGA and other writers from BIG HIT.
Spring Day is based on the concepts of love, life, loss of your loved ones and how one adjusts to that hurtful feeling. Bangtan’s leader revealed that he wrote the song in one sitting while seated at the Hangang Park in Yeouido.
Due to its heart-wrenching lyrics, beautiful vocals, and marvelous production, Spring Day is our first track to be added to the “Namjooning” birthday playlist.
2) Forever Rain
From BTS RM’s sophomore mixtape Mono, Forever Rain is moody, melancholic, and simply magical. Upon the album’s release, a fan had commented on social media that when they die, BTS RM’s Forever Rain will be their parting song.
The hip-hop track, written and produced by the BTS leader, is deeply introspective and moving, and is somewhat inspired by Charlie Chaplin’s famous quote that says,
“I always like walking in the rain, so no one can see me crying.”
Lyrically, the song reflects the idol's state of mind to slow down, feel the rain drops reach him, let it soak his bones, and drown his inner turmoil. Hence, with this song, the artist hopes that it rains forever. Unlike Spring Day, Forever Rain isn’t trying to comfort the listener. It allows one to just be and lets them grapple with their overwhelming emotions, hoping that when it rains, the downpour will wash away their despair.
For the reasons mentioned above, this beautiful track makes it to our “Namjooning” birthday playlist as well.
3) Trivia: Love
BTS RM’s Trivia: Love from the group's album Love Yourself: Answer is a work of pure genius. It is while listening to tracks like this that international ARMYs regret not being fluent in Korean which would have otherwise helped them fully comprehend RM’s interesting wordplay and the easter eggs so intricately woven into the track.
The song is “happier” compared to the first two in this list, and Bangtan fans will be instantly transported to the group’s concert and BTS RM’s charismatic performance on Trivia: Love.
In Trivia: Love BTS RM has equated love ("Sarang" in Korean) to live ("Salda" in Korean) and people ("Saram" in Korean) since in Korean, the comparable words are homonyms which sound or are spelt alike but have entirely different meanings.
This is one example of the track’s masterful lyrics, and there are many such instances of RM's brilliance as a master lyricist. However, it also has a pleasant and cheerful ring to it and is the perfect song to play on one of your adventures and hence a solid recommendation for the “Namjooning” birthday playlist.
4) Everythingoes
If it were up to us, we would put BTS RM’s entire Mono mixtape in our “Namjooning” birthday playlist because each track is nothing short of brilliant. However, our second recommendation from Mono would be Everythingoes, a song written and produced by BTS RM in collaboration with Nell.
This soothing hip-hop track is packed with some powerful verses, understated rap, and enchanting music that will guarantee to transport you into another world.
As the name suggests, this song is filled with messages of hope and positivity but not in the hyper-positive way one imagines. The song is more like a gentle hand on your head instead of an unnecessary motivational speech or lecture.
BTS RM tries to empathize with his listener, lending them a patient ear and just the right words to ease them from their inner suffering.
Everythingoes, as the name suggests, captures a glimmer of hope and echoes, "This too shall pass," since nothing is permanent, neither happiness nor pain, and is, therefore, a perfect addition to our “Namjooning birthday” playlist.
5) Bicycle
If we could describe this song in one word, we would say "adorable." BTS RM’s Bicycle, which was released last year in June as part of the group’s eighth-anniversary celebrations, is an ode to his own bicycle.
ARMYs are aware of how much RM loves his bicycle, his favorite partner on his “Namjooning trips,” which inspired him to create a calming and delightful song about the many emotions he feels while riding his bike and how peaceful and meditative this process is.
A perfect “background sound," Bicycle is introspective and intrinsic but never intrusive, and lets your feelings linger and float like the many floating minds on the island, as described in the song.
Bicycle by RM is our final recommendation for the perfect "Namjooning" birthday playlist.
Bangtan's RM is in the final stages of releasing his third solo album/mixtape after RM and Mono, and according to eagle-eyed ARMYs, it might be titled Neutral, although there is no confirmation from the member’s side yet.
Before ending, we would once again like to wish Kim Nam-joon a very Happy Birthday!
