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On Thursday, December 1, 2022, Rolling Stone released an article, The 100 Best Albums of 2022, which placed j-hope's solo album, Jack in the Box, in ninth place. The album takes the crown as the highest-ranked album by a K-pop act, adding to the impressive list of achievements by the BTS members.
The album, released on July 15, 2022, was the most exciting news for ARMYs, with j-hope being the boy band's first member to release a full-length album after their solo-break announcement earlier in June. Jack in the Box became the talk of the town for not just its captivating lineup of songs but also his unique concept that ARMYs haven't seen from him before.
BTS' j-hope ranks ninth on Rolling Stones for his solo album, Jack in the Box
With 10 tracks lined up on the album, Jack in the Box revealed a side of j-hope that shocked the fandom. Known for his brighter and peppy songs in not just his previous mixtape, Hope World, but also his solo songs in BTS' albums, Outro: Ego, etc., the new rock genre that the idol embarked on was quite unexpected.
Right from the teaser images to the music videos, ARMYs were hooked on everything that the K-pop idol put forth with Jack in the Box. The album's concept revolves around the Greek myth, Pandora's Box mythology, where the jar is supposed to contain various evils of the world. However, he spins the myth around and offers hope as the last thing that will pop out of the jar, or in this case, the box.
Fans could clearly see the amount of thought and effort the K-pop idol put into the album, and his interview with the Rolling Stones only cemented that belief. He said,
"The album is filled with my soul and my sincerity. In that way, it's a unique album, and the album is very meaningful because in terms of musicality, it's going to act as a stepping stone for j-hope to go forward."
Following his previous successful solo embarkations with Hope World, Chicken Noodle Soup, etc., Jack in the Box adds to the growing list of historical acts put forth by the BTS members. The album, which displayed that the 28-year-old idol isn't always limited to his bright personality, received a great response from his fans, considering how it thrived in the music charts.
With a self-explorative album for his debut, j-hope seems to be just starting out his solo career, promising a much more exciting lineup of releases in the future that will continue to surprise ARMYs.
