BTS members are all multi-talented and have expressed their color in music in some shape or form. With the news of BTS’ main dancer and lead rapper collaborating with K-R&B singer-songwriter, Crush, it only felt right to give a mini-crash course on J-Hope‘s history with collaborations.
Whether it’s his own song or not, J-Hope brings a vibrant splash of color to whatever project he touches. He may not have as many collabs compared to some other members in the group, but his performance is more than worthy of praises. As his “Rush Hour” collab with Crush approaches this Thursday, September 22 (6 p.m. KST — 5 a.m. ET/2 a.m. PT), here is a brief rundown of the three songs he’s worked on with different artists.
“Chicken Noodle Soup”
After meeting at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards and expressing his desire to collaborate with the singer and actress, this collaboration between Becky G and J-Hope was nothing but pure wholesomeness. “Chicken Noodle Soup” was a song that the BTS member danced to during his days as a trainee. The remake to the old-school, childhood classic paid homage to both artists’ roots by incorporating Spanish and Korean lyrics to the original. “Chicken Noodle Soup” was said to originally be part of J-Hope’s first mixtape, Hope World.
“A Brand New Day”
As part of BTS’ Netmarble mobile game, BTS World: Original Soundtrack, J-Hope and fellow member V are joined by Swedish pop sensation Zara Larsson for an electronic hip-hop song with hints of traditional Korean instruments. The song is part of a compilation album that features other western artists like Juice WRLD, Charli XCX, as well as Korean artists OKDAL, and Lee Hyun.
“Animal”
As what K-Pop fans may call “fetus” J-Hope (the early, baby days of BTS), the main dancer’s earliest collaboration is dated back to 2012 when he featured on Jo Kwon’s B-side “Animal.” With an unchanging stage presence, J-Hope performed the side track with the 2AM-member-turned-soloist on MBC’s Music Core during the era where electric-dance pop, or incorporating EDM and dubstep in songs, was a huge trend in the K-pop scene. In a 2021 radio interview, Jo Kwon expressed his gratitude toward the BTS member and hopes to perform a new version of the song in the near future.
Honorable Mention: “= (Equal Sign)”
Though this isn’t an official collaboration, every K-pop stan, or even Korean artist themselves, would consider anything they do with South Korea’s Little Sister, and top music soloist, a collaboration. Upon promoting his first studio album, Jack In The Box, over the summer, J-Hope guested on IU’s YouTube series IU’s Palette for a special performance and talk. Midway through the episode, the two artists performed a special rendition of “= (Equal Sign)” where IU re-arranged the first and last parts herself to include her singing.