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Breaking down the mastery of Joke by #RM: Namjoon deconstructs the song format into a stream of consciousness with flawless lyricism, speed, and unpredictability over a complex ever-changing beat. THAT IS TALENT. ++
#방탄소년단RM #KimNamjoon #김남준 @BTS_twt
#RMverse
#방탄소년단RM #KimNamjoon #김남준 @BTS_twt
#RMverse
Four elements make Joke a true rapper's masterpiece. Namjoon creates a rhythmic lyrical stream of consciousness to beat down on his critics. It is often misconstrued that the lyrics of Joke have no real meaning, that is FALSE! There's a lot to unpack in the song +
#RM
#RM
In an interview for HIPHOPPLAYA, the online hub where Namjoon was active since his underground rap days, he said that there is no "hidden message" in the song, since it is designed to play with rap techniques and auditory pleasure. The message is actually in plain sight. +
#RM
#RM
The message is simple: "This is what I'm really capable of, you critics (haters) should rise to my level before opening your mouths." It is a clear jab at the criticism Namjoon received after debut for going soft, rapping too slow, or losing the grit he had in the underground. +
Before we look at lyrics, I'd like to address the criticism this song had for containing female-specific derogatory terms. These are used to emasculate the "tough macho rappers" criticizing Joon, that is how I interpret them. Bighit/Joon have apologized as well so let's move on +
The true mastery of Joke lies in the clever uses of wordplay and rhythmical effects to add drumming to the song. Let's start with my favorite rhyme scheme at the beginning, focusing on the "pae" sound. Listen closely to the end of each line! +
#RM #RMverse
#RM #RMverse
This rhyme scheme is so mind-blowing! There are 8 lines each with an end rhyme, and he effortlessly switches between Kor, Eng and bilingual rhymes to carry the rhyme scheme. He references here "5 gwang" cards, calling haters "low-pointers" or losers, like in Ddaeng. +
#RM
#RM
Namjoon asserts his skill and superiority, but while haters are "dirty-tongued" as he said above, in the next lines Joon has 6 bullets in his tongue, or 6 BULLETproof boys #BTS, he is not alone. He gives a nod to 2pac and A$AP Rocky, his hiphop influences. +
#RM
#RM
This line often gets misquoted from Joke:"I ain't changing my name, never ever ever." People often say it's a reference to his "Rap Monster" stage name at the time, but it's actually Namjoon saying he'll never be anything other than Greatest Ever, he'll always be this good. +
#RM
#RM
Here's another of my favorite rhyme schemes purely for auditory pleasure. Namjoon cleverly uses the "X of the X" format in English and "X보단 X" (X bodan X) in Korean to create rhythmic rhyme. "of the" also sounds similar to "bodan" (instead of) when said quickly. GENIUS.+
#RM
#RM
Did you manage to catch them all? This whole flow is rapped in only 7 seconds! In the "X bodan X" portion in Korean, he looks down on his critics, and in his "X of the X" bilingual portion he asserts himself as king, whether senior or junior, no one can touch his throne. +
#RM
#RM
In Joke, Namjoon doesn't fall shy of criticizing the styles and "skill" of so-called rappers who dare look down on him. He uses a portion of gibberish rhyme (bibidi babidi) to mock them, and then goes on to rap with the same rhyme (nagari, nogari) to show how pros do it +
#RM
#RM
Here's another amazing rhythmical portion where Namjoon takes the last line we just read (you're hopeless = "nodap") and switches the flow into a different rhyme scheme with it. Listen closely to each end rhyme again! +
#RM
#RM
Namjoon cleverly uses 1-2 letter variations of "non rap", playing with language, to create different statements with the same sounding end rhyme. He asserts his skill over his critics, telling them that his rap is superior and their rap... doesn't deserve the name 'rap'. +
#RM
#RM
Another extremely clever use of wordplay: Namjoon has no mercy (자비 = jabi) while his critic has no bus fare (차비 = chabi). Namjoon makes it clear it's not about money, his critic is poor with talent, so no one wants their "rap". +
#RM
#RM
The beat switch at the end of Joke is extremely unpredictable, and adds another pulse of energy to the track. Namjoon makes use of clever bilingual rhyme to give a satisfying auditory ending to a pleasing sonic journey. Listen! +
#RM
#RM
Namjoon plays with language, rhyming with "ich" sounds in the first part, and then "ons" sounds in the second. He uses the word "monster" in the flow switch to transition from "son of a Stitch" (ref. to Lilo & Stitch 
) to "I'm a monster". It's so effortlessly brilliant! +
#RM
) to "I'm a monster". It's so effortlessly brilliant! +#RM
While Joke is focused on rap and lyrical technique as well as auditory pleasure, it is not devoid of message. Namjoon is asserting his confidence in his abilities, and literally drumming into the ears of haters that they have no leg to stand on.
#RM
#RM
Joke was so fun to deconstruct (despite the headache)! I couldn't write about every line since it would be too long, so I picked what I felt were the most impactful portions of the song. I did look at every single line though so if you have a favorite let me know! 
#RMverse
#RMverse
aaah this is blowing up more than i expected! here's my thread on the full RM mixtape for those who want more breakdowns of Namjoon's genius! https://twitter.com/MoonieJoonieee/status/1320844955598917638
and here's my mixtape thread for the mono playlist! Also if you got to the #RMverse hashtag you can find all my individual song projects! Thank you for appreciating it 
https://twitter.com/MoonieJoonieee/status/1318985895505203201
https://twitter.com/MoonieJoonieee/status/1318985895505203201
