On March 29, J-Hope of BTS dropped his second official album, “HOPE ON THE STREET VOL. 1.” The album is made up of six tracks and was released alongside a docuseries on Amazon Prime Video. The release of the “HOPE ON THE STREET” project comes over halfway through J-Hope’s military service, a duty all Korean male citizens must fulfill.
The docuseries follows J-Hope around the world, from South Korea to France to the U.S., as he dances and moves in the streets alongside some of his former dance partners and biggest dance inspirations. Throughout the docuseries, he also shows off choreography he made for his fellow BTS members’ solo music, such as RM’s “Still Life” with Anderson .Paak.
The first track, “on the street (solo version)” is a remake of J-Hope’s 2023 collaboration track with J. Cole, “on the street.” The track was released right before the start of J-Hope’s 18 month military service as a gift to the BTS fandom, ARMY. The “solo version” of the track features a new verse from J-Hope about the streets and paths we walk down. “On the dry path, above, we try to cry/On the tough path, above, releasing rough screams,” J-Hope raps.
The second track “i wonder…,” featuring BTS member Jungkook, has bouncy, funk-style instrumentals that blend wonderfully with Jungkook’s vocals. Throughout the track, the two look to the future, wondering what may await them. “We’re happy right now/So why don’t we ride this feeling?” Jungkook asks. The third track, “lock/unlock,” featuring Benny Blanco and Nile Rodgers, continues the funk-pop style and allows J-Hope’s vocals to shine as he continues encouraging us to move and push forward. Track four, “i don’t know,” features Huh Yunjin of Le Sserafim and gives the album a pop-styled song reminiscent of J-Hope’s debut mixtape, “Hope World.”
Track five, “what if…,” is another remake of J-Hope’s previously released song from his second album, “Jack In The Box,” and features JINBO the SuperFreak. The new mix heightens J-Hope’s anxieties of self-doubt, the question of “what if?” penetrating through. But this anxiety is cut by JINBO’s voice, a security in the face of insecurity. “I could see those visions in my sky/I could find a hand that always/Held me through this ride,” JINBO sings, giving the track room to breathe. This version of “what if…” introduces the mindset of pushing forward and continuing to move, a theme prevalent in each track on the album as well as in the journey of BTS and J-Hope.
“NEURON” featuring Gaeko and yoonmirae may perhaps have been the most anticipated release, with the motion picture video releasing on the HYBE Labels official YouTube channel. The song itself has a groovy beat, the perfect dance track highlighted by its lyrics of connection and movement: “We’ll always be alive to move us/ I’ll tell you again.”
The video features a young boy roaming the streets of South Korea with his camera, taking pictures of the different people he encounters. From soldiers to joggers, the boy gets snapshots of their lives without their notice; he then compiles them into a collage and reflects on them years later. These pictures of others’ lives reflect the “snapshots” we take of those around us and the impact a single interaction can have on our lives.
As the motion picture draws to an end, we see the words “Even without knowing each other’s stories, we create moments of love that bridge the gap.”
Throughout the entirety of the album and the project, J-Hope tells the story of dance and how it can connect lives. Each track builds on the last, giving more insight into J-Hope’s relationship with dance and how it has shaped who he is today.
The name “HOPE ON THE STREET” is a throwback for many BTS fans. In the early years of BTS’ debut, J-Hope would upload videos to the BANGTANTV YouTube channel of his dance sessions in the classic “old Big Hit” practice room. These videos were often only a few minutes long and showcased J-Hope’s popping dance style.
This name goes even further back to before J-Hope’s journey as an idol. J-Hope began as a street dancer for the street team “Neuron” and fell in love with dance and music. With his passion and talent for dance amplified in this crew, J-Hope’s aspirations to be an idol grew. He traveled from Gwangju to Seoul, where he became a trainee at Big Hit Music alongside SUGA and RM. After years of training, debuting and creating music, J-Hope is now known as an “ace” in the idol industry — someone who excels at dance, rap, vocals and production. And this is all evident in the “HOPE ON THE STREET” project.
“HOPE ON THE STREET” is a celebration of dance and art in its purest, most inspiring form.
Stream the docuseries on Prime Video and the album on any official music site.
