the problem with kpop lines | a bts videoessay  

it's funny how this topic was so easy and obvious to debunk (that you even wanted to skip it) yet i received sooo much backlash from it. i can even see some of it here, "how dare boracity not call jimin a main dancer😡😡." that's what kpop forums say, not me. these lines and positions being taken seriously is something so engraved in kpop stan culture that outsiders like you and me find it pointless to think about too much. liked the reaction!

Armys don't fight on stuff like this the prblm are solo stans they use these titles to make fun of members and that's annoying

Picking RM to be the leader of BTS was honestly "a no-brainer". There are several reasons why he was the best choice for that role: 1) THE ORIGIN OF BTS/FIRST MEMBER OF THE GROUP: You have to understand that as an idea, BTS was conceived, conceptually, around RM. An acquaintance introduced RM to Pdogg and Bang PD, and Bang PDnim was so impressed with the depth of RM's lyricism (the topics he spoke about, the introspection, his word play, etc... specially considering his young age), that he saw a potential he couldn't ignore. He decided he would make sure to give RM an opportunity to debut as an artist. Initially, Bang PD came up with the idea of creating a hiphop group (with only rappers) around Namjoon, which eventually (during the process of having auditions, training young men, having to deal with some disagreements, deciding which kids to put together on a group) turned into a more eclectic idea of debuting a hiphop influenced "idol group" (within the parameters of the korean boy band industry, because it was more marketable and would reach a broader audience) with a focus on challenging performance value (to attract more attention from the public).... They would combine difficult choreographies (high energy, perfect synchronicity of members) with pop/catchy hooks and songs that contain the authenticity of storytelling based on real life personal experience (hiphop cultural aspect). Kim Namjoon was not only the 'Bangtan Sonyeondan project' first member, he was literally THE person who inspired Bang PD (who was a successful music producer of romantic ballad hit songs) to debut a boy group influenced by hiphop culture. 2) THE HEART OF BTS LYRICISM/CENTRAL MUSICAL THEMES: Although all BTS members have always contributed to BTS artistry and group dynamic, in different ways, and although their songs carry all the members personal stories, feelings and thoughts... It is undeniable that BTS rap line were the core of BTS musical direction (while BTS vocal line carried the performance aspect). And if you dive deep into their creative process and thematics, you will realize that RM (probably as well as Bang PD himself) have directed BTS music themes. To put it simply: RM is the person with most credits on BTS discography (as lyricist and composer of vocal melodies... Pdogg probably has the most credits as a music producer). Particularly BTS first albums (before HYYH Era) documented BTS rap line experiences. As they grew older and learned to communicate with each other, to compensate for each other shortcomings and as they became more mature, you can see their discography diversifying more and more on music genres and topics (become more eclectic, that's a natural progression of all members expressing their own individualities more)... But yeah, Namjoon is like at the core of BTS discography. Loneliness, identity, the relation between the individual and society, emotional healing, growing up: these are just some examples of recurrent themes you can see transversally in BTS albums as well as in RM solo work. 3) RESPONSIBILITY AND COMPROMISE IS THE PRICE OF CREATIVE FREEDOM/TO DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE: Young Namjoon had a good sense of responsibility. Both him and Yoongi are incredibly ambitious and driven, but Yoongi is independent and kinda rebellious in a "I like to work alone, you can do whatever you want, just don't get in my way" type of manner... Namjoon is someone who knows there are things you have to do that you may not be interested in, but are necessary to keep the group going (business, marketing, social media, interviews, etc). Being a leader means you represent the group and have a list of additional responsibilities: so it makes sense to give that role to someone who is hyper aware of how "succeeding in the music business is not just about the music, there are other aspects to this job, specially if your goal is to reach a mainstream audience". You know, Namjoon is a good listener, he pays attention to other people, he's intellectual, he likes helping and being useful, he is not an avoider of conflict but knows how to compromise, he's empathetic but not a pushover, etc. Good qualities for the job. Being a leader is a job. 4) EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE/INTROSPECTION, ACCOUNTABILITY AND SELF-IMPROVEMENT: Namjoon knows how to reflect on his own actions, he knows how to admit when he's wrong, he knows how to self-reflect, he knows how to apologize (in a sincere way and by improving himself with tangible actions). He has learned to be more diplomatic and accommodating (which I assume must have been a learning curve). Most importantly, the other members always had respect for him. Seems like a smart choice to give a leader role to someone who the other teammates have respect and/or admiration for. All the members were consulted about who they wanted as a leader. Actually, all the trainees had individual interviews during the pre-debut years... They were asked who they got along better with, who they wanted to be on a group together with and why. That (their input about other trainnees) was a big consideration on the final line up. Work ethic and motivation was another consideration (I mean that how much they were improving, how much dedication or potential they had, it was a more important factor than their current skill or experience levels). 5) INSPIRATIONAL NATURE/MOTIVATIONAL TEAM COACH: Namjoon is an inspirational type of person. People like listening to him whether he does a prepared speech or he starts rambling and saying whatever comes to his mind... Why? Because he's good at motivating other people. He's good at convincing other people of fighting for what they want, of taking risks, of dreaming big. He's good at making people feel seen/heard and included. This type of character who is "good at bringing people together" (Yoongi's words) is an asset on a team. Teamwork and group cohesion is extremely important if we expect a group of very different individuals to be able to remain together in a healthy working environment. In short: Namjoon is smart and eloquent, sure (which makes him a good public speaker)... But he is also passionate and sometimes idealistic. People like 'following' those who have an abundance of passion, those who are self-motivated and who make you believe you can achieve whatever you put your being into. CONCLUSIONS/A LEADER CHOSEN BY THE PEOPLE AKA BY THE MEMBERS: Could things have been different? Maybe. In one side, Hoseok is extremly kind, patient, disciplined, orderly, and responsible. He's also clearly admired by the other members, on a personal level. As self-critical than Joon, but also less self-deprecating. As observant than Joon but more detail oriented, meticulous (Joon is a 'big picture' kinds of guy). Hobi is also probably the most well rounded member, in terms variety of skills. In the other side, Yoongi is more direct, more confrontational, and a good problem solver. But he has no interest on answering questions if he doesn't find them interesting, has no interest on pretending or engaging with others if it's merely for the shake of pleasantries or appearances. He also used to be on a more extreme espectrum of introversion. Ultimately, Kim Namjoon became BTS leader because he was chosen for that role by his members and their original crew. Truthfully, all members have some leadership qualities and they all accommodate their dynamic depending on circumstances and what the team needs at a certain moment. But Namjoon took that major responsibility to represent BTS, with the big burdens that role brings. He reached and exceeded everyone's expectations for that very important very demanding very stressful role. And we are proud of him. We are grateful for him. And I hope we all see him, both as a leader, as an artist, as a person and a friend.

I feel like it's difficult to compare BTS with other more traditional kpop groups regarding the lines/roles. Realistically, kpop isn't predominantly focused on musicality. That's not the primary concern for these groups. I've seen people say "You should try out this group because this member is even prettier than Jimin" or "Why don't more people stan this group? The group you stan has such shitty makeup/fashion". These folks actually do value visuals a lot in these groups because that is the main thing being sold. If some of these groups got disfigured today, their fandom would diminish into almost nothing by next week. Their members are there to be stared at and sexualized/fetishized. It's why their MVs have much much much more views than the songs. They want to look not listen. There's a reason why companies specifically cast stereotypically attractive teens in the hopes that they'll grown into hot adults and in the meantime, their young fanbase can squabble over who is the hottest. The companies treat their own groups like replaceable fads that can be pushed into obscurity when they cast the younger, prettier group. It's why kpop fans were so excited for TXT to debut and tried to laugh about it, saying that BTS were getting too old so BigHit is debuting a group to replace them. Many couldn't even fathom the idea that TXT could be their own group and thrive with their talents and their own fandom while BTS continues to thrive with our fandom. They assumed that it would be the status quo and that ARMY would abandon BTS for the younger model. There's little respect for longevity in those spaces. BTS doesn't operate the way many other groups do so we can't take what others do and assess BTS with the same tools. These roles are an easy short hand but they were never meant to be that deep. The only people taking it seriously are those where the music is often so basic that it can easily apply. Or solos stans who want a reason to downplay other members.

16:40 i honestly believe that jin would release a song that consists just of his name over and over if they let him he sometimes literally changes the lyrics of their songs so that they include the word ‘jin’ in it 😭😭😭😭

10:45 i love that you NEVER let them breathe for their mic techniques. Leave them alone! 🤣

tbh the visual role is literally only there for the korean public, they care about visuals wayyy too much. the amount of times i’ve seen korean netizens token stan a group simply because someone fit the korean beauty standard is crazy. don’t even get me started on the k netizens discussing that one child actors visuals😵‍💫

I'm sorry, but the dance line section she did is a mess. It's official that j-hobe and jimin is the main dancers. Jimin has two awards for "best main dancer" the latest one in mma 2022. Like how would he two times getting that award for main dancers if he wasn't?? Jungkook is the lead and V got officially in the dance line in 2018. How she managed to get it so twisted and wrong is beyond me 💜

I love your concept and lyrics for rap Jin. I laughed hard, thx.

This is my first time hearing that jimin is “just” a dancer.. it’s always been j-hope and Jimin main dancers (+ j-hope is the dance leader) then jk is the lead dancer and then tae got into the dance line in 2018 after his solo song “singularity”.. I think she might be wrong on that one.. nevertheless, these titles are stupid anyways, so.. whatever 🤷🏼

7:58 I will bet actual money that this actually happend bc its so acurate😂

I legitimately hate the idea of a visual or a visual line because it is something that the person largely can't even control. It totally undercuts the talent that person brings to the group. I especially hate it for BTS because I think it contributed to Jin feeling like he wasn't good enough or that the only thing he had to offer was his face (thankfully, I think he has worked through a lot of those feelings). Though the WWH thing is funny, I think it is a deflection/protection mechanism he adopted for his own mental health and self-esteem. I wish people praised him for his voice more than his face. Don't even get me started on the crap that was directed at RM and JHope because they didn't fit the "traditional Korean beauty standard." Not that it matters because it is their talent that should count the most, but all of our guys are smoking hot, which is nothing compared to the fact that they are all really good people. Sorry to use the comments as a rant.

Jimin came up with the hat trick

She has it wrong. Both jhope and Jimin are main dancer jk dance lead. V is dancer .. Jhope is dance leader.

Huh? Jimin and JHope are known as main dancers…idk why boracity said otherwise…

The official hybe dance line that they debuted is, hobi and jimin as MAIN dancers, jk as lead, there’s not a thing like “sub dancers” in kpop because everyone dances, but in 2017(?) tae was added to the dance line

Jimin is just a dancer are you serious ??????? He is one the main dancers in the group is V is declared to be part of the dance line after his performance in " Singularity"

I agree with Boracity's conclusions, but what I think is missing from this discussion is the Korean context. Hierarchy and ranking is ingrained in the Korean mindset. As people looking at this from outside of this way of thinking it seems unnecessary, but if you look at variety shows or early interviews with BTS they were even asked to rank each other by looks. And it's not just that BTS was asked, they themselves would do it to each other. Even in the workplace and w/ colleagues you will be ranked, by position, age, length of employment, and knowing what someone's job title is is very important to people. Without knowing someone's position or title it's sort of social suicide to even address someone in Korea without risking deeply offending them. This is my cursory understanding of K-Culture anyway.

Honestly, i agree but not fully like yeah, we shouldn’t limit them based on the ‘lines’ they belong to BUT it is official, this is how hybe positioned them as, AND THEY THEMSELVES ACKNOWLEDGE IT also, the ‘they’re all dancers’ or ‘they’re all vocalists’, yes they all dance and sometimes sing, but you’re not gonna look me in the eyes and tell me that jimin and joon’s dancing is on the same level, or jk and yoongi’s singing abilities, thats just bullshit all of them have their strengths and things they’re not the best at, and thats normal, thats ok to quote a very smart person “you guys know my name is R A P monster, not D A N C E monster”

Actually both J-Hope and Jimin are main dancers (she made a mistake), JK lead dancer, and Tae joined dance line as dancer in 2018. J-Hope does have a special role as a dance leader/dance captain. When needed, Jimin does help him kinda like as a right hand man (and as bro) when they need to divvy up coaching certain members for certain occasions. Recently last year, J-Hope was recovering from covid and couldn’t fly in for the Grammys until the day before, Jimin had to help with practices/rehearsals. It was so stressful for all of them in general, because JK just got off of covid, Jin just had finger surgery, and I think had only one or two practices/rehearsals in the venue before the live Grammy performance. Jimin was so relieved when Hobi showed up lol. Anyway, about the lines, the guys value each other equally and feel empty when one member is missing. That’s why they want to be and work on music together forever or as long as they are able to.

This was the vid that got me hooked to boracity's channel..as i found someone on yt who thought like me about this line distribution thing..also her video essay on solo stans & stuff..these two vid essays were what grab me inn

Common kpop thing: there is also some who use face of the group rather than visual or Center and they are the ones that get the most advertisement...which is so useless

I cannot with you going hard for jc chasez 😂…but it is so accurate

Jimin is a main dancer☠️ like OFFICIALLY him and Jhope are main dancers lmaoooo and the “visual line” is an absolutely stupid idea. I was so shocked when I found out it was thing

The way I see it is, you can look at these positions from different perspectives. You can see it as limiting, however the way I and a lot of ppl I have encountered see them is as an acknowledgement of each members’ contribution to the team and hard work in that area. Denying those positions when the members themselves have used them comes across as discrediting these contributions. Jhope and Jimin help with teaching choreo when others can’t pick it up as quick. Jungkook makes vocal guides. Rm leads and encourages the team etc…

The dance line section is a mess. Both j-hope and Jimin are main dancers and Jung look is the lead. However silly the distinctions are, no one in their right mind is saying jungkook is main? Like j-hope is the dance leader?

the way dance line can make sense for me is if it's based on background they had. yes they all had training and then years of experience in the group, but professional dancing and dance schools and academies are a little bit different. like hobi who was in the dance crew and street dance before bts and jimin who was studying various styles of dance at school of arts. there is a level of qualification you get there not to say that other members are bad. they indeed have developed styles of their own with time, diff people will gravitate to diff members when it comes to dance. just saying that putting members with expertise in a dance line does sound logical. they are the ones who will help the rest of the team, they are the ones who lead the dance practice and participate in adjusting choreography with actual choreographers, etc. in the end of the day I think a better way to define lines is not by who can do what better, but by who takes responsibility for different Lego parts that make bts work as a team

What’s hilarious neither Justin or JC were the leader of *NSYNC. Poor Chris😂😂😂😂

as far as I know, JM is main dancer together with Jhope who's also the dance leader. JK lead and V later on included in the dance line.

YESSSS!!! JC CHASEZ!!! He was done dirty by the industry.

Because you enjoy fashion, did you see the new J Hope LV shots released today.🔥

I believed that there was a description of the roles in the member's official profiles. I just searched and looked at screenshots from Daum Cafe (online fan cafe before weverse existed), naver and official Japanase fan club. There is/was no role description. I assume that fans and K-pop profile sites made this main, lead, sub division. I understand now why people always argue about it. I don't know from where Boracity got description of the dancers, but I always see Jimin and J-Hope described as the main dancers

As a person who is not into Kpop but loves BTS. I learned a lot about Kpop to understand them better when I was new to this whole thing. I was also confused about the labelling, I hate labelling in general, like I am very much a "do you ...whatever that is, dont limit yourself" type of human. I quickly realized that BTS was different because of the fact that they made their own music and they focused on that. Their music genres also changing throughout albums and their whole discography with each of the members trying new things with their voice box or choreo. I think the "lines" were created for Kpop early on because of the control aspect that was dominating the industry back in the 1st/2nd generations of kpop (BTS is 3rd gen). Labels controlled their artists, they created the music and wrote the lyrics the idols would sing, dance and "rap" to like they were no name puppets there for monetary value only. Company's spending money on random ghost writers and producers who dont even know the names of the people who are going to sing the songs they wrote. Concepts are company made, sounds are company made to the point that its common in Kpop to associate the music sung by an artist to THAT company, saying that the new release has its traditional "SM sound" (SM Entertainment, music label) instead of attributing the music to the artist itself. Its very weird. But when they have a recipe for success they stick to it no matter how outdated it is, they rarely like to change. BTS is all about changing. It is true though BTS are still idols and belong to the idol world. They were brought up in that industry, they trained like other idols, they participate in music shows, they used to run album promotions with the same formula. They made tweaks here and there and tried to change some aspects for the better but for the good part they grew up in that system, IDOL is a name they are okay with as long as its not the only thing that defines them and as long as people dont use it to minimize their impact or dismiss them by assumptions based on stereotypes. I am guilty of using Leader, Vocal Line, Rap Line, Dance Line and Main Vocal but thats just to distinguish certain songs, certain performance videos (ex. dance line butter performance)and to give Joon, Hobi and Kookie boy their props. Namjoon had responsibilities and obligations that came from being labelled the leader and Jhope being the dance leader had his own responsibilities for getting the group through performances and JK used to sing all the guides, if you ever check the credits to the songs on their albums he is almost credited for all the background vocals and choruses.The other vocalists in the group also contributed but that was his actual job being the main vocal so that title was given to him by the company because of the difference in responsibilities/tasks that had to be done by him. So I do it for more roles/responsibilities than anything else. All the classifications after that are dumb as hell in my opinion and comes from the competitive aspect of the kpop world and the weird desire to reduce someone down and diminish their efforts, like unnecessary. Its the companies trying to control the idol trainees and telling them they will be ranked and it will be broadcasted so their audience will know and thats soooo weird. I like how Bora pointed out that most "idol rappers" get PICKED to be the rappers of the group solely because they failed the singing portion of the training process not because they "auditioned" to be rappers or that they are good at it, they literally have no choice. Its all trainable in the eyes of the company or you just fail out and never debut. Cutthroat. In conclusion to this dumb long comment because I dont know how to summarize for the life of me, BTS is different different and classifications are stupid because they are 7 individuals who can literally do whatever they want and have at this point. So much so that we can just call them musical artists who make bangers after bangers and leave it at that. But props to Bora for addressing it in a video for newbie ARMYS who are more misguided and gullible than you are, you seem to have got it from the beginning. Other people out there OUU-WEE are on one ....i dont know. Its crazy out here in these bora streets. Anywayssss sorry again for the long comment, peace

These "titles" are official labels that companies usually apply when debuting a new group, but they are simply part of their promotion strategies. I remember many groups back in the day started becoming popular thanks to having a very good "lead vocal" or "visual", as people were not familiar with them enough to know their actual names. Rookie groups would also participate in games and challenges in variety shows against other "lead dancers" and "main rappers". The labels would then naturally become less important as the groups gained popularity, and very often members would develop skills that outgrow the label they started with. I think some fans become attached to these tags and keep using them past their function. Rapline, vocal line and danceline also were not common labels at first... I think these became common practice after bigbang. Anyways, all this to say that the fervor around these labels is partly fed by the companies, but fans need to get a grip and acknowledge that they lose their function after a while. Intetesting fact: the leader role used to be automatically assigned to the oldest member as there was a degree of responsibility over the other members' behaviour and the hierarchy would make it awkward for a younger member to tell someone older what to do. If i remember well, YG ent. was the first company to give this role to a member that fits in the middle (age-wise) instead, prioritising leadership skills. This was also to ensure that the leader can be "looked after" by the older members while they take care of the group as a whole, and that they're not the first person to enlist in the military.

Even if it's a thing that truly exists in kpop. I don't think, it can ever be implemented in current times ever because bts has a global fan base, u just can't present 2-3 members nd call it a group dance performance, or a visual line photoshoot. Armys are here to see each and every member! Even if a dance performance is going on, ppl look out to see what the members at the back are doing, even if vocal line is singing, we look out to see how the rappers r standing and what reactions are they giving. All 7 members are excellent performers and good-looking!

This is the first time I saw someone actually commenting about their handling of their mics. It ticks me off everttime I see them holding their mics all the way to the ball. Like...I wanna tell'em, Bro let the mic breathe! 😂

Attendance Stay safe, positive and healthy Love and support from the Philippines ^_^

4:14 now I can't unhear it😭😂 "My name is king Namjoon" 😂 I'll should consider using "King Namjoon instead of Kim Namjoon 😂

I genuinely don’t use the titles. I never could keep track of them anyways, because they weren’t important in my mind. They’re all talented. I love what they all do. So I just focused on that

It's important for K fans used to the categorising of pretty much any feature of roles, names, look & a thousand other tiny distinctions. It means very little except RM's role as leader. As for visual line Korean society judges on visuals, it's still unfortunately a fact. It's nonsense of course but it's a fact

I'm with you!! J.C. Chavez was my man!!! Even his solo songs went hard!!! Thank you!!!

I have never seen anyone say Jungkook is the main dancer. It’s always been Hobi the main, jimin and jungkook the lead. It’s always been 3J for years because I’m assuming the company or their in house choreographer saw them as the top tier. Which is understandable, a lot of dancers stand out then most. So the dance line made sense to me. The thing with their choreographer saying Tae was finally put in the dance line is something I don’t get. Why wait years to say that? Again, we don’t know what or how their company thinks. At the end of the day, they’re all great dancers but personally for me, some “lines” are there for a reason if that makes sense.

Jimin is main dancer and assistant dance leader basically.

Not sure where she’s getting Jimin as just a dancer. Jhope and Jimin are the main dancers and jungkook was added to the dance line

I literally laughed out loud when you went back for the microphone techniques just to say terrible and perfecto. Idk why but that was so funny to me 🤣🤣

Riiiiighhhhhhttt JC and Justin were the two mains...and JC was my favorite. Ha. I just love your commentary

9:32 i honestly think the companies use these position like main, lead, and sub for line distribution bc if you like see them objectively when it comes to line distribution it makes sense. but if you use to rank kpop idols in skill it doesn’t make any sense bc most are skilled in rapping and singing. but that’s how i see the position being use bc SOME groups do be introducing themselves like “ hi may name is ___ and i’m this groups lead vocalist”. but idk that’s how i “use/see” this position bc in bts they are talented. also some groups just don’t have position so the whole main, lead, sub thing don’t really matter yk. but idk if any of that made sense 😐

Dance Line: J Hope and Jimin are main dancer.

I wonder if the lines tradition was inspired by the hierarchical principal of Confucianism.

the thing is that the visual line or just the visual in K-Pop is used as the face of the group, to attract others and participate more from brand deals it's been always used cause is a great way of marketing as looks >>does

even as a baby army these "positions" were so difficult to grasp as an outsider. i never took them seriously lol

I go by the positions published by Melon Music. J-Hope and Jimin are both main dancers and Jungkook is lead dancer. People say V is part of the dance line now but it’s only been word of mouth. I haven’t seen it published anywhere. These positions are just roles. It doesn’t mean that one is necessarily better than the other. The rappers’ styles are too different to say one is better than the other. Jimin isn’t a better singer than Jin or V. His voice just fits certain parts better. You have to look at the style of music and the key the song is in. That will dictate who sings what. Most of their songs are performed in a key where Jungkook and Jimin end up singing the majority of the song. That is why Jungkook is the main vocalist and Jimin is the lead.

i like this hairstyle on u

As I know Jimin is the main dancer and lead vocalist 🤷 Hobi is Dance leader. Jk is lead dancer and Main vocalist. Whatever it is for me, all 7 of them can dance really well. But from a choreographers view it can be change. I'm not a dancer or anything I just think all of them can dance.

Thank you, put some respect on JC Chasez’ name

Tbh I think this was one of the less researched videos that boracity has made. There's a lot I do agree with, but there's a lot to pick out from the video as well. Firstly, we all know that BTS does not operate the same way as other kpop groups, but they did come from the kpop industry and the lines are fitting with certain groups. For some groups, the level of skill between each member could vary and some may fit certain roles more than others- not everyone in the group will be doing the same amount of singing/rapping/dancing, hence the main/lead/sub roles. The point she made on the dance line was quite wack ngl, of course everyone dances but you can't deny if there's more skilled dancers that take part in more dance performances than the others. Dancing is also a key part of what makes kpop, kpop; same thing with concepts of comebacks, e.g. wearing pink for Boy In Luv. So dancing being a key part of performances also mean there are going to be special dance performances and videos that the dance line would be involved with. Visual line as some have pointed out only really appeals to the Korean audience. I agree it is a toxic mindset, but that's a culture there where looks are given way too much focus and attention to. It doesn't really apply to the international audience. Namjoon as a leader also is in charge of communication between the team and the company, not just managing what goes on within the group. Also, BTS hasn't paid much attention to the main/lead/sub roles of vocal and rap lines in ages, so no point bringing them up because fans no longer pay much attention to that either. They do pay attention to the dance line even among themselves, e.g. Butter dance vid (Megan thee Stallion's verse), so why are you bringing up the obvious fact that all of them dance? It would've been better if the 'lines' concept was explained in terms of the industry instead of just BTS because the video was on "kpop lines" and not "BTS lines". There's a lot of cultural and industry nuances that you won't get if you base you opinion and understanding from a single group

Loved your reaction 👍

I don't think of BTS in lines, apart from the obvious rap & vocal, and as a bit of fun the HYUNG (4 oldest) and the MAKNAE (3 youngest) lines - not forgetting Jin the 'fake maknae'! BTS can survive as individual artists, chapter 2 has proved this, especially with Jimin's latest EP Face. Yes, in the early days it was predominantly RM & Suga, and eventually JHope all writing, but as time has gone on and they have all gained skills and experience, they ALL bring something to the table as co-writers/producers for their own solo work and BTS projects. Look at STAY by JK or Blue and Grey by Tae, they were the predominant writers of these tracks. Hopefully we will be getting their solo releases soon! In short, I see BTS as individual artists, but when they come together magic happens. Over 10 years they have honed their talents, and have learned from each other and from some of the best in the business. They can never be replicated or replaced. THEY ARE THE BTS LINE!💜

Tho I agree that group lines are arbitrary and unnecessary, I find it odd to place jk before Jimin as lead, especially considering Bang PD himself, has said Jimin is the lead dancer, having established this when he was chosen to join. Jungkook at the time was chosen to by their choreographer to the US to attend a sort of dance camp to hone his dancing skills before debut. But again, who cares, it’s all nonsense.

If Jin were to ever drop a rap album he would break the music industry and I am here for it 😆 Side note: I don't give a flying fukakaney about who is the main, lead, sub. If they keep making music and loving it, the technicalities are not important. To the "ACTUALLY" people in the comments, yall need to hop off because this is not the place or time to argue over something that is so outdated. Why do you feel the need to box the members of a 10 year old group into the initial roles they started with? They have grown into something so much bigger than any "title" could define them as. Go listen to haegeum.

16:40 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 Need Jin to debut as a rapper in 2024 after he gets out of jail... it will shut these kpop lines mfs up!

What an unnecessary video lol. You can’t downplay Jungkook’s MAIN VOCALIST position. Being a main vocalist doesn’t mean just singing the most line and that’s it. JK spends more time in the studio than any of the other members. He’s really underrated because he contributes so very much in the way of vocals ( adlibs, harmonies, hidden vocals, guides) and he makes it look so easy that people don’t understand how much work he’s putting in. He’s the one doing the guides to help other members. He is the only member who has chorus credits on almost all of their discography. You can hear a little bit of Jungkook under other members’ voices most of the time. He harmonises with all the members and his voice blends nicely while shining on its own. He really gives his main vocalist position full justice. His voice is the print of BTS’s sound. Not only Bts songs, he also helps other members with their solo songs aswell. So you can’t just go and say they are all equal and positions doesn’t matter when JK DOES TWICE MORE WORK THAN THE OTHER VOCAL LINE MEMBERS. ARMYS NEEDS TO LEARN TO RESPECT HIS MAIN VOCALIST POSITION. EVEN JK HIMSELF AND THE MEMBERS ALWAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIS POSITION.

They amount of times people fight about the way lines are distributed among Main and lead singers and that it always has to either be exactly equal or in the order of positions💀 (Not BTS but you know kpop in general)

Ohhhoho, this is enlightening, you were into NSYNC? Layers. Never assume. Smh. Very interesting.

Especially when it comes to rappers, I really agree that the distinction between main, lead, sub etc is ridiculous. But I believe kpop came up with it because MANY groups have IDOLS who rap and not RAPPERS who are idols. So you had to break everyone up and say "okay you are in this line, you in that one and you are here." Many rappers in idols groups were just told YOU ARE A RAPPER NOW and that wasn't their passion exactly. Most idol rappers were basically vocalists who understood how to kinda rap in a song. BTS are the most prominent but aren't the only ones who had rappers who were rappers before becoming idols. But most idol groups aren't structured with people who rap as rappers in the group.

I feel like the only titles needed or that are necessary atleast to understand more about how the group works, is that of the two leader roles. RM Leader of BTS, and Jhope our Dance/Performance Leader. But I could see them not using any titles at all also. Because they all know who does what, and we do as well. They all are dancers, they are singers, and they know who the leaders are for certain specific things, or should I say, when they need help or guidance in those areas, they know who to go too.

I agree with this video almost 100% but I must say Jin was a visual(centre??) before maybe up until 2017ish when the BU storyline was taking place. Jin was and still is the main character, visually centre and storyteller in all BU content and that is a fact

I think back in the day the roles were important because they established the main skill of that menber. But with bts they've all grown now and dabbled in the other aspects of music that weren't under their assigned role. Because namjoon debuted in bts as leader and main rapper, yet he's done a handful of songs now where hes singing so hes basically a vocalist ontop of that now. Same for yoongi. Jhope debuted as a lead rapper, main dancer, dance leader, and sub vocalist, yet how can he be a sub vocalist when he is one? Not to mention jungkook debuted as main vocal and lead dancer and sub rapper, but now he doesn't do rap in bts songs so hes not a sub rapper anymore. Tbh i think the only roles that should be recognised in bts is leader and dance leader and thats only because the members themselves have said hobi is their dance leader and that they ackowledge namjoon as their leader. Apart from that the other roles are pretty much pointless in bts now (especially for the rapline) bc they have dabbled in everything.

First I want to know when you gave JK his nickname? 🤣🤣 How did I miss that video? This is more complex than she is stating. How Kpop groups were always done in the past, with success was dividing them into these lines and sub categories. I think what she is missing is that when BTS started it was just RM. They all had months to years of training and there was a large group that got whittled down to the 7 we have now. When you are working with different teachers the rankings let you know what's up. Its like being a freshman, sophomore, etc. Necessary to know, but only part of the story. In ballet school we have different colored leotards that told our year or experience. In the beginning they were not all equals as dancers. So they were ranked, now they are amazing and have their own style. These roles also have different responsibilities. As main singer JK has tons of credits for doing vocal guides, backing tracks, hidden vocals and adlibs. Just for an example. We dont know what it all entails. Like now Jhope is called the dance leader. And when he is missing, like at the Grammys rehearsals, they all say it feels off. As BTS evolved these labels became unnecessary. V became part of the dance line and now Jhope sings. And everyone became all rounders (Yay). Now, some groups coming up no longer have these labels and fashion themselves after BTS, but it took BTS to break the pattern. I am glad they have changed these titles, but I do realize it's a different culture and it may not bother them at all. (But I can also imagine that I worked so hard to become the main and then they just said everyone is the same.) Also some times titles are just helpful for knowing where you fit in a group. So she gets the ranking of the danceline wrong. In the beginning JHope was the main, Jimin was lead and JK was just dancer. 😘💜💜💜💜💜💜💜🫰🏻

it's just so ironic that people in the comments are loudly proclaiming that boracity is wrong in the dance line section and "how does she not know jimin is a MAIN dancer" while completely proving the point of the video. WHO CARES? what do these terms mean to you as a fan and why are they so important? do you think the members ever think about these silly titles because you know damn well they have a lot more to worry about than mary sue and jessica from New Jersey debating on twitter over who is really a main or a lead.

The amount of people butt hurt over something as unimportant as a label is quite amusing to be honest. I could actually see some of these people making a pouty face and stomping their feet like little children. 🤣