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K-Pop superstar j-hope’s ‘on the street’ with American rapper J. Cole has dominated the iTunes charts in the Middle East following its release.
Middle East domination
An ode to his artistic roots, the new tune took the top spot on the iTunes All-Genres charts in Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and charted second in Egypt and Oman.
Message to fans
The single was accompanied with a music video, in which the BTS member is seen high-fiving a kid in a New York alleyway before dancing to the lo-fi hip-hop melody, mixed seamlessly with a catchy whistle hook, on the city’s streets and subway stations.
Cole is also heard crooning a thought-provoking verse on his journey on the rooftop in front of the Brooklyn Bridge, before the K-Pop star joins him.
The 29-year-old rapper-dancer’s ‘on the street’ carries an uplifting, gratitude-filled message to fans, as he sings: “Every time I work/Every time I run/Every time I move/As always, for us.”
The song arrives a few days after BTS’ agency announced that its artist started his military enlistment process in South Korea, joining fellow bandmate Jin who entered in December.
It’s j-hope’s first solo music since his solo debut album ‘Jack in the Box’ seven months ago. His latest release was his collaboration on Korean R&B singer Crush’s single ‘Rush Hour’ in September.
Meaningful collaboration
j-hope has long admired Cole. In 2013, BTS released ‘Born Singer,’ a reinterpreted version on the North Carolina-raised rapper’s ‘Born Sinner.’ It was released as part of the septet’s compilation album ‘Proof’ in June.
The rapper-singer met Cole at Lollapalooza, where he was the first Korean act to headline the US music festival last year.
What’s next?
His bandmate Jimin will drop his first album as a soloist on March 24.
