Jung Kook Has My Millennial Heart

Welcome to Golden Dragon, a newsletter by Eric Diep about Asians in hip-hop and my takes on trending topics in AAPI pop culture. Golden Dragon is a rotation of interviews, reviews, news, critical perspectives, and random blogs about music I recommend.

• A movie review of Jung Kook: I Am Still that hit theaters for a limited time.

• A review of Rocky Rivera and Otayo Dubb’s Long Kiss Goodnight.

• Diep Cuts featuring Junoflo, Cam Girl, XG, and Russell!

• Send It: the YAR Music Festival with headliner Agnez Mo is coming.

When Jung Kook released his debut single “Seven” featuring Latto last year, it was a saucy bop that transported me to my teenage years listening to pop. His second single, “3D” featuring Jack Harlow, had the FutureSex/LoveSound vibe that demanded a remix from Justin Timberlake. These songs were earworms, featuring quotable lines and his malleable voice that you admired. Those singles featuring my favorite rappers introduced me to Jung Kook and his debut album Golden.

My formal introduction to the ARMY came after I watched SUGA - Agust D Tour 'D-Day' The Movie, writing a review and speaking with a longtime BTS fan for her thoughts on the film. I’m back in the same AMC in NorthPark Center in Dallas, in a well-air-conditioned theater to stay cool from 90-degree weather, on the Sept. 18 release day for Jung Kook: I Am Still. In the opening moments, baby photographs of BTS’ main vocalist cause this room full of fans to collectively “aw.” The film flashes forward through Jung Kook growing up from teenage trainee to superstar which looked like years of hard work. I’m already amazed at how poised he was in handling his fast-growing popularity as the youngest member of BTS.

Hip-hop and BTS collaborations (with the group or individual members) are the easy layup to get massive streams and on the Hot 100. In the past, BTS members have collaborated with Nicki Minaj (“Idol”), Megan Thee Stallion (“Butter” remix, “Neva Play”), the late Juice WRLD (“Girl of My Dreams”), The Kid Laroi and Central Cee (“Too Much”), Wale (“Change”), and Snoop Dogg (“Bad Decisions”). The goal is to have their audiences overlap and gain new fans, and if you’re like me, you want to dive deeper: why did Latto and Jack Harlow want to work with Jung Kook? How would I, a fan of both, feel about Jung Kook if I never listened to his music before?