Hi guys! It’s great to see that people on here are not only interested in Kpop but are able to see beyond the music and see the dark side of the entertainment industry.
Little history: I began listening to Kpop in 2007 after befriending a Korean exchange student in my high school. Kpop was so different then. I've been listening to it for the past ten years and I can't believe how empty and dark it has become. But maybe that's what is has been all along. These companies are manufacturing and mass producing idols and groups for the sake of profit. And where there’s profit, there is always bound to be corruption (slave contracts, casting couches, you know the drill…)
BTS quickly grew to become my favorite group after their first debut back in 2013 with "We Are Bulletproof". Suga and Rapmon were among the best rappers to debut in an idol group so I got hooked. They were so different, and their music did not resemble that of other groups.
However, as their popularity grew, their concepts became darker and darker and Blood Sweat and Tears is no exception.
With loads of religious symbols and idioms (Christianity, to be specific) and drug references and death, this is one of the most blatant videos of BTS' career. Just want to show you some interesting things I discovered and maybe give you some insight...
Now I am no Vigilant Citizen, but I did learn quite a bit from this site.
Please feel free to add your own input! There is still a lot to this type of symbolism that I am unaware of.
I know that our dear VC could write and analyze this way better than I ever could.
MV begins with the boys walking through a museum. Notice the black and white checkered floor and the masonic-like pillars.
Jin seems to be the main focus throughout the MV. Here is the "Pink Princess" gazing at a painting.
Here is a detailed version of the painting.
"The painting’s name is The Fall of the Rebel Angels and it was painted in 1562. It shows us a battle between good and bad angels. The bad angles (or “fallen angels”) look like half man-half beast demons. In many ways, it symbolizes the internal battle between good & evil. The righteous and the corrupted."
source:
http://officiallykmusic.com/art-symbolism-behind-btss-blood-sweat-tears/
Rapmon with Baphomet skull in the background.
Black and white = duality, or opposing forces of good and evil. Represented by the statues and the floor tiles.
V is the only member to appear under this thin veil in the MV. Reminded me of the Veiled Christ in Naples. It is speculated that its creator used alchemy and other forms of magic to create this. Our dear VC wrote an article on this:
https://vigilantcitizen.com/sinistersites/sinister-sites-sansevero-chapel/
Pure speculation though.
Rapmon lighting some kind of cube, which turns his drink green.
Drink the absinthe/kool-aid I guess (def: demonstrate unquestioning obedience or loyalty to someone or something.) Is Rapmon going along with all of this for the fame?
LSD/acid/mushroom trip?
Warhol vibes.
Shots following when Rapmom consumes the beverage.
Glamorizing drugs/smoking. Actually in South Korea it's deemed pretty controversial for idols to smoke/drink, even though your average Korean participates in such activities and idols are no exception. However idols have to maintain a clean/pure image to lure in fans.
Did Rapmon kill himself with a poisonous gas? Are the directors glamorizing suicide in a country with the highest suicide rate in the developed world?
JHope sitting in front of Mary and a headless Christ. Why deface Christ?
We can see he's sitting on a throne in a tub with black water. This could be representative of selling his soul, thus sitting on his throne for all the success BTS has gained over the years.
Submerged in black water, could this be representative of a reverse baptism? Selling his soul to the Devil as he sits on his throne of success?
Will post more in the next post since I cannot upload more than 20 pics