''Agust D'' is the debut
mixtape by South Korean rapper
Agust D, better known as Suga of boy-band
BTS
BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-pr ...
. It was released on August 15, 2016, by
Big Hit Entertainment
Big Hit Music (; formerly Big Hit Entertainment) is a South Korean music label established in 2005 by Bang Si-hyuk. It was re-branded and re-structured into an independent label under Hybe Corporation (formerly Big Hit Entertainment Co., Ltd. ...
on
SoundCloud
SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming s ...
.
Background and development
Prior to launching his career as the rapper
Suga
Suga may refer to:
* Suga, Iran, a village in Qazvin Province, Iran
* Suga language, a language of Cameroon
* Suga (rapper) (born 1993), South Korean rapper, songwriter, and record producer
* ''Suga'' (EP), 2020 EP by Megan Thee Stallion
* ''Sug ...
of South Korean boy band
BTS
BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-pr ...
, Agust D began writing music lyrics and working with
MIDI
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and ...
at age 13 and held a part-time job
composing and
arranging
In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchest ...
music at a
recording studio at age 17.
Active under the name "Gloss" as an
underground rapper, Agust D originally entered
Big Hit Entertainment
Big Hit Music (; formerly Big Hit Entertainment) is a South Korean music label established in 2005 by Bang Si-hyuk. It was re-branded and re-structured into an independent label under Hybe Corporation (formerly Big Hit Entertainment Co., Ltd. ...
as a
producer in 2010 and trained under Big Hit Entertainment for three years alongside members
J-Hope
Jung Ho-seok (; born February 18, 1994), better known by his stage name J-Hope (stylized as j-hope), is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, dancer, and record producer. He made his debut as a member of South Korean boy band BTS in 201 ...
and
RM before making his debut as a member of BTS in 2013. In the initial years of his career in BTS, both he and his fellow group member RM faced criticism from the South Korean underground hip hop scene for "selling out" and becoming
K-pop idols.
Between his commitments as a member of BTS, Agust D took advantage of time on the plane and in hotel rooms after concerts to continuously produce and compose music.
In an interview for ''
Grazia Korea'', Agust D expressed a desire to release the music he wanted to do without having to consider popular appeal or music ranking. He intended to release his music for free in the form of a mixtape to avoid such considerations, commenting that an album "has a feeling of being trapped in some sort of framework" due to the need for company involvement in promotion and advertising. Developing ''Agust D'' musically on the base of
hip hop, much of Agust D's inspiration for the lyrics came from his own stories of dream, youth, and reality.
In order to differentiate his work from that of his work as Suga, he developed the
alter ego "Agust D", which is derived from the initials DT, short for his birthplace,
Daegu Town, and "Suga" spelled backwards.
Steadily accumulating songs in his career, Agust D utilized a number of songs composed as early as 2011 to as late as a month before release to create his mixtape.
The release of ''Agust D'' followed RM's self-titled mixtape ''
RM'' (2015) and the success of BTS' first compilation album ''
The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever'' (2016) and
The Most Beautiful Moment in Life On Stage: Epilogue Tour.
Music and lyrics
The final cut of ''Agust D'' comprises ten tracks on SoundCloud and eight tracks on streaming and download services.
Critics viewed ''Agust D'' as a major departure from his previous catalog as a member of BTS with a
hardcore rap
Hardcore hip hop (also hardcore rap) is a genre of hip hop music that developed through the East Coast hip hop scene in the 1980s. Pioneered by such artists as Run-DMC, Schoolly D, Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy, it is generally char ...
style highlighting his
underground
Underground most commonly refers to:
* Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth
Underground may also refer to:
Places
* The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston
* The Underground ...
influences.
''
Billboard'' and ''
Fuse'' complimented the album's divergence from his contemporaries in K-pop with its vulnerability and Agust D's self-production.
In ''Agust D'', Agust D exposed his inner thoughts on his beginnings to his rise to stardom. "Intro ; Dt sugA", showcasing the style of classic
turntablism
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating new music, sound effects, mixes and other creative sounds and beats, typically by using two or more turntables and a cross fader-equipped DJ mixer. The mixer is plugged into a PA sys ...
hip hop, preceded the self-introduction track "Agust D" which utilized fast and precise rap techniques over "deep and intense bass" to underscore his confidence and self-identity.
"Give It to Me" launched into "full-on disses" towards his detractors and the subsequent "Skit" explored the duality of Agust D and Suga "as a human being and as a musician".
While "724148" reflected on the meaning of "success" and Agust D's beginnings in his hometown of Daegu, the track "140503 at Dawn", composed of minimal beats, reflected on his underlying vulnerability in the early morning before transitioning into the track "The Last" which utilized dramatic beats and rap techniques
to portray his soul consumed by depression, obsession, and self-hatred following the pursuit of his dream in Seoul.
In "Tony Montana", Agust D took on the character of
Tony Montana
Antonio Montana is a fictional character and the protagonist of the 1983 film ''Scarface''. This character is portrayed by Al Pacino in the film and is voiced by André Sogliuzzo in the 2006 video game '' Scarface: The World Is Yours''. Embod ...
from the 1983 film ''
Scarface'' to ruminate on the nature of success, ambition, and envy. The lyrics of "Interlude: Dream, Reality" consisted of only the word "dream", leading into the final track "So Far Away" which reflected on the essence of the word "dream"
while urging his listeners to continue dreaming.
Release and commercial performance
On July 29, 2016, ''Agust D''
's release date was confirmed to be in August. On August 15, it was released on SoundCloud and for free download via links on
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
in conjunction with a music video for "Agust D". On August 18, Agust D released a follow-up music video for "Give It to Me". Aside from interviewing for ''Grazia Korea'' and ''
Marie Claire Korea'', Agust D did not further promote the mixtape.
''
Fuse'' later ranked it at #16 on their list of the 20 best mixtapes of 2016.
In February 2018, the mixtape was rereleased for digital purchase and streaming sans its first two tracks. The reissue reached #3 on ''
Billboards
World Albums Chart, #5 on the
Heatseekers Albums chart, and #74 on the
Top Album Sales
Top Album Sales is a music chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine starting in December 2014. It is a weekly chart documenting the best-selling albums on a weekly basis in the United States. Up until December 2014, this had been documented by th ...
chart. The rerelease also caused Agust D to reach #46 on the
Emerging Artists
The ''Billboard'' Twitter Real-Time charts were four interactive ''Billboard'' music magazine charts debuted on May 27, 2014. The charts ranked trending songs from popular and emerging artists based on how often they are mentioned in messages call ...
chart for the week of March 3.
[''Agust D'' Billboard charts:
*
*
*
* ]
Track listing
Only the Soundcloud version of the album includes "Intro : DT sugA" and "Agust D", while other platforms start the album from "give it to me".
Sample credits
* "Intro: Dt sugA" and "Agust D" contain a sample of "
It's a Man's Man's Man's World
"It's a Man's Man's Man's World" is a song written by James Brown and Betty Jean Newsome. Brown recorded it on February 16, 1966, in a New York City studio and released it as a single later that year. It reached No. 1 on the '' Billboard'' R& ...
" as performed by
James Brown.
Personnel
The following people are credited on the album:
[*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*]
Musicians
* Agust D –
keyboard
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Musi ...
,
synthesizer ,
gang vocal
* Dj Friz –
scratch
*
RM – gang vocal
*
J-Hope
Jung Ho-seok (; born February 18, 1994), better known by his stage name J-Hope (stylized as j-hope), is a South Korean rapper, singer-songwriter, dancer, and record producer. He made his debut as a member of South Korean boy band BTS in 201 ...
– gang vocal
* Pdogg – synthesizer , gang vocal , keyboard
* 정수완 – guitar
* June – rhythm programming
* Supreme Boi – keyboard
* Slow Rabbit – synthesizer , keyboard
*
Suran –
chorus
*
Jungkook
Jeon Jung-kook (; born September 1, 1997), known mononymously as Jungkook (stylized as Jung Kook), is a South Korean singer. He is the youngest member and vocalist of the South Korean boy band BTS.
Jungkook has released three solo tracks as ...
– chorus
Technical and production
* Agust D –
producer ,
recording engineer
* Alex DeYoung –
mastering engineer
* Dj Friz – recording engineer
* Pdogg – recording engineer ,
mix engineer
A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...
* Yang Ga – mix engineer
* 김보성 – mix engineer
* Supreme Boi – producer
* Slow Rabbit – producer
* 정우영 – recording engineer
Release history
References
{{Authority control
2016 mixtape albums
Debut mixtape albums