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Tell me your story. I want to hear your voice, and I want to hear your conviction. No matter who you are, where you’re from, your skin colour, gender identity: speak yourself.

–RM, 2018.09.24, United Nations speech.

Kim Nam-joon (김남준), better known by his stage name RM (short for Real Me[8], formerly known as Rap Monster (랩몬스터) and Runch Randa (런치란다)), is a South Korean rapper-songwriter and record producer under Big Hit Music. He is a member of the boy group BTS, and has the positions of leader and rapper.

As a solo artist, he has released his first mixtape RM, on March 20, 2015 and his second mixtape Mono, on October 23, 2018. He then made his official solo debut with his first studio album Indigo on December 2, 2022.

In 2020, RM was promoted to full member of the Korea Music Copyright Association.[9]

Early life

Kim Nam-joon was born on September 12, 1994, in Dongjak-gu, South Korea, and grew up in Ilsan-gu, where his family moved when he was four or five. He is the elder of two siblings and has a younger sister.

As a child, RM largely learned English by watching Friends with his mother.[10] As a student, he actively wrote poetry and often received awards for his writings. He posted his work to an online poetry website for roughly one year, where he received moderate attention. Through this, RM grew interested in pursuing a literary career but decided against it. At the age of 11, RM became interested in hip-hop music after hearing Epik High's "Fly" in fifth grade. He found that the song had provided him comfort, and, due to this, decided to look further into the genre. Following an introduction to American rapper Eminem by his schoolteacher, RM grew interested in lyricism, printing lyrics he felt were "cool" and sharing them with his friends. RM transitioned to writing lyrics then, stating that his poetry became lyrics when it combined with music. In 2007, as a first-year middle school student, RM began rapping in local amateur hip-hop circles, creating his first self-composed recording for the first time using the program Adobe Audition (then called Cool Edit). He later participated in his first concert in 2008. RM eventually became more active in the underground Korean hip-hop scene under the moniker "Runch Randa", releasing a number of tracks and collaborations with other underground rappers, such as Zico.

In school, RM scored in the top 1% of the nation in the university entrance examinations for language, math, foreign language and social studies and had an IQ of 148.[11] RM's parents were strongly opposed to his interest in a musical career due to his academic achievements, and initially, RM decided to set music aside to focus on his studies. In order to convince his mother to allow him to be a rapper, he asked her if "she wanted to have a son who was a first-place rapper, or a 5,000th-place student".

Name

RM selected the name "Rap Monster" during his time as an idol trainee. Though commonly misunderstood that the name means that he "raps like a monster", it actually derives from the lyrics of a song he wrote, inspired by San E's "Rap Genius". The lyrics contained a segment where San E declares he should be called a "rap monster" as he "raps non-stop". He adopted the stage name because he felt it was "cool".[12] RM has described himself as having a love-hate relationship with the name, feeling that it was not selected for being of "incredible value" to him.

He formally changed his stage name to "RM" in November 2017, as he determined that "Rap Monster" was no longer representative of who he was or the music that he creates. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight RM stated that "[the name] could symbolize many things. It could have more spectrums to it. "Real Me" was provided as a possible current meaning.

Career

2010-2013: Big Hit Entertainment and debut with BTS

Rap Monster 2C4S 1

RM promoting 2 Cool 4 Skool in June 2013.

In 2009, RM auditioned for Big Deal Records, passing the first round along with Samuel Seo but failing the second round as he forgot all his lyrics. However, following the audition, rapper Sleepy exchanged contact information with RM, who he later mentioned to Big Hit Entertainment producer Pdogg. In 2010, Sleepy contacted RM, encouraging him to audition for Big Hit CEO Bang Si-hyuk. Bang offered RM a spot at the record label, and, without his parent's knowledge, RM accepted the offer immediately. The interaction caused Bang and Pdogg to start production of a hip hop group, which eventually became idol group BTS. RM joined Big Hit Entertainment shortly after at age 16.[13] During his career as an idol, he enrolled at Global Cyber University.

RM trained for three years with fellow rapper Min Yoon-gi and dancer Jung Ho-Seok, who later became known as SUGA and j-hope respectively.[14][15] During his three year trainee period, RM performed on five pre-debut tracks credited to BTS in 2010 and 2011. He also worked as a songwriter for girl group Glam and helped pen their debut single, "Party (XXO)", an explicitly pro-LGBTQ song which was praised by Billboard as "one of the most forward-thinking songs out of a K-pop girl group in the past decade."[16] On June 13, 2013, RM made his debut with BTS, and has since produced and written lyrics for a variety of tracks on all of BTS' albums. On August 29, 2013, RM performed the intro track to BTS' first extended play O!RUL8,2?, which was released as a trailer ahead of the EP's September 11 release and marked his first solo released collectively as "BTS".[17]

2014-2016: First solo collaborations, RM, and Problematic Men

RM Problematic Men (2)

RM promoting Problematic Men in 2015.

On August 5, 2014, Big Hit Entertainment released a trailer for BTS' first studio album Dark & Wild, which was set to release on the August 20. The rap track, later released as collectively under BTS "Intro: What Am I To You", was a solo performed by RM. Through reality television show American Hustle Life that was used to produce Dark & Wild,[18] RM formed a working relationship with Warren G, who offered to give BTS a beat. In an interview with Korean magazine Hip Hop Playa, Warren G stated that he had befriended BTS through the program and had kept in touch with the band after they returned to South Korea. On March 4, 2015, RM released a single with Warren G entitled, "P.D.D (Please Don't Die)" ahead of his first solo mixtape RM, following an offer by Warren G to collaborate. This track reflected how RM felt towards those who hated and criticized him at the time, which he used to find very upsetting.

That same March, RM collaborated with hip hop project group MFBTY along with EE and Dino J as a feature for the song "Buckubucku". He featured in the music video for "Buckubucku," and also had a cameo in another MFBTY music video for their song, "Bang Diggy Bang Bang". RM first formed a lasting working relationship with MFBTY member Tiger JK during a TV show in 2013 when Tiger JK was promoting his song "The Cure", telling the rapper that he grew up listening to him.[19]

RM was cast as a regular on the Korean variety program Problematic Men where cast members are given a variety of puzzles and problems to solve and work through them by talking about their own thoughts and experiences. The program began airing on February 26, 2015, however RM left the show after 22 episodes due to BTS' 2015 Red Bullet world tour.[20]

RM Mixtape Sketch 25

RM shooting "Do You" music video in 2015.

On March 17, 2015, RM released his first solo mixtape, RM, which ranked 48th on Spin's "50 Best Hip Hop Albums of 2015". The mixtape featured a variety of topics such as RM's past on the track "Voice" and the idea that "you're you and I'm me" in the track "Do You". When discussing his work on the track "God Rap", RM described himself as an atheist, believing that the only thing that determines his fate was his own self. The entirety of his work on the mixtape took around four or five months, with RM working on it in between BTS' activities. The following year, RM recalled that he had largely written about the negative emotions he had been carrying, such as anger and rage, but stated that the songs are not "100% under [his] sovereignty" and that he felt many parts of the mixtape were "immature". He also added that he hoped his next mixtape to be something he worked on by himself. Following the mixtape, RM featured along with Kwon Jin-ah on Primary's "U" that April.[21] That August, RM collaborated with Marvel for Fantastic Four's soundtrack in Korea, releasing the digital single, "Fantastic" featuring Mandy Ventrice through Melon, Genie, Naver Music, and other music sites. In August 2016, vocal duo Homme released a single titled "Dilemma" which was co-produced by RM and Bang Si-hyuk.

2017-2021: Second mixtape Mono and further collaborations

In March 2017, RM collaborated with American rapper Wale on a special socially-charged track called "Change", released as a free digital download along with an accompanying music video filmed about two weeks prior to the track's release.[22] The pair first formed a relationship over Twitter with Wale reaching out to RM in 2016, having seen RM's cover of his track "Illest Bitch". RM decided on the topic of "Change", saying that though the two rappers were extremely different, their commonality lay in the fact that both America and Korea had their political and social situations and both of them wanted the world to change for the better.[23] That December, RM featured on a remix of Fall Out Boy's song "Champion".[24] The track reached number 18 on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles and helped RM reach number 46 on the Emerging Artists Chart for the week of January 8, 2018. On December 27, RM made history as the first K-pop artist to chart on the Rock Digital Songs chart, coming in at number two on the list.[25]

Persona MV Shooting (3)

RM shooting "Persona" comeback trailer in 2019.

In 2018, RM released his second mixtape entitled Mono that October, which he referred to as a "playlist". He became the first Korean artist to rank number one on the Emerging Artists Chart in the United States with the playlist.[26] The playlist was critically well-received, with RM laying "his deep insecurities bare on songs like 'Tokyo' and 'Seoul'".[27] The track "Seoul" was produced by British electropop duo Honne. He first discovered RM after seeing him recommend their music on Twitter and eventually met him in Seoul following one of their concerts. The interaction caused the duo to want to collaborate with RM.[28] That November, RM also collaborated with Tiger JK on his last and final album as Drunken Tiger before retiring the name, featuring on the track "Timeless". Tiger JK originally expected RM's lyrics to contain self-praise, which was the trend of rap at the time, but RM wrote the lyrics to leave behind the historical meaning of Drunken Tiger's name.

On March 25th, 2019, Honne announced that RM had provided a feature on their remake of "Crying Over You ◐" alongside singer BEKA, which released on March 27th. Honne had originally released "Crying Over You ◐" in 2018, with just BEKA providing a feature. The song was originally slated for a January 2019 release but was postponed due to "unforeseen circumstances". Chinese singer Bibi Zhou was added to the Chinese release, appearing with RM and replacing BEKA. The same day as release, Big Hit Entertainment released the song "Persona" as a trailer for BTS' upcoming studio album Map of the Soul: Persona, performed as a solo by RM.[29] Persona debuted at 17 on Billboard's YouTube Song Chart.[30] Three months later, on July 24, 2019, RM featured on the fourth official remix of Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road," entitled "Seoul Town Road", "infuse[ing]...his English-language verse with a surprisingly good Southern twang". On December 29, it was announced that RM would be featuring on Younha's forthcoming track, "Winter Flower", to be released on January 6. RM also features on "Don't", the title track of Korean singer eAeon's second solo album released on April 30th, 2021.

2022: Solo debut

During BTS' ninth anniversary celebrations in June 2022, RM announced that the band members would be devoting more attention to individual music endeavors going forward and that future projects would be released as commercial albums, complete with promotional activities, instead of as free or unpromoted mixtapes. He subsequently appeared as a featured artist on the single "Sexy Nukim" by alt-K-pop group Balming Tiger in September, and released his debut solo studio album, Indigo, led by the single "Wild Flower", on December 2. The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, making him the highest-charting Korean soloist in chart history.

Artistry and impact

RM is a baritone. In 2017, American hip-hop magazine XXL released a list entitled "10 Korean Rappers You Should Know", which included RM. Writer Peter A. Berry promises that "Rap Monster rarely fails to live up to his name." He describes the young star as "one of the region’s most dexterous rappers, capable of switching flows effortlessly as he glides across an array of diverse instrumentals." Crystal Tai from South China Morning Post stated RM received a lot of praise for his natural flow and lyrics and that he's got some "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy mixed with Earl Sweatshirt and Chance the Rapper" in him. In January 2020, he was promoted from associate to a full member of the Korea Music Copyright Association.

In a survey conducted by Gallup Korea, RM ranked as the 12th most preferred idol of the year for 2018. He ranked 11th in 2019. In 2018, RM was awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by the President of South Korea along with the other members of BTS, for his contributions to Korean culture. In December 2020, the Arts Council of Korea named him one of its ten 2020 Patrons of the Arts, in recognition of his donation of 100 million won to the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art for the printing and distribution of various rare art books to schools and libraries in rural and mountainous regions.

Discography

See also: BTS Discography

Studio albums

Mixtapes

Digital singles

Collaborations

Features

OSTs

  • "Fantastic" (feat. Mandy Ventrice) (2015)
  • "All Night" from "BTS World OST Part.3" (with SUGA and Juice Wrld) (credited as BTS) (2019)

Solo songs credited as BTS

See also unit songs credited under BTS: Units

Unofficial songs

See also: Unofficial songs

Original songs

Adapted songs

Cover songs

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2018 Burn The Stage: The Movie Himself Screening in select global theatres
2019 BTS World Tour: Love Yourself in Seoul
Bring The Soul: The Movie
2020 Break The Silence: The Movie
2022 BTS Permission to Dance on Stage - Seoul Live broadcast and screening in select global theatres
BTS Permission to Dance on Stage - LA Disney+ release
2023 BTS: Yet To Come in Cinemas Screening in select global theatres
j-hope IN THE BOX Guest; Documentary film; Weverse and Disney+ release

Variety shows

Year Title Notes
2014 After School Club Guest with Jimin (Ep.56)
Guest (Eps.63–64)
Guest with Jimin and Jung Kook (Eps.68, 70)
2015 문제적남자 (Problematic Men) Cast member (Eps.1-21)
놀라운 대회 스타킹 (Star King) Guest with V (Ep.413)
안녕하세요 (Hello Counselor) Guest with V (Ep.223)
런닝맨 (Running Man) Guest (Ep.265)
2016 Close-up Observation Diary of an Idol: Try to Find Me Cast (Ep.2)
놀라운 대회 스타킹 (Star King) Guest with Jimin and j-hope (Ep.447)
듀엣가요제 (Duet Song Festival) Guest (Ep.13)
구라차차 타임슬립-새소년 (Gura-Chacha: Time Slip - New Boy) Cast member (Pilot Episode)
2022 &AUDITION - The Howling - Guest (Ep.8)
알쓸인잡 (The Dictionary of Useless Knowledge) Host (Eps.1–9)
슈취타 (Suchwita) Guest (Eps.1, 9)

Music shows

Year Title Notes
2015 인기가요 (Inkigayo) Special host (Ep.842)
2016 Special host with Jin (Ep.863)
KCON 2016 NYxM COUNTDOWN Host with Ailee
2017 엠카운트다운 (M Countdown) Special host with j-hope and Jimin (Ep.543)

Music videos

Year Title Role Notes
2014 "Perfect Christmas" Himself with Jo Kwon, Lim Jeong-hee, Joohee and Jung Kook
2015 "P.D.D" with Warren G
"부끄부끄 (Buckubucku)" with MFBTY, EE and Dino-J
"방뛰기방방 (Bang Diggy Bang Bang)" Cameo, MFBTY's music video
"각성 (覺醒) (Awakening)" Music videos for debut mixtape
"Do You"
"농담 (Joke)"
"Fantastic" with Mandy Ventrice
2017 "Change" with Wale
2022 "SEXY NUKIM (Feat. RM of BTS)" with Balming Tiger
2023 "들꽃놀이 (Wild Flower) (with 조유진 (youjeen))" Music videos for solo debut
"Still Life (with Anderson .Paak)"
"Smoke Sprite (feat. RM of BTS)" with So!YoON!

Others

Year Title Role Notes
2016 "Reflection" 김남준 (Kim Nam-joon) Wings Short Film #5, BU content certified
2019 "Persona" Himself Map of the Soul: Persona comeback trailer

Concerts

Concert participation

Endorsements

On April 3, 2023, Bottega Veneta revealed that they have selected RM as their first-ever brand ambassador.[31]

  • K’hawah Coffee (2015)
  • Bottega Veneta (2023–present)

Photobooks

Producing and writing credits

◯ = Participates as writing/composer/producer, ✖ = Not participated as writing/composer/producer,
W = Writing, C = Composer, P = Producer, R. = Reference

Artist Album Song W C P R.
Lim Jeong-hee feat. BTS It Can't Be Real "Ashes (Feat. BTS)" [32]
GLAM Single "Party (XXO)" [33]
I Like That "I Like That" [34]
BTS No More Dream "We Are Bulletproof Pt.2" [35]
"No More Dream" [36]
"Like" [37]
"Outro: Circle Room Cypher" [38]
O!RUL8,2? "Intro: O!RUL8,2?" [39]
"N.O" [40]
"We On" [41]
"If I Ruled the World" [42]
"Coffee" [43]
"BTS Cypher, Pt. 1" [44]
"Attack on Bangtan" [45]
"Satoori Rap" [46]
Skool Luv Affair "Intro: Skool Luv Affair" [47]
"Boy In Luv" [48]
"Where You From" [49]
"Just One Day" [50]
"Tomorrow" [51]
"BTS Cypher, Pt. 2: Triptych" [52]
"Spine Breaker" [53]
"Jump" [54]
Skool Luv Affair Special Addition "Miss Right" [55]
"Like (Slow Jam Remix)" [56]
Dark & Wild "Intro: What Am I To You" [57]
"Danger" [58]
"War of Hormone" [59]
"Hip Hop Phile" [60]
"Let Me Know" [61]
"Rain" [62]
"BTS Cypher Pt.3: Killer" [63]
"Can You Turn Off Your Phone?" [64]
"Embarrassed" [65]
"24/7 = Heaven" [66]
"Look Here" [67]
"2nd Grade" [68]
RM and Warren G Single "P.D.D" [69]
MFBTY feat. EE, RM & Dino-J WondaLand "Buckubucku" [70]
RM RM "Voice" [71]
"Do You" [72]
"Awakening" [73]
"Monster" [74]
"Throw Away" [75]
"Joke" [76]
"God Rap" [77]
"Rush" (feat. Krizz Kaliko) [78]
"Life" [79]
"Drift" [80]
"I Believe" [81]
Yankie feat. Dok2, Juvie Train, Double K, RM, Topbob & Don Mills Andre "ProMeTheUs" [82]
RM feat. Mandy Ventrice Single "Fantastic" [83]
Primary feat. Kwon Jin-ah and RM 2 "U" [84]
BTS "No More Dream" "No More Dream (Japanese Ver.)" [85]
"Boy In Luv" "Boy In Luv (Japanese Ver.)" [86]
"N.O (Japanese Ver.)" [87]
Single "Danger (Mo-Blue-Mix)
(Feat. Thanh)
"
[88]
The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt.1 "I Need U" [89]
"Hold Me Tight" [90]
"Dope" [91]
"Boyz with Fun" [92]
"Converse High" [93]
"Moving On" [94]
The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt.2 "Run" [95]
"Butterfly" [96]
"Whalien 52" [97]
"Ma City" [98]
"Silver Spoon" [99]
"Autumn Leaves" [100]
The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever "Fire" [101]
"Save Me" [102]
"Epilogue: Young Forever" [103]
"Love Is Not Over (Full Length Edition)" [104]
"I Need U (Urban Mix)" [105]
"I Need U (Remix)" [106]
"Run (Ballad Mix)" [107]
"Run (Alternative Mix)" [108]
"Butterfly (Alternative Mix)" [109]
Homme Single "Dilemma" [110]
BTS Wings "Intro: Boy Meets Evil" [111]
"Blood Sweat & Tears" [112]
"Begin" [113]
"Reflection" [114]
"Awake" [115]
"Lost" [116]
"BTS Cypher 4" [117]
"21st Century Girl" [118]
"2! 3!" [119]
"Interlude: Wings" [120]
You Never Walk Alone "Spring Day" [121]
"Not Today" [122]
"Outro: Wings" [123]
"A Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone" [124]
RM (feat. Wale) Singles "Change" [125]
Gaeko (feat. RM) "Gajah" [126]
BTS "Come Back Home" [127]
RM and V Unofficial song "4 O'CLOCK" [128]
BTS Love Yourself: Her "Intro: Serendipity" [129]
"DNA" [130]
"Best Of Me" [131]
"Dimple" [132]
"Pied Piper" [133]
"MIC Drop" [134]
"Outro: Her" [135]
"Sea" [136]
Single "MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix) (Feat. Desiigner)" [137]
"MIC Drop/DNA/Crystal Snow" "Crystal Snow" [138]
Love Yourself: Tear "Intro: Singularity" [139]
"FAKE LOVE" [140]
"The Truth Untold" [141]
"134340" [142]
"Paradise" [143]
"Love Maze" [144]
"Magic Shop" [145]
"Airplane Pt.2" [146]
"Anpanman" [147]
"So What" [148]
"Outro: Tear" [149]
Single "FAKE LOVE (Rocking Vibe Mix)" [150]
RM, SUGA and j-hope Unofficial song "DDaeng" [151]
BTS Love Yourself: Answer "Euphoria" [152]
"Serendipity (Full Length Edition)" [153]
"Trivia 承: Love" [154]
"I'm Fine" [155]
"IDOL" [156]
"Answer: Love Myself" [157]
"DNA (Pedal 2 LA Mix)" [158]
"MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix) (Full Length Edition)" [159]
"IDOL (feat. Nicki Minaj)" [160]
RM Mono "Tokyo" [161]
"Seoul" (prod. HONNE) [162]
"Moonchild" [163]
"Badbye" (with eAeon) [164]
"Uhgood" [165]
"Everythingoes" (with NELL) [166]
"Forever Rain" [167]
BTS Single "Waste It On Me" [168]
Tiger JK (feat. RM) X : Rebirth Of Tiger JK "Timeless (feat. RM of BTS)" [169]
Jimin Unofficial song "Promise" [170]
BTS Map of the Soul: Persona "Intro: Persona" [171]
"Boy With Luv (feat. Halsey)" [172]
"Mikrokosmos" [173]
"Make It Right" [174]
"HOME" [175]
"Jamais Vu" [176]
"Dionysus" [177]
Jin Unofficial songs "Tonight" [178]
Jung Kook "Euphoria (DJ Swivel Forever Mix)" [179]
BTS BTS World: Original Soundtrack "All Night" [180]
"Heartbeat" [181]
Lil Nas X (feat. RM) Single "Seoul Town Road (Old Town Road Remix)" [182]
V Unofficial song "Winter Bear" [183]
BTS Singles "Make It Right (feat. Lauv)" [184]
"Make It Right (feat. Lauv) (EDM Remix)" [185]
"Make It Right (feat. Lauv) (Acoustic Remix)" [186]
Younha (feat. RM) Unstable Mindset "Winter Flower (Feat. RM)" [187]
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 "Interlude: Shadow" [188]
"Black Swan" [189]
"My Time" [190]
"Louder than bombs" [191]
"ON" [192]
"UGH!" [193]
"00:00 (Zero O'Clock)" [194]
"Inner Child" [195]
"Moon" [196]
"Respect" [197]
"We are Bulletproof: the Eternal" [198]
"ON (feat. Sia)" [199]
Agust D (feat. RM) D-2 "Strange (feat. RM)" [200]
BTS Map of the Soul: 7 ~The Journey~ "Boy With Luv (Japanese Ver.)" [201]
"Make It Right (Japanese Ver.)" [202]
"Dionysus (Japanese Ver.)" [203]
"IDOL (Japanese Ver.)" [204]
"Airplane Pt.2 (Japanese Ver.)" [205]
"FAKE LOVE (Japanese Ver.)" [206]
"Black Swan (Japanese Ver.)" [207]
"ON (Japanese Ver.)" [208]
BTS Unofficial song "In the SOOP" [209]
BE "Life Goes On" [210]
"Fly To My Room" [211]
"Blue & Grey" [212]
"Skit" [213]
"Telepathy" [214]
"Dis-ease" [215]
"Stay" [216]
Jin Unofficial songs "Abyss" [217]
Jimin "Christmas Love" [218]
eAeon (feat. RM) Fragile "Don't (feat. RM)" [219]
BTS Single "Butter" [220]
TXT The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE "0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)" [221]
"0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) (Emocore Mix)" [222]
RM Unofficial song "Bicycle" [223]
TXT Singles "0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) feat. pH-1, Woodie Gochild, Seori" [224]
BTS and Megan Thee Stallion "Butter (feat. Megan Thee Stallion)" [225]
TXT "0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) feat. MOD SUN" [226]
Coldplay and BTS "My Universe" [227]
"My Universe (Supernova 7 Mix)" [227]
"My Universe (SUGA's Remix)" [227]
BTS "Butter (Holiday Remix)" [228]
TXT Chaotic Wonderland "0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) feat. Ikuta Lilas (Japanese Ver.)" [229]
BTS Proof "Born Singer" [230]
"Yet To Come (The Most Beautiful Moment)" [230]
"달려라 방탄 (Run BTS)" [231]
"Jump (Demo Ver.)" [232]
"애매한 사이 (Young Love)" [232]
"상남자 (Boy In Luv) (Demo Ver.)" [232]
"따옴표 (Quotation Mark)" [232]
"I Need U (Demo Ver.)" [232]
"흥탄소년단 (Boyz with Fun) (Demo Ver.)" [232]
"Young Forever (RM Demo Ver.)" [232]
"봄날 (Spring Day) (V Demo Ver.)" [232]
"For Youth" [232]

Awards and nominations

Award Year Category Recipient Result
The Fact Music Awards 2023 Best Music (Winter) "Wild Flower (with youjeen)" Nominated
Fan N Star Choice Award – Individual RM Nominated
Grammy Awards 2023 Album of the Year Music of the Spheres (as songwriter) Nominated
Korean Hip-hop Awards 2023 Collaboration of the Year "SEXY NUKIM (feat. RM of BTS)"
(with Balming Tiger)
Won
Music Video of the Year Won
Patron of the Arts Award 2022 Art Patron of the Year Kim Namjoon Won
Seoul Music Awards 2023 Fan Choice of the Year – April RM Nominated

Trivia

  • He is the fourth oldest and the fourth youngest in the band. That make him the middle member of the band.
  • He is 29 years old in the US age and 31 years old in the Korean age.
  • His zodiac sign is Virgo.
  • His favorite number is 1.
  • His favorite items are clothes, a computer and books.
  • Some of his role models include Kanye West and A$AP Rocky.
  • He has composing and writing credits for more than 170 songs.
  • RM used to be called "Dance Prodigy" to tease him for his lack of dancing skills. [233]
  • RM wrote the lyrics of No More Dream because he had no dreams when he was in school.
  • The BTS members said if RM wasn't human he'd be: a Tibetan Fox (Jungkook), A Lion that even if you catch it, it breaks everything and escapes again (Jimin), A Monster (SUGA), a soccer player (V) and a rock (j-hope).
  • RM has a younger sister.
  • RM likes fashion and in the past would tweet "Kim daily" with photos of his outfits. [234]
  • His favorite foods are meat (especially Samgyeopsal) and Kalguksu (Korean knife noodles).
  • He taught himself how to speak English by watching the American sitcom Friends.
  • He is the only member who continues to study Japanese after debut.
  • His favorite colors are black, pink and, purple.
  • According to him, Jin and j-hope are the scaredy-cats of the group.
  • Jimin once called him a gorilla because he's always angry.
  • He is known to break everything.
  • On November 13, 2017, he announced on Fancafe that he had officially changed his stage name to RM.
  • His producing studio is called 'RKive' (formerly called Mon Studio).
  • He previously decorated his studio in black & white monochrome only. After the name changed, he started incorporating colors.
  • His favorite dance move is swinging his arms from side to side(The floss).
  • He is a great fan of the computer game ‘MapleStory'.
  • He is a great supporter of the LGBTQ+ community.
  • RM's BT21 character is a Koala named Koya. Koya is always seen thinking with a sleepy expression. Koya has a purple nose because of the infamous saying V said in a concert, "I purple you”,Which shows their love and support to ARMY.
  • His favorite character is Ryan from Kakao Friends/Talk.
  • He has lost his passport multiple times.
  • BTS was built around RM. He is the first member to have been scouted and the only member to have been with the company since 2010.
  • His ideal type is someone who is tall, feminine, smart, and has a nice voice.
  • RM had to quit Problematic Men because of how popular they got. However, he made a brief appearance for the 1 year anniversary of the show as the cast called him.
  • RM revealed that he spent most of his life as 'RM' and barely got to be Kim Namjoon. He admitted being very occupied and busy with idol life is hard, barely being able to spend time with family, friends, and do activities as a "normal" person would be able to do. He also mentioned that he feels sad and lonely at times and a way to cope with it is to express his thoughts and emotions through music. (Burn The Stage EP. 3 & 6)
  • He claims to have never been successfully able to blow a bubble with bubblegum. [235]
  • As of 2020, he is the only member who doesn't have a driver's license.
  • While his main goal in life is to truly love himself, RM acknowledges that loving yourself is not a final destination, but a state of mind to try to achieve consistently.
  • When asked what is his favorite hair color that he's tried before, he said he likes silver the most. [236]
  • RM likes to collect figures and toys of different kinds. They can be seen throughout his studio on shelves inside of glass cases or scattered about in his room.
  • If he was a girl, he said he would date j-hope because he is like the mother at the dorm.
  • He likes clear weather.
  • Namjoon’s father calls him Jooni Mini.
  • Namjoon was once a center in a basketball team.
  • RM gets panicked when he can’t find his lip balm.
  • Namjoon said if he didn’t live in Korea he would want to live in Australia.
  • RM's favorite quote is 'Team work makes dream work'.
  • Hobbies: Surfing the web, walking in a park, cycling, photography, mountain climbing.
  • He did ice skating for about 4 years and is good at it. [237]
  • RM’s TOEIC (The Test of English for International Communication) score was 900.
  • His image before debut was a neat and quiet student.
  • His Spotify playlist is called: RM’s Heavy Rotations
  • Has a total of 2 ear piercings. (1 on the right, and 1 on the left)
  • As a leader, he really dislikes Maknae line being disruptive during award ceremonies.
  • Over time, he delegates the interview duties to Suga when he realized the questions are too insensitive.


Pets

Gallery

Wiki-wordmark To view the RM gallery, click here.


Video Gallery

References

  1. "Before BTS, RM was originally known as Runch Randa in the Korean underground scene[...]" from Billboard
  2. Soompi: BTS Challenges The Cast Of JTBC’s “Ask Us Anything” To Guess Their Nicknames
  3. RM's Profile on Naver (deleted)
  4. RM's post in Weverse (October 24, 2020)
  5. RM's profile BTS Official Fanclub Japan
  6. RM's post in Daum Cafe (May 14, 2019)
  7. YouTube: BTS (방탄소년단) MBTI Lab 1
  8. BTS Answers Fans' Biggest Burning Questions – And RM Reveals Why He Changed His Name From Rap Monster!
  9. BTS’s RM And J-Hope, Jay Park, And More Promoted To Full Members Of The Korea Music Copyright Association
  10. Get To Know BTS: Rap Monster
  11. Rap Monster Is Proving Assumptions About Korean Idol Rappers Wrong
  12. BTS Answers Fans' Biggest Burning Questions -- And RM Reveals Why He Changed His Name From Rap Monster!
  13. K-pop star Rap Monster of BTS is breaking genre’s squeaky-clean mould, and fans can’t get enough
  14. How BTS is changing K-pop for the better
  15. Get To Know BTS: J-Hope
  16. 10 K-Pop Videos for LGBTQ Pride Month
  17. BTS to Drop 1st mini-album Next Month
  18. What Will Korea's Hottest New Rap Group Learn About Hip-Hop from Coolio on Their Trip to America?
  19. Korean rap is your new favourite thing
  20. The ‘Problematic Men’ Show Their Real Selves
  21. Rap Monster Is Proving Assumptions About Korean Idol Rappers Wrong
  22. Wale & BTS' Rap Monster Team Up for Politically Tinged 'Change': Watch
  23. BTS Talk Writing Process, Choreography & Wale Collaboration w/ @RobertHerrera3 (9:43)
  24. RM From BTS Featured on Fall Out Boy 'Champion' Remix Out Tonight
  25. BTS' RM Hits the Bubbling Under Hot 100, Rock Charts & More With Fall Out Boy Remix
  26. RM Of BTS Rules Emerging Artists Chart, Billie Eilish Rises to No. 2
  27. BTS' RM Just Dropped His Solo Playlist Mono And It's Like Free Therapy
  28. Honne on Their New Album, 'Love Me/Love Me Not'
  29. BTS A.R.M.Y. Reacts to 'Map Of The Soul: Persona' Trailer: 'A Masterpiece'
  30. BTS Chart History
  31. Bottega Veneta names BTS' RM first-ever brand ambassador
  32. Information of the Song "Ashes" on Melon (Credited as BTS)
  33. "PARTY (XXO) - 100000378510" on KOMCA
  34. "I LIKE THAT - 100000418729" on KOMCA
  35. Information of the Song "We Are Bulletproof Pt.2" on Melon
  36. Information of the Song "No More Dream" on Melon
  37. Information of the Song "Like" on Melon
  38. Information of the Song "Outro: Circle Room Cypher" on Melon
  39. Information of the Song "Intro: O!RUL8,2?" on Melon
  40. Information of the Song "N.O" on Melon
  41. Information of the Song "We On" on Melon
  42. Information of the Song "If I Ruled the World" on Melon
  43. Information of the Song "Coffee" on Melon
  44. Information of the Song "BTS Cypher, Pt. 1" on Melon
  45. Information of the Song "Attack on Bangtan" on Melon
  46. Information of the Song "Satoori Rap" on Melon
  47. Information of the Song "Intro: Skool Luv Affair" on Melon
  48. Information of the Song "Boy In Luv" on Melon
  49. Information of the Song "Where You From" on Melon
  50. Information of the Song "Just One Day" on Melon
  51. Information of the Song "Tomorrow" on Melon
  52. Information of the Song "BTS Cypher, Pt. 2: Triptych" on Melon
  53. Information of the Song "Spine Breaker" on Melon
  54. Information of the Song "Jump" on Melon
  55. Information of the Song "Miss Right" on Melon
  56. Information of the Song "Like (Slow Jam Remix)" on Melon
  57. Information of the Song "Intro: What Am I To You" on Melon
  58. Information of the Song "Danger" on Melon
  59. Information of the Song "War of Hormone" on Melon
  60. Information of the Song "Hip Hop Phile" on Melon
  61. Information of the Song "Let Me Know" on Melon
  62. Information of the Song "Rain" on Melon
  63. Information of the Song "BTS Cypher Pt.3: Killer" on Melon
  64. Information of the Song "Can You Turn Off Your Phone?" on Melon
  65. Information of the Song "Embarrassed" on Melon
  66. Information of the Song "24/7 = Heaven" on Melon
  67. Information of the Song "Look Here" on Melon
  68. Information of the Song "So 4 More" on Melon
  69. Track Info of "P.D.D" on Genius
  70. Information of the Song "Bucku Bucku (MFBTY feat. EE, Rap Monster & Dino-J)" on Melon
  71. Track Info of "Voice" on Genius
  72. Track Info of "Do You" on Genius
  73. Track Info of "Awakening" on Genius
  74. Track Info of "Monster" on Genius
  75. Track Info of "Throw Away" on Genius
  76. Track Info of "Joke" on Genius
  77. Track Info of "God Rap" on Genius
  78. Track Info of "Rush (feat. Krizz Kaliko)" on Genius
  79. Track Info of "Life" on Genius
  80. Track Info of "Adrift" on Genius
  81. Track Info of "I Believe" on Genius
  82. Information of the Song "ProMeTheUs (feat. Dok2, Juvie Train, Double K, Rap Monster, Topbob & Don Mills)" on Melon
  83. Information of the Song "Fantastic (feat. Mandy Ventrice)" on Melon
  84. Information of the Song "U (feat. Kwon Jin-ah and RM) " on Melon
  85. Information of the Song "No More Dream (Japanese Ver.)" on Melon
  86. Information of the Song "Boy In Luv (Japanese Ver.)" on Melon
  87. Information of the Song "N.O (Japanese Ver.)" on Melon
  88. Information of the Song "Danger (Mo-Blue-Mix) (Feat. Thanh)" on Melon
  89. Information of the Song "I Need U" on Melon
  90. Information of the Song "Hold Me Tight" on Melon
  91. Information of the Song "Dope" on Melon
  92. Information of the Song "Boyz with Fun" on Melon
  93. Information of the Song "Converse High" on Melon
  94. Information of the Song "Moving On" on Melon
  95. Information of the Song "Run" on Melon
  96. Information of the Song "Butterfly" on Melon
  97. Information of the Song "Whalien 52" on Melon
  98. Information of the Song "Ma City" on Melon
  99. Information of the Song "Silver Spoon" on Melon
  100. Information of the Song "Autumn Leaves" on Melon
  101. Information of the Song "Fire" on Melon
  102. Information of the Song "Save Me" on Melon
  103. Information of the Song "Epilogue: Young Forever" on Melon
  104. Information of the Song "Love is Not Over (Full Length Edition)" on Melon
  105. Information of the Song "I Need U (Urban Mix)" on Melon
  106. Information of the Song "I Need U (Remix)" on Melon
  107. Information of the Song "Run (Ballad Mix)" on Melon
  108. Information of the Song "Run (Alternative Mix)" on Melon
  109. Information of the Song "Butterfly (Alternative Mix)" on Melon
  110. Information of the Song "Dilemma" on Melon
  111. Information of the Song "Intro: Boy Meets Evil" on Melon
  112. Information of the Song "Blood Sweat & Tears" on Melon
  113. Information of the Song "Begin" on Melon
  114. Information of the Song "Reflection" on Melon
  115. Information of the Song "Awake" on Melon
  116. Information of the Song "Lost" on Melon
  117. Information of the Song "BTS Cypher 4" on Melon
  118. Information of the Song "21st Century Girl" on Melon
  119. Information of the Song "2! 3! " on Melon
  120. Information of the Song "Interlude: Wings" on Melon
  121. Information of the Song "Spring Day" on Melon
  122. Information of the Song "Not Today" on Melon
  123. Information of the Song "Outro: Wings" on Melon
  124. Information of the Song "A Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone" on Melon
  125. RM, Wale - Change on Soundcloud
  126. Information of the Song "" on Melon
  127. Information of the Song "Come Back Home" on Melon
  128. 네시 (4 O'CLOCK) - R&V on Soundcloud
  129. Information of the Song "Intro: Serendipity" on Melon
  130. Information of the Song "DNA" on Melon
  131. Information of the Song "Best of Me" on Melon
  132. Information of the Song "Dimple" on Melon
  133. Information of the Song "Pied Piper" on Melon
  134. Information of the Song "MIC Drop" on Melon
  135. Information of the Song "Outro: Her" on Melon
  136. Information of the Song "Sea" on Melon
  137. Information of the Song "MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix)" on Melon
  138. Information of the Song "Crystal Snow" on Melon
  139. Information of the Song "Intro: Singularity" on Melon
  140. Information of the Song "FAKE LOVE" on Melon
  141. Information of the Song "The Truth Untold" on Melon
  142. Information of the Song "134340" on Melon
  143. Information of the Song "Paradise" on Melon
  144. Information of the Song "Love Maze" on Melon
  145. Information of the Song "Magic Shop" on Melon
  146. Information of the Song "Airplane pt.2" on Melon
  147. Information of the Song "Anpanman" on Melon
  148. Information of the Song "So What" on Melon
  149. Information of the Song "Outro: Tear" on Melon
  150. Information of the Song "FAKE LOVE (Rocking Vibe Mix)" on Melon
  151. 땡 - RM, SUGA, J-HOPE on Soundcloud
  152. Information of the Song "Euphoria" on Melon
  153. Information of the Song "Serendipity (Full Length Edition)" on Melon
  154. Information of the Song "Trivia 承: Love" on Melon
  155. Information of the Song "I'm Fine" on Melon
  156. Information of the Song "IDOL" on Melon
  157. Information of the Song "Answer: Love Myself" on Melon
  158. Information of the Song "DNA (Pedal 2 LA Mix)" on Melon
  159. Information of the Song "MIC Drop (Steve Aoki Remix) (Full Length Edition)" on Melon
  160. Information of the Song "IDOL (Feat. Nicki Minaj)" on Melon
  161. "Tokyo" on Soundcloud
  162. "Seoul (prod. HONNE)" on Soundcloud
  163. "Moonchild" on Soundcloud
  164. "Badbye (with eAeon)" on Soundcloud
  165. "Uhgood" on Soundcloud
  166. "Everythingoes (with NELL)" on Soundcloud
  167. "Forever Rain" on Soundcloud
  168. Information of the Song "Waste It On Me" on Naver
  169. Information of the Song "Timeless (Feat. RM of BTS)" on Melon
  170. Track Info of "Promise" on Genius
  171. Information of the Song "Intro: Persona" on Melon
  172. Information of the Song "Boy With Luv (feat. Halsey)" on Melon
  173. Information of the Song "Mikrokosmos" on Melon
  174. Information of the Song "Make It Right" on Melon
  175. Information of the Song "HOME" on Melon
  176. Information of the Song "Jamais Vu" on Melon
  177. Information of the Song "Dionysus" on Melon
  178. 이 밤 by JIN of BTS on Soundcloud
  179. Euphoria (DJ Swivel Forever Mix) by JK on Soundcloud
  180. Information of the Song "All Night" on Melon
  181. Information of the Song "Heartbeat" on Melon
  182. Information of the Song "Seoul Town Road (Old Town Road Remix)" on Melon
  183. "Winter Bear" on Bangtan Blog
  184. Information of the Song "Make It Right (feat. Lauv)" on Melon
  185. Information of the Song "Make It Right (feat. Lauv) (EDM Remix)" on Melon
  186. Information of the Song "Make It Right (feat. Lauv) (Acoustic Remix)" on Melon
  187. Unstable Mindset Track List Announcement
  188. Information of the Song "Interlude: Shadow" on Melon
  189. Information of the Song "Black Swan" on Melon
  190. Information of the Song "My Time" on Melon
  191. Information of the Song "Louder than bombs" on Melon
  192. Information of the Song "ON" on Melon
  193. Information of the Song "UGH!" on Melon
  194. Information of the Song "00:00 (Zero O'Clock)" on Melon
  195. Information of the Song "Inner Child" on Melon
  196. Information of the Song "Moon" on Melon
  197. Information of the Song "Respect" on Melon
  198. Information of the Song "We are Bulletproof: the Eternal" on Melon
  199. Information of the Song "ON" on Melon
  200. Information of the Song "Strange (feat. RM)" on SoundCloud
  201. Information of the Song "Boy With Luv -Japanese ver.-" on Melon
  202. Information of the Song "Make It Right -Japanese ver.-" on Melon
  203. Information of the Song "Dionysus -Japanese ver.-" on Melon
  204. Information of the Song "IDOL -Japanese ver.-" on Melon
  205. Information of the Song "Airplane Pt.2 -Japanese ver.-" on Melon
  206. Information of the Song "FAKE LOVE -Japanese ver.-" on Melon
  207. Information of the Song "Black Swan -Japanese ver.-" on Melon
  208. Information of the Song "ON -Japanese ver.-" on Melon
  209. Korean Music Copyright Association (KOMCA). Enter "IN THE SOOP" or "100003014323" in the field "Title and/or Alternative title" and hit enter.
  210. Big Hit Entertaiment's Tweet (November 13, 2020)
  211. Information of the Song "Fly To My Room" on Melon
  212. Information of the Song "Blue & Grey" on Melon
  213. Information of the Song "Skit" on Melon
  214. Information of the Song "Telepathy" on Melon
  215. Information of the Song "Dis-ease" on Melon
  216. Information of the Song "Stay" on Melon
  217. Abyss by Jin of BTS on Soundcloud
  218. Christmas Love by Jimin of BTS on Soundcloud
  219. Information of the Song "Don't (feat. RM)" on Melon
  220. Information of the Song "Butter" on Melon
  221. TXT Offical's Tweet: "The Chaos Chapter: FREEZE - Tracklist"
  222. Information of the Song "0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) (Emocore Mix)" on Melon
  223. "Bicycle" on SoundCloud
  224. Information of the Song "0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) feat. pH-1, Woodie Gochild, Seori" on Melon
  225. Information of the Song "Butter (feat. Megan Thee Stallion)" on Melon
  226. Information of the Song "0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) feat. MOD SUN" on Melon
  227. 227.0 227.1 227.2 Description of the Song "My Universe" on YouTu
  228. Information of the Song "Butter (Holiday Remix)" on Melon
  229. Information of the Song "0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) feat. Ikuta Lilas (Japanese Ver.)" on Melon
  230. 230.0 230.1 on Twitter: #BTS #방탄소년단 #BTS_Proof Tracklist CD 1 (May 8, 2022)
  231. on Twitter: #BTS #방탄소년단 #BTS_Proof Tracklist CD 2 (May 9, 2022)
  232. 232.0 232.1 232.2 232.3 232.4 232.5 232.6 232.7 232.8 on Twitter: #BTS #방탄소년단 #BTS_Proof Tracklist CD 3 (May 10, 2022)
  233. https://bts-trans.tumblr.com/post/55777234812/interview-130718-rap-monster-suga-j-hopes
  234. https://twitter.com/search?lang=en&q=%22%EA%B9%80%EB%8D%B0%EC%9D%BC%EB%A6%AC%22%20(from%3Abts_twt)&src=typed_query
  235. https://www.vlive.tv/video/68148
  236. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PhPYr_9zRY
  237. https://www.vlive.tv/video/25588


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