BTS Songs: Worst to Best

To show my love for the Korean sensation, I've decided to take on the massive task of reviewing BTS's colossal catalog of songs, from Worst to Best, modeled after Toasterqueen12's ranking of Kanye West songs. 136 tracks to cover, oh boy. Get 'cha popcorn, there's a lot to read here.

Apart from the requirement that I must pick an album cover to represent each song, there are also some extra rules in place, mostly to trim the potential fat of this Worst to Best.

- No pre-debut songs. Any song made before 2 Cool 4 Skool is not permitted.
- No songs from any solo releases. For example, RM's Trivia 承 : Love is permitted, but Joke isn't.
- No Japanese versions of previously Korean songs. However, songs that are exclusively Japanese are permitted.
- No remixes. For example, Dynamite (EDM Remix) and Savage Love [BTS Remix] are not permitted.
- No skits.
- No songs that are exclusive to BTS' Soundcloud. For example, Ddaeng is not permitted. Unfortunately.
- No songs exclusive to the physical version of a release. For example, Sea, exclusive to the physical version of Love Yourself 承 'Her', is not permitted.

Lastly, before we start, I absolutely NEED to shoutout Ida and Quet. They've given me tons of advice over the past few months, from giving commentary on sections of the Worst to Best, to suggesting covers for some of the sleepier songs here. Check them out, they make great reviews!

Ida: https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/nxnzn/
Quet: https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/quet/

Toasterqueen12: https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/toasterqueen12/
Toasterqueen12's List: https://www.albumoftheyear.org/user/toasterqueen12/list/14212/all-kanye-west-songs-ranked/

Also, the cover for the 95th song is NSFW, so... beware.

Last Updated: April 28th, 2021

Song: Louder than Bombs

Overproduced and overperformed, Louder than Bombs is the absolute worst song BTS has to offer. The most melodramatic and monotone song of BTS' catalog, Louder than Bombs showcases the group's worst vocal and rap performances to date and then further suffocates them with some of the cheapest production I've ever heard. Not sure why BTS trusted three American jackoffs to make a beat as good as a FAKE LOVE or Black Swan. Maybe Pdogg was out sick that day. The melodrama of Louder than Bombs is so strong that it causes nearly every other song on MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 to suffer greatly. For example, the closer Outro : Ego turns from a spectacular j-hope solo to pain incarnate. Never before have I witnessed a record completely crumble just because one song was bad. Louder than Bombs is just... that... awful...

Reason for Cover: Never before has music been so passionate yet lack expression.

Song: 21st Century Girl

Though BTS mastered EDM with the Love Yourself series, there was once a time where BTS' EDM adventures were little more than garbage attempts at making twerkable club music, and 21st Century Girl is the worstest example of that. As was the case with many generic club bangers made overseas, 21st Century Girl is overloaded with stock claps, synth notes, and gang chants, and it is a total nightmare to pay attention to. BTS themselves don't do much better, every performance here is so over-the-top it borderlines on parody. There is a cool body-positive message weaved into the song's lyrics, but it's not enough to make the overblown club beat and asinine vocal performances any less offensive. It's so bad that it made me lose a little respect for RM, that's the level this shit's on.

Reason for Cover: Completely obnoxious club music.

Song: We are Bulletproof, Pt. 2

The worst song off 2 Cool 4 Skool, We are Bulletproof Pt. 2 reeks of overcompensation, attempting to seem cool as a cucumber, but mostly coming off as the definition of cringeworthy. Every one of the performances here lack the grit they're so obviously trying to portray: the rap verses seem more focused on word count than anything, stuffing unnecessary syllables into contrived rap flows and over-emphasizing the faux-hardness of vocals. On the other hand, the vocal line is absolutely depressing to hear, with performances that are nasal as fuck and slathered with autotune. As a whole, We are Bulletproof Pt. 2 is as embarrassing to listen to now as it must've been seven years ago, with its extremely amateur performances and forced notions of badass-ery. One of the many reminders why it was best to graduate from the Skool series.

Reason for Cover: Pop rap that attempts to be cool, but is mostly just cringe.

Song: Second Grade

Though Dark & Wild saw a noticeable boost in quality from the rest of the Skool series, BTS still had many bad habits to break, and Second Grade demonstrates many of them perfectly. It's yet another desperate attempt to advertise BTS as an ultra cool hip-hop group, but ends up bombing due to the song's horrendous rap verses and irritating hook. Not to mention the stock sound effects that appear every other second, which serve no purpose other than to just make even more noise. Thank God BTS left this gentrified hip-hop sound to rot with the rest of the Skool series.

Reason for Cover: K-Pop at the genre's most overblown.

Song: Attack on Bangtan

Maybe BTS never rose up before Love Yourself for a reason, because Attack on Bangtan stinks on ice. Take We are Bulletproof Pt. 2, swap the dated production for more traditional hip-hop flavoring, but keep every irritating element present: that's Attack on Bangtan for you. From the sharp violin sample that loops over and over and over again, to the sickening rap performances and the depressive state of the vocal line, Attack on Bangtan is... very bothersome, to say the least. Barely better than the worst of 2 Cool 4 Skool: Attack on Bangtan is bottom of the barrel BTS.

Reason for Cover: Depression rap.

Song: Jump

Oh boy, more shitty Skool songs... yippie. Take a guess as to what characteristics define Jump, the penultimate track to Skool Luv Affair. Did you say dated hip-hop production that's so sickly overcrowded with noise it'd make anyone nauseous? Because you'd be correct! Wait a second, there's more? Ok, ok... so, you're saying that the aggressive vocal performances unsuccessfully attempt to overcompensate for the weak lyricism and rap flows, as well as the sorry state of the vocal line? That's also correct! Amazing! Hold on, hold on... there's no way there's more. So, you're telling me that Jump is also topped off by one of the worst dubstep breakdowns of all time? Strange... because that's the last answer I'm looking for! CONGRATULATIONS! YOU'VE WON!

Man... these Skool songs have beaten me to a pulp. Help me...

Reason for Cover: Cheesy 90's pop rap with emphasized jumping.

Song: Am I Wrong

Am I Wrong is more or less just a moderately more tolerable version of 21st Century Girl. It's got the same obnoxious club beat, the same bothersome rap verses from RM, SUGA, and j-hope, and it has no business sitting next to the powerful solo songs that preceded it. However, the political commentary is as excellent as you'd expect from the social activists that made it, and the vocal chops from Jungkook are a total treat, as they were on 21st Century Girl. It has positives for sure, but at the end of the day, Am I Wrong is a pretty annoying club song that I'd skip any day of the week. Being better than Hitler isn't exactly the best achievement in the world.

Reason for Cover: Pop rap with a political message that's also pretty annoying.

Song: Inner Child

Because V's deep baritone is so far removed from the rest of the vocal line, you'd expect his solo ventures to be his best, right? Wrong, because somehow, V has the worst solo songs of the seven members, and Inner Child is the shittiest of them, no contest. It doesn't have much to do with V himself, he isn't much of a presence here at all actually. He's mixed so low he's completely suffocated by the overly exaggerated production, backed by these echoey WOAH WHAAAA-OOOHs, it makes such a mountain out of a molehill. It's a self-reflection song, why isn't it more subtle? Not everything has to be an over-the-top anthem, for Christ's sake...

Reason for Cover: The queen of faux empowerment anthems with zero appeal.

Song: No More Dream

BTS' debut song is a flop in every sense of the word: it's not hard, it's not thought-provoking, and it doesn't generate any sort of excitement. Even with the insane amount of macho posturing on the track, No More Dream is one of the least hard tracks BTS has ever released, with its lackadaisical vocal cadences and strangely lowkey production. Black Swan goes harder than this. The condescending lyrics about Korean youth lacking big dreams also clashes pretty heavily with BTS' later works, and comes off as extremely disingenuous because of so. It's got a cool bassline, but other than that, No More Dream is pretty awful. Stay away from it.

Reason for Cover: Whiny adolescent emo rap that attempts to look cooler than it actually is.

Song: Propose

Outro: Propose may appear to be a completely average Skool Luv Affair song on the surface, but looking at the song with better contact lenses revealed how bad it truly was. The song is bad BTS to a tee, with a barren beat and a length too short to leave any lasting impressions. On top of that, I have two major nitpicks with Propose that make it even more annoying than it already is. First is the loud screech that opens the track, it's completely useless and only serves to annoy you on repeat listens. And the second is V, he severely lags behind the other three vocalists when it comes to holding a note. He absolutely stinks on this track. So, by and large, Propose manages to be both forgettable and frustrating at the same time. A poor closer to a poor project.

Reason for Cover: Heartfelt performances mitigated by shitty vocals.

Song: BTS Cypher Pt. 1

BTS Cypher Pt. 1 isn't exactly the worst BTS song ever made, but it definitely has the least good out of any BTS song. There is nothing good about BTS Cypher Pt. 1, no hyperbole there. RM, j-hope, and SUGA's rap verses aren't bad, they aren't reputation-era Taylor Swift or anything, but they're just so... amateur. No exciting flows, lyrics, or back-and-forths, it's just three sleep-inducing rap verses placed on top of each other and that's it. The lack of a good hook to tie everything together really hurts the song's memorability as well. It's the worst cypher BTS have ever made, by far. What a waste of time...

REASON for Cover: The least good music ever. It's not bad, but it's very, VERY not good.

Song: Do You Think It Makes Sense?

What better way to succeed the exciting Second Grade than with the total snooze fest that is Outro: Do You Think It Makes Sense? Whether you have the patience to tolerate Second Grade or not, Do You Think It Makes Sense? is guaranteed to bomb due to the sluggish pacing and absolutely barren songwriting: no catchy harmonies, no earwormy hooks, zero moments of group chemistry, you get nothing. Rather than end the record on a high note, Do You Think It Makes Sense? opts to serve as the post-nut clarity to Dark & Wild. Completely drained, you look up at the starry night sky and contemplate: was it really all worth it... for THIS?

Reason for Cover: 😴

Song: I'm Fine

I'm Fine transitions Love Yourself 結 'Answer' from its most heartbreaking moments to its most heartwarming ones, but only in the literal sense. It songifies the growth the lead character experiences after having an Epiphany, as they start to feel "just fine". Unfortunately, that growth is showcased with extremely poor taste, as its overly zippy performances makes it seem as if the lead character is as ecstatic as can be, rather than JUST starting to feel some sort of happiness. It reeks of poor writing, and is quite the rushed character arc. And, on top of that, the song samples Save Me for no reason whatsoever. Not only does I'm Fine have to be bad, but it also has to attach itself to a BTS classic too. Of course. The sole reason Love Yourself 結 'Answer' isn't a 9/10.

Reason for Cover: Poorly retooled remixes with dated production ideas.

Song: BTS Cypher Pt. 2

When you start at the bottom, there's nowhere you can go but up, and that couldn't be more true for the second iteration of the BTS Cypher: Triptych. Barely better than the previous cypher, Triptych boasts verses and beats that won't put you to sleep, at least. That doesn't mean the song is any good though, because it just opts for annoyance rather than boredom. RM's long ass verse absolutely blows, and j-hope and SUGA's aren't much better. They try so hard to be hard and it just ends up being irritating. The song structure sucks too, it goes back and forth between two completely different beats and it does nothing but give me a headache. Have I mentioned the nearly five minute length? BTS Cypher Pt. 2: yet another reason to hate Skool. Christ.

Reason for Cover: Extremely repetitive hip-hop.

Song: Let Me Know

Let Me Know comes from the alternate timeline where the Imagine Dragons consisted of seven cute Korean boys, and trust me, that isn't good. Let Me Know carries the same song structure most Imagine Dragons songs do, purposely subduing the verses in order to make the chorus hit that much harder. The only problem is... the chorus... stinks. It blows, even. It's one of the sleepiest, most faux-emotional hooks I've ever heard, and it causes Let Me Know to completely tank. Sorry, I don't want to buy a Jeep Renegade. Uber is more convenient anyways.

Reason for Cover: THUNDER, feel the THUNDER.

Song: Paldogangsan

Previously a pre-debut song, now remixed to emphasize the additional new members, Paldogangsan is a celebratory hip-hop banger where the rap line highlight the hometowns they were raised within, weaving local Korean slang throughout the song's many verses. But as is the case with Attack on Bangtan, Paldogangsan is just as respectable as it is aggravating, with obnoxiously exaggerated verses and rocky vocal chops on the hook. I appreciate many of the song's core elements, but for the most part, Paldogangsan is drab, drawn-out, and difficult to sit through. No thanks.

Reason for Cover: Old, prehistoric works that should've been vaulted away long ago.

Song: Best of Me

Man, they tried. They tried very hard. Most of you may be confused as to what that means, so let me clear it out. Though BTS experienced the most Western help they've ever had with the MAP OF THE SOUL series, there were a few Western producers that had worked on the Love Yourself series beforehand. And unfortunately, the Love Yourself 承 'Her' track Best of Me features production from... them. Yeah. Though BTS try to salvage the song with a decent hook, the drop is total garbage and makes the song utter trash. Curse you Chainsmokers!

Reason for Cover: Them.

Song: N.O

N.O sees BTS moderately tweak the colorless 2 Cool 4 Skool for the better. Boasting better lyrics and better flows than the majority of that record, N.O touches on the backwards education system present within South Korean schools and motivates students to reject those fundamentals and chase dreams of their own. However, lest we forget, N.O is still extremely dated by modern BTS standards, as the song carries the same rough vocals, dated production, and over-the-top attempts to be cool of old. It's a welcome attempt at improvement, but doesn't beat out its predecessor by that far of a margin.

Reason for Cover: Poor execution of lyrical themes backed by dated production.

Song: Stay Gold

Stay Gold is... not great, to say the least. I used to absolutely despise Stay Gold, but over the past few months the song's moments of clarity have started to shine so much brighter. I've always loved the rap trio's more melodic rap performances, and the ones on Stay Gold absolutely rock. But the bombastic chorus Stay Gold wears as a badge of honor makes the track absolutely miserable to sit through. From the overly sharp piano notes, to the bombastic AJR-esque horns, every element of the chorus has been expertly crafted to piss me the fuck off. I can't play Stay Gold without getting a headache. The poor man's Lights.

Reason for Cover: Contemporary K-Pop adapted for dumbass westerners.

Song: Wings

The eponymous closer to Wings sets out to capture the ambitious essence of the record within one track, to little success. It's attempts to be orchestral and danceable at the same time fall flat on its face, the two sounds clash together so hard and just make everything sound worse. The extended version doesn't fare much better either, with only one additional j-hope verse to its name. Not only is Interlude: Wings a sonic nightmare, but closes the record in such an unsatisfying way. Why would you ever want to end on an interlude...

Reason for Cover: Experimental pop rap whose grand ambition is a bit too much for its own good.

Song: Like

Like is the best song on 2 Cool 4 Skool on account of being less offensive than No More Dream and We are Bulletproof Pt. 2, mostly because the production evokes a sense of relaxation rather than exasperation. The lyrics are just as uncomfortable as most of the ones off Dark & Wild, but lack the great production or exceptional rap verses to make those lyrics seem not as bad. j-hope has a pretty decent verse, but other than that, the song doesn't have much going for it. Maybe the most below average song ever made.

Reason for Cover: Monotonous and misogynistic.

Song: FIRE

Burning Up, more commonly known as FIRE, is the frightening foreshadowing of the obnoxious club bangers to come with Wings. With dated production across the board, FIRE features some of the HYYH era's most repulsive performances, period, made even more irritating by the extraneous sound effects thrown on top of them. Apart from the few earwormy hooks here and there, FIRE is absolutely worthless, as it's outclassed in obnoxiousness by 21st Century Girl and outclassed in quality by the EDM tracks from Love Yourself. Set it on fire and let it burn to a crisp. 용서해줄게.

Reason for Cover: Clunky club music with EDM elements.

Song: Autumn Leaves

The second to last track of The Most Beautiful Moment in Life Pt. 2 dramatizes a saddening breakup, comparing the status of the relationship to the dead tree leaves that start to fall with the entrance of the Autumn season. Cool metaphor, but the fact that Autumn Leaves so blatantly lacks any musical aspect to write home about is pretty detrimental, to say the least. Without that standout chorus a K-Pop song necessitates, Autumn Leaves is left in the dust by other, much better BTS balladry. House of Cards literally comes right after! What's the point?

Reason for Cover: Wavy, watery beats with a large emphasis on boredom.

Song: Friends

Friends had the potential to be an utterly adorable deep cut between fan favorite members Jimin and V, but as is the case with much of the material from MAP OF THE SOUL : 7, is way too sugary for its own good. I think the writing itself is absolutely delightful, with the two discussing their friendship over the years and the everlasting memories to come out of it, but the overblown production and awful vocal layering makes Friends so much more miserable than it should've been. It's a potentially fantastic song ruined by the annoyingly commercial sound of 7.

Reason for Cover: Attempts to be cute and lovable, but is way too overblown for that to be the case.

Song: Dionysus

The closer to MAP OF THE SOUL : PERSONA is definitely packed with tons of aggression, but is completely crippled by a lack of memorability. Dionysus doesn't have any particularly grating problems, besides the awful autotune, but rather suffers from the fact that it doesn't set itself apart from the other, better BTS bangers. For example, PERSONA's eponymous opener is a way better rap rock crossover AND touches on lyrical themes that are way more interesting than Dionysus'. The song attempts to end the EP on a positive note but does a pretty poor job at it. A totally useless addition to the BTS lore.

Reason for Cover: Rap bangers that are as hype as they are forgettable.

Song: Never Mind

SUGA leads off the second part to The Most Beautiful Moment in Life with one of his worst solo tracks to date. He comes through with quite the emotional opening verse, advocating for the listener to lead life the way they want to, not the way others want. But the scant length, crazy crowd chants, and offensive cameos from j-hope and RM make Intro: Never Mind come off as both average and annoying. Pretty much just a worse version of First Love.

Reason for Cover: Very underdeveloped pop rap.

Song: O!RUL8,2?

The opener to BTS' second release boasts some VERY dramatic production from Pdogg, with ominous vocal samples, horns and string sections, but greatly suffers from a poor performance from RM. Though his short second verse is much better, the song is crippled by his completely English preamble, one that's packed with so many cliche platitudes it makes the song a total joke. Though RM's English is pretty great nowadays, everyone has to start somewhere, and Intro: O!RUL8,2? is that start. And a pretty bad one at that.

Reason for Cover: Decent production here and there, but mostly very banal.

Song: My Time

My Time is one of BTS' most confusingly crappy songs to date, and I have NO clue why. We've got Pdogg on the beat. We've got Jungkook on vocals. We've got RM as the lead writer, resulting in the song's great lyrical potential, as Jungkook monologues whether he should've tied knots with BTS or led a normal Korean teenagerhood. But for some reason, the end result is bland, bland, bland, with very few qualities to congratulate. What happened here people? I need answers!

Reason for Cover: A rare miss from a usually consistent artist.

Song: Young Forever

For a series that's so casual, the eponymous closer to Young Forever takes itself surprisingly seriously, even to a detriment. The HYYH conclusion suffers from the same short length that troubles many other BTS closers, lacking the necessary musical development needed to trigger any sort of emotional response. It opts to escalate quickly, so as to fit within the three minute length, but without the hard hitting chorus it so desperately needed, Young Forever is reduced to a total wet fart of a closer. As is the case with the compilation it closes, Epilogue: Young Forever is a complete and utter waste of time. A horrific way to close the series.

Reason for Cover: Somehow both melodramatic and overdramatized at the same time.

Song: Mikrokosmos

The track to succeed the monumental Boy With Luv just so happens to be BTS' most boneless track to date. Burdened by a poor pace and plebeian performances, Mikrokosmos reeks of the weakened BTS MAP OF THE SOUL is distinctly characterized by. The sweet lyrical ties to Greek mythology and the passable RM verse don't compromise for the lack of... any memorable musical elements whatsoever. A defective chorus, dull beat, and deficient rap verses make Mikrokosmos so obviously lackluster. Na na na no.

Reason for Cover: Modern pop's equivalent to downing a bottle of xanax.

Song: Ma City

Ma City takes huge cues from the Skool Series' Paldogangsan, showcasing the local jargon of relatively hidden South Korean cities. Where Ma City differentiates itself from Paldogangsan however, is the song's actual quality, as every aspect boasts the growth HYYH was all about, with way better production and songwriting to boot. However, the musical experience is unfortunately crushed by j-hope's overperformed verse and the downright ear-destroying chorus. It's exciting as it is irritating, as unfortunate as that is. Come down to Ma City, if you dare.

Reason for Cover: Getting closer.

Song: Where You From

Characterized by its retro production and lovesick lyrics, Where You From stars SUGA and j-hope as two Busan boys looking to get lucky with a Korean lady from Gwangju. Though sweet on the first bite, Where You From soon turns stale, with its repetitive beat and antiquated rap verses. The hook is decent, and the RM bridge is a surprise standout, but for the most part, Where You From lacks much excitement. It's pretty for a moment, and dry as a desert for the rest.

Reason for Cover: Pop rap that's as sweet as it is sour.

Song: ON

The title track to MAP OF THE SOUL : 7 is one I have a very love-hate relationship with. I adore the cheerleader-esque sound the track envelopes, with vocal performances that exude tons of swagger, and a beat that boasts peppy drums, atmospheric trumpets, and many, many vocal samples. But nearly every aspect of the song carries a deathly case of "sort-of-banger syndrome", where they sound hard but don't go nearly as hard as they should. The Jungkook solo may have the power to end world hunger, but for the most part ON is yet another upsetting song from MAP OF THE SOUL : 7. And don't even get me started on the Sia version.

Reason for Cover: Expressive and over-the-top, yet cold and calculated.

Song: Blood Sweat & Tears

The title track to a missed opportunity, Blood Sweat & Tears is BTS' most overrated song to date. Not only does the song make little sense sitting side by side with the passionate j-hope opener Boy Meets Evil, but every aspect of the song is so below average. The drop sucks ass and the rap line underperforms SUPER hard. There's not much reason to return to Blood Sweat & Tears now that Love Yourself exists. Euphoria, DNA, Trivia 起 : Just Dance, there's just no competition here.

Reason for Cover: Forgettable EDM music.

Song: Hold Me Tight

Hold Me Tight is by far the worst song on HYYH Pt. 1. The song boasts a decently memorable beat and those passionate vocal performances BTS is known for, but the song really suffers from a lack of... actual things happening. Hold Me Tight is four and a half minutes long and is unbearably uneventful, resulting in the track's defining forgettability. It's not Skool level bad, but Hold Me Tight unfortunately represents one of the lowest points in the entire HYYH series. Nobody cares about this song for a reason.

Reason for Cover: Vocally competent but too spacey for its own good.

Song: Love is Not Over

HYYH Pt. 1 is closed off with a relatively relaxed outro compared to the nostalgia trip that is Moving On. Love is Not Over exclusively features the vocal line packing as many hooks as they can within the short two minute length. The song doesn't go much further than that, but it's not as offensive as other shortened BTS songs because it doesn't attempt to be anything more than a cute vocal line outtake. The extended version even adds the rap trio into the equation, that's way cooler than House of Cards' lame-o extended version.

Reason for Cover: Solid K-Pop balladry.

Song: Stigma

Yawn.

Reason for Cover: Sleepy KR&B.

Song: Awake

Thee Worldwide Handsome closes the solo section of Wings with the faux-emotional Awake. There's no doubt that Jin possesses the abilities to pull off a wicked good ballad, Epiphany exists and it's freakin' amazing. But as is the case with other BTS ballads, Awake is crafted with such little flair, overly relying on the grandness of it all, resulting in its bog standard song structure and low replayability. Handsomeness notwithstanding, Awake is doomed to the midsection of the Worst to Best, unfortunately. Wide awake, but still half asleep.

Reason for Cover: A colorless release from a very talented vocalist.

Song: Luv in Skool

The closer to O!RUL8,2? has the honor of having the shortest length of any BTS song, at a whopping 86 seconds. And it attempts to use those 86 seconds to the max, as Outro: Luv in Skool somehow boasts some of the most standout vocal work on the entire album, featuring utterly adorable vocal performances across the board. However, lest we forget, the song IS 86 seconds long, causing memorability to crash through the floor. It's pretty much the Old Town Road of the BTS discography: when looped, it's great, but on its own, it's extremely one note. Against all odds, it stands as one of BTS' most thought-provoking pieces to date.

Reason for Cover: Skeletal dance-pop with next to no memorability.

Song: Reflection

Reflection is unfortunately one of RM's weakest solo offerings to date. Though he's demonstrated plenty of times before to be an extremely capable rapper and lyricist, his singing is very hit or miss, and Reflection demonstrates how perfectly. The song's got some interesting production ideas and some compelling ass lyricism, but as a whole, it's just very forgettable. A preview of the moody yet monotonous sound he'd experiment with on mono.

Reason for Cover: A self-reflection that's pretty surface level.

Song: Hip-Hop Phile

It's clear as day that RM, j-hope, and SUGA are as much fans of rap as they are rappers themselves, but when it comes to translating that love of rap to song, they're left completely clueless. Hip-Hop Phile's rap verses are as energetic as ever, packed with references to overseas artists such as Kanye West and A$AP Rocky, but the beat sounds super cheap and the overly ethereal chorus doesn't fit with the ultra-hard rap verses at all. It's great that BTS want to show appreciation for hip-hop through song, but as is the case with many other songs on Dark & Wild, it's poorly executed, and even comes off as a bit awkward with how excessively hard it tries to be.

Reason for Cover: Decent rap verses tied together with below average beats and unfitting choruses.

Song: Jamais vu

Jamais vu may boast one of BTS' most gorgeous choruses to date, but doesn't make itself known for anything other than that particularly gorgeous chorus. Cutting BTS down to j-hope, Jungkook, and Jin seems foolproof, grouping the two most talented vocalists of the group with the most energetic of the rappers, what could go wrong? Right? However, the barren wasteland of a beat, drawn out buildup to the unsatisfying drop, and extremely out-of-place j-hope verse reduces the song down to the best part: the chorus. So, at the end of the day, Jamais vu... just has a good ass chorus. That's it. A potential tragedy if not for the existence of the exceptional Stay.

Reason for Cover: Decent EDM music.

Song: You Never Walk Alone

The eponymous "closer" to YNWA is exactly what is advertised on the box: a supplementary story. The track attempts to cram as much content as possible within the short span of two and a half minutes, and does so with so-so success. I know that potential is there, with the exciting string sections the song wears as a badge of honor, but without the budget to capitalize on it, A Supplementary Story: You Never Walk Alone is just that: potential. At the end of the day, it's pretty much just the self-respecting version of Outro: Wings, and not much else.

Reason for Cover: Passionate and adventurous, but lacks actual content.

Song: The Most Beautiful Moment in Life

SUGA kicks off The Most Beautiful Moment in Life with yet another underdeveloped opener, except with even more lost potential than usual. Even with its serene string sections and hot-blooded rap verses, the song's barely two minute length and abrupt conclusion cripples any chance it had of becoming a classic. It's extremely one note and has next to no replay value whatsoever.

Reason for Cover: Decently depressive rap tracks.

Song: We are Bulletproof : The Eternal

We are Bulletproof : The Eternal attempts to be a heartfelt hat tip to the ARMY, but only sort of succeeds, as every aspect of the song either works wonders or is total cheese. Take the straightforward lyricism for example. The emotional delivery of the vocal line makes the blunt lyricism quite captivating, but the rap trio's casual conveyance of those same blunt lyrics is extremely off-putting. On the other hand, the overproduction also has the ability to make and break the song, as the dramatic presentation heightens the overwhelming emotional value, but also destroys it at the same time. So, at the end of the day, We are Bulletproof : The Eternal is a song with an equal amount of positives and negatives, and is blocked from the top half of the list, forced to sit next to BTS' most forgettable of tracks. Poor We are Bulletproof.

Reason for Cover: Attempts at emotional moments are undercut by overproduced nonsense.

Song: Just One Day

After BTS' previous attempts to retrieve the pussy go awry, they try to salvage a potential relationship with a more traditional, laid-back, piano-led ballad, without that forced bad boy persona. The result is Skool Luv Affair's crown jewel, aesthetic-wise at least. With a relaxing beat, soothing vocals, and some of the least faux-macho rapping on the entire album, Just One Day is super pleasing to hear, considering that BTS Cypher Pt. 2: Triptych isn't too far away. Too bad the song is remarkably forgettable. Next!

Reason for Cover: Aesthetically pleasing, but lacks much personality.

Song: Coffee

A remake of the Urban Zakapa song Café Latte, Coffee is pleasant, pretty, and most of all, passable. BTS take the underdeveloped Café Latte and upgrade it with three rap verses, layered production, and better vocal talent to handle the hook. But those efforts mostly go to waste, as at the end of the day, Coffee is very, very average. Even though Coffee is a very pleasant experience, there aren't any extra layers past that pleasant-ness to make you want to ever come back. It's got plenty of charm, but isn't special in the slightest.

Reason for Cover: Average pop covers.

Song: Rain

Amongst the chaos of the Skool Era, a smooth boom bap banger isolated itself from the rest, sequestering within the deepest depths of the sea. Backed by pleasant, piano-led production, Rain showcases the rap line's lyrical abilities to a great degree, with its descriptive, downbeat writing. Though outclassed by other piano-led rap tracks such as Her, Rain is a decent enough showcase of BTS' technical abilities up to this point. One of the better moments from Dark & Wild.

Reason for Cover: Decent showcase of rap abilities over classic hip-hop production.

Song: Heartbeat

The metaphorical title track to the BTS WORLD Soundtrack sees BTS express eternal gratitude to the ARMY with way more effort than you'd expect, considering its soundtracking status and fanservice nature. With strong harmonies, hooks, and vehemence, Heartbeat is somehow better assembled than the stereotypical BTS ballad, though it does suffer from many of the same problems a Blue & Grey would. Though nowhere close to the quality of the Love Yourself ballads, Heartbeat is nonetheless a pretty impressive outing considering it could've been the laziest of lazy. Color me surprised.

Reason for Cover: Basic balladry with clear passion put forth, but doesn't pan out very far.