@bluedreaming @asya @celli It's been v. interesting seeing the overall reaction to jackass' verse/'rapping' skill be the one negative in an otherwise good song.
Like ppl have been QUICK to tell others abt (if not outright linking them to) the alternative version NOT having jackass in it. A full reversal of ppl's reaction to Latto (regardless of how much/how little someone might be familiar w/Latto's music.)
FTR, jackass might be a nice person, etc, but this was not a good feature.
@Glittery that is interesting; I’m not really active in the fandom so I don’t hear these things, but it’s interesting to hear about a contrast with Latto - so I take it that reactions to her warmed up over time?
@bluedreaming All right, so, it's not as if I follow everyone or am everywhere, but I am an ARMY and was able to see how different the reactions toward the collabos have been so far.
(This will be a thread)
So, per what I remember, the overall reaction to the announcement of Latto's feature in "SEVEN" was either "WHO is Latto?" or "Hmm, I'm ??? abt how well Latto will fit Jungkook's music". [The latter was moderately justified since a large part of Latto's discography falls within the hard R/actual!NC-17 category.]
It was such an out of left field collabo too! Kinda like if Steve Nicks dropped a new song featuring TYGA, you know?
@bluedreaming Once the song dropped, a lot of folks liked it. And, in a way, the fact that that there was an explicit version /in which JK drops F-bombs himself/ also minimized whatever 'shock value' Latto's actually really good and fun verse added to the song.
ARMY who like rankings and the like were ready and organized to help the song go as high as it could go, obvs. BUT, there was also a collabo with JACKPOTS (Latto's fandom) to do the whole song and MV streaming, record buying, promoting the collabo TOGETHER.
I saw it with my own eyes: Latto's fanbases reaching out to ARMY streaming accounts and then letting their followers know what to do and how, etc.
The /last time/ I'd seen this was abt a year ago when Coldplay did "My Universe" with BTS.
@bluedreaming To which I'll add does continue to this day. In part because it's v. obvious (via many shoutouts + a mini-documentary and a couple of vlogs) that Coldplay and BTS do have a strong simpatico.
ANYWAYS, back to "SEVEN".
Once the song reached no.1 in Bb's Hot 100, I saw ARMY and JACKPOTs high-five, Latto was celebrating, JK was as well.
Does this mean that EVERYONE loved this song? No. Obviously. Although /I/ didn't see anything rude, misogynistic or racist toward Latto, I'm sure there were ppl doing their worst. ARMY, like all fandoms, are not a hivemind. THAT SAID, I also saw a positive reaction from hip-hop YouTube channels who aren't interested in K-pop at all.
@bluedreaming (I'm going to solely focus on the collabos from the past 4 yrs or so since those are the ones I saw happening in real time)
Just like it happened when Megan Thee Stallion did a collabo with BTS OR J.Cole featured in J-Hope's song OR (despite not being a fave) the "Savage Love" remix with jason derulo and Jawsh 685, most reactions fell on the "enjoyed the songs" side of the street.
In "SEVEN"'s case, the bulk of hip-hop reactions I watched were v. happy with Latto's verse, her rap style, her scenes in the MV, etc.
@bluedreaming Which brings us to "3D" and seeing the literal opposite reaction.
For starters, ARMY's opinions are divided pretty much evenly. There are ppl who didn't mind jackass' verse or, if they did, they're choosing to support JK no matter what so they'll stream the song and MV.
But there's also a vocal contingent of ppl who dislike (if not outright hate) the song /because/ of jackass' verse. (He seriously CANNOT RAP.) It's gotten to the point that ppl are quick to let others know there's a version of the song w/o him in it. Which, ngl, IS V. INTERESTING.
Because "SEVEN" has a 'clean version' (in which JK says "loving you" instead of "fucking you") BUT THAT VERSION STILL HAS LATTO'S VERSE IN IT.
@bluedreaming FTR, Latto's verse is quite explicit. So why take jackass' verse out? ONE DOES WONDER...
Adding to that, jackass isn't really someone that's respected in hip-hop circles. I can't attest to what the general reaction to the MV has been because I'm literally NOT interested in watching his face or having to endure his verse.
BUT what I can say is that, based on the commentary I've seen on twitter, reddit, review sites, here, and bluesky, the regular version of "3D" is getting the cold shoulder from more ppl than expected (including ARMYs). Ymmv, etc. /fin
@bluedreaming ETA: I saw the same kind of 'let's work together' spirit with Hotties (Megan Thee Stallion fandom) and Benny Blanco (who, admittedly, did the most but it was all well-received) and his fans for "Bad Decisions."
Meanwhile, IF there are any active jackass' fans, not only have they NOT shown up in ARMY spaces but, if they have, it's been undercover. TBH, I don't even think they have a fandom name? So /that/ is also telling. WHY aren't his fanbases/fans trying to work with ARMY when it's obvious that ARMY has the know-how and desire to help BTS (as a group and individuals) reach the top spot*???? IJS
* Some ppl are obsessed with streaming, goals, and rankings to the point of making it their 'thing' in fandoms. That's not me, tho. hahah.
@bluedreaming So, yeah, those are my thoughts on "Seven", ARMY, and Latto. I'm v. ??? abt your comment of her and/or her collabo with JK not being well-received. Though, again, I'm not everywhere. :P
@Glittery @bluedreaming i definitely remember a few people thinking her verse was well done but also fitting kind of jarringly into the song on first listen? but it faded faster, while with 3D p much everyone who disliked the feature on first listen still dislikes it pretty strongly
@Glittery @bluedreaming yeah and also the vibes of the discussion were much more like ‘i am not sure about these artistic choices’ (sometimes fed through fandoms inability to nuance lol but generally the takes were clearly on the song and not on her)
While here i’ve definitely seen people just straight up be like ‘this person is a terrible artist’ which is a very different vibe imo
@bluedreaming @Glittery anyway song seemed to get more intense / polarizing debate than like of the musicians in eg. Indigo so it is notable / says something about the direction JK’s solo career is going? but also you’re def right that they were pretty distinct in terms of tone and intensity
@Satsuma Yup, some ppl are trying to reconcile their own headcanons abt JK and what his solo music path 'should be' vs. the reality.
Personally, I feel he's doing what's expected. Nothing abt what he's released (except for the second feature) has been bad. Though I'm kinda not exactly wary...maybe nervous abt the final tracklist for his album. Hoping that any collabos are on Latto's level. :P
@Satsuma @bluedreaming Re the different takes: I think it comes down to which feature is coming across as more talented at rapping. There's a lot of things abt 3D that work on its favor...but the feature is not one of them, LOL. I'm perplexed as to how he's done features with JK and Lil Nas X. Like HOW?
Also, yeah, hoping for actual nuance in some places is futile. XD
@bluedreaming @Satsuma That's fair! Not everyone listens or even keeps up with current hip-hop or rap. Like, I'm not super plugged in and so I've had moments of WHO'S THIS? whenever I see a convo abt XYZ rap/hip-hop song or artist.
@Glittery I don’t keep up with anyone so I’m always surprised 😂
@Satsuma @bluedreaming Hmm, I do remember folks who weren't familiar with her music being kinda shocked abt her verse in Seven. And that's fair! Latto's music is v. explicit. But, yeah, most of those folks were fine with it after first listen.
The 3D feature has been sooooo polarizing that it feels almost like a joke, really. And, yeah, I don't know of anyone who disliked his feature who has eventually been OK with his verse. XD