He’s having a solo debut! Woop Woop! I’m glad I am a fan whilst this is happening. I’ve fallen even deeper into the Monbebe well. I now have a lightstick, oh yeah, my first ever one. Girl…

Anyway, his debut is on 22^nd of May, he’s having his debut in my birthday month because he’s sweet like that.

He has released mixtapes before with music videos and everything, however this is his first official debut as a solo artist.

So, I had wanted to talk about my favourite Joohoney raps and I thought, what a better time than now to actually type it up and publish the post.

If I had better time management for my blog, this would have been posted ages ago but perhaps my brain knew. Perhaps, I’m psychic and I stalled on purpose.

Anyway, in no particular order, let’s go!

Wildfire

Joohoney’s part is the only part of the song that is in Korean, so that is a nice contrast.

I love the way he plays with sound, how the inflection goes up at the end of each line in the second half of his rap.

The adlibs are great and I just love how he ends on a raw haaah!

Mercy

I am on my knees for this song! The emotion!

He is talking about the wound of a break up. He is still hung up and he’s like I still want to hold you, know you and dive into you.

There’s a desperation to the rap and the lyrics that you really feel.

Night View

This rap is sexy. I will forever love it, just *chefs kiss*!

It was in a compilation I was listening to of the sexy parts of Monsta X songs and his rap came up and I was like, “Hold on, what song is this?” I found it and now I’m obsessed.

They love driving…

Yeah, they must really love being out on the open road.

I love how the way he raps in this song is like we’re cruising on a night drive. It’s relaxed, sultry and smooth. It’s a melodic rap that I love.

Again, I love his adlibs.

사랑하다

He starts off the rap with his deep voice and I was not expecting that, as out of the rapper duo he usually takes the higher tone.

It reflects the song in how he starts off in a low/uncertain place but then gets lifted up and given the strength as the song carries on.

It is a fan song, so the lyrics match how fans can be uplifting and givers of hope.

Follow

I’ve replayed his part so much, I now that rap off the top of my head. Deadass.

He starts off smooth and sultry, coming at me like a tiger, seductive. It matches the lyrics because we’ve fallen into his magic!!

I feel good if I die young cuz you’re my killer!

I love how the rap builds to that part.

Best Tag Lines: (i.e.: Joohoney Onehunnit or It’s Your Boy, Jooheon etc)

Shoot Out, Destroyer, Rush Hour and Special

Rush Hour

The booth was on fire when they recorded this one.

Forget it, Honey made this song in a volcano!

I have talked about this song before when it came out… I think. Some things I did for YT but usually I’d write up my thoughts as well.

Anyway, since then the song has been growing on me steadily till now where I’m obsessed with it. It’s fast become one of my fav title tracks.

Honey always talks about wanting to go straight ahead, to carry on as opposed to climbing to the top. This song is that message.

I love his part in the bridge!

This song does not fail to get me hype. They have me feeling I can reach my dreams too.

Crescendo

It would be criminal not to include this song. When I was listening to the song, my first listen, on Spotify and Joohoney’s rap came up.

Wow.

He had me pausing what I was doing.

He had to remind us real quick of who he is and why he’s a rapper. It was fast and on point and I love how he actually slowed down when he said slowly… like fam!

I feel like there are two layers to his rap. The first layer is sexual and sensual, they (the subject of the song) be staring into each other’s eyes and it’s intense. The second layer is that he’s talking about his skill in rap. At the beginning of the song he establishes the metaphor that his rhythm is the sea and his flow is compared to the ocean. So that metaphor bleeds into his fast rap that comes after I.M’s.

Is this my clean minded era…? maybe.

Destroyer

Banger.

Step and step on me, it doesn’t matter if I’m trampled if you’re the reason that I live.

Sweetie no!

The lyrics, as sad as they are, do fit in with the theme of the song so I’m not worried.

I love the emotional delivery. I swear their sombre raps be some of the best.

갈증

You will find me on the floor! You will find me busting it down!

I actually did dance to this song, especially his rap, in front of a mirror at the gym when no one was around to check if I still got it.

I do.

This song is such a vibe!

His rap fits so well, I love that melodic sounding rap! Umm! He had me thinking I had good knees.

Monsta Truck

He he

This song has me cackling! I mean, Shownu’s line is: ‘Get your hands on the handle.’ Fam, if I’m driving aren’t they already there? And if you’re the one who’s driving…

A manual truck, literally with a stick, grab it confidently and change the gear.

We all know it’s about sex but it’s always funny to me when they get asked about it. Sometimes, I wish I was a fly on a wall when they make sex songs. I’m just curious about their thoughts and selection of metaphors.

My favourite line from Joohoney be:

앞뒤로 왔다 갔다 정확한 각 Nice parking

Yep, it’s important to have good parking. You have to make sure to go backwards and forwards as many times as possible to get it right.

They really love driving.

When His Voice Melted Snow into Spring:

Who Do You Love (his adlibs have me in a choke hold), Love, And, Burnin Up, I Got Love, Party Time, Breathe, If with You (his voice in the chorus and his adlibs though) and honestly all the English songs.

Roller Coaster

This is just a fun song. I love the sounds in it, beep beep!

I love the little references he has, like at one point he’s like grant my wish genie and then he repeats gg.

It’s cute.

Gambler

The song that started it all. Need I say more? Also, I do have a post where I talked about this song.

Who me?! I’m a handsome sum of money! I got a vesper martini! WOOOH!

In my mind.

Rent free.

Zone

As I did with Wildfire, I love how he plays around with sounds in his rap. He starts off with the ‘tuk’ sound then to the high kick shoot and he carries on twice after that with ooh sounds.

Also, this song is mad hype! He builds and adds to the fire, he is the fuel to the fire.

Monsta X are a vibe, when I get to see this live… amen.

Beautiful Liar

Ate! He ate!

I especially love the rap after the second pre-chorus, it’s just so good and even better because it was unexpected. The dance at that part is also immensely satisfying.

Jealousy

Baby who the X? I’m a X!

Bars

This song grew on me to the point where one day I was just hearing the ‘Yeah x 7’ in my head. I had to answer the siren call.

It is a rap I am relatively confident I can pull off.

Oi

I don’t know if I would call it alliteration or assonance or something completely different as he’s rapping in Korean not English but that repetition of sounds in rapid succession is something. It scratched an itch in my brain I did not know I had.

Then the speed at which he does it and the way it flows so well and makes perfect sense. Genius.

Also, he makes his raps hard on purpose!

Genius.

He would kill it as an English major. Honestly, English teachers or rather the education system is missing out on a lot by only focusing on written poetry. Rap is poetry too, there are so many clever things you can do with language in a rap. Why don’t we analysis raps!

If y’all in school do get to analysis raps, you’ve won at life.

Special

Bibity baboity boo! He’s coming for Fairy Godmother’s bag.

He started off the song strong and got us exactly where we needed to go!

Honourable Mentions:

Disaster (I like the adlibs), Heart Attack (gem of a song), I Got Love (he transitions to singing so wasn’t sure if I should include in the main list), Beautiful (iconic), Alligator (my gorl, that gorl!), Ride With U (Volume을 올려!), Rotate (the breathy adlibs were out of pocket… sir!), No Exit, Shoot Out (a classic) and Calm Down.

Fallin

Pick up the phone

Pick pick up the phone 니 전화 번호 누르고 전화를 걸어

We have to go, yes, we have to go

내 두 손 꼭 잡고 어디든 we have to go go

It gets me so hype! Yes I was rapping that at you, kindly imagine me in your room right now.

He went off with this song. I’ve seen the live stages and he took an already hype song to an eleven. This is a song I definitely would love to experience live.

In fact it’s rite of passage for all Monbebe. We should all experience it live.

P.S: Mixtapes favourites! Rhythm, Red Carpet, Psyche, Smokey, Intro: Ambition and my fav Dia! I love Dia so much, underrated queen.