Edit: So I write posts in advance most of time and this is one of them. I think I’m psychic. At the end I mention, omd what will it be like when Joohoney enlists and what does man do giving us only two weeks notice?! ENLIST! To think I had originally planned for this post to come out at the beginning of July! Also this will come out at the same time as Shownu’s and Hyungwon’s unit debut… again… not on purpose. I’m just psychic it seems. I’ve left the post the same but thought I’d just add this to the beginning in case you got confused like girl… he enlisted. (I chose the worst time to make him my ult bias… although let’s be real. I didn’t choose. It just is, he’s my ult). 

I’ve talked about Joohoney and I’ve talked about I.M, but what about the two as a combination? As a duo?

I genuinely think they are the best duo in the kpop scene right now and I’ve come with examples. I’ve made a list of the songs that I feel have the best Joohoney and I.M synergy.

Oi

In this song they lead into each other’s raps. There are different categories of how they work together I have found. Sometimes, they are one person speaking as one. Most of the time, they are carrying on a thought of the other. Then there are times where the raps are separate but they have lead smoothly into each other like passing on the baton in a 4 x 4 100 M race.

Oi, is the last one. They lead into each other with the ‘amen’. Joohoney finishes with ‘amen’ and I.M starts immediately with two ‘amen’. It flows perfectly.

It’s interesting how Joohoney is fast with it whilst I.M takes his time like Shikamaru, laidback. This is also something that I.M states in his rap, that he’s laid back. The contrast is nice.

I’ll be there

In this song they lead into each other again, and they swap parts. They say the same thing twice but they swap who says it the second time around.

It’s interesting because even though they’re saying the same lines as each other it feels different because of their different styles of delivery.

Mohae

‘네게 준비된 날 이제 그냥 다 Take, take, take, take’

(trans: while you prepare just take me all, take, take, take, take)

‘Yeah take, take, take, take, take

넌 내게 birthday cake ay’

(second line saying I’m your birthday cake)

In this one they carry on what the other person was saying. They’re in agreement, like yeah I like this take thing you’re saying. This would be the one where I’m like they’re one person speaking, because of the way they carry on the same thought.

Also, I love how seamlessly it flows from I.M to Joohoney, where I.M was saying, just take take x1000 and Joohoney came in with yeah take take x1000 with the same energy.

Secrets

‘… tell me how many times [you want it]’ I.M raps then Joohoney comes in with ‘I want 1, 2, 3 to the 4…’

How smooth is that?! It flows so well! That was the first thing I noticed when I heard the song and this was when I was a fresh Monbebe. So I was like, omd did they plan that. Do they sit there like, “So, I’m going in this direction, what are you doing?” I have since learned that yes, they do work together on their raps.

This song may have the best baton pass between the two.

Dramarama

Their rap in this song is woven together and I mean the final rap at the climax of the song. I love how it builds, it feels like they’re a tornado whirling till they reach the sky and explode.

I love how they’re also spelling Monbebe in the rap too, how cool is that!

They have such different voices and different styles but they’re so good at working together to the point that their voices blend perfectly. How?!

They also match each other’s energy well. This one would be, they’re one person category.

Alligator

She’s the main one, she’s the most famous one. I could not have this post and not talk about the main girl, the iconic Alligator!

*Alligator comes out shadow boxing to a cheering crowd*

This has to be their most famous rap duet. When I first heard the rap I thought they swapped only in the beginning, like Joohoney starts then I.M then back to Joohoney then I.M then towards the end I thought they were rapping at the same time.

But no! They’re still going back and forth but the words are getting shorter. It was I.M who pointed it out in a behind video on their channel that had me like, “No way!” Then I had to watch the stages again.

It’s so seamless! It works so well! They’re rapping around each other, bobbing and weaving, building to the climax and not tripping over each other’s words.

That’s team work that makes the dream work right there.

Follow

This one is also famous, for the tiki taka verse. This song again has their individual raps and ends with the duet.

It’s one of their shorter ones, but it’s fun so I thought I’d include it.

Jealousy

There is back and forth in this song too however it’s not as intricate as Alligator.

It’s simple but gets the job done. I loved when they did this song at MAMAs and Joohoney just popped up out of the stage ready for his part. I.M even did his rap before that at the stage. That was cool. Rappers in groups rarely swap parts and yet I.M rapped Joohoney’s like it was his.

They’re too good.

Stealer

I really like the contrast in their voices that is highlighted in this song. We start with Joohoney’s high toned rap and I.M follows with his low tone and it is so satisfying to hear!

Because of You

In this song they lead into each other. The stages are also mad cute.

There’s a lot of overlap in this song. I would even say… hmm this one may be more of a speaking as one type. They’re both talking to the girl and describing what they like and they’re interrupting each other as they talk.

It works well, the overlapping, and gives the effect of a boyfriend excited to say all the things they love about the girl. So much so that they’re tripping over their words or interrupting themselves.

Monsta Truck

Every time I talk about Monsta X I’ll highlight another unhinged lyric and today it is:

‘Break the rear-view mirror over your head’

What would she be doing to lead to that sir?

Or,

‘Our beat fits perfectly, we resemble each other in the flowing rhythm huh’

Both lines from I.M.

*chuckles* driving.

This one is definitely a good duet rap example. They go back and forth in this song.

앞뒤로 왔다 갔다 정확한 각 Nice parking

딱 들이 맞는 우리의 박자

우린 흐르는 리듬 안에서 서로를 닮아 Huh

흐느껴 둔탁한 쿵짝

Dance with me 질러버려 지금 이 순간

You gotta buckle up if you don’t wanna die

Hey baby 우린 Bonnie & Clyde

It’s laidback and cute with it though, not as intense as Alligator. They also take turns to do sections, like the ‘truck, truck, truck’ parts.

Honourable Mentions:

Honestly (some of the live stages are cute), All I Do, Ex Girl, Stuck, Amen, Mercy (they carry on each other’s energy well), Roller Coaster and Autobahn (Joohoney builds on the energy I.M set up).

Zone

I love this song as well. It’s so hype!

This is another song where they have the same lines within the same verse. They take turns, especially in the chorus.

Having seen the live stages I can say that they definitely build on each other’s energy in this song. It’s like one gets hype and lifts the other up. It’s to the point where I can’t imagine them performing this without both of their energies.

Doesn’t that make you think about what it will be like when Joohoney goes to the military?

*awkward silence*

Let’s not dwell on that.

They are a great duo. They work well together and feed off of each other’s energy.

You can see their own separate colours and even as people they are very different. However, they complement each other as musicians very well. They are ketchup and fries.

I.M is cool and collected yet he can growl and he can hype up a crowd. Joohoney is hype and wild but he can be intense and smooth.

You can further see their differences in their recent solo albums. Joohoney debuted with the album Lights and I.M had a comeback with Overdrive. I was listening to Overdrive and I was like, I gotta follow it up with Lights. The tone change! Omd it was whiplash! It’s like if Happiness and Sadness from Inside Out dropped albums. Although, I feel like I.M’s representative emotion would be Angst.

Anyway, it really showed me again how different they are. Honestly, I am fascinated by how they are able to blend well together without compromising too much of their individual charm.

So for those reasons, personally, I think they’re one of the best duo to ever exist.