BTS Speaks Up About Black Lives Matter

K-Pop group BTS has expressed its support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

When BTS member Suga, additionally known by his independent moniker Agust D, released his mixtape D-2 on May 22 after a very vague countdown, it appeared to unite fans in a common snapshot of euphoria and reverence. For a considerable length of time, fans' courses of events were bursting at the seams with conversations of the melodious and melodic subjects, screen captures from the "Daechwita" music video and a wealth of Agust D fanart.

At that point it rose that the D-2 track "What Do You Think?" highlighted an excerpt from a 1977 speech by cult leader and mass killer Jim Jones. Jones caused the passings of 918 individuals, the vast majority of them Black, in scandalous homicide-suicide in Jonestown, Guyana, in 1978. The disaster birthed the expression "drinking the Kool-Aid."

Some expressed their hurt and disappointment at the same and asked for clarification from Suga. Others defended the use of the sample, theorizing the rapper’s intentions and arguing that Suga did not need to justify his artistic choices. 

Black fans came out with a variety of viewpoints, but their opinions were often used in isolation to support the points of non-Black fans, creating a monolith effect in which Black fans were subjugated to being critical of the sample or not. 

On May 31, shortly after the discussion began, BTS’s parent company Big Hit Entertainment issued a statement clarifying the sample’s nature. Per fan translations, the statement said the sample was chosen without “particular intention” and approved by people who were unaware of its full historical context. The company went on to say that the sample had been removed and the song re-released. “While Big Hit examines its variety of content that targets the entire world through its own process, checking for social, cultural, and historical issues, it is experiencing limitations in being able to recognize the issue in advance, and lacked an understanding of the historical and social context. We apologise to those who were hurt by this, or felt uncomfortable due to it,” the statement reads per translation from @DoYou_Bangtan.

What brought about the BTS fandom, generally on Twitter, was a conversation that went past discussion over the Jones excerpt and rather addressed uplifting Black voices and makes an inclusive network.

BTS members have now come forward to show their support towards the Black Lives Matter movement. The members issued a unanimous statement condemning the death of George Floyd. The international band took to Twitter to share the statement.

"We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together. #BlackLivesMatter.” They said in the statement.

Black Lives Matter is a movement that campaigns against violence and racism.

The call for racial justice is again put on spotlight following the police assault on American George Floyd, which sparked protests all over the world.

ARMYs have been restricting themselves from discussing the boys on Twitter with the attempt to keep the spotlight on the Black Lives Matter movement. After Break The Silence's final episode aired, the ARMY refrained from discussing the episode on Twitter. The fandom has also decided to hold minimal discussions about the band's FESTA 2020 events on Twitter. 

Korean media have also reportedly said that Big Hit Entertainment, the group’s agency, has been making donations to the cause, without specifying the amount.

BTS is known for its songs that speak out against discrimination, injustice, and abuses, among other societal issues. 

In 2018, the group addressed the UN General Assembly during the launch of Generation United.

“BTS launched the ‘Love Myself’ campaign with Unicef, building on our belief that ‘true love first begins with loving myself.’ We have been partnering with Unicef’s #ENDviolence program to protect children and young people all over the world from violence,” said leader Kim NamJoon in his speech.

Several Korean pop stars have come forward to show their support towards the movement. Earlier this week, Shin Hyo-seob, Jay Park, DAY6’s Jae, Tiger JK, Amber Liu, Korean-American rapper pH-1, GOT7’s Mark Tuan, Red Velvet’s Yeri, MOMOLAND members, Girls’ Generation’s Tiffany and Heize are among the many Korean stars who have supported the Black Lives Matter movement. A few of these stars also donated towards funds set up to support George Floyd, his family, and those protesting in the US. 

I STAN THE RIGHT GROUP is now trending on twitter along with black ARMYs. Check out fan tweets below.