Agust D

Agust D is the debut mixtape by South Korean rapper Agust D, better known as Suga of boy-band BTS. It was released on August 15, 2016, by Big Hit Entertainment on SoundCloud.

This article is about the mixtape. For the rapper of the same name, see Suga (rapper).
Agust D
Mixtape by
Agust D
ReleasedAugust 15, 2016 (2016-08-15)
Recorded2011–2016
GenreHip hop
Length28:13
LanguageKorean
LabelBig Hit
ProducerAgust D
Agust D chronology
Agust D
(2016)		 D-2
(2020)
Singles from Agust D
  1. "Agust D"
    Released: August 15, 2016
  2. "give it to me"
    Released: August 18, 2016

Background and development

Prior to launching his career as the rapper Suga of South Korean boy band BTS, Agust D began writing music lyrics and working with MIDI at age 13 and held a part-time job composing and arranging music at a recording studio at age 17.[1] Active under the name "Gloss" as an underground rapper,[2] Agust D originally entered Big Hit Entertainment as a producer in 2010[3] and trained under Big Hit Entertainment for three years alongside members J-Hope and RM before making his debut as a member of BTS in 2013.[4] In the initial years of his career in BTS, both he and his fellow group member RM faced criticism from the South Korean underground hip hop scene for "selling out" and becoming K-pop idols.[5][6]

Between his commitments as a member of BTS, Agust D took advantage of time on the plane and in hotel rooms after concerts to continuously produce and compose music.[7] In an interview for Grazia Korea, Agust D expressed a desire to release the music he wanted to do without having to consider popular appeal or music ranking. He intended to release his music for free in the form of a mixtape to avoid such considerations, commenting that an album "has a feeling of being trapped in some sort of framework" due to the need for company involvement in promotion and advertising. Developing Agust D musically on the base of hip hop, much of Agust D's inspiration for the lyrics came from his own stories of dream, youth, and reality.[1]

In order to differentiate his work from that of his work as Suga, he developed the alter ego "Agust D", which is derived from the initials DT, short for his birthplace, Daegu Town, and "Suga" spelled backwards.[1] Steadily accumulating songs in his career, Agust D utilized a number of songs composed as early as 2011 to as late as a month before release to create his mixtape.[8] The release of Agust D followed RM's self-titled mixtape RM (2015) and the success of BTS' first compilation album The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever (2016) and The Most Beautiful Moment in Life On Stage: Epilogue Tour.[9][10]

Music and lyrics

The final cut of Agust D comprises ten tracks on SoundCloud and eight tracks on streaming and download services.[11] Critics viewed Agust D as a major departure from his previous catalog as a member of BTS with a hardcore rap style highlighting his underground influences.[9][10] Billboard and Fuse complimented the album's divergence from his contemporaries in K-pop with its vulnerability and Agust D's self-production.[10][12]

In Agust D, Agust D exposed his inner thoughts on his beginnings to his rise to stardom. "Intro ; Dt sugA", showcasing the style of classic turntablism hip hop, preceded the self-introduction track "Agust D" which utilized fast and precise rap techniques over "deep and intense bass" to underscore his confidence and self-identity.[5] "Give It to Me" launched into "full-on disses" towards his detractors and the subsequent "Skit" explored the duality of Agust D and Suga "as a human being and as a musician".[5] While "724148" reflected on the meaning of "success" and Agust D's beginnings in his hometown of Daegu, the track "140503 at Dawn", composed of minimal beats, reflected on his underlying vulnerability in the early morning before transitioning into the track "The Last" which utilized dramatic beats and rap techniques[5] to portray his soul consumed by depression, obsession, and self-hatred following the pursuit of his dream in Seoul.[10] In "Tony Montana", Agust D took on the character of Tony Montana from the 1983 film Scarface to ruminate on the nature of success, ambition, and envy. The lyrics of "Interlude: Dream, Reality" consisted of only the word "dream", leading into the final track "So Far Away" which reflected on the essence of the word "dream"[5] while urging his listeners to continue dreaming.[10]

Release and commercial performance

On July 29, 2016, Agust D's release date was confirmed to be in August.[13] On August 15, it was released on SoundCloud and for free download via links on Twitter[8][14] in conjunction with a music video for "Agust D".[15] On August 18, Agust D released a follow-up music video for "Give It to Me".[16] Aside from interviewing for Grazia Korea and Marie Claire Korea, Agust D did not further promote the mixtape.[1][7] Fuse later ranked it at #16 on their list of the 20 best mixtapes of 2016.[12]

In February 2018, the mixtape was rereleased for digital purchase and streaming sans its first two tracks.[17] The reissue reached #3 on Billboard's World Albums Chart, #5 on the Heatseekers Albums chart, and #74 on the Top Album Sales chart. The rerelease also caused Agust D to reach #46 on the Emerging Artists chart for the week of March 3.[18]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro ; Dt sugA" (feat. DJ Friz)
  • Agust D
  • Pdogg
  • Agust D
  • Pdogg
1:04
2."Agust D"Agust DAgust D3:54
3."give it to me"Agust DAgust D2:29
4."skit"Agust DAgust D1:14
5."724148" (치리사일사팔)Agust DAgust D3:05
6."140503 at dawn" (140503 새벽에)
  • Agust D
  • Slow Rabbit
  • Agust D
  • Slow Rabbit
1:24
7."The Last" (마지막)
  • Agust D
  • June
  • Pdogg
  • Agust D
  • June
  • Pdogg
4:05
8."Tony Montana" (feat. Yankie)
  • Agust D
  • Pdogg
  • Supreme Boi
  • Yankie
  • Agust D
  • Pdogg
  • Supreme Boi
3:28
9."Interlude ; Dream, Reality"
  • Agust D
  • Slow Rabbit
  • Agust D
  • Slow Rabbit
1:32
10."So Far Away" (feat. Suran)
  • Agust D
  • Slow Rabbit
  • Agust D
  • Slow Rabbit
5:58
Total length:28:13

Sample credits

Personnel

The following people are credited on the album:[21]

Release history
Region Date Format Label
Various August 15, 2016[11]
Big Hit
gollark: It's osmarks, sorry.
gollark: I got banned on the July server by the automoderator after trying to use an artillery thing to get rid of a very annoying globally-playing music system. I'd like to be unbanned.
gollark: I see.
gollark: .·
gollark: ++tel init_webhook

References
  1. Park, Han-bit (October 7, 2016). 방탄소년단의 슈가, 민윤기, 혹은 Agust D. Grazia Korea (in Korean). Seoul Media Group. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  2. Park, Su-jeong (August 19, 2014). 기다렸다, 방탄소년단① 정규 1집이 되기까지 일곱 소년의 성장기 –데뷔 전. 10asia (in Korean). Korea Entertainment Media. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  3. 방탄소년단(BTS) "팬들이 함께 노래부르는 모습, 최고의 행복" (풀영상) / SBS (video) (News) (in Korean). YouTube: SBS News. Jun 3, 2018. Event occurs at 7:30. Retrieved Jun 3, 2018.
  4. Bennett, Colette (May 12, 2016). "How BTS is changing K-pop for the better". dailydot. Archived from the original on January 2, 2018. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
  5. Kim, Youngdae (2019). "Review 09". BTS - The Review: A Comprehensive Look at the Music of BTS. RH Korea. ISBN 9788925565828.
  6. Jung, Hae-myoung (July 17, 2019). "Rapper rueful about past careless remarks about BTS". The Korea Times. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  7. "꿈꾸는 슈가". Marie Claire Korea (in Korean). August 27, 2016. Retrieved 2016-08-17.
  8. Kim, Ji Ho (August 17, 2016). ""My name is, AgustD"... 'SUGA' to rap about the real Min Yoon-ki". Starcast. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  9. Benjamin, Jeff (August 16, 2016). "Suga takes the spotliht with 'Agust D' mixtape: why you should know the BTS rapper's alter ego". Fuse. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  10. Herman, Tamar (August 16, 2016). "BTS' Suga Addresses Depression & Cost of Fame on 'Agust D' Mixtape". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  11. "Agust D - Agust D". SoundCloud. August 15, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  12. Benjamin, Jeff (December 16, 2016). "The 20 Best Mixtapes of 2016: #16 Agust D, 'Agust D'". Fuse. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  13. Jeong, Jee won (July 20, 2016). "[단독] 방탄소년단 슈가, 데뷔 3년만에 첫 솔로 믹스테이프 발표". Xportsnews. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  14. "Agust D - 'Agust D' Full Mixtape Download". Twitter. August 15, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  15. Hwang, Hye-jin (August 16, 2016). "[뮤직와치]방탄소년단 탈피한 슈가, 아이돌 편견에 가두기 아까운 민피디". Newsen. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  16. Tucci, Sherry (August 8, 2016). "BTS rapper Suga goes into blast mode on 'Give It to Me'". The Daily Dot. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  17. Jones, Alan (2018-02-26). "International Charts Analysis: Black Panther OST comes charging out of the blocks". Music Week. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  18. Agust D Billboard charts:
  19. "01. Intro ; Dt sugA (Feat. DJ Friz)". SoundCloud. August 15, 2016. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  20. "02. Agust D". SoundCloud. August 15, 2016. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
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