D-2 (mixtape)

D-2 is the second mixtape released by South Korean rapper Agust D, better known as Suga of boy band BTS, following his eponymous debut mixtape released in 2016. The mixtape was released on May 22, 2020, through Big Hit Entertainment along with the lead single 'Daechwita' (Korean: 대취타).[4] The album consists of ten tracks, with songs sung and rapped in both Korean and English.[5] Its lyrics share the rapper's viewpoint on the current world.[6][7] The album's peak at 11 on the Billboard 200, at 7 on the Official UK Chart and at 2 on the ARIA chart, setting 3 new records for the highest-ranking album in the US, UK and Australia by a Korean solo artist. 'Daechwita' debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Rap Digital Song Sales Chart, becoming the highest charting and first song by a Korean artist to do so.

D-2
Mixtape by Agust D
Released	May 22, 2020 (2020-05-22)
Studio	Big Hit[lower-alpha 1][2] Colour Vision[2] Satellite[2]
Genre	Hip hop K-pop
Length	32:22
Language	Korean
Label	Big Hit
Producer	Agust D[3]
Agust D chronology
Agust D (2016) D-2 (2020)
Singles from D-2
"Daechwita" Released: May 22, 2020

Background

Due to Agust D's heavy schedule with BTS, the album was produced at a far slower rate than the previous mixtape.[8] Originally, the mixtape was almost finished in 2019, but the artist wanted to spend more time editing it to make it sound "more complete". In total, production took almost 4 years since the last mixtape.[9]

Production and theme

Prior to writing the mixtape, Agust D spent the bulk of his time listening to his previous, self-titled mixtape.[10] The rapper stated that he "always liked making music that contrasts with my previous songs ... to show there is a beauty in contrasting things".[11]

D-2 is, according to Agust D, "A documentation of myself as a 28-year old", and a "documentation of myself from 2016 onwards."[12] He has said that the mixtape is focused more on talking about the present, comparing it to his last mixtape, Agust D, which was more focused on telling the past. According to Billboard, the mixtape is largely about how it feels to be Agust D in the present time. Inspiration for the album has also been drawn from the COVID-19 quarantine, and the themes of traditional Korean storytelling and music were, according to the artist, an accident that developed naturally into the pansori storytelling and kkwaenggwari percussion. According to the artist, these themes developed naturally from wanting to sample the sound of a real daechwita, a piece of traditional Korean military music. These daechwita elements are clearly audible in the song of the same name and its music video, released on the same day as the mixtape.[6] According to Agust D, the many questions the album raises about society are for the listener to answer, and he is merely putting forth the question.[7]

D-2 features collaborators such as MAX, NiiHWa, and Kim Jong-wan as co-writers and singers, along with RM, who is his co-member in BTS. The large-scale collaboration present in the album is not new to the rapper, as he has previously collaborated through both BTS and himself with artists such as Halsey and IU within the year prior to the release of the mixtape.[6][7]

Name and release

Twenty days prior to release, the rapper had told fans not to expect anything big in the future, and said that the mixtape was still incomplete.[13] D-2 was promoted through social media as a countdown of cryptic teaser images during the days before release.[6][14][13] Fans of the artist had been engaged in continuous speculation on whether it was going to be the second Agust D mixtape or another project. Hours before release, the artist's profile picture on Apple Music changed, leading to an increase in speculation on social media. According to Billboard, Agust D thought the name "Agust D 2" was not satisfying enough for the album. Instead of releasing the mixtape on "D-Day" or "D-0", the artist wanted to undermine expectations and release it a few days before, inspiring him to combine "Agust D-2" and the second to last day of the countdown "D-2" into the name of the mixtape.[6]

Music video

On May 22, 2020, the official video for the mixtape's lead single, "Daechwita", was released.[15] The music video draws inspiration from the 2012 film Masquerade,[16] in which a lowly acrobat takes the role of a double for King Gwanghae, and eventually takes the throne while the ruler recovers from being poisoned; in the music video, Agust D acts as both the king and his double. This was revealed by Agust D in a behind-the-scenes video to be symbolic; the king represents the "old" Agust D, while his double represents the "new" Agust D.[17] At the end of the video, the double is meant to be executed, but he instead forms a pact with the executioner and shoots the king, killing him.[18]

Agust D's theme of contrasts, previously mentioned in relation to differences between D-2 and his debut mixtape, continues in the music video. For instance, he wears a modern outfit in front of a traditional, Silla-era building, and drifts a car through its courtyard.[19]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the digital booklet released by Big Hit Entertainment.[2] Additional citations from Apple Music.[20]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Moonlight" (저 달; Jeo dal [lit. "This Moon"])	Agust D Ghstloop	Agust D Ghstloop	2:44
2.	"Daechwita" (대취타; [lit. "A Big Blow"])	Agust D El Capitxn	Agust D El Capitxn	3:46
3.	"What Do You Think?" (어떻게 생각해; Eotteoke saenggakae)	Agust D El Capitxn Ghstloop	El Capitxn Ghstloop	3:03
4.	"Strange" (feat. RM) (이상하지 않은가; Isanghaji aneunga [lit. "Isn't It Strange"])	Agust D El Capitxn Ghstloop RM	El Capitxn Ghstloop	3:17
5.	"28" (feat. Niihwa) 점점 어른이 되나봐; Jeomjeom eoreuni doenabwa [lit. I Must be Growing Up])	Agust D El Capitxn Hiss Noise	El Capitxn Hiss Noise	2:14
6.	"Burn It" (feat. MAX)	Agust D Ghstloop MAX	Agust D Ghstloop	3:13
7.	"People" (사람; Saram)	Agust D Pdogg	Agust D Pdogg	3:17
8.	"Honsool" (혼술)	Agust D Pdogg	Agust D Pdogg	3:40
9.	"Interlude: Set Me Free"	Agust D Pdogg	Agust D Pdogg	2:21
10.	"Dear My Friend" (feat. Kim Jong-wan) (어땠을까; Eottaesseulkka [lit. What Would've It Been Like])	Agust D El Capitxn Kim Jong-wan	Agust D El Capitxn Kim Jong-wan	4:53

Charts

Chart performance for D-2

Chart (2020)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[21]	2
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[22]	4
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[23]	12
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[24]	15
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[25]	12
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[26]	29
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[27]	32
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[28]	16
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[29]	4
French Albums (SNEP)[30]	32
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[31]	9
Irish Albums (OCC)[32]	10
Italian Albums (FIMI)[33]	24
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[34]	14
Japan Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[35]	7
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[36]	1
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[37]	10
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[38]	7
Scottish Albums (OCC)[39]	6
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[40]	19
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[41]	5
UK Albums (OCC)[42]	7
US Billboard 200[43]	11
US World Albums (Billboard) [44]	1
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [45]	1
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[46]	9

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
Various	May 22, 2020	Streaming digital download	Big Hit

Controversy

In his song "What Do You Think?" a sample of a speech by cult leader Jim Jones was used. The preacher is known for directing his followers to join in a mass murder-suicide in 1978. Big Hit later issued an apology on behalf of the song producers who were not aware of the source of the speech used in the sample and re-released the track after removing it.[47]

Notes

1. BTS members and the Big Hit production team have individual "studios" within the greater Big Hit Entertainment building.[1] These are credited separately in the liner notes.[2]

References

1. Kernis, Jay (April 21, 2019). "BTS, the kings of K-Pop". CBS News. Retrieved May 9, 2019.
2. D-2 (Digital booklet). Agust D. South Korea: Big Hit Entertainment. 2020.CS1 maint: others (link)
3. "Agust D - D-2 by BTS on SoundCloud". SoundCloud. 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
4. Big Hit Entertainment (May 22, 2020). Agust D '대취타' MV.
5. "BTS' BTS's Suga Reflects on Triumphant Return of Agust D on 'D-2' Mixtape: Watch". Billboard.
6. "BTS's Suga Reflects on Triumphant Return of Agust D on 'D-2' Mixtape". Billboard.
7. "BTS's Suga Reflects on His New Solo Mixtape as Agust D on D-2". Time.
8. Big Hit Entertainment (May 27, 2020). Agust D 'D-2' Mixtape Interview (in Korean). Event occurs at 0:22. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
9. Big Hit Entertainment (May 27, 2020). Agust D 'D-2' Mixtape Interview (in Korean). Event occurs at 0:38. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
10. Big Hit Entertainment (May 27, 2020). Agust D 'D-2' Mixtape Interview (in Korean). Event occurs at 5:50. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
11. Big Hit Entertainment (May 27, 2020). Agust D 'D-2' Mixtape Interview (in Korean). Event occurs at 2:31. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
12. "The BTS rapper & producer revisits his Agust D alias". Genius.
13. "BTS: Was Suga's Next 'Agust D' Mixtape Unveiled by a Change on Apple Music? Why Fans Think New Music Is Coming Soon". Cheatsheet.
14. "BTS Member Suga Surprise-Drops New Mixtape 'D-2' Under His Agust D Alter Ego". Forbes.
15. "방탄소년단 슈가, 두번째 믹스테이프 'D-2' 공개". Asian Economy. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
16. "[리뷰]어거스트 디, 방탄소년단 슈가·민윤기 고뇌 토하다". Chosun. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
17. Big Hit Entertainment (May 24, 2020). [EPISODE] Agust D '대취타' MV Shooting Sketch (in Korean). Event occurs at 0:44. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
18. Big Hit Entertainment (May 24, 2020). [EPISODE] Agust D '대취타' MV Shooting Sketch (in Korean). Event occurs at 4:50. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
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28. "Dutchcharts.nl – Agust D – D-2" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
29. "Agust D: D-2" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
30. "Lescharts.com – Agust D – D-2". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
31. "Top 40 album DVD és válogatáslemez-lista – 2020. 22. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
32. "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
33. "Italiancharts.com – Agust D – D-2". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
34. 週間　合算アルバムランキング 2020年06月01日付 (2020年05月18日～2020年05月24日) [Weekly Album Ranking June 01, 2020 (May 18, 2020 to May 24, 2020)] (in Japanese). Oricon. May 26, 2020. Archived from the original on May 27, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2020.
35. "Billboard Japan Hot Albums: 2020/06/01 付け". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved May 27, 2020.
36. "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. May 29, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
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40. "Swedishcharts.com – Agust D – D-2". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
41. "Swisscharts.com – Agust D – D-2". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
42. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
43. "Agust D, TLP". Billboard. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
44. "Agust D, WLP". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
45. "Agust D, IND". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
46. "Billboard Top Rap Albums". Billboard. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
47. "Suga song quoting cult leader Jim Jones creates controversy". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. Retrieved 2020-06-01.