RM

As main rapper and leader of BTS, Kim Nam-joon — also known as RM — topped charts and broke records across the globe with the K-pop powerhouse boy band while also launching a successful solo career in 2015 with his debut mixtape RM. He followed in 2018 with Mono, an international Top 30 hit. In 2022, his official full-length debut Indigo finally arrived. Just two years later, he issued his sophomore set, Right Place, Wrong Person. In addition to his own hip-hop-influenced material, he has also collaborated with the likes of Warren G, Lil Nas X, Honne, and Fall Out Boy. Born in Dongjak District, South Korea, the Seoul-based artist developed a love of hip-hop at a young age (influenced by Korean rap outfit Epik High) and honed his English skills by viewing the American television show Friends. He started performing as Runch Randa and collaborated with fellow Korean rapper Zico. It wasn’t until 2010, during auditions with Big Hit, that Kim was recruited as the first member of BTS. Soon joined by Suga, J-Hope, Jin, Jimin, Jungkook, and V, Kim, and his BTS bandmates quickly ascended to the top of the K-pop ranks, breaking chart records in the U.S. — where they became the first Asian act to top the Billboard 200 with 2018′s Love Yourself: Tear — and selling out world tours. On the side, Kim branched out with his own solo material, debuting in 2015 with the self-titled mixtape RM, which peaked at number 12 on the U.S. World Albums chart. Three years later, just months after BTS scored their first number one on the Billboard 200, he issued his sophomore solo effort, Mono, which bested his previous effort with a strong number two showing on the World Albums chart. A record-breaking run with BTS followed with the Map of the Soul era, carrying Kim and the band into the 2020s. In 2021, during that year’s BTS Festa, he released the solo track “Bicycle.” The following year, BTS announced a temporary break for its members to pursue solo projects (and enroll in mandatory military service). For RM, that meant his official debut solo album, Indigo. The set arrived in December 2022 and featured guests Erykah Badu and Anderson .Paak. Two years later, he released the single “LOST!” from his sophomore album Right Place, Wrong Person. Arriving in May 2024, the album also featured collaborations with Little Simz (“Domodachi”) and Moses Sumney (“Around the world in a day”). ~ Neil Z. Yeung