J-hope – ‘Hope On The Street’ review: street dance becomes personal on this bright soundtrack album

2 April, 2024

bts j-hope hope on the street review

In the opening episode of Hope On The Street, J-hope’s new docuseries dedicated to street dance, he describes himself as being in a reflective mood ahead of his military service. “What did I like in the past? What was my mindset when I debuted and performed on stage? What is it that made me who I am today?” he asked himself, and his conclusions always came back to one thing: “If I didn’t have dance, I wouldn’t be where I am right now.”

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So large does dance loom in the BTS rapper’s life that his love and talent for it is often one of the first things you learn about him when you first start digging into the boyband’s story. He got his start doing street dance as a kid in his hometown of Gwangju and joined local dance crew Neuron before successfully entering Big Hit as a trainee. His lifelong passion has served him well, making his performances – whether with BTS or solo – a joy to watch.

That unbreakable bond with dance fills ‘Hope On The Street’, the six-track soundtrack album for his docuseries. Yes, each song on the record is something that could easily be danced to, but the connection runs deeper than that. It’s poured into not just the beats and genres used here but in the lyrics too. “Just dance right now,” goes the funk snap of ‘I Wonder’, a collaboration between J-hope and his BTS bandmate Jungkook. On the Benny Blanco and Nile Rodgers-assisted ‘Lock/unlock’, he uses dance terms like “control”, “break”, and “step” to subtly tie the purpose of this album together with the stories he’s telling.

Those stories are key here, taking this from mere soundtrack to personal missive. Across the record, we’re taken into J-hope’s mindset and memories as he pays tribute to his roots and looks toward what might be on the horizon for him. ‘Neuron’, the old-school hip-hop gem that closes the album, tackles both, nodding to his old dance crew and to a fresh start as he spells out “Neuron […] new run”. The chorus that vows to “never ever give up” is a bright and encouraging call to push ahead, while its choice of legendary guest stars – Dynamic Duo’s Gaeko and MFBTY’s yoonmirae – point to sources of inspiration from J-hope’s youth.

Much like the docuseries it accompanies, ‘Hope On The Street’ takes something of a global approach. You can feel that in the genres it runs through and the collaborators it collects. On album highlight ‘I Don’t Know’, that attitude grows even stronger. It opens with LE SSERAFIM’s Huh Yunjin narrating the intro in French before she and J-hope swap verses that answer each other in English and Korean. “Yes, we’re on the edge / Trying to figure out what’s really on your mind,” Yunjin sings; minutes later, her host replies: “Yes, we’re on the edge / It’s true that I’ve been caught up in my mind.”

As well as brand-new songs, there are two updated takes on familiar material here. The album begins with a solo version of J-hope’s J.Cole collaboration ‘On The Street’, boasting a new verse in which the BTS rapper’s voice feels rawer than ever, and he asks the ever-relatable question: “What the hell is time?” ‘Jack In The Box’’s ‘What if…’ gets a new dance mix courtesy of Jinbo The SuperFreak, ramping up the electricity in the track and making its beat more pronounced.

Back in 2022, J-hope made a bold statement from the musical side of his creativity with his solo debut album. Here, he returns with almost as strong a vision but in ode to the rhythms and worlds that have moved him from Gwangju dreamer to global superstar. ‘Hope On The Street’ is bright and brilliant and a tantalising reminder of its creator’s multi-faceted talents.