J-Hope Lights Up 2022 MAMA Awards With ‘Jack in the Box’ Performance Medley: Watch
It’s Hobi’s world, and we’re all just living in. BTS rapper J-Hope shined at the 2022 MAMA Awards on Wednesday (Nov. 30), first with a show-stopping walk on the red carpet, and later on stage with his performance of songs “MORE,” “Arson” and “Future” from his debut solo album Jack in the Box.
Before going on stage, J-Hope turned out an all-black look on the red carpet, looking sleek in a suit jacket with satin lapels, a casually unbuttoned black dress shirt, trousers and shoes. Though his look was more than enough to send ARMY into a panic, even the red-carpet commentators couldn’t contain themselves, saying “wow” several times before chatting with him.
For the rapper’s performance, he stuck with the Jack in the Box theme, first with several ornate boxes piled high on stage. J-Hope appeared atop of the towering display holding a box of his own, which the camera zoomed in to and then featured him — alongside a small army of backup of dancers — rapping “MORE” from the inside of a checkered box.
At the four-minute mark of his performance, Hope went solo, giving an enthusiastic delivery of “Arson” with fiery stage props and red screens to accompany him. \
The rapper then stripped things back. The fiery stage was cooled off when his more peaceful performance of “Future” rolled around, which was preceded by screens that read “Music has the power to connect us. Music is what moves the soul, so let’s come together and step into the future.” Hope passionately delivered the song’s refrain — “Always, I need it too/ When I said I do/ Courage and faith/ Rhythm of positivity/ Always, I need it too” — to the audience, who swayed their light sticks in tune with the track.
After the rapper’s appearance at the MAMAs, the official BTS Twitter shared their congrats with the idol and thanked ARMY for making his appearance possible. “J-Hope who set 2022 MAMA AWARDS’ stage on fire! Including a valuable award that J-Hope and BTS received because of ARMY’s cheers/support! Thank you ARMY!” the account wrote.
J-Hope won the award for most popular male artist at the 2022 MAMAs. See the full list of winners here, and watch J-Hope’s performances and red carpet appearance below.
Starr Bowenbank
Billboard
