J-hope and J. Cole. Just the ring of the two names together sounds like a major collaboration waiting to happen, and now it is. J-hope, the dancing and rapping star of Korean phenom BTS has announced that his last single before he enlists for mandatory military service will feature his childhood idol and hip-hop legend J. Cole.
“On the Street,” which was announced on the heels of the news about j-hope’s enlistment, will journey back to the rapper’s roots as a street dancer. The title references “Hope On The Street,” a dance show created by the BTS member in 2015 where he would film himself taking on a number of different hip-hop choreographies alone, or with guests.
J. Cole’s feature could not be more symbolic, then, considering j-hope has named the Cole World musician as his inspiration on numerous occasions. While promoting his Disney Plus documentary j-hope IN THE BOX, recently, the Korean idol said that J. Cole was the “artist that made [him] dream of becoming a singer.”
In BTS’ 2014 track “Hip-Hop Phile,” which serves as an ode to the artists that inspired the band’s rap line, j-hope references two of the veteran rapper’s most iconic albums, singing “Hope hope world, before I built my own world, there was Cole World. Ever since he shone on Friday nights, I got inspiration and wrote my songs.”
The two finally met in Chicago in July when they both headlined Lollapalooza. Struggling to hold in his enthusiasm, j-hope called J. Cole his “muse,” shouting out both Friday Night Lights and the track “Higher” as his favorite growing up. The collaboration on “On the Street” stemmed from the meeting, with the announcement of J. Cole’s feature being made Thursday.
The true full circle moment will serve as j-hope’s “see you soon” ahead of his enlistment in the military, which should take place in the upcoming months. He will be the second member of BTS to enlist, after oldest member Jin said his goodbyes in December. Conscription takes anywhere between 18 and 22 months. BTS have assured fans they will come back as a group by 2025, but are currently focusing on solo projects while each member gradually goes off to the army.
“On the Street (with J. Cole)” drops tomorrow.
