Suga is the master of his own fate in Agust D 2
Tensions have been running high throughout the ARMY fandom over the past 6 days since Big Hit began a cryptic countdown. To what, there were many theories. Behind the D-7 text a faint outline could be seen — was it for JK1, the highly anticipated first solo release of Jung Kook. Or, perhaps, it was AD2, the long sought after follow up to the Agust D Mixtape released by Suga four years ago. Though he recently said we won’t be seeing AD2 any time soon, ARMY remained hopeful at the prospect of new content. Especially, as many had been remarking, due to Suga being so visible throughout the COVID-19 pandemic; by all means, he has been living his best life.
In the early hours of May 22nd, Big Hit posted the D-2 image. And, elsewhere on the vast internet, the Apple Music image was updated for Agust D. Here we see Suga, still tied up as he as in AD1, but in different clothing, with different hair, in a different place entirely. Suddenly, the Twitter timeline moved at the speed of light, rejoicing that Agust D 2 is coming. And, according to Genius Lyrics, the first track 2013 written by Suga and RM, will release tomorrow, May 23. The following is a speculative analysis of the stylistic differences between images in AD1 and the feature image for AD2 ahead of its release tomorrow.
Pictured: Agust D screen shot from Apple Music, May 22 2020 and screen shot from Agust D music video 2016.
There is a huge contrast between the background between these two shots. For AGUSTD music video, Suga is sitting in a dimly lit room as the curtains behind him are covered and therefore do not allow any light to enter in. There are only two sources of light that are side by side of the closed curtains, but they hardly provide any light since the dark, the blue palette overwhelms the room. To contrast in AGUST D2 picture, the background is well-lit as though the light source is coming from the camera. We are able to see that he is standing in what seems like a courtyard surrounded by fires. These fires surround him in order to make us, the viewer, pay attention to Suga.
To examine closer, these fires are contained in a bowl and metal pillars. The design of these objects reminds me of temple fires especially that of ancient Greek. The ancient Greek citizens would sacrifice animals to the gods as an offering through these fires. It is possible that Suga is referring to how people perceive him as an idol or perhaps it is his commentary of fan culture. BTS is not new to criticizing the culture that they are part of such as the song Pied Piper that talks about the fans devoting time to them when they should be focusing on something else such as school and work. However, BTS realize that they need their fans as they give this song as a prize and keep telling them that they are not punishing the fans. In this song, BTS saw themselves as a Pied Piper, the character that pulls in fans to follow their tune.
In AGUST D music video, Suga is stuck inside the train and can only go outside through the doors that allow him to look back or up, but never forwards. Yet, in the AGUST D photo, Suga is allowed to move freely with a staircase behind him. These contrasting opposites continue with Suga tied to his back around the chair and not being able to see the intricacies of the bonds in AGUST D. He has his hands tied in front of him and therefore can see the way out of his bonds. It is possible that he has tied himself as the knot of the rope is close to his hands, and therefore he can untie himself if he wishes. In the AGUST D music video, he is restrained physically around him through the architecture of the train and how he is tied. He is bound by things that he is unable to see. In contrast, in AGUST D2, Suga is free but bound by choice. This is perhaps showing us that he is choosing to live as an idol; these restraints are the price he pays for such a role.
The last notable differences between these two pictures are the clothes and the visibility of Suga’s facial expressions. In the AGUST D music video, Suga is looking down away from the camera and wearing a white T-shirt, a robe, and pants. These clothes remind me of the dress code of the Cyphers that is reminiscent of the underground hip hop scene that Suga was part of. But, we are not able to see his eyes and not able to interpret his feelings. Eyes can provide much information and can be windows to the soul. AGUST D2 picture shows Suga’s gaze straight towards the camera as though he is ready to take on whatever challenge the viewer has set for him. This can be attributed to his camouflage clothes and scar on his face.
A possible theory that Twitter has been discussing is Tony Montana, a character in the Scarface movie. In the movie, Tony Montana rises to power but is brought down due to his own paranoia and reckless ambition. Tony dies in the fountain below the statue that inscribes that “The World is Yours”. Suga has tackled the Scarface movie in the song called Tony Montana from his first AGUST D mixtape. Since the release of AD1, Suga has risen along with his fellow BTS members to be regarded as powerful artists in the industry. Suga can perhaps be tackling topics about being at the top and his possible worries, just like in Interlude: Shadow.
Suga has broached this topic before with BTS through Black Swan. In Black Swan, BTS explored the possibility of music no longer exciting them or exciting others even though music is all they know. This first death allows BTS to contemplate what music means to them. This is perfectly encapsulated in Martha Graham’s quote “A dancer dies twice- once they stop dancing, and this first death is more painful”. Perhaps what we will see in Agust D 2 will be a continuation of Suga’s exploration of his idol role, and the many fears and pressures of being at the top. Only time will tell, we can expect Agust D 2 to drop any time in the next 24 hours.
