Bangtan Boys–A new KPOP love.

I watched the MAMA Awards (the MNET Asian Music Awards) to see GD and Taeyang of Big Bang perform Good Boy, and to see Block B; little did I know watching this show would lead to an all new obsession. Block B was performing a friendly music battle against a band called Bangtan Boys aka BTS. I felt somewhat sorry for this band I’d barely heard of, to have to go against the energetic and zany Block B. I sat back in anticipation of the performance, feeling smug in the confidence that no one other than Big Bang could out do my Block B. This delusion didn’t last long, from the first dance battle, the Bangtan Boys weren’t happy to just give a left jab and a right hook; they straight knocked Block B’s dancers out. It didn’t end there, while Zico is an amazing rapper and music artist, this wasn’t his strongest performance; he looked nervous. It was a complete contrast to Rap Monster with his cool yet fiery charisma, and incredibly versatile style. When BTS joined their rapper leader on stage for their song Danger, Block B was down for the count. I love Block B I really do, but while they seemed happy to coast through their MAMA performances, BTS came to win it. They definitely won my attention. After the show I had to know more. Who is this Rap Monster, and BTS? And so began my Rap Monster and BTS addiction.

I looked up all of BTS’s music videos, not surprised that I loved all that I heard and saw. I also wasn’t surprised that they write and produce their own music, much like Big Bang and Block B. I naturally drift to music artists that create their own songs, and I think you can usually tell the difference from songs that are personally written, and those that are homogenized for any band to do. Then I moved on to their interviews and behind the scenes shows, and I was happy to see they seemed genuinely nice, happy, funny, and energetic. Big Hit Entertainment was brilliant in finding and putting these seven guys together. They are a serious threat in the kpop world, because they don’t have a single weakness that I’ve seen. They can sing, dance, rap, write and produce. They seem to truly be enjoying their careers and each other, which makes them fun and enjoyable to watch, with personalities that are great for variety shows. Considering they debuted just a little over a year ago and they are already this good…as I said–a serious threat.

BTS’s songs were addictive enough, but then I discovered Rap Monsters solo stuff along with some covers he did (pre-debut I guess) and fell completely in lust with his rapping, which led to a bit of a crush in general. Damn you Rap Monster. He’s one of the best rappers I have ever heard. In a single song he can go from growling out his raps, to rapid fire, to changing pitch, tone, and tempo. I’ve never heard a rapper be so diverse and exciting to listen to. And that’s just rapping; wait till you hear him sing. To quote a Queen Latifah movie, “You’ve got me straight trippin boo”. Warning his solo stuff has a fair amount of cuss words (which is kind of funny coming from such a young angelic looking guy), but it is in these solo songs you see how he can claim the name Rap Monster.

 warning a fair amount of cuss words in this one, but his flow is just crazy good.

If you need something softer…

Based off a track by Drake, Rap Monster wrote his own lyrics, just wow.

So I would suggest extreme caution regarding checking these guys out. With their ages ranging from 17-22 (American age) they are one of the youngest groups out there, but with their addictive music, and just the boys themselves, they will storm your bias/crush lists without mercy.

If you have no desire for self-preservation here you go.

Deliciousness-Popcorn edition

Along the lines of “so delicious it should be illegal” is Pop! Gourmet Popcorn in White Truffle Bliss. I had never experienced the rich flavor of Truffles before, but this popcorn made me a convert. Even though I’m a writer, I am not a foodie, so how to describe the flavor of truffles if you’ve never experienced it, escapes me. I will say though that it reminds me subtly of bacon. Am I the only one? It’s so addictive there is no way to not finish the whole bag once you start. Each piece of popcorn is perfectly popped and lightly salted with truffle salt. I wish they sold this in movie theaters.

My love of this popcorn prompted a hopeless search for truffle oil. Why hopeless? Due to the high expense of real truffles, most truffle oils are made with chemicals and aromas to resemble the real thing. I eventually caved and bought one of these imposters, and an oil sprayer for my new gourmet purchase. Once home I excitedly opened the bottle and took a whiff. ICK!!! While I could detect the faint resemblance to truffle oil, I couldn’t get past the overwhelming chemical overtones, and the flavor was no better. I sadly chucked my faux truffle oil into the trash along with my my dreams of home made truffle fries and popcorn.

Anyways, back to Pop! Gourmet Popcorn. Unfortunately it’s incredibly hard to find this brand depending on where you live. The one store I had discovered it at stopped carrying it, and I wonder if the slightly higher price point for a smallish to medium bag (compared to some competitors) is the reason. Regardless next time I find it I am stocking up and if you want to experience heavenly popcorn goodness, you should too.

Things I find delicious

Under the category “Things I find delicious” I just have to have a sub-category “Men so hot it should be illegal”.

There are some things in this world that are just so amazing, so delicious, so sexy, they should be illegal. I’m talking about men of course. With my love of Kdrama and Kpop it should be no surprise that Korean men dominate my MOST WANTED list.

If you haven’t caught the Kwave yet, don’t worry you will, and one of these guys may be the reason why. For many, myself included, Rain is their first Kcrush.

This quadruple threat is everywhere-Actor, singer, dancer, martial artist. You might get your first glimpse of him in American movies like The Prince, Ninja Assassin, or Speed Racer. If you’ve caught the Kdrama bug already, it could be one of his many Kdramas like Full House or the one that suckered me in, Runaway Plan B. Last but not least it could be his music videos. With his unparallelled dance skills and soulful voice, he’s hard to resist.

I’ll close this post on my first Kcrush with one of Rain’s many sexy music video’s.