BTS’ j-hope’s solo album Jack in the Box made its much-anticipated release on July 15. While the rock title track Arson literally and metaphorically made an explosive release, the song = (Equal Sign) gave it a tough competition.The lyrics of Equal Sign imply deeper meanings and seek to educate people about any discrimination or prejudice they may harbour. With the artist's unrivalled power as a BTS member, ARMYs were overjoyed to see the 28-year-old speak up for things that mattered, albeit subtly.In one of the verses, the idol sings,“Hate’ll paralyze your mind / Gotta see the other side / It costs you nothing to be kind”Cladiya✨🃏xoq ǝɥʇ uı ʞɔɐſ@Cladiya_Km9597Me to them..... "Hate will paralyze your mind "#equalsign #JHOPEJackInTheBox #Jhope11Me to them..... "Hate will paralyze your mind "#equalsign #JHOPEJackInTheBox #Jhope https://t.co/H5iFPmvvSeWhile the entire song conveys similar messages, fans loved some verses more than others. They also praised the idol for standing up and spreading positivity through this song.BTS’ j-hope talks about a love transcending gender and boundaries - and ARMYs have nothing but positive reactions for it View this post on Instagram Instagram PostAs the first member to release a solo album, BTS’ j-hope sure has the entire K-pop industry hooked on Jack in the Box. An interesting pre-release party attended by the likes of Jessi, ZICO, Park Seo-joon, and many others from the industry aside, there’s one b-side track that became all the rage in the ARMY fandom.Titled = (Equal Sign), the song explicitly talks about love that’s beyond gender and boundaries and questions the notion of discrimination. The 28-year-old rapper explained the meaning he wanted to convey throughout the song, saying,“We’re all different people. That’s what I wanted to say. I wanted to say through this song that everyone should acknowledge their differences and be respected.”-ㅅ-@lyricsbyvhobi talking about equal sign :(4145016456hobi talking about equal sign :( https://t.co/FcuZDkZhJUFans who translated the lyrics into English were also proud of the idol for speaking up about important things on a bigger scale. The idol contrasted the vastness of the world with narrow-minded thoughts in the song.Another major part that ARMYs loved was BTS’ j-hope’s singing. The song was half rap-half vocals, and it included one of the not-so-frequently seen times when the Hope World rapper showed off his vocal ability.Many ARMYs commented that the song was made for the LGBTQ+ community. They also reminisced about the times when BTS’ j-hope openly talked about people “experiencing various types of loves” years ago in an MMA 2018 award speech.mali in the box@jikoobistaequal sign twitter.com/ktaebwi/status…rin⁷ 📒✒️@ktaebwi#JackInTheBox (ENG trans) J-hope - = (Equal Sign) (lyrics)213#JackInTheBox (ENG trans) J-hope - = (Equal Sign) (lyrics) https://t.co/bxAPWc3ObUequal sign twitter.com/ktaebwi/status… https://t.co/fJrdYnXdCpgay in the box⁷@yoongisgayvansgays when equal sign plays151214950gays when equal sign plays https://t.co/5AOryQqYuhnir⁷ 🃏@ughtan7when j-hope said "hate will paralyse your mind, gotta see the other side, it costs you nothin' to be kind" in equal sign and "Someone’s split-second becomes someone else’s memory, Someone’s anger costs someone else’s life" in UGH!165415291when j-hope said "hate will paralyse your mind, gotta see the other side, it costs you nothin' to be kind" in equal sign and "Someone’s split-second becomes someone else’s memory, Someone’s anger costs someone else’s life" in UGH!rahma⁷ in the box@lbtsishomelequal sign’s “it costs you nothing to be kind” // p.o.p’s “if i can give strength to someone, can be a light to someone. i wish, i could be a piece of peace”. hoseok choosing kindness despite despite despite.95273645equal sign’s “it costs you nothing to be kind” // p.o.p’s “if i can give strength to someone, can be a light to someone. i wish, i could be a piece of peace”. hoseok choosing kindness despite despite despite.jungkook admirer@dreamjeonshoseok's vocals in equal sign though..... dreamy1115390hoseok's vocals in equal sign though..... dreamy https://t.co/FcCIoT2Ko9leti in the box⁷ 🃏@raplineIover“we’re not so different, you and i looking for love in a different light(…) let’s come togetherequality is you and me” — Equal Sign, Jack in the Box (2022)343135“we’re not so different, you and i looking for love in a different light(…) let’s come togetherequality is you and me” — Equal Sign, Jack in the Box (2022) https://t.co/jKbGu73qtIrain⁷@namgriefand then he wrote equal sign for the gays116and then he wrote equal sign for the gays https://t.co/Z01tB1yjJK🃏⁷@jjkbhamHOSEOK UR SO REAL FOR THIS #equalsign13664HOSEOK UR SO REAL FOR THIS #equalsign https://t.co/WLuUpotaaGThe group’s leader, RM, also shared a screenshot of the song on his Instagram story and called it his favorite song.BTS Charts & Translations⁷@charts_kRM Instagram Storymy favorite= (Equal Sign)135584611RM Instagram Storymy favorite🎵= (Equal Sign) https://t.co/NGMOoF7VCdMeanwhile, Jack in the Box is a mini-album with 10 tracks. Keeping the pre-released track MORE aside, the songs include Intro, Pandora’s Box, STOP (세상에 나쁜 사람은 없다), = (Equal Sign), Music : Box Reflection, What If…, Safety Zone, Future and title track Arson. The album is available to stream on all music platforms.