"They were just playing": Internet reacts as BTS' Suga reveals the hilarious story behind creating the popular diss-track 'Ddaeng'

BTS' Min Yoongi, aka Suga, bid his fans farewell with the last episode of Suchwita on February 27, 2024. The show's last and 27th episode featured Suga's longtime friend and colleague, EL CAPITXN. Yoongi concluded his talk show with an old friend, just like he did when he launched Suchwita with BTS frontman Kim Namjoon—an acquaintance and close friend of more than 13 years.

Even though episode 27 marked the end of Suchwita season 1 and was a tear-jerker, it also had quite a few amusing parts to cheer his fans. During one of these happy segments, the rapper-songwriter revealed how the BTS members' failure to understand the game rules of Hwatu gave birth to the popular BTS track Ddaeng.

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Ddaeng was a result of a humble card game gone wrong

In Suchwita episode 27, Suga explained to EL CAPITXN how he was playing Hwatu with his members, and they all failed to understand the card rules. This resulted in the members repeatedly using the word "ddaeng" as they all made wrong card combinations.

One of the several songs from BTS' 2018 Festa celebration that are only available on SoundCloud is Ddaeng. RM, Suga, and J-Hope served their fans with a frantic hip-hop song that Suga co-produced, highlighting the group's progress despite the hostility they encountered. The song features a beat that is simultaneously trap and oriental.

Furthermore, it is a dissing song to communicate with their detractors and haters. Constructed on an Eastern instrumental-driven trap rhythm, the three artists rap about how BTS has unquestionably triumphed over critics who have previously denigrated them in the K-pop business.

The group's rappers were formerly widely criticized by the South Korean hip-hop community for being ordinary idol rappers. However, they have come to terms with this label. Suga's words in his song The Last chronicle further instances of hate and struggle that the group has faced since debuting in 2013.

However, the song's wordplay is phenomenal. For instance, the song's title, Ddaeng, is utilized several times. The swaggering "Ddaeng," like many of BTS's tracks, is full of multifaceted significance, even in the title. "Ddaeng" is an onomatopoeic term that mimics the sound of a "bell," which is similar to the English word "ding."

It is frequently used to denote an incorrect response and is also slang for good luck or prosperity that comes by chance. It also describes a play in the Korean card game Go-Stop, also known as Hwatu.

For the uninitiated, the card combinations—1-8, 1-3, and 3-8—come from the Korean card game Seotda or Hwatu and are considered the best possible card combos that can be obtained in a game. For instance, the legendary duo of 3 (sam in Korean) and 8 (phal in Korean), often known as "Sam Pal Ddaeng," is unbeatable. Therefore, "invincible" may be used to translate the first pair of Ddaeng—a phrase that is also used heavily in the BTS diss-track.

The song's lyrics convey many connotations, as the group cleverly alludes to several elements such as school bells, the card game (Sam Pal Ddaeng), and BTS's remarkable success in rising to the top of a fiercely competitive business.

The group, known by their Korean name Bangtan Sonyeondan, which translates to "Bulletproof Boy Scouts," is also referenced by the repeated "bang" in the song. Fans reacted to Suga's revelation on X as they couldn't believe such a funny instance would inspire an iconic and powerful diss track like Ddaeng.

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BTS' Suga ends Suchwita with a promise to come back

With Suga setting out on a new adventure, Suchwita's first season came to its finale in episode 27. The rapper and music producer implored his audience to wait for him and his bandmates to return from respective military tours during his farewell address in Suchwita. He said,

"But if u just wait a little bit you'll be able to see the 7 of us running around on stage again. I imagine that day a lot. If u open ur eyes one day, we'll probably be there. Because our team, BTS, has always been that kind of team" (as translated and quoted by @bts07ddaeng)

During the episode, Suga and EL CAPITXN discussed working together for almost a decade and how their personal and professional lives have become enmeshed. The duo relived their younger days when they had equally big dreams and ambitions in their eyes but were struggling to make music and leave a mark.

Music producer and singer-songwriter Jang Yi-jeong, aka EL CAPITXN, recalled how 2013 saw the debuts of their respective groups, HISTORY and BTS. He recounted the early days of his singing career setbacks when he was on the verge of losing his voice due to an illness in 2016.

The music producer said it came to the point where not just his singing but also his speech was impacted. He continued that the symptoms appeared more neurological and that they were never able to be treated. However, he mentioned how Suga offered to help him with the medical treatment and paid for the bills despite not doing so well financially.

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Fans have been clamoring on X for HYBE to officially drop Ddaeng on Spotify and Apple Music for them to stream it. The track is only available officially on SoundCloud, and a performance video of the BTS rap trio is available on YouTube on BANGTANTV.