iKON’s Bobby Explains His Choice to Diss BTS Instead of EXO in 2014
iKON’s Bobby thought he would land in hot water if he targeted EXO in 2014.
Back in 2014, iKON’s Bobby teamed up with Masta Wu for the track “Come Here,” where he dissed BTS’ RM, whose stage name was Rap Monster back then, and BTS (Bulletproof Boy Scouts) in his rap lyrics.
In his rap, Bobby went: “They call me a monster. You like a full-length mirror instead of a basement dungeon, right? If appearance is also a skill, then I’m Won Bin in front of bulletproof glass.”
In response, RM later clarified in an interview that he didn’t take offense at Bobby’s rap diss. He saw it as more of a friendly jab rather than anything malicious. However, at the MAMA 2014 rap battle, RM brought up Bobby’s verse again, quipping: “Hold up your shield and try to imitate my rap, you tone-deaf rapper.”
Fast forward to 2024, during an interview on Moneychord, Bobby reflected on why he targeted BTS instead of EXO 10 years ago.
Bobby said as he chuckled, “At the time, people were asking, ‘Why doesn’t he dare to go after EXO?’ Truth be told, I was worried I’d get in trouble if I dissed EXO… I couldn’t afford to make more enemies.”
In 2014, EXO was already a Daesang-winning top boy group with huge popularity, whereas BTS was still a relatively new group. This partly explains Bobby’s decision.
The Moneychord host joked that rap dissing doesn’t seem to sit well in South Korea, and idols’ fans might not fully grasp hip-hop culture. Sometimes, rap dissing could even be a sign of respect.
