Thing about the styling is: they hated it too 😅 they talked about being kinda isolated from other groups in the beginning because they were so self conscious to a point that Taeyong asked sm if they could change it, he felt so bad for Mark especially. It got much better later 😂
Taeyong and Mark were mad in Mad City. Literally. Their sound wasn’t well received by the general public, and Taeyong was constantly dealing with of defamation attacks.
Taeyong is def an incredible artist overall and you will see it if you get more into their content like the uncut videos, so dance practices and recording of the songs , he is really a true leader ( also imagine having to deal with 22 people and stand up for them too)
SR15B were the SM Rookies so they are the members who joined NCT later but they hadn't debuted when Switch was released, they were still trainees and were just part of the mv (some of them sang in the song though like Doyoung for example but he already debuted with nct u before so he wasn't a trainee anymore) In the mv we can see future membres of nct dream, nct 127 and wayv (only ten for wayv though) + hansol who ended up not debuting with nct
Taeyong is my ult for a reason lol he‘s just too good at everything he does😩 u should check out mad city live in seoul :) Taeyong & Mark are def my fav rap duo!
I love this album, you can tell it’s a first album but its still very solid and holds up really well. their albums keep getting better. For kpop it was a very very different sound at the time, they didn’t start off easy because they got a lot of criticism. especially as a debut, most artist tended to start with a safer sound. The styling was really out there as well, they were honestly embarrassed during promotions because they really stood out and not always in a good way 😂 also in this album they didn’t really get to show off their vocals, but you will see a big change in the next couple of albums. Also, trust me, they do r&b really well, just hold on a bit
I think really what stuck out to me in this is that legitimately they went with such a specific sound for a debut album, I appreciate the way they approached everything. I feel a little bad about my styling comments 😭 I LOVE how insane it is!! I mean it was bad forsure but truly that’s so important to a group, like let’s be crazy early and regret it! 😭 I’m so excited to hear more
@@Strokiemane no, don't feel bad, we still laugh to this day. Some of the photos of the time are hilarious. Also it's a bit nostalgic, new groups used to debut like losers(affectionately) and had so many cringy moments. Now most groups start super polished already
Switch sounds so different from the rest of the tracklist because it was actually NCT's first ever own song. They used to perform it during their 2015-2016 pre-debut showcase tour as SM Rookies, which is what SM called their trainees that they announced to the world and are highly likely debuting. The Switch music video was the VCR played in the big screens while the boys performed. It's one of the few times all the boys got to perform together because for their shows, the performances were mostly split between the hyung-line (Taeil to Jaehyun) and the maknae line (Mark to Jisung.) It was a nice surprise that SM included Switch in 127's debut mini album and also released the video. The hyung line of the SM Rookies boys ended up being NCT 127, of which only Winwin and Jungwoo weren't in this video, as Winwin was announced for SM Rookies in early 2016, just before the NCT debuted, and Jungwoo only became an SM Rookie in 2017 and debuted into NCT in 2018. All the younger kids in the Switch music video eventually debuted in NCT Dream with Mark and Haechan, plus two other members Renjun and Chenle. Also, at the time Switch was recorded, all the boys pre-NCT were called SR15B, meaning SM Rookies 2015 Boys. The only one in this 2015 lineup who didn't debut into NCT was Hansol.
Damn if you like taeyong he has released 2 mini album. I think you would like it. He was the sole lyricists and has just like 1 composer/producer besides himself. He writes/composes/choreographs/raps/sings/visual/center/leader/actor/stage director just an overall idea bank.
LOVE the love for Mad City, I always feel like this song does not get enough credit. The live performance is 🔥. FYI there are live performances for a lot of these early bsides (off the first 3 mini albums) from The Origin concert.
Just found your channel and am subscribing for future NCT reactions! Thank you so much for checking them out in depth! I hope that at one point, you'll go back to check out the dance practices too because they are incredible performers and you'll be able to see the whole choreo better. Their live stages are also great and often make the songs even more enjoyable. Every member is so talented. Taeyong and Mark are my favorite rap duo in K-pop, and Taeyong is my ultimate bias! I'm so glad that you like his voice. He seems to be somewhat polarizing and gets a lot of hate for no reason (as referenced in Mad City by Mark). I really hope you'll check out Taeyong's solo works at some point. He writes and composes ALL of his own music. His raps are cool and super interesting, but he also experiments with a lot of other genres--hiphop, rock, ballads, R&B, drum & bass, low-fi, pop, etc. Taeyong is a rapper but can do pretty much anything; he's a true artist.
I know what you mean about the styling (and this isn't anywhere near the oddest styling I've seen a kpop group try...don't think you can even be a kpop idol without having at least one era of regrettable styling....) A lot for rookies to carry but they did. They did perform a lot of these b-sides as part of their first headline tour- NCT The Origin tour. If you search NCT The Origin and the song name you'll find the live concert stages usually. And you really have to check out Mark and Taeyong doing their raps live! MarkYong and written and performed some amazing rap duets over the years. My favs are not even on an album, just in live performance so far: Undercover and Himalayas. Here's some links. (I have a whole MarkYong playlist because they are my fav rap duo) Undercover (performance starts about 1:15) : czcams.com/video/frPOOlVEwEE/video.html Himalayas: czcams.com/video/gDJhGRmqR-M/video.html Oh and they have a great rap stage with Johnny and Yuta called Hello (from the Link tour) czcams.com/video/BXremHqjDpI/video.html
😭😭 I don’t wanna come off like a hater! I love how insane it was, like I said every idol has the regrettable era it’s part of the journey thanks for the live stage tips and links! Definitely need to see those.
I’m a big Kendrick Lamar fan and I 100% agree about the influence of western music and especially black artists and the sound we’ve popularized, but Idk I don’t think I ever picked up on any potential connection to “good kid maad city”. Very interesting theory/opinion though! I love the rap on “Mad City” but I do NOT like the beat or production on the song unfortunately lol the song is much better when performed live though imo! Other comments said it but yeah Mark and Taeyong were legit mad. It’s insane to me that they were rookies and already having to address haters because the hate wave for NCT at debut was insane. Mark’s line saying “Why are they doubting TY” was especially pointed because Taeyong is the leader of NCT and NCT 127 and was facing the brunt of public insult. Between rumors and accusations of him being a bully (disproven and legally cleared up by SM), the general public directing all their complaints at NCT’s musical style and concept at him as the face of the group, AND SM the company literally telling him “if NCT fail it’s your fault”, that man was having a ROUGH time and I respect his strength so much because he shouldered so much responsibility so early on and its thankfully paid off over the years. He's one of my 3 ults in NCT for a reason! 37:54 Im so glad you commented that Markyong are a true rap line! Before them and NCT, SM was not known for having good rappers. This is no shade to any of the SM rappers before but they're all definitely "kpop rappers" who weren't necessarily skilled at the art, but did it because thats just how kpop songs work. Mark and Taeyong are still definitely "kpop rappers" (Mark has even said he would NEVER label himself a real rapper, and imo if you're not black you genuinely will never be a REAL rapper. you can be good at it and have a career but i think there's an intrinsic disconnect there otherwise). But Mark and Taeyong really stood out above the rest as having some legit SKILL and sauce when it came down to it lol I love it
Haha if there’s one thing I love doing its really streeetching to make connections that pop up in my head (but yea truly there really was none in this case😭) im so glad I wasn’t in the minority with these thoughts lol the beat just wasntttt really it! its really wild hearing about how serious they were about it, like there was real emotion in their voices and knowing that it wasn’t just a performance but actually reflected how they felt makes it hit that much harder I appreciate the sort of self-awareness Mark shows with the statement you mentioned. obviously I am not someone to speak with authority about this in any way, but I do think it shows the respect he has for the art form and I think that’s reflected in his abilities tbh cuz he and Taeyong kinda just always go in LOL
SR15B was basically SM ROOKIES but just for NCT, that's why you can see NCT DREAM members, Ten, Doyoung, Johnny and Hansol (didn't end up debuting in NCT) in the Switch MV. All members who were in/were going to be in NCT at that time are present in the MV!
I think Taeil and Jungwoo can sometimes sound similar in certain songs. But in general, Taeil is usually the one that carries the power vocals/parts in group songs.
I'd forgotten Wake Up entirely ngl 127 likes to add an attempt at EDM song in every album it's almost always my least favorite. Bless em. Absolutely there with you on Mad City. The beat could have been anything else and would probably be better. Also if you're into Taeyong's rapping will wait patiently until you finally get to Skyscraper and his solo work bc he's gotten a lot better.
hehe if for nothing else it’s fun to have a through-line to see how the rest of the sound changes around it Ive kinda come back around on Mad City? not my opinion of the beat (still not super high on it lol) but idk maybe just viewing it as a skill exhibition for Mark and Taeyong? or maybe it’s just cope cuz I feel like a crazier beat woulda been sooo crazy😭 can’t wait🤞
It's a little of column A, a little of column B imo. Their label's musical bedrock is R&B, bc their founder and their first two producers were massive Boyz II Men fans so you'll find that to be true for all SM groups. In fact if you're into R&B Shinee and EXO lean even harder into it than NCT. Not big into exo myself but they are pretty much unquestionably some of the best singers in the industry if you like R&B in general. But also true that it has something to do with their age as a group. R&B was the core influence for much of first and second gen kpop and the girlies had to be able to sing (especially since Mariah/Janet/Babyface/MJ were very obvious and sometimes overly liberal inspirations for that era). As kpop gets more production and rap-heavy in the 3rd and especially the 4th gen the more popular artists are singing and taking inspiration from R&B a lot less. In NCT's case though that era was definitely on its way out when they arrived and groups like Seventeen came up. Their label just can't help themselves but the incorporate it into most of their artists' music.
Ah wow that makes so much sense. It’s interesting getting to know groups from different companies etc and seeing how the influences of the founders really plays into the foundations of the groups (ie JYPE having training rooms named after Bobby Brown, which was a genuine shock to me when I found out lol) I don’t have much experience with SM groups but I do know that the general meme/sentiment is that no matter what SM girls/groups are GOING to sing lol, so learning more of this makes things way clearer lol
the quintessential group if you like r&b is exo. sometimes i think of them as a group of k r&b artists rather than a kpop group, but they do other genres too. SM in general has 2 main focuses: experimental sound, with r&b and intense vocals as their foundation. nct 127 have some incredible r&b bsides in future albums :)
I wholeheartedly agree with you that Taeil sounds like he could be in DoJaeJung in terms of the vocal similarity. In my personal opinion, Taeil and Doyoung (who is part of DoJaeJung) sound vocally similar (and they are both amazing vocalists, separately speaking).
Some incredible vocalists! hopefully I’m able to make the distinctions soon 😅 and thanks for the Persona 5 shout out hehe I’ve been secretly waiting to see if anyone would call it out😭🤞
Thing about the styling is: they hated it too 😅 they talked about being kinda isolated from other groups in the beginning because they were so self conscious to a point that Taeyong asked sm if they could change it, he felt so bad for Mark especially. It got much better later 😂
😭😭 aw well it’s an integral aspect of the idol experience, sometimes the styling in ur early days needs to be insane!
Taeyong and Mark were mad in Mad City. Literally. Their sound wasn’t well received by the general public, and Taeyong was constantly dealing with of defamation attacks.
I can feel that honestly
Taeyong is def an incredible artist overall and you will see it if you get more into their content like the uncut videos, so dance practices and recording of the songs , he is really a true leader ( also imagine having to deal with 22 people and stand up for them too)
Seriously, thinking about being the leader of a group of boys that big is insane
SR15B were the SM Rookies so they are the members who joined NCT later but they hadn't debuted when Switch was released, they were still trainees and were just part of the mv (some of them sang in the song though like Doyoung for example but he already debuted with nct u before so he wasn't a trainee anymore)
In the mv we can see future membres of nct dream, nct 127 and wayv (only ten for wayv though) + hansol who ended up not debuting with nct
Ahhhh I see!
Taeyong is my ult for a reason lol he‘s just too good at everything he does😩 u should check out mad city live in seoul :) Taeyong & Mark are def my fav rap duo!
I’m definitely gonna check out some live performances!
I love this album, you can tell it’s a first album but its still very solid and holds up really well. their albums keep getting better. For kpop it was a very very different sound at the time, they didn’t start off easy because they got a lot of criticism. especially as a debut, most artist tended to start with a safer sound. The styling was really out there as well, they were honestly embarrassed during promotions because they really stood out and not always in a good way 😂 also in this album they didn’t really get to show off their vocals, but you will see a big change in the next couple of albums. Also, trust me, they do r&b really well, just hold on a bit
I think really what stuck out to me in this is that legitimately they went with such a specific sound for a debut album, I appreciate the way they approached everything. I feel a little bad about my styling comments 😭 I LOVE how insane it is!! I mean it was bad forsure but truly that’s so important to a group, like let’s be crazy early and regret it! 😭 I’m so excited to hear more
@@Strokiemane no, don't feel bad, we still laugh to this day. Some of the photos of the time are hilarious. Also it's a bit nostalgic, new groups used to debut like losers(affectionately) and had so many cringy moments. Now most groups start super polished already
Switch sounds so different from the rest of the tracklist because it was actually NCT's first ever own song. They used to perform it during their 2015-2016 pre-debut showcase tour as SM Rookies, which is what SM called their trainees that they announced to the world and are highly likely debuting. The Switch music video was the VCR played in the big screens while the boys performed. It's one of the few times all the boys got to perform together because for their shows, the performances were mostly split between the hyung-line (Taeil to Jaehyun) and the maknae line (Mark to Jisung.) It was a nice surprise that SM included Switch in 127's debut mini album and also released the video. The hyung line of the SM Rookies boys ended up being NCT 127, of which only Winwin and Jungwoo weren't in this video, as Winwin was announced for SM Rookies in early 2016, just before the NCT debuted, and Jungwoo only became an SM Rookie in 2017 and debuted into NCT in 2018. All the younger kids in the Switch music video eventually debuted in NCT Dream with Mark and Haechan, plus two other members Renjun and Chenle.
Also, at the time Switch was recorded, all the boys pre-NCT were called SR15B, meaning SM Rookies 2015 Boys. The only one in this 2015 lineup who didn't debut into NCT was Hansol.
Ahhh I see! Thats a nice added layer to it!
Damn if you like taeyong he has released 2 mini album. I think you would like it. He was the sole lyricists and has just like 1 composer/producer besides himself. He writes/composes/choreographs/raps/sings/visual/center/leader/actor/stage director just an overall idea bank.
I can’t wait! So exciting to hear how much control he had over the production too. Love seeing that from artists
this true, taeyong song is masterpiece
LOVE the love for Mad City, I always feel like this song does not get enough credit. The live performance is 🔥. FYI there are live performances for a lot of these early bsides (off the first 3 mini albums) from The Origin concert.
100% gonna check out live stages!!
I have to say NCT127 first album really brings me the luxurious night clubbing feels.
I definitely see where ur coming from!
Just found your channel and am subscribing for future NCT reactions! Thank you so much for checking them out in depth! I hope that at one point, you'll go back to check out the dance practices too because they are incredible performers and you'll be able to see the whole choreo better. Their live stages are also great and often make the songs even more enjoyable. Every member is so talented. Taeyong and Mark are my favorite rap duo in K-pop, and Taeyong is my ultimate bias! I'm so glad that you like his voice. He seems to be somewhat polarizing and gets a lot of hate for no reason (as referenced in Mad City by Mark). I really hope you'll check out Taeyong's solo works at some point. He writes and composes ALL of his own music. His raps are cool and super interesting, but he also experiments with a lot of other genres--hiphop, rock, ballads, R&B, drum & bass, low-fi, pop, etc. Taeyong is a rapper but can do pretty much anything; he's a true artist.
Aw that’s so nice to hear :) I hope you can enjoy the journey with me!
nct acc got alot of hate for their sound!! I think ppl only started taking them seriously cherry bomb
anytime someone comes with something new ppl are bound to hate. Unfortunate!
I know what you mean about the styling (and this isn't anywhere near the oddest styling I've seen a kpop group try...don't think you can even be a kpop idol without having at least one era of regrettable styling....) A lot for rookies to carry but they did.
They did perform a lot of these b-sides as part of their first headline tour- NCT The Origin tour. If you search NCT The Origin and the song name you'll find the live concert stages usually.
And you really have to check out Mark and Taeyong doing their raps live! MarkYong and written and performed some amazing rap duets over the years. My favs are not even on an album, just in live performance so far: Undercover and Himalayas. Here's some links. (I have a whole MarkYong playlist because they are my fav rap duo)
Undercover (performance starts about 1:15) : czcams.com/video/frPOOlVEwEE/video.html
Himalayas: czcams.com/video/gDJhGRmqR-M/video.html
Oh and they have a great rap stage with Johnny and Yuta called Hello (from the Link tour) czcams.com/video/BXremHqjDpI/video.html
😭😭 I don’t wanna come off like a hater! I love how insane it was, like I said every idol has the regrettable era it’s part of the journey
thanks for the live stage tips and links! Definitely need to see those.
I really love that you have a MarkYong playlist 💚
I’m a big Kendrick Lamar fan and I 100% agree about the influence of western music and especially black artists and the sound we’ve popularized, but Idk I don’t think I ever picked up on any potential connection to “good kid maad city”. Very interesting theory/opinion though!
I love the rap on “Mad City” but I do NOT like the beat or production on the song unfortunately lol the song is much better when performed live though imo!
Other comments said it but yeah Mark and Taeyong were legit mad. It’s insane to me that they were rookies and already having to address haters because the hate wave for NCT at debut was insane. Mark’s line saying “Why are they doubting TY” was especially pointed because Taeyong is the leader of NCT and NCT 127 and was facing the brunt of public insult. Between rumors and accusations of him being a bully (disproven and legally cleared up by SM), the general public directing all their complaints at NCT’s musical style and concept at him as the face of the group, AND SM the company literally telling him “if NCT fail it’s your fault”, that man was having a ROUGH time and I respect his strength so much because he shouldered so much responsibility so early on and its thankfully paid off over the years. He's one of my 3 ults in NCT for a reason!
37:54 Im so glad you commented that Markyong are a true rap line! Before them and NCT, SM was not known for having good rappers. This is no shade to any of the SM rappers before but they're all definitely "kpop rappers" who weren't necessarily skilled at the art, but did it because thats just how kpop songs work. Mark and Taeyong are still definitely "kpop rappers" (Mark has even said he would NEVER label himself a real rapper, and imo if you're not black you genuinely will never be a REAL rapper. you can be good at it and have a career but i think there's an intrinsic disconnect there otherwise). But Mark and Taeyong really stood out above the rest as having some legit SKILL and sauce when it came down to it lol I love it
Haha if there’s one thing I love doing its really streeetching to make connections that pop up in my head (but yea truly there really was none in this case😭)
im so glad I wasn’t in the minority with these thoughts lol the beat just wasntttt really it!
its really wild hearing about how serious they were about it, like there was real emotion in their voices and knowing that it wasn’t just a performance but actually reflected how they felt makes it hit that much harder
I appreciate the sort of self-awareness Mark shows with the statement you mentioned. obviously I am not someone to speak with authority about this in any way, but I do think it shows the respect he has for the art form and I think that’s reflected in his abilities tbh cuz he and Taeyong kinda just always go in LOL
SR15B was basically SM ROOKIES but just for NCT, that's why you can see NCT DREAM members, Ten, Doyoung, Johnny and Hansol (didn't end up debuting in NCT) in the Switch MV. All members who were in/were going to be in NCT at that time are present in the MV!
ah!
really excited for your reaction to the cherry bomb album for me it has no skips .
SO looking forward to that!
I think Taeil and Jungwoo can sometimes sound similar in certain songs. But in general, Taeil is usually the one that carries the power vocals/parts in group songs.
shout out to Taeil! I’ll pick up the difference soon!
I'd forgotten Wake Up entirely ngl 127 likes to add an attempt at EDM song in every album it's almost always my least favorite. Bless em.
Absolutely there with you on Mad City. The beat could have been anything else and would probably be better.
Also if you're into Taeyong's rapping will wait patiently until you finally get to Skyscraper and his solo work bc he's gotten a lot better.
hehe if for nothing else it’s fun to have a through-line to see how the rest of the sound changes around it
Ive kinda come back around on Mad City? not my opinion of the beat (still not super high on it lol) but idk maybe just viewing it as a skill exhibition for Mark and Taeyong? or maybe it’s just cope cuz I feel like a crazier beat woulda been sooo crazy😭
can’t wait🤞
It's a little of column A, a little of column B imo. Their label's musical bedrock is R&B, bc their founder and their first two producers were massive Boyz II Men fans so you'll find that to be true for all SM groups. In fact if you're into R&B Shinee and EXO lean even harder into it than NCT. Not big into exo myself but they are pretty much unquestionably some of the best singers in the industry if you like R&B in general.
But also true that it has something to do with their age as a group. R&B was the core influence for much of first and second gen kpop and the girlies had to be able to sing (especially since Mariah/Janet/Babyface/MJ were very obvious and sometimes overly liberal inspirations for that era). As kpop gets more production and rap-heavy in the 3rd and especially the 4th gen the more popular artists are singing and taking inspiration from R&B a lot less. In NCT's case though that era was definitely on its way out when they arrived and groups like Seventeen came up. Their label just can't help themselves but the incorporate it into most of their artists' music.
Ah wow that makes so much sense. It’s interesting getting to know groups from different companies etc and seeing how the influences of the founders really plays into the foundations of the groups (ie JYPE having training rooms named after Bobby Brown, which was a genuine shock to me when I found out lol)
I don’t have much experience with SM groups but I do know that the general meme/sentiment is that no matter what SM girls/groups are GOING to sing lol, so learning more of this makes things way clearer lol
Paradise is my favorite track in this album✨
I love that for u :)
the quintessential group if you like r&b is exo. sometimes i think of them as a group of k r&b artists rather than a kpop group, but they do other genres too. SM in general has 2 main focuses: experimental sound, with r&b and intense vocals as their foundation. nct 127 have some incredible r&b bsides in future albums :)
Ah another EXO mention! I might have to check them out. excited to hear more from 127 :)
I wholeheartedly agree with you that Taeil sounds like he could be in DoJaeJung in terms of the vocal similarity. In my personal opinion, Taeil and Doyoung (who is part of DoJaeJung) sound vocally similar (and they are both amazing vocalists, separately speaking).
BTW I keep meaning to say, nice use of Persona 5 OST 😉😁
Some incredible vocalists! hopefully I’m able to make the distinctions soon 😅
and thanks for the Persona 5 shout out hehe I’ve been secretly waiting to see if anyone would call it out😭🤞
More nct please ❤
100%
please react to taeyong solo stuff he is multitalented idol
I definitely will get there!
if you like rnb you should rly check out the nct dojaejung album! the whole album is such a vibe 😩😩😩😩
Oh trust me I will! I heard perfume and fell in love with that song, I can’t wait to hear that one!
if ur into rnb u GOTTA listen to exo and specifically baekhyun
Oh I’ve always wanted to check EXO out!