LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 03: J-Hope of BTS attends the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards at MGM Grand … [+]
J-Hope is enjoying one of the best weeks yet of his solo career, as his name appears on both of Billboard’s two most important charts. With a pair of new wins to his credit, the BTS superstar moves up on several all-time rankings, making history and tying his bandmate in the process.
As his sophomore solo full-length project Jack in the Box opens at No. 17 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, the set’s second focus track “Arson” sneaks onto the Hot 100, debuting at No. 96. It remains relatively uncommon for any South Korean solo musician to make it to the list of the 100 most-consumed tracks in the U.S., and thus far, only a handful have managed to hit the tally. J-Hope has not only appeared on the ranking before, but he’s done so several times.
J-Hope broke barriers in 2019 when he and Becky G sent their multi-lingual collaboration “Chicken Noodle Soup” to No. 81. It remains the BTS musician’s highest-charting hit, though he nearly matched it earlier this year. Just before Jack in the Box arrived in full, J-Hope dropped the album’s lead single “More,” which peaked at No. 82 a short time ago. Now, “Arson” turns two appearances to three, and while it may be his lowest-ranking song, it’s not the position that’s not what matters most in this instance.
Three entries on the Hot 100 is an impressive and historic number among his countrymen working on their own, and it proves his power and popularity once more. In fact, only two other artists from South Korea who release music as soloists have pushed at least three tracks to the chart.
J-Hope is currently tied with fellow BTS powerhouse Suga, who has also charted a trio of tunes on the Hot 100, though he’s done so under two different names. He first hit the chart in 2020 with “Daechwita” (No. 76), which he released as Agust D, a moniker he uses when releasing solo material (sometimes). He has also appeared on the tally as Suga on Juice Wrld’s “Girl of My Dreams” (No. 29) and earlier this year alongside Psy on “That That” (No. 80).
The only South Korean soloist who has collected more Hot 100 wins is Psy, who has now made his way to the competitive list with five different tunes. After doing what many assumed was impossible when he pushed his breakout smash “Gangnam Style” to No. 2 in 2012, the pioneering talent returned to the roster with “Gentleman” (No. 5), “Hangover” with Snoop Dogg (No. 26), “Daddy” with CL (No. 97) and the aforementioned “That That” with Suga (No. 80).
Looking at the list of all South Korean musical acts and those that have reached the ranking most often, J-Hope sits in fourth place (with Suga), coming in behind BTS (25), Blackpink (7), and Psy (5). Before this week, he was on the same level as fellow K-pop stars CL, Lisa (of Blackpink fame), and another BTS performer, Jung Kook.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2022/07/25/btss-j-hope-ties-bandmate-suga-for-a-special-piece-of-hot-100-history/