An in-depth Guide to 3Racha

This is kind of a companion piece to my "Advanced Guide to Stray Kids", going a bit deeper into the 3 amazing members of the production subunit "3Racha".
I recommend watching the other guide first, because I tried not to repeat too much, so there should be stuff there that isn't here.
Please be aware that there can always be said more about all of them and in order to keep the video at a somewhat manageable length, I needed to make choices sometimes.
Sources used:
Stray Kids MVs: www.youtube.co...
Stray Kids Content: www.youtube.co...
3Racha - Passion (Live at KCON:TACT Summer 2020): • 3RACHA of Stray Kids (...
Stray Kids - Superboard (live at the Golden Disk Awards 2023): • [제37회 골든디스크] Stray Kid...
3Racha - Runner’s High (JYP Trainee Showcase 2017): • 3Racha Runner's High ...
Monty Python - Intermission: • Monty Python and the H...
Epik High: Here + Prequel: • [라이브] Epik High (에픽하이)...
Taylor Swift - Shake it Off: • Taylor Swift - Shake I...
David Guetta feat. Kelly Rowland: • David Guetta Feat. Kel...
Protect Ya Neck Recording Session (from Wu-Tang An American Saga): • Protect Ya Neck Record...
Seo Taiji & Boys - I Know: • 서태지와 아이들(Seotaiji and ...
Block B - NalinA: • Block B(블락비) _ NalinA(...
Zach Sang Show - Interview: • Stray Kids Talk Christ...
Off-Stage Interview Hot Sauce: • STRAY KIDS, 2PM, CHUNG...
JYP Interview Eng Subs by Stray Subs: • [ENG SUB] Stray Kids x...
3Racha - 3Racha (live at K-909): • [최초공개] Stray Kids 방찬 X...
F.Hero x Milli feat. Changbin of Stray Kids - Mirror, Mirror: • F.HERO x MILLI Ft. Cha...
Stray Kids take a Friendship Test (Glamour): • Stray Kids Take a Frie...
3Racha live at Hallyu Festival 2021: • Video
Han Jisung Freestyle Rap live in Oakland, Fancam Adriel Pineda: • Stray Kids - Han's Fre...
3Racha Carpe Diem compilation: • 3RACHA Carpe Diem Rap ...
Keywords:
3Racha Bang Chan Changbin Han Jisung Christopher Bang Seo Changbin Stray Kids SKZ Guide KPOP Guide Video Documentary Introduction Helpful Dancing Video Essay Music Production

[@savagekingz1678]

Hi! This guide is a follow-up to my "An Advanced Guide to Stray Kids". I already did Danceracha and Vocalracha, go check them out, too, if you haven't! This concludes my series of in-depth guides. I might make another video compiling a few clips I was considering for these guides, or things about the members I didn't mention, because it didn't really fit into these videos for different reasons.

[@GolyenHighway]

I like that you included some information about Hip Hop in general to help explain the basis of 3Racha. Very nicely done.

[@demonbab]

i absolutely love your videos! this is how i would like to make a guide if i ever did. it astounds me constantly that stray kids have so much control over their music despite their insane schedules as idols. and focusing solely on credits ignores so much that they should be praised for. like, the fact that they write their songs means they have to choose line distribution and it allows them to write parts specifically for each member. this is a really overlooked strength imo. it's more than just changbin introducing himself in thunderous or felix saying "felix never bad", but all of their songs are written with consideration for each members' strengths and weaknesses. no one is ever crammed in somewhere because they need lines. even when felix wasn't good at korean, they would build their songs to allow him to get adlibs or slower parts. they don't let anyone struggle. they don't write songs they can't sing, they don't make members sing if they don't want to, or conversely, if they want to try something new, they can. thanks for putting some music history in here; i think a lot of younger k-pop fans are just starting to learn about music and the industry for the first time, and sometimes there's not a lot of understanding of (or respect paid to) artists who came before. it's strange because i feel like among kpop artists, there's such a feeling of respect for acts who came before, but fans have been conditioned into seeing anyone other than their faves as competition, even legendary acts. maybe not stays quite as much, because chan does try to drill respect into us lol, but for all the fans who aren't korean, there isn't much knowledge of k-pop's history and they might not know anything other than k-pop either, so they think of all current k-pop music as existing in a void. when in reality, there's so much complex musical history at play. 3racha are such a strong unit and it really amazes me how the universe brought them together...of course JYPE has managed to attract some of korea's best talents, and then also succeeded in shaping them into incredible musicians. but also just the way they compliment each other, musically and in terms of personality, feels near impossible. even other groups from major companies with production lines can't touch their synergy. anyway, 3racha are amazing, all your guides are amazing, thanks for your hard work!

[@savagekingz1678]

Thanks! 💚 I started making these guides partially because it isn't the type of information that usually gets included in general guides, and I labeled them in a way that will hopefully bring people, who are interested in this side of the industry. One of my friends joked that I could write a thesis on self-production in KPop by now, because I have looked into so many other aspects related to it, just to give myself a better idea what 3Racha are doing and where they stand in the industry. There are actually a lot of misconceptions around this topic in KPop and in Pop in general, that I also held uncritically, because I just didn't know and it isn't something that's really talked about. I hesitated putting that intermission there at first, because it is a tangent, but I realised that especially Western KPop fans who were socialised in the Western market, come in with a skewed perception of what artists do in Pop. It is really complex to sort through, because the terminology is not clear. I only put the triad of lyrics - composition - arrangements in the video, because that's how credits are usually awarded. But as soon as you get into the details and everyday conversations, the same words can be used to mean different things and it gets messy quickly. For instance, "this artist writes their own music" can mean "they write/contribute to lyrics", but it can also mean "they write lyrics and compose toplines". So, songwriter can mean lyricist, but more often it is lyrics + composition. Often, it takes time to figure out which one it is In most genres of popular music in the West, artists who write their own lyrics and toplines have a reputation of being "artists who make their own music". But there is also "production". There are (at least) two meanings to the word that get thrown together all the time: on the one hand, the person (usually a behind the scenes professional) who makes the arrangements and often contributes to composition as well is called "producer". But on the other hand, the person who takes the executive decisions on where a song should go etc. is also called "producer", and sometimes, this is someone who does not touch the arrangements at all, but might or might not be a songwriter or the artist themselves. For example, Taylor Swift, even though she "only" directly contributes lyrics and composition to her songs, is also a producer of her own music in that sense, because she makes these decisions together with the lead producer/arranger (Max Martin mostly). So, does that mean she is "fully self-produced"? On the one hand you could say yes, because she is one of the driving forces behind the direction her songs take. (btw. I only use her as an example, because a lot of people know her, but it is not music I personally listen to and I'm unfamiliar with many details beyond that) On the other hand, it gives a really skewed impression if you don't also acknowledge that the person she has most often worked with behind the scenes has been one of, if not the most successful Pop music producer in the world for more than two decades. As much as Taylor Swift makes her own music, it matters that someone like Max Martin was there with her, if you want to understand her music's mainstream appeal. Still, before I looked into it, I didn't know she worked with Max Martin. Not because it was a secret, she actually mentions it a lot, but if you don't follow her and only go by superficial talk about her, she has this reputation as someone who makes her own music. I simply never stopped to think about who else might contribute to it. If we decide that yes, this still means she is self-produced, because she shares the executive co-producer role, then how do you differentiate this from a hip-hop crew whose DJ/producer is often their (official or inofficial) leader and if they work with additional external producers, the crew members themselves are much more hands-on in making the actual arrangements (but indirectly, they "outsource" some of the professional producer tasks to whoever made the sample they are using). Where do you want to draw the line? Do we even have to draw a line? I don't think we necessarily do, but we need to stop acting as if it was a huge flaw for artists to work with professionals, even though that's what everyone has to do on some level. That's why it is so crucial to understand the hip-hop roots of 3Racha and some of the other hip-hop based KPop acts. Most of the KPop acts that are called self-produced actually follow the Pop music tradition (so, like Taylor Swift, where the idols write, maybe compose, and if they are really involved co-produce in the executive sense, but don't touch the arrangement). Now, you can't really compare the two industries, and what goes on behind the scenes that might be undeclared also muddies the waters, but I see a lot of Western people get into KPop holding idols (other than their faves, obviously 🙄) to a much higher standard than they would with Western artists. Unknowingly, because they never questioned their assumptions about music in the West, and what they think they know about Korea. Like, I legit saw people question whether SKZ should be allowed to call themselves self-produced, because they collaborate with other producers and even sometimes because they use samples (who in KPop doesn't 🤦). If that is your standard, then nobody in the mainstream pop business meets your standard for self-produced. But it also always makes me uneasy when Stays act as if SKZ 100% do everything themselves... because they don't. Nobody on this level of Pop music production does. They can't. SKZ do a baffling amount themselves, and it speaks for how well-organised their process is that they manage to do it all. The moment I realised how far it really goes, was when I found that clip of Bang Chan talking about how he listens to the tune, mixing, and mastering monitors and interacts with the engineers to make sure the final product fits their vision. And I think this is actually something that you can hear in SKZ songs. They are always super well mixed (from what I as a layperson and amateur can tell), and I think part of it is because 3Racha as the people with the most clear vision of the final song are the ones giving feedback, and Bang Chan is obviously skilled/trained enough to be able to communicate with these technicians and engineers. (And yet, they still need to get JYP and whoever else executive produces on their albums to sign off on it in the end. Nuances.) I don't know enough of the process of other self-producing groups to be able to tell how common all of this is in KPop, but the more I look into it, the more I find that at least for boy groups (for girl groups, the situation is even more complex) and soloists (male or female), it isn't that unusual to have the artists or certain members consistently contribute to the lyrics and/or composition. Especially those following a hip-hop tradition production-wise usually have rappers who write their own verses at least. However, it seems like for most groups who do that, there is either only one member who participates in the production beyond lyrics, or several members do that on different songs, but not together, and not as a fixed unit like 3Racha. So, this seems to be something that is unusual about Stray Kids. But unfortunately, KPop fandoms, especially for boy groups, have a tendency to believe their faves are "not like other girls [boygroups]". They never really seem to know who these other groups are exactly, that their faves are so unlike to. (They exist, mostly groups under SM tend to be more focused on performance and only allow artist contributions to their already established and successful acts. But the pool of artists who contribute to their own music in KPop is larger than cliché would have it, especially starting from 3rd Gen onwards, and to me it doesn't seem significantly smaller (proportionally) than in Western Pop.) At the end of the day, what matters is the music that comes out of it, what the artists want to accomplish, and how it is received by audiences. I think I mentioned it elsewhere, the production was actually what caught my attention first and there are a lot more things that could be said about it 😅

[@jadefrog]

Awesome, loved this, loved the intermission section on kpop producing and hip hop, and I loved loved loved how you talked about the fact that no artist (solo or group) at their level of international pop, kpop or otherwise, can be 100% self made. Almost no one talks about this. So many Stays are really aggressive about insisting that Skz has total artistic input, they do their own choreo, write the storylines for their videos, etc. etc., and I've gotten jumped on a few times when I've mentioned in comments that the majority of their releases are co-produced, that they often do not know the storyline of the MVs they are working on, etc. To me this is just obvious--Stray Kids are insanely talented and crazy productive, but there are only so many hours in the day and only so much that anyone can specialize in. They write, compose, produce, sing, rap, dance, perform, model, MC, do the interview rounds, train their bodies and voices for hours....I don't understand how anyone could think that they have time to choreograph their complex dances and personally train the back-up dancers, or write and direct some of the best MVs in the business. They hire the best choreographers and directors, so that they can focus on their own work. I'm a Westerner who was trained very early on to believe that the individual should usually take precedence over the group. I grew up in a culture that glorifies the solo artist, the maverick, the brave explorer who goes against the cultural norms to single-handedly save society from hide-bound slavery to out-dated and ineffective rote thinking. The possibility that a truly great artist might work better as part of a group was not ever mentioned. The idea was more that if an artist (meaning painter, singer, film maker, dancer etc.) started in a group, the best ones would eventually work up to going solo. Dancers would start in the corps and work up to being soloists and headliners, the best singers would leave the group and go out on their own, and if they didn't make it solo, it was because they just weren't good enough, or they "didn't have it in them". Yet what I see in kpop is that the strong group dynamic can give a synergy that makes the sum much greater than its parts. I see leaders like Chan encouraging their members to do more, become more active in writing and composing, I see more artists breaking out of narrow roles, and i see them supporting and encouraging one another for years. I really see that in 3Racha, and also in Stray Kids. Chan, Changbin and Han are all geniuses in their way, they could probably each do alright as soloists based on talent, technical skill and know-how, yet they all have particular strengths that create a synergy that is more than any of them could probably do alone. When you look at the song credits, Bang Chan's name comes up more than anyone else', on more songs in more roles--he's much more likely to arrange than the other two, for instance. But he doesn't like working alone. He talks about how much he enjoys working with other producers (Versachoi in particular) but you can also see the joy when he gets to collaborate with any other musicians--I loved the Kingdom segments on the Mayfly rap unit, watching how he pulled the five of them together into a seamless unit. If I try to think of him alone, trying to "make it" as a solo artist, I just imagine him wilting. He's not fond of writing toplines, and he would rather share the spotlight, it just is how he functions best. If I try to think of Bang Chan without Stray Kids, I can't visualize him as a solo artist, I see him working in a production group, or as an executive at JYPE or some other company, overseeing trainees or artistic development. He's got a great voice, his adlibs are always so lovely, and he's a stage-eating performer, but I don't think singing or performing alone would fulfill him. Changbin comes across sometimes as a good bet for a solo artist--that feature in Mirror Mirror is almost legendary, his technique and experimentation help him stand out, his stage presence is off the charts, he's got that swag and arrogance--but I can't imagine him without a group around him. He loves company, friends.I think Doodle might be the only truly solo work he's released (and he apparently consulted with Felix a lot on the English for that)--Streetlight has Chan in the credits, his Cypher used a lot of the same beats as Maze of Memories, and Mirror Mirror was of course a feature, playing off F Hero and Milli. He seems to prefer doing duos or trios for his non-group independent projects. Again in the Mayfly episode, Changbin often got the discussion started, generated ideas, got the others grooving and interested, drew them into spontaneously coming up with their own contributions, basically setting up a situation where everyone could bounce ideas off one another. He's talked on camera more than once about how much he loves making music with other people. If I try to think of him as a solo artist, I keep seeing him pulling in collaborators, bullying some back-up singers into being his group and forcing some hapless manager into the leadership role, doing all the scutwork of interfacing with business and paperwork. In that Mayfly episode HongJoong from Ateez talks about how he writes alone, and he was worried about clashing egos, but in the clips they showed at least, it looked really smooth, and I think that's largely because of Chan and Changbin. Minhyuk from BTOB also writes quite a lot and seems to do the main part of it alone. That's the way I tend to think of artists working, in a room by themselves, and then taking what they've done to others to get feedback. And all of 3Racha do this at times, but they also seem to spend a lot of time just bouncing off one another and other producers. Han has the most solo work and the most songs with only his credits; as an artist he comes closest to working alone. But for him, I think the structure of the group is vital. He's the kind of guy who creates like he breathes, it's just natural to him. But he's also the kind of guy who could easily waste all his energy spinning off idea after idea after idea and never fully develop any of them, getting distracted by jokes or playing around or some new thing. And he tends to the type of depression that can paralyze sensitive and introspective people. For Han I think the group is necessary not so much as an artist, but for the structure which allows him to bounce around while still being contained enough to be productive. And he also benefits from it as an emotional support system. Next to Felix, Han is one of the more pro-active touchers in the group. He needs his space and alone time, but you notice that in the 2 Kids Room episodes, Felix, Han and Chan are the most likely to reach out and touch whoever they are talking to. Chan actually holds himself back, because a leader's touch can feel "required", and he doesn't want to force himself on anyone. Felix uses touch almost as part of his speech. He moderates depending on who he's talking to, he holds back a bit depending on the member, but part of how he communicates is by connecting through touch. Han uses touch more as a soothing part of the conversation. He almost always has a body language that creates a kind of circle between him and the member he is talking to, so they are almost in their own contained bubble. I think this type of interaction is really important to Han, even if he also needs time to himself. And the group gives him an outside goal and direction that might help focus his work. If I imagine him as a soloist, by now I think he could probably do it, since he has established his working methods and has the habit of turning out finished pieces. But I think as a soloist he might tend to chase down a lot of rabbit holes, and generate a lot of unfinished or un-releasable work. I think he needs the group to ground him. Sorry for the long post, I don't have anyone around me who can bear to listen to me talk about kpop, so I tend to dump all my thoughts into comments. Have fun and enjoy your next bunch of videos.

[@savagekingz1678]

No need to apologise, I make videos to channel these thoughts, after I talked my friends' ears off (or the equivalent in written form 🙈 ) about this. This myth about "only 100% self-made art is truly authentic" is another thing I might eventually make a full video on. Also alongside the idea that being self-produced is somehow inherently superior to being "just" a performing group. I became a Stay because I liked their production so much, so it might sound hypocritical of me to say this, when 3Racha production was what got me hooked and it is such a core part of SKZ identity. But self-produced is a quality because they are good at it, not because they are more authentic and thus inherently better that way. One of my other favourite KPop artists is Taemin, and he doesn't write his own songs nor choreograph them (at least not as main choreographer). Performance is an art for a reason, and he is such an incredible performer, that he makes all of these songs uniquely his own. Being able to bring music to life on stage and convey its emotions or other messages is a skill and a talent. Good performers make someone else's words their own and interpret them for us. KPop artists aren't inherently less worthy of support if they "only" perform songs other people made for them, or if they focus on interpreting the artistry of people behind the scenes. All of Pop music including KPop is ultimately a commercial endeavor meant to make a profit. For SKZ it is a core part of their identity that they write and produce their own songs, but that's because this is an artform they chose to use to express themselves early on, and they are good at it. They also followed a tradition within pop and kpop in particular that lends itself to that approach. Also, the part about arrangements that I left out (because it is a different can of worms): the reason why hip-hop DJs could make their own arrangements while pop artists (and even rock artists including bands like The Beatles) rely on professionals, is that DJs work with samples, whereas pop and rock work (at least partially) with instruments. Some pop and rock producers apparently look down on hip-hop artists, because they don't start from scratch, but build on music someone else has already made before them. If you go into the details of the album credits for SKZ for example, you can see that the parts that the other producers on their songs are credited for usually include "all instruments". That's not just a question of skill, but also simply too time-consuming to be left to the idols themselves. And it means more creative input by different people. It might be a complete tangent, but many of the great technological breakthroughs that our modern societies are built on were made by several people independently of each other, and the one that stuck around and eventually became the standard isn't necessarily the best one. One of the differences between successful and forgotten inventors is that those we remember were usually part of a team and were integrated into a network of other people, who could make use of it and spread it. The lone wolf genius who is better off alone is a myth. It is the same for music. You can maybe get a one-hit wonder or a few TikTok hits as an independent artist, the playing field has changed a lot recently in favour of small creators, but in order to get multiple albums to the top of something like Billboard 200 and go on tour to perform it live, you need a huge team of people working for you, and they will all influence the music in some way or other. I actually really appreciate SKZ a lot for always pointing that out and always thanking the people behind the scenes. SKZ contribution doesn't need to be embellished, it is impressive enough as it is. I actually think none of the 3Racha members could have achieved the quality they get as a trio on his own. At first glance, given how many types of credits Bang Chan has, you might think that he could work alone, that he maybe indulges the others by letting them contribute. And when he insists that it isn't his own merrit, but all of 3Racha, it might sound like false modesty. But once you look into it, you realise pretty quickly that he isn't being modest and that he actually probably really couldn't do it that well without the others. The way he describes it often, when he talks about their process, makes it clear that he needs Changbin and/or Han for that creative spark they have, to tempt him to venture out of the box his very organised and structured approach and personality would probably keep him in if he worked alone. He seems to be great at enabling others to realise their own potential - and in doing so he also taps into his own creative potential that he would probably not have access to without them. So, it is mutually beneficial (but it still takes a lot of understanding to be able to see that and make use of it). It is one of my special pet peeves when I see people act as if Hyunjin had made Red Lights and Taste all on his own. For Red Lights we have the glimpse they show of their process during Howl in Harmony and I was really impressed with the way Bang Chan helped Hyunjin canalise his thoughts and ideas into a song. Hyunjin did a lot of the creative thinking and it sounds like he was the driving force behind the song, so they are not entirely wrong, but he wasn't doing it alone even when Bang Chan just sat next to him and listened. It is disrespectful to dismiss the parts the other creators on these songs contributed, just because it might not look like much on paper (also, Versachoi, he really works magic with SKZ, and he seems to be super talented in matching and accentuating the individual styles of whoever he is working with). My own creative process is probably the most similar to Han's of the three, so I know exactly how this part of the dynamic works. I never understood why people think ideas are valuable, I have way too many ideas to get attached to them, and many of them keep floating around and come and go for days, weeks, months, years, until it suddenly gels and then it is all finished quickly, often in one go. But I often forget to consider all the time the idea was just there, marinading, not really going anywhere... until it does. I can understand how Han is able to unblock Changbin and Chan when their differing visions for a song clash, because there are always so many options you could try of you aren't particularly attached to any of them. But there are also many constantly moving parts in this approach and it can be overwhelming and hard to revisit an idea that you are finished with, but it has maybe only reached the "good enough" state. In situations like these, it is worth a lot when you have someone who is dilligent and organised around you, who doesn't mind either finishing it themselves or manages to get you back into it to actually polish it more. I have worked with people who were like that, where we mutually respected our different strengths and weaknesses, but it can also happen all too easily that you completely fail to connect when you are so different, because you just mindlessly expect the other to work like you and get annoyed if they don't. I loved how 3Racha talked about their process in their different 2Kids Rooms (that I used in the other guide), because they express their own strengths and weaknesses in relation to the others so well. Bang Chan brings structure, Changbin brings depth, and Han brings width, and then it is just a question of finding out where and when which of these core elements is needed. I'm sure they have had heated arguments over a lot of these decisions, because each project is different, but the results speak for themselves. I bet it was an incredible feeling when they first realised how much better (consistently) they are together than on their own. It will certainly be interesting to see how they'll transition into the later stages of their career as a group, but I find it encouraging to see that they always prioritise longevity over short-term success. They seem to be in agreement both within the group and with the company strategy, that their goal is to find out how far they can go, not how high they can fly. Currently, they are on a trajectory that could very well end up going both high and far, but I hope that Stays also understand and share that goal, and don't lose faith if other groups overtake them or surpass them in certain metrics, maybe because other companies or groups prioritise higher heights more. That's not a criticism of either approach, it's just that different priorities lead to different choices, and sometimes the measure of what success means is also different. So, I think SKZ will have succeeded by their own stated goal if they are still around in x years, making music that enough people love to listen for them to be able to continue doing that, whatever it might look and sound like by then. I found this eye-opening when I looked into their debut era. While certain impatient fans and especially antis were already declaring them a failure after a year, both SKZ themselves and JYP were not worried, and committed to them going at their own pace, taking their time to find their true audience, rather than trying to fit expectations of an existing audience. They were and are aiming for a more organic growth over time that is more sustainable. So far, it has paid off massively. I think it isn't a bad thing per se if SKZ have the goal to go far and Stay as a fandom focus on getting each individual comeback as high as possible, that's how both was achieved for them in recent years. But I find it really encouraging to see that the group themselves and for all we can see JYPE, too, are committed to the long-term.

[@bluelilac2579]

I cannot love both your comments any more if I tried. The dynamics of 3racha. The very clear goal SKZ has of longevity and quality (that is to their taste) rather than being considered #1 and topping all charts. I've been wanting to scream these things to so many Stays, so many times. Sigh. And I'm sure SKZ wants the accolades too. Why not? But what a lot of ppl miss is, they want longevity, authenticity and control more. Its a matter of priorities. Anyway, love the whole comment section under this video. Its getting into the nuanced conversations I see sorely lacking in fandom spaces.

[@jadefrog]

@@savagekingz1678 I agree with all of this and like how you have expressed it. Many of my formative years were in the US during the 1970's and '80s, when that myth of the lone wolf artist mixed with a sort of widespread social contempt for "the man" in the form of "big business" (including recording/entertainment) companies to create a very odd idea of how creative people are supposed to function. It has taken me decades to start recovering from that weird and toxic myth. I do enjoy Taemin's work. He has a flair for personalizing and owning his various songs and choreography, regardless of whether/how much he is involved in the original creation, and I also enjoy much of the work of the NCT collective, which does not seem to center their image around the self-producing/composing aspect. In both those cases, you can hear the influence of different producer/composers during different eras. My understanding is that many groups have a particular producer attached to or associated with them, because this helps to give them a distinctive sound. Over the years those producers might change, but my guess is that with the more successful groups, the main producers stay the same until that distinct sound or artistic persona has been established by close collaboration. Han's artistic process sounds most familiar to me, and I personally believe that people with that type of process really need others around them who can help bring the spark to the tinder, and then help them build a fire out of it. It's possible that part of why I've never really followed any of those ideas through to make anything of real artistic merit has to do with the way I avoided collaborating due to those weird myths about lone artists. Of course, part of it is also that I enjoy the show inside my own head and am satisfied enough with it that I don't feel the need to bring it into reality. It seems crazy to discount fabulous artists who are incredible interpreters and performers, but not creators. Music is littered with famous performers who did/do not write most of their work, like Frank Sinatra, Etta James, Celine Dion, Celia Cruz. Creative talent and performance talent are not necessarily linked within each person. For instance, in the HotSauce interview you clipped here and elsewhere, that producer said he started as an idol trainee, but realized quickly that he didn't enjoy or want to perform, and he really loves producing--it's not second best for him, it's what he wants to do. And it works the other way as well. I think we can see that within Skz itself. 3Racha and Hyunjin have a drive to create that is clearly inherent in them, and it keeps popping out whether they intend it or not. Meanwhile, Seungmin is clearly a master interpreter. That is what he is interested in, that is what he focuses on, and although he can and does write nice songs, he's not driven to do so. Felix, IN and Lee Know have their own main modes of expression, my sense is that none of them would be particularly driven to create on their own without the strong encouragement of 3Racha. In terms of "long vs high" career arcs--I am constantly amazed at the negative press kpop groups get in the early years. It's not just Skz, apparently BTS also was slammed for having a "slow" start. I've seen it more recently with many new groups. The definition of "slow" is really strange in those cases. There are so many kpop groups debuting every year, that to be in the top ten or so should be something special, yet fans rag on any group that is not instantly number one. I think that is the down side of the huge amount of money, marketing and attention the big entertainment companies invest in their debuting groups. They make a big initial splash, and somehow are expected to instantly shoot up into the sky. I understand if the companies, that invest so much in these groups, want to do better than break even, but this pressure is coming from the fans, not the folks who stand to lose money. So strange! Streaming and social media have changed how fast it is possible to make it big. If you again look at music in the past, it used to take years or decades for groups or artists to "hit it big". The Beatles were touring, recording and performing as a group for 3-4 years before their international fame blew up, for instance. The whole huge marketing machine behind kpop groups is a double edged sword--it can push the groups much farther than they could ever get by themselves, but it also creates these impossible fan expectations of instant payoff, instant success. Because JYP himself worked his way up and made his own success the hard way in the industry, maybe he is more willing to be patient. But most fans are consumers, not artists, performers or creators, and they do not understand any of the process by which really good music/art is created, or how the industry works, or all the pieces that need to fall into place.

[@jadefrog]

@@bluelilac2579 It's so fun to find the sites that generate good comment sections. This is one of my favorites because of that. Probably as it gets more popular and there are way more comments, SavageKing won't have time to answer as much, but for now it's great fun.

[@Resistance_Is_Futile1of3]

Enjoying your comments... dump away...🚚🚚

[@Resistance_Is_Futile1of3]

I must say that when I came here first, I was preparing to be ready, willing & able to binge watch your video, when I realize you had a prior one.. since I like to view things in other, I found I needed to stop and find your "Advance Guide to Stray Kids" & start there... What I didn't realize was that I am NOW starting to "binge read" the comment section..... I LoVE the production side of SKZ 3racha & love listen (reading) & learning different viewpoints / comments from some of the better commenters I had seen in the other SKZ reactors comment sections. I am seeing a lot of those folks here & I am loving reading & understanding what they (& you) have to say. I feel you folks (collectively) could teach the K-Pop Masterclass Analysis Series (not only for Stay & babyStay) & people would throw money at you to attend these classes. And reading for free - 🤩Thanks for this.. I'm going get some more popcorn/beer/etc. & finish up this comments section & head-on over to the next video.. (.. yea.. borrowing tidbits for Stayville 🏢Library..)

[@Marvelleum]

I love these guides, they are insightful and something I wish many STAYs can see because it makes you think about the industry as a whole and to see how important 3RACHA's hiphop origins are

[@gladishernandez5102]

Wow! YOU ARE REALLY GOOD AT THIS!! For me, your guides are the best ones bc as you said (in - depth) you cover things that you can´t find in other guides and it´s well documented. You have my approval 😄 do as many as you want!!! 🤗🤭🤭🤭🥰🤩

[@SunshineRacha]

I had to binge all the SKZ guides. You did such a great job! Thank you.

[@adaemily09]

I read your response to Hyla Dickinson's comment and you said you would be interested in making a video about how self-made isn't really a thing in K-pop, and I just wanted to say YES please make on ! I'm one of the Stays that thought about Stray Kids as self-made in the beginning, but I very soon came to the realization that 1. self-produced and in Stray Kids's case self put-together doesn't equal self-made and 2. self-made in general is not a thing in K-pop, doesn't matter how small and unknown the company and the group was in the beginning. At first I had the energy to correct other Stays who are very loud (and rude) in their opinion about SKZ being self-made, but they are always just so hostile and toxic about anyone not agreeing with them, that I quickly gave up on that mission. The video wouldn't need to be directly about Stray Kids since there is many groups that people argue over (BTS, Seventeen, Ateez come to mind), so just talking about the topic in general and why it does or doesn't exist would be greatly needed. There isn't a single video about it in youtube, I have tried to find one. Just tiktok videos and yt shorts about "Self-made K-pop groups vs groups that debuted famous" smh....

[@jasminemas5721]

that was very informative and nicely well-done 🥰 thank you for the hard work 🙏

[@picklockpepe]

Great Vids on your Channel. Thanks!

[@viv4377]

I'm loving you videos and i equally love the comment sections of your videos and your long replies. I can't explain it, it just tickles that part of my brain that wants to learn more about all sorts of things, if that make sense.

[@collisionofplanets]

another guide well done! the fact that you included some of the history being hip hop and how it connects to kpop is really cool and adds some nice context to the group. i also really like how you emphasizes each members own writing style. also i love how you mentioned the leader trio of chan, lino and changbin. those three really are like the roots for the beautiful tree that is stray kids! these guides were so enjoyable to go through. the information was presented in such an amazing way and you really showcased the talents of each member and the incredible teamwork and synergy that makes stray kids who they are. thank you for all your hard work!

[@stillastrayyayayaya]

Woah! I love this 3Racha intro so much! Although I already knew the facts, you really explained everything well. This guide totally deserves more appreciation!😍

[@adaemily09]

Just watched all the in-depth guides to all the rachas and was really disappointed in myself for not watching them sooner ! I have been trying to get different reactors to watch your Guide to stray kids Teamwork, and now I'm adding these videos to the list too. Much watch for all who love stray kids ☺You put so many of my feelings and thoughts in actual words and I learned some new info too which is always welcome 💗