On ‘Rated R’, from20 Leans Into the Gossip
Rated R, the singer’s newest album, follows his breakthrough single “Eye Candy”, and is filled with scandalous disclosures.
WAY BETTER
The most shocking moment from from20’s new album, Rated R, comes in the first skit, “They All Gossip Bout Me,” where three friends speculate about the singer’s sexuality and his motivation for appearing so hyper-sexual online. The voices are all, in one form or another, politically charged: two appear to be queer, and the third is female.
“It all really feels very bisexual,” one of the friends says about from20’s lyrics and Instagram posts.
The girl gasps. “Really?!”
“Girl,” he snaps back with a laugh, “what kind of straight guy writes those kinds of lyrics?”
“Well,” the second queer voice replies, “when your music doesn’t sell anymore…”
The skit leads into from20’s raunchy title track, “Big Boy.” The single recalls its predecessor, “Eye Candy,” his breakout release from last summer. It was clever (“Hype girls and boys love the candy/ Suck it, lick it, taste me baby,” he pants heavily) and referential of the boundaries being broken in K-pop (“I’m a man of your fantasy/ Hype it up, it’s a Gangnam Style”). But “Big Boy” goes further and, following this skit, makes a pointed call to queer fans. “I know you want my body cuz I’m big/ Extra large,” he raps with porn star pastiche. “My gay boys,” he says with an imagined wink, “I know they like it.”
Rated R, released today and co-produced with HELLO GLOOM, is from20’s second album. The pair have worked together for nearly seven years since launching their first label, THE FAKER CLUB. Now, under WAY BETTER, they have signed new artists like A.C.E’s KANG YUCHAN and created a lane that is more open to experimentation for idols.
On Rated R, from20 is particularly interested in pop music that veers towards hip-hop. At its best, the record recalls campy pop songs from queer underground stars like Peaches or Cazwell. from20 finds the most fun in writing about sex with a sense of humor. Listening to the album, I’m reminded of “I U She,” a lo-fi electro banger from 2003 where Peaches requests the whips and chains be brought in for a threesome. “I don’t have to make a choice/ I like girls, and I like boys,” she declares. Cazwell’s single "Ice Cream Truck" from 2009 also brings to mind from20’s campy lyrics: “I’ll whip out my drumstick/ That will make your eyes gleam/ Lick it up good before it melts on the floor.” What from20 shares with these stars is that he is a disruptor. Peaches and Cazwell never broke through to mainstream music largely because their themes were too political, too risky for general consumption. from20 seems to delight in crossing this boundary.
WAY BETTER
What makes Rated R prolific, then, is that no idol has been willing to be this playful in examining how the public perceives them. Instead of avoiding speculation about his sexuality or behavior, from20 leans into the discourse. Take “Scandal,” a song where he denies being drunk in performances but makes no apologies for kissing a fan on stage. Those same people talking shit, he muses, “ask for my autograph.”
In this business, from20 implies, the more people talk, the more currency you own. But from20’s favorite subject is how we view his body: “You know I’m hot,” he raps on “BIG BOY.” In his lyrics, sexuality is not something to be ashamed of. It’s fun. “Baby get naked/ Don’t hesitate it/ Celebrate it,” he encourages his lover on “Naked”.
There is a guidebook for Western pop stars to play by: since Madonna writhed on the Video Music Awards stage in a wedding gown in 1984, pop stars have learned how to use sexuality to garner attention. More recently, Sabrina Carpenter has wielded that same tool of controversy from power and sex to boost album sales.
Male K-pop idols, though, have always walked a fine line between the pleasure of sex and the virtues of chastity. Rated R is, in a circuitous way, a project that couldn’t have existed without RAIN’s seminal album IT’S RAINING from 2004. Onstage, RAIN would rip off his shirt and bathe under theatrical rain, edging the audience into heat. Then, he would perform “I Do,” a schmaltzy love song about choosing a woman to be his wife, as he passed out roses. from20 has staked his brand on this polarity of being both oversexed and chaste: His album cover is simply a headshot of the artist, fully clothed. But his music is so horny, with tracks like “Wet Bed,” that the air starts to feel moist onstage.
Perhaps by coincidence, Rated R is released during Pride month. The album is, above all, a celebration of sexual freedom. from20 is not the first pop star to rebrand as a libidinous lothario, but he is one of the first to do it in K-pop. For all of its raunchy and perverse lyrics, my favorite song is one that plainly talks about pleasure: on “More,” a lovesick from20 asks what’s stopping him and a lover from exploring their chemistry. “Don’t play with me,” he warns. “I can tell you want my–”. I love his vocals here, how passionate he sounds, and the lower register he uses to convey desire. “We don’t have to hide anymore,” he tells her, implying that their affair is illicit. I like that there’s messiness and complicated feelings. from20 isn’t interested in writing about a love story. Instead, he is showing us that our best moments come when we go with what feels right: Give in to your desires. Let the pleasure take you over. That’s what makes being young and hot so fun.
