A Timeline Of The Wholesome Relationship Between 2AM’s Jo Kwon And BTS’s J-Hope
Recently 2 AM’s Jo Kwon posted some pictures with BTS’s J-Hope, with a heartfelt caption praising his kind personality. The post opened up a wholesome discussion of their longstanding friendship.
전이나 지금이나 너무 착하고 성실하고 멋진 우리 홉이 @BTS_twt 💜 pic.twitter.com/dB3UaKa8Ck
— JO KWON (@2AMkwon) October 26, 2022
Be it the old days or now, our Hobi is kind, sincere, and cool as always.
— Jo Kwon
The two go a long way back, even before the J-Hope debuted as an idol. They two met in 2010 when 2AM was connected to BigHit Music (then BigHit Entertainment) through a joint management contract with JYP Entertainment. In 2012, he featured in Jo Kwon’s song “Animal,” which earned him his first KOMCA credit.
Animal | Jo Kwon (ft. JHOPE’s verse)#제이홉 #JHOPE @bts_twt pic.twitter.com/G1bwTxdloY
— j-hope’s verses. (@jhopetracks) July 8, 2020
In the same year, J-Hope was also one of the backup dancers for Jo Kwon’s “I’m Da One,” along with Jungkook. They also did cameos in the music video for the song.
i'm da one 활동 에피소드 속
열여섯 정국 열아홉 호석 pic.twitter.com/ZAFvywMw59— ☁️ (@btspurplecloud) May 6, 2020
When J-Hope finally debuted with BTS in 2013, Jo Kwon was among the first artists to acknowledge and support him. He posted a tweet on June 16, 2013, just three days after BTS’s debut praising J-Hope’s rapping, and he responded with equal sincerity.
@2AMkwon 앗!!선배님 제이홉입니다 @-@) 응원해주셔서 정말 감사합니당ㅠ.ㅠ그때 해주신 많은 조언들 잊지않고 열심히 활동하겠습니다 !! 감사합니다
— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) June 16, 2013
Jo Kwon: Jo Kwon – Animal Feat. “J-Hope” and BTS. He raps really well…but I can’t rap ㅠ
J-Hope: Ah! Sunbaenim this is J-Hope @-@) Thank you so much for cheering me on ㅠ.ㅠ I won’t forget all the advices you gave me back then and I’ll work hard!! Thank you
J-Hope always made sure that he returned the kindness with his loyal support. In 2017, when Jo Kwon opened his cereal cafe, Midnight In Seoul, J-Hope visited the place with RM to support his venture.
When J-Hope’s first mixtape came out in 2018, Jo Kwon again showed his support on Instagram. He posted a congratulatory message with the cover photo of the mixtape and some unseen pictures of J-Hope hanging out at his cereal cafe with him.
The caption read, “Animal feat J-Hope. I’m so proud of Hoseok, who I haven’t met in a long time! Do well with your mixtape! It’s already successful!”
In 2021, Jo Kwon appeared on an SBS radio show called Heo Ji Woong Show, where he thanked J-Hope for featuring on his song in 2012. As the song was getting attention years after its release, Jo Kwon left a sweet message for J-Hope, saying, “If we have a chance, later on, I hope we can perform a new version together.”
The same year, J-Hope shared 2 AM’s song “I Can’t” from their comeback album on Weverse, which Jo Kwon reposted on Twitter, along with a thank you note.
On Jo Kwon’s ASMR channel, he talked about how J-Hope reached out to him after watching his YouTube content, referring to him as his “dongsaeng” and “my beloved J-Hope.”
조권의 보권말권 #JHOPE 언급 cut
호석이가 조권님이 하시는 유튜브 컨텐츠 보고 재밌다구 카톡 보냈대ㅋ ㅋ ㅋㅋㅋㅋjyp편이랑 먹방ASMR편도 봤다고ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ pic.twitter.com/PKQ36D7nma
— 리나 (@rosehope218) December 17, 2021
When some fans put up a billboard ad for J-Hope’s solo performance at Lollapalooza this year, Jo Kwon spotted it on his way and posted it on his Instagram, tagging J-Hope to make him notice the support ARMYs sent his way.
BTS members have been very open about not having that many close industry friends for a variety of reasons. But the fact that J-Hope and Jo Kwon were able to grow their relationship steadily and gradually to this point only makes their dynamic all the more special.
