BTS leader RM: 3 things every fan should know about their favourite K-pop star
The Korean boy band idol has an IQ of 148 and learned English from watching all 10 series of Friends – as told to Ellen DeGeneres
RM, or Rap Monster, is more than just the leader of BTS. A 2018 poll by Korean music channel Mnet saw RM voted “best leader” of any K-pop group – closely followed by Onew from Shinee and S. Coups from Seventeen.
And why not? A talented rapper and all-round charismatic figure who dominates the spotlight across the globe, RM (born Kim Nam-joon) has been killing it as the linchpin of Korea’s biggest export to date.
But he’s much more than just a figurehead of the world’s biggest and most influential K-pop group (psst – don’t forget BTS were included on Time’s annual “The 100 Most Influential People of 2019” list).
As RM celebrates his 25th birthday on September 12, we present three facts every BTS fan should have already committed to memory.
Before he became the Rap Monster, Kim had already made a name for himself as an underground rapper
Before he joined career-making Big Hit Entertainment, RM was already musically active as an underground rapper. His stage name? Runch Randa.
As Runch Randa he also collaborated with Zico, another well-known Korean rapper, who went by the stage name Nakeso before debuting as part of boy group Block B.
He’s smart … like, really smart
