Odetari is a music producer known for going viral on platforms such as Tiktok, with energetic beats and a unique style of music. He has contributed greatly to the hyperpop genre that’s become popular on social media, with many clips generating choreographies and fan edits.
The collaboration with Hongjoong got leaked when fans noticed an accidental release of a song with ATEEZ on Odetari’s Spotify. Odetari confirmed that there would be a feature from ATEEZ on a future song, and confirmed the release of “SMB” later on.
Hongjoong is the leader of the K-pop group ATEEZ, who has recently gained success abroad. The band is currently announcing the Europe leg of their tour. Hongjoong is known best for his rapping in ATEEZ, as well as his production and songwriting for many ATEEZ songs. As with most K-pop artists, he’s also admired for his dance skills.
“SMB” is a hype song that’s fun to dance to, and would probably satisfy most fans of the hyperpop genre. It has classic traits that are common to this genre and most of Odetari’s songs. The lyrics are repetitive and rather minimal in substance, and the same could be said of Hongjoong’s verse. Both artists focused more on delivery rather than profound lyrics, which makes sense for the style of this song. The snappy introduction and autotune in Hongjoong’s verse feels fitting. The slowing down of Odetari’s final verse is a deliberate stylistic choice; it’s reminiscent of slowed versions of songs that many hyperpop producers release.
The beat itself is punchy and has energetic bass, but overall isn’t anything particularly unique compared to similar songs in the genre. Odetari’s production choices are solid, though, especially in regards to autotuning choices and signature trap beats.
ATEEZ fans enjoyed the song and highlighted Hongjoong’s verse on social media, frequently posting clips from the visualizer video of his parts. Fans also talked about how they found the song catchy in spite of their unfamiliarity with the genre beforehand. A choreographed dance made by Korean dance crew, B.B. Trippin, also became a popular dance challenge.
Some of Odetari’s fans, however, expressed that they didn’t enjoy Hongjoong’s verse on the track, and would have preferred the song to only have Odetari on it. On the other hand, there were fans of both ATEEZ and Odetari who were looking forward to this collaboration eagerly, and most liked the song after it was released.
Fans of ATEEZ also noted Hongjoong’s verse allegedly dissing Bang Sihyuk, better known as Hitman Bang, a prominent founder of the Korean record label and talent agency HYBE Corporation. The founder is most known for managing BTS, one of the most successful K-pop groups of all time. However, HYBE came under fire recently due to leaked documents in which K-pop artists were harshly criticized. Since ATEEZ was included in the documents, Hongjoong’s mentions of Bang’s name might be referencing this controversy.
Verdict: “SMB” is a fun song to dance to, and is a likeable track for most fans of hyperpop as well as a good introduction for some listeners new to the genre.