The Greek myth of Pandora's box is a story of curiosity, pain, and, most importantly, hope. Pandora, wife of Prometheus, opened a box she shouldn't have and all of humanity came to know the evils hidden by the gods - pain, suffering, and diseases now ran loose. However, humanity also came to know hope - the last thing inside the box. In j-hope's solo debut album Jack In The Box, the rapper picks apart this tale, showing us the darker sides of hope throughout old-school hip-hop beats and punching lyrics. Throughout the 10 tracks, he owns all the meanings of his names and tells a story of Jung Hoseok, j-hope, Jack, and whichever alter ego he chooses to dawn next.
Right from the start, we are introduced to the main theme of the album and the subsequent juxtapositions derived from it - hope as a blessing and hope as a curse. The first track - a spoken intro talking about the Greek myth with brightness - transitions straight into the gritty and haunting melody of track number 2: "Pandora's Box". Lyrically, this is the start of the journey - Hoseok talks about the very origins of his career, the first opening of Zeus' box and all the ugliness that came out of it, but also the willingness to face it ("This Box is just a water well, frog/now get out into the world, jump"). Just like other tracks in the album ("MORE", "STOP" and "What if…") the chorus consists of a subdued chanting, repeating the same words in an invocation-like pattern — his names and titles. The whole song is eerie and leaves a sour taste in the listener’s mouth — is hoping the solution to the evils unleashed or merely a different part of them?
The next two tracks, "MORE" and "STOP", represent the climb to the top and the cracks in the glass that come with it. The first one, the title track, is a song of ambition and greed, fusing elements of rock with the already present hip-hop motifs. It's a testament to the power of passion but also the dangers of it. When will hoping and wanting be enough? How much longer can you feel alive until you burn yourself out? "STOP" continues the questioning, but this time raising it up to a societal level. The song is almost conversational, lowering the explosive energy we've been seeing so far. It runs on the Rousseauian idea that humans are essentially good but society corrupts them, and the song is a critique of that very system.
Establishing the dialogue-like tone the album will have going forward and as a direct response to the previous track, "Equal Sign" is the first song that's hopeful in the traditional and positive sense of the word. It's bright, loud, and features sweet vocals from j-hope, contrasting the rough rapping we've been listening to so far. J-hope recognizes himself as a fighter in this unjust society and calls for fairness and kindness despite the difficulties. But this atmosphere is almost immediately broken with the next track's retort. After a brief interlude that serves to pull us back into the haunted house, the track "What If…" questions the sincerity and value of hope in "Equal Sign". The first piano keys, sampled from Ol' Dirty Bastard's "Shimmy Shimmy Ya", set the creepy mood and the chorus delivers a wave of spine-chilling anger, where j-hope confronts himself directly about his own authenticity, and as a consequence, the authenticity of his message. It's a song that tears his personalities apart and pits them against each other - Jung Hoseok, j-hope, and the Jack who's still not free from his box.
Now divided, the rapper continues his hero's journey in the innermost cave, reasoning with himself once again with the song "Safe Zone". The beat is now calm and the atmosphere sugary, suddenly there are no waves in the sea. Sonically, we are at an oasis, however, the lyrics reveal that the true safe zone was not found amidst society's mishaps and the overwhelming success, and in fact might not exist. He references the story of "The Giving Tree", by Shel Silverstein, which follows the relationship of a boy and a tree as they grow up, the first one always taking and the second always giving until the tree has nothing left to give. "Someone must have been my Giving Tree", j-hope raps, "But where's my stump to go sit and look back for a moment?". As such, the themes of greed and ambition from "MORE" return - but now, there are consequences to reap.
The last two closing tracks are all about endings and beginnings, both cyclical yet polar opposites. "Future" is vivid and light, half-sung half-rapped, and acting as a patching up of previous wounds and a brave stance towards the uncertain future. Again, here hope is positivity, a way to keep walking forward. On the other hand, the taste we've actually left with is the scorching heat from "Arson". The beat, together with j-hope's scratchy vocals, drags us along and makes us face the fire and inhale the smoke. The rapper stands at a crossroads — his journey is done, so now he can put out the flames or try to burn even brighter. The song is raw and it reveals that for an artist to blaze he also must consume himself in the process and, in the end, his hope is the will to light the fire and the strength to endure the bruises. Whether this is positive or negative, j-hope doesn't tell us — as listeners, we are right at the crossroads with him. And so, we are left only with a choice — to take Pandora's hand or to go back to the box.
Translations by: genius lyrics and @btstranslation7 on twitter
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Written By: Carol
Edited By: Mheer
Checked By: Juju
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