2 Cool 4 Skool | ||||
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Single album by | ||||
Released | June 12, 2013 | |||
Recorded | 2013 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 27:13 | |||
Language | Korean | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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BTS chronology | ||||
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Singles from 2 Cool 4 Skool | ||||
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2 Cool 4 Skool is the debut single album released by South Korean boy band BTS on June 12, 2013, through Big Hit Entertainment and distributed by Loen. The album was supported by the singles "No More Dream" and "We Are Bulletproof Pt.2". Commercially, it peaked at number five on the Gaon Album Chart in South Korea, and at number ten on Billboard 's World Albums Chart in the United States. The album has sold over 430,000 copies as of January 2022.
A 3-disc version of the album was released in Japan through Pony Canyon in 2014. [2]
Prior to BTS' debut, Big Hit Entertainment ran a blog for the group where the members shared mixtapes, diary entries, video logs, and various other content with their fans. The label announced a temporary closure of the blog on May 20, 2013, in preparation for the group's debut. [3] BTS' official website was launched that same day and featured a countdown timer on the homepage—counting down to May 27 (KST)—with the group's official logo revealed for the first time. [4] On May 26 (May 27 at 8AM KST), a 30-second long debut trailer was posted on the website and uploaded to Big Hit's official YouTube channel as well. The clip featured a hip-hop beat with Scratching and a "well-crafted rap hook" that accompanied typography graphics containing hints about the group's composition, the songs that would be on their first album, and the musical direction BTS would pursue. The timer on the website changed and began counting down to June 3. [5] On June 3, the release date for the album and its as-yet-unnamed lead single, as well as the start date for promotional activities was announced as June 12. Teaser photos of the individual members were published on the group's website beginning that same day and continued sequentially until June 5. [6] [7] Big Hit revealed the tracklist for the album on their official Twitter account. [8] They also released the design and details of the physical album, which included with a photobook and postcard. [9] The first teaser, revealing that "No More Dream" would be their title track. [10] [11] Additional concept photos for the album were released via their official Facebook page the following week. [12]
The music video for "No More Dream" was released on June 12, 2013 [13] ahead of BTS debut showcase. "No More Dream" dance version was later released on June 16, 2013 [14] in the middle of the group's promotion on music programs. The music video for "We Are Bulletproof Pt.2" was then released on July 16, 2013 [15] for the group's further follow-up promotions. All the dance was choreographed by Son Sungdeuk while both "No More Dream" and "We Are Bulletproof Pt.2" music videos were directed by Zanybros. [16]
The lyrics of the album primarily reflected on the misunderstanding and prejudice towards them, criticism of the society that diminishes their dreams, and their anxiety and determination towards their future. [17] During the production of the album, Suga and Rap Monster rewrote the lyrics of "No More Dream" more than 20 times. [18]
The group held a press conference and debut showcase on June 12, 2013, performing "No More Dream" and "We Are Bulletproof Pt.2", [19] marked their unofficial debut stage in South Korea music industry. BTS later made a successful debut stage on June 13 [20] on Mnet's M Countdown marked the start of their promotion of the album on various South Korea music programs. Much later in 2015, BTS held a special concert [21] in support of the album. 2015 BTS Live Trilogy Episode I: BTS Begins was held for two days at Olympic Hall starting from March 28, 2015, with BTS performing songs from 2 Cool 4 Skool & O!RUL8,2? albums.
2 Cool 4 Skool sold 760 copies in its release week, [22] and debuted at number 19 on the Week 25 issue of the Gaon Album Chart for the period dated June 9–15, 2013. [23] The album went on to sell a cumulative 4,986 copies in the weeks following, and debuted at number 17 on the monthly Album Chart for June. [24] Six weeks later, it peaked at number five on the Week 31 chart issue for the period dated July 21–27, [25] during "We Are Bulletproof Pt.2" promotions, and subsequently rose to a new peak on the monthly chart for July at number 10, with a further 13,598 copies sold. [26] The album sold a modest 24,441 copies in total and earned a placement on Gaon's year-end album chart for 2013 at number 65. [27] In April 2020, the album made its debut on the Billboard World Albums Chart—fans purchased the album as part of an in-fandom April Fools' Day joke that anticipated "the 'debut' of a 'new' boy band called BTS coming on April 1"—at number 12, with 1,000 equivalent album units sold during the week ending April 2. According to Billboard, 2 Cool 4 Skool had earned 68,000 units in the United States as of April 11. [28]
The album's lead single "No More Dream" also debuted on the Week 25 issues (for the same period as above) of Gaon's Digital and Download charts at numbers 124 and 84 respectively, with 23,237 sales. [29] [30] In the US, it debuted at number 14 on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart issue dated June 29, 2013, and spent three consecutive weeks on the ranking. [31] In 2020, the single also reentered the chart, on the issue dated April 11, at a new peak of number two, [32] with an additional 1,000 copies sold— its best single sales week on the ranking—and became the best-selling K-pop song in the US that week. According to Billboard, "No More Dream" had sold a total of 45,000 copies in the country up to that point. [28] The single re-peaked at number one on the chart issue dated December 30, 2023, 10 years after release. [33]
Adapted from the Korea Music Copyright Association database, unless otherwise noted. [34]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
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1. | "Intro: 2 Cool 4 Skool [lower-alpha 1] " (featuring DJ Friz) | Supreme Boi | 1:03 | |
2. | "We Are Bulletproof Pt.2" |
| Pdogg | 3:45 |
3. | "Skit: Circle Room Talk" | Pdogg | 2:11 | |
4. | "No More Dream" |
| Pdogg | 3:42 |
5. | "Interlude" | Slow Rabbit | 0:52 | |
6. | "좋아요" (Joayo / I Like It / Like) |
| Slow Rabbit | 3:51 |
7. | "Outro: Circle Room Cypher" | Pdogg | 5:21 | |
Total length: | 20:45 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
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8. | "Skit: On the Start Line" | Rap Monster | "hitman" bang | 2:33 |
9. | "길" (Gil / Path) |
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| 3:48 |
Total length: | 27:06 |
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Weekly charts
Monthly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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South Korea (Gaon) | — | 446,265 [44] |
United States (Billboard) | — | 68,000 [28] |
Country | Date | Format | Label | Ref |
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South Korea | June 12, 2013 | CD, digital download | [45] | |
Various | Digital download | [46] |
BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010. The band consists of Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, who co-write or co-produce much of their material. Originally a hip hop group, they expanded their musical style to incorporate a wide range of genres, while their lyrics have focused on subjects including mental health, the troubles of school-age youth and coming of age, loss, the journey towards self-love, individualism, and the consequences of fame and recognition. Their discography and adjacent work has also referenced literature, philosophy and psychology, and includes an alternate universe storyline.
South Korean boy band BTS has released nine studio albums, seven compilation albums, and six extended plays. In December 2018, BTS surpassed 10 million albums sold, setting the record for reaching that milestone in the shortest span of time among all Korean acts to have debuted since 2000, with five million of those albums being sold in South Korea that year alone. By April 2020, the group had sold over 20 million physical albums in South Korea, becoming the best-selling Korean act of all time in less than seven years. As of May 2023, they have sold over 44 million albums domestically.
Kim Tae-hyung, known professionally as V (뷔), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and a member of the boy band BTS. Since his debut with the band in 2013, V has performed three solo songs under their name—"Stigma" in 2016, "Singularity" in 2018, and "Inner Child" in 2020—all of which charted on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart.
O!RUL8,2?(Oh! Are you late, too?) is the first extended play by South Korean boy band BTS. It was released on September 11, 2013 as the second album after 2 Cool 4 Skool. The album consists of ten tracks, with "N.O" as the lead single. The group later promoted "Attack On Bangtan ", another track from the album.
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"Fire" is a song recorded by South Korean boy group BTS for their first compilation album, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever (2016). The original Korean version was released by Big Hit on May 2, 2016, in South Korea with the Japanese version being released September 7, 2016, on their full album Youth, under Universal Music Japan and Virgin Music-Def Jam Recordings.
Min Yoon-gi, known professionally by his stage names Suga and Agust D, is a South Korean rapper, songwriter and record producer. Under Big Hit Entertainment, he debuted as a member of the South Korean boy band BTS in 2013. His first solo mixtape, Agust D, was released in 2016 and re-released in 2018 to digital download and streaming platforms, reaching number three on Billboard's World Albums Chart. In 2020, he released his second solo mixtape, D-2; it peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard 200, number seven on the UK Albums Chart, and number two on Australia's ARIA Album Chart.
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