Previously on January 15, ATEEZ member Hongjoong dropped the track “SMB” – a collaboration with Palestinian-American rapper Odetari.
The lyrics of “SMB”, which include both Korean and English, shows an attitude about not caring what others think. However, upon closer inspection, many believe that Hongjoong’s lyrics in Korean may actually be dissing HYBE and its founder, Bang Si-hyuk.
In particular, they are believed to be referring to HYBE’s internal documents, which tracks scathing reactions and comments demeaning many K-pop idols – both those under HYBE and those from other companies. ATEEZ was also mentioned in such documents.
Meanwhile, Hongjoong’s lyrics include parts such as, “Think you’re something, hitman? / If you’ve got time to watch others / better watch your own back / Du-du-du, bang”, among which “hitman” and “bang” form Bang Si-hyuk’s producer name – Hitman Bang.
It also included lines suspected of dissing HYBE’s documents, such as, “Jealousy and envy rule your life. Blinded, you talk trash while name-dropping”, “Act your age, you lazy bum”, and “Subpar, outdated grump”.
As speculation about “SMB” being a diss track targeting HYBE and Bang Si-hyuk continues to gain attention, ATEEZ’s agency has released a response, simply stating, “We have no official comment”.
