Seems like none of the AOMG fan community knew this song was going to come out today. I just opened YouTube and there it was, and it was a nice surprise since it’s been a whole long while since I’ve seen Wonjae release a song as the lead artist.
The track opens with a slow guitar and piano intro, setting the tone immediately into chill mode, with the drum beat punctuating the repeated riff to provide a framework around which to weave the rap – it feels like an early summers evening and reminds me of a slow Tom Misch track. But then towards the end of the song, much like the MV, the song distorts to an even slower tempo, propelling the listening into what feels like the upside down version of the first part. ** The stark contrast piques my interest as it feels like two different songs connected by the same guitar and drums.
Wonjae’s naturally deep and flatter rap tone lends exceptionally well to this chill track and his skill at running bars at tempos that seem at odds to the music is obvious here as the slow track allows him to vary the speed of his rap delivery at different points in the song.
On first listen, you might be wondering why Wonjae has chosen to take such a different route with this song compared to some of his previous releases which always have an injection of a more positive sound to contrast against his laidback demeanour. However, you only need to take a look at the lyrics to ‘USED TO’ to understand this song is more honest than other projects he has done in the past. The lyrics talk about his past, his experiences, the difficulties he has faced through his journey, the difficulties his family faced as a result of his journey – but he’s telling us that he doesn’t care about what people continuously say about him and his past – its all stuff he ‘USED TO’ do. Wonjae is creating the kind of music that speaks his heart and that’s why it feels so different, exposing and so raw.
The MV actually low key scared me because I didn’t expect half the things that happened to happen:
- I’m guessing the reason his face appeared bruised mid-song was because he was being suffocated by all the words of others (?)
- BUT WHY was there a scary mask afterwards – actually terrifying – is it supposed to be symbolising that now he’s actually hiding behind a protective mask to show that he is showing a mask on the outside and some people perceive it as scary, but underneath he is bruised? However the mask is made of plushies/soft toys so maybe it shouldn’t be perceived as scary, it’s just a soft cushion for him against the hatred, almost like how all the people surrounding him at the start cushioned him at the beginning…. Have I read into it too much?
- Did you see Mokyo and Code Kunst in the MV?
I wasn’t expecting Wonjae to go so deep but it shows so much growth in him as an artist and I’m excited to see what’s in store for his future.
Here’s an untold story: I once tagged Wonjae in something on Instagram after I saw him perform live and I wrote him a supportive paragraph in Korean…. and he read it!!! So my friend and I were freaking out, until I realised I had missed the ㄴ out from his name which meant I called him ‘Wojae’ – I WILL NEVER LIVE THIS DOWN
** [Update: 18th August – Now that the full album has come out, we can see that actually this second part of the track is a whole new song called ‘FEVER’]
Jei's Kulture Notes 
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