A sizzling take on identity and liberation from the BTS rap icon

SUGA, the prolific songwriter, MC and producer who cut his teeth in the Korean rap underground before joining BTS, brings his hip-hop acumen to a debut solo album under the moniker Agust D. Following up on mixtapes Agust D (2016) and D-2 (2020), D-DAY concludes a self-reflective trilogy with a potent statement of liberation from societal pressures, past regrets and future fears. With commanding yet intimate songcraft, he reimagines tradition (“Haegeum”) and pairs boom-bap with honeyed R&B and a killer hook from IU (“People Pt.2”)—among other highlights including a collab with the late, lauded polymath Ryuichi Sakamoto (“Snooze”).