BTS Cypher 4

BTS Cypher 4

BTS

“BTS Cypher 4” is the 11th track on WINGS, the second full length studio album by South Korean boy group BTS.

Often colloquially referred to as “Cypher Pt. 4”, the track features BTS rap line members, Rap Monster (RM), Suga, and J-Hope.

In hip-hop, a cypher is an informal gathering where rappers freestyle, battle, or otherwise play off one another’s rap, analogous to a jam session for musicians.

“BTS Cypher 4” is actually the fifth in a series of rap-centric “cyphers” that began with “Outro: Circle Room Cypher” on the group’s debut album, 2 Cool 4 Skool. It is, however, the fourth numbered cypher track, including “BTS Cypher, Pt. 1” (O!RUL8,2?), “BTS Cypher, Pt. 2: Triptych” (Skool Luv Affair) and “BTS Cypher, Pt. 3: Killer” (Dark & Wild).

The track prompted plagiarism allegations against BTS after it was discovered the instrumental track on “Cypher 4” is identical to that of a song called “Strangers,” released by Dutch hip-hop group SFB on their 2015 album, Reset the Levels II: Boulevard.

On October 13, 2016 (KST), three days after WINGS‘ release, BigHit Entertainment released a statement asserting the reused instrumental was the result “of a mistake and ignorance from one of the staff on [American co-producer Tricky Stewart’s] side.”

The same day, Tricky tweeted an apology stating that, unbeknownst to him or anyone at BigHit, a member of his staff previously allowed the instrumental to be used on another group’s track and this fact wasn’t discovered until after the release of WINGS.

The track was originally listed as inappropriate for broadcast by the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), due to “profanity” (“shit”) “vulgar expression and mention of a specific product brand” (Rolex). However, the track was revised and certified as appropriate for broadcast in December 2017. BTS performed the revised version on broadcast television for the first time as part of a medley at the 2017 KBS Gayo Daechukje (가요대축제).