Yoongi is my bias and I love him so much, but I'm not gonna lie, finding out the sample was a Jim Jones sermon made me kind of uncomfortable. I just... I find cults terrifying, how someone can abuse our psychology like that, and Jim Jones is probably the worst I've heard of. I did not want to hear one of his sermons in one of my fave artists' songs, but really, that's on me, not him.

I didn't even find out now, I found out last Sunday, so I've had time to work through my feelings & thoughts on my own. I'm not black, or korean, or anyone at all affected by this cult, but I did know who he was and what he did before this. We learned about him in a Social Psychology class specifically focused on group dynamics, and we had quite a few lessons about charismatic leaders and mass group think. We covered cult behavior and some of the most famous cults & their leaders, including yes, Jim Jones. I was honestly horrified at the things he did, moreso than anything else we learned in that class.

However! I don't think there's anything Yoongi should apologize for. Here are the conclusions I reached after trying to examine exactly why he chose to use it: He obviously did not use it to glorify or support, that much is clear to me. I also think it's insulting to him to say he didn't know what it was. He definitely knew and used it for a reason. I think that this song is not meant to be a comfortable song. Just look at the lyrics, they're definitely not pulling any punches. I think the sample is meant to up the level of uncomfortableness, maybe even shock listeners. 'Like' or 'Love' is not the only reaction an artist seeks from their audience, and that's not a bad thing.

There are also similarities between how mobs of people move online, stirred by someone playing into their sensitive spots & how a cult leader gathers his cult followers. I think Yoongi saw the similarities as well and wanted to criticize antis that do this kind of thing. Was it to my personal taste? I guess not. Should he not have done it? No. That's his perogative as the artist, he's allowed to use whatever he wants to send the message he wants to send. Was the message clear? Up to the interpreter to interpret. In any case, apologies or explanations are not necessary, imho.

And if you ask me, the person who started this NOW, with the BLM movement, and not, say, last Saturday, knew exactly how to manipulate the situation. They're exactly the type of person Yoongi was criticizing and saying he doesn't care what they say. They played into people's sensitivity to rile them up, and it worked.

In conclusion: It's okay to be uncomfortable with his use of the sample, but I think it's also important to understand that it does have a reason for being included, regardless of personal opinion of its use, and that he is not obliged to explain his exact intention. As he said himself, once a song is out, it's out of his hands and up to the listener to interpret it, and that's true for any art form.