It’s an uphill battle for new acts from small-to-medium sized agencies, requiring most to deliver eye-raising material that seizes the K-pop conversation. Rather than focus on legitimately great music, many of these smaller acts opt for gimmicks or — more recently — bold statements designed to grab listeners’ attention. The title of KIIRAS’s pre-release certainly fits in the latter category.
In classic K-pop fashion, I’m not sure anyone involved in this song appreciates what “Kill Ma Bo$$” actually entails, as the lyrics are a bunch of gobbledygook. Some samples:
“Kill ma boss
Yeah, I know you really into me right now
Are you ready to beat my heart?
Just kill ma boss, ooh (Kill ma)
Killn’ me, killin’ me, 좀 더 carry on, carry on (Carry on)
Kill ma boss, ooh (Kill ma)
Killin’ you, killin’ you, I’ve just taken your mind (Yeah, take you mind)
찌릿찌릿해, tic-it-tic-it, bang
Cheeky, cheeky, pow, take you, take you down (Wanna take you down)
I’m tryna kill ma boss”
So… yeah. This is all tied to a strange instrumental that’s a mix between country hoedown and typical clattertrap K-pop non-chorus, performed by a group whose youngest member is (checks notes) thirteen (!). I’m not sure someone that young should even have a boss, let alone fantasize about killing them. The song’s best moment is definitely the melodic pre-chorus where it goes full-on country and delivers a great sense of build. The girls give a confident performance that showcases tons of potential and I wish Kill Ma Bo$$ found a better way to harness that. When the song is good, it’s kind of awesome. But when it’s bad, it’s really quite obnoxious.
In the end, Kill Ma Bo$$ succeeds in its biggest mission. It successfully captures attention. For their follow-ups, I’d love to see KIIRAS lean into their strengths and see how far they can take this country sound with more melodically rich material.
Hooks
6
Production
8
Longevity
8
Bias
8
RATING
7.5