'ARIRANG > GRAMMYS': Tablo Backs BTS' Grammy Boycott

Group Epik High's Tablo is standing with BTS after the group said it will not submit for the next Grammy Awards. The rapper made his position clear with a short, pointed message on social media.

On July 29, Tablo regrammed a post shared by BTS leader RM and added a caption of his own: "ARIRANG > GRAMMYS." He wrote "ARIRANG" in large type and "GRAMMYS" in small type, using the size difference to underline the message. The post reads as a direct show of support for RM and the rest of BTS.

RM's original post laid out the group's decision in plain terms. "We have decided not to submit for this year's Grammy Awards," he wrote. "We hope that music can be heard and loved as music itself, rather than divided by region or language."

Each member of BTS shared the same statement on their personal accounts. The move is being read as a response to the Recording Academy's decision last month to create a new Best Asian Pop Music Performance category. Critics have argued that grouping Asian pop into its own field separates the music from the main pop categories rather than judging it alongside everything else.

The reaction from one of the genre's most respected artists suggests BTS's stance may resonate well beyond its own fandom, as more Korean acts weigh what mainstream recognition abroad should look like.