Producer Mike Dean won the Best Rap Song Grammy on Sunday for co-writing Kanye West’s “Jail” but took his anger out in a series of tweets targeting BTS after not winning Album of the Year for his production work on West’s “Donda.”
On the night of the awards, the Grammys tweeted, “Name a group ~smoother~ than @bts_bighit, we dare you.”
Name a group ~smoother~ than @bts_bighit, we dare you. #BTSARMY #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/OYBNl7XJfk
— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) April 4, 2022
Dean replied with “anyone.”
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This incited a feud with Army, but Dean didn’t back down, only taking more jabs at the group by calling out BTS’ songwriting credits.
It’s funny to read so many armys saying BTS members write “90% of their music”, based on a statement made a BigHit employee. Hahahaha, there is no way BTS members have writen 90% of their music. Just check the writing credits of every single BTS album. In all of them are like
— MIKE DEAN! #MWA (@therealmikedean) April 4, 2022
Dean replied with, “Haha. The industry is a joke.” He elaborated: “It’s funny to read so many armys saying BTS members write ‘90% of their music’, based on a statement made [by] a BigHit employee.
“Hahahaha, there is no way BTS members have [written] 90% of their music. Just check the writing credits of every single BTS album. In all of them are like 9-10 credited songwriters per song… why would a company like BigHit spend so much money [on] so many songwriters who only do the ‘10% of the job’?”
When BTS fans pointed out that Dean’s works, like “Blood on the Leaves,” a Nina Simone-sampled track on the 2013 “Yeezus” album, also have multiple credited songwriters, Dean seemed unbothered.
A classic
— MIKE DEAN! #MWA (@therealmikedean) April 4, 2022
As Army continued to swarm Dean with tweets, he fired back,, “Team travis and kanye. Get these Bts fans off my dick.” He added, “U will all grow up and discover music one day.”
Team travis and kanye. Get these Bts fans off my dick.
— MIKE DEAN! #MWA (@therealmikedean) April 4, 2022
U will all grow up and discover music one day
— MIKE DEAN! #MWA (@therealmikedean) April 4, 2022
Dean has since deleted some of his tweets and replies, but multiple sites and Army members were able to snag screenshots.
As BTS fans called him out, he seemed to laugh off the situation. He said it was fun to push Army’s “buttons” and that he “might produce BTS” someday, potentially indicating they had asked for music before.
Like when I had issue with asap. I ended up mixing his whole album and we are best of family. https://t.co/XILbjt3FHa
— MIKE DEAN! #MWA (@therealmikedean) April 5, 2022
BigHit Music producer Docskim backed up BTS fans, tweeting: “As a keyboardist/producer and fan of hip hop, I’m inspired by @therealmikedean. He’s one of the legends. BTS are my little brothers and amazingly talented guys. Just disappointed that someone I look up to said those things. Hard to explain..But definitely not okay.”
As a keyboardist/producer and fan of hip hop, I’m inspired by @therealmikedean. He’s one of the legends.
BTS are my little brothers and amazingly talented guys.
Just disappointed that someone I look up to said those things.
Hard to explain..
But definitely not okay.
— Docskim (@docskim_) April 5, 2022
On April 5th, Dean eventually apologized to BTS in another string of tweets reading, “OK. SORRY TO BTS. JUST FUCKING TROLLING,” and “Ok folks. I was mad about the album of the year and made a post I shouldn’t have made. My gf just made me feel bad for it.”
OK. SORRY TO BTS. JUST FUCKING TROLLING.
— MIKE DEAN! #MWA (@therealmikedean) April 5, 2022
