Competition among Kpop fandoms is quite common because of the fierce competition in the entertainment industry but ARMYs and EXO-Ls found themselves on the same side after Suga and Baekhyun received hate comments from fans of British rapper KSI.
According to a report by Kpopstarz, ARMYs and EXO-Ls took offense at hate comments left by KSI's fans at the UK iTunes reviews section.The incident reportedly stemmed from a statement from KSI that he would shave his head if his album Dissimulation reached No. 1 on iTunes.
The rapper's fans were so committed to catapulting his record to the top spot by streaming his album in earnest. However, BTS' Suga also released his second mixtape at the same time and climbed to the top of the iTunes album chart.
Suga's D-2, which he released under his monicker Agust D, topped the chart in no time and KSI's fans took revenge by leaving hateful and racist comments on the reviews section.
EXO's Baekhyun also released his second mini-album Delight on May 25 and also received hate comments when the album also rose to the top of the charts.
ARMYs and EXO-Ls took to social media to air their displeasure over the behavior of KSI's fans and said that their immature and hateful statements are unnecessary. They also said that leaving one-star reviews to bring down the ratings of Suga and Baekhyun's albums were malicious and dishonest.
After learning of the incident, KSI took to social media to stop his fans from leaving rude comments against the Kpop singers. When he reached the No. 1 spot on UK iTunes, however, he said that BTS and The 1975 fans should stream their idols' albums more to get more traction in the charts.
While some fans were convinced that KSI was discouraging his fans from their negative behavior, ARMYs took his comments with a grain of salt and said that the rapper's 'peacemaking' statements were actually sarcastic.
ARMYs and EXO-Ls took the rapper's advice to heart and streamed the Kpop idols' albums diligently propelling Baekhyun's Delight to No. 1 and Suga's D-2 to the second position of the iTunes Worldwide Chart.
Both fandoms took the high road and said that they would not resort to dirty tricks and sabotage to get the idols ahead in the charts.
It comes as no surprise that both Suga and Baekhyun's albums are doing well. Both albums have been anticipated by fans for a long time even before Big Hit Entertainment and SM Entertainment announced their release.
