Stray Kids – Official Debut Album - I Am NOT
Released in March 2018 as Stray Kids’ official debut EP, I Am NOT catapulted the rookie group from promising trainees to headline-making disruptors.
STRAY KIDS
Stray Kids – I Am NOT: The Moment the Noise Became a Roar
Released in March 2018 as Stray Kids’ official debut EP, I Am NOT catapulted the rookie group from promising trainees to headline-making disruptors. Still helmed by the self-producing trio 3RACHA, the record deepens the raw honesty of their pre-debut Mixtape and welds it to full-scale, arena-shaking arrangements. The result is an eight-track manifesto that shouts, “We refuse to be boxed in.”
Track list
“NOT!” – a 1-minute opener of glitchy synths and distorted declarations.
“District 9” – pounding sirens, dubstep drops, and rally-cry lyrics welcoming fans to the Kids’ rebellious zone.
“Mirror” – dark trap-R&B that questions self-identity in a world of reflections and expectations.
“Awaken” – cinematic interlude of strings and whispered convictions.
“Rock” – swagger-packed hip-hop/rock hybrid urging listeners to break through walls.
“잘 하고 있어 (Grow Up)” – comforting mid-tempo pop-rap that tells struggling youth, “You’re doing fine.”
“3rd Eye” – dramatic EDM-rock about opening one’s inner vision beyond doubt.
“Mixtape #1” – boom-bap closer revisiting their trainee days with gratitude and grit.
Feel & Themes
Where Mixtape was a candid diary, I Am NOT is a bold proclamation of self-definition. The album oscillates between aggressive, siren-lit anthems (“District 9,” “Rock”) and introspective moments that acknowledge fear (“Mirror,” “Grow Up”), mirroring the turbulence of youth carving its identity. Industrial synths, heavy 808s, and bursts of punk guitar frame lyrics that reject labels and urge listeners to “wake up” to their own truths. It’s chaotic yet cohesive—an audio snapshot of nine young artists smashing the mold to build a district all their own.
Check out the Album here: