The 2025 MAMA Awards wrapped up with one of the night’s biggest talking points. BIGBANG leader G-Dragon took home Best Dance Performance Male Solo for his song “TOO BAD” featuring Anderson .Paak. While the win added to G-Dragon’s huge night, many BTS fans felt disappointment who were hoping j-hope would earn the award for “MONA LISA.”
This category is always one of the most competitive at MAMA, and this year’s nominees made it especially tight.
- G-Dragon – “TOO BAD (feat. Anderson .Paak)”
- j-hope – “Mona Lisa”
- Kai – “Wait On Me”
- Key – “HUNTER”
- Mark – “1999”
Still, many fans believed j-hope stood out, especially considering his strong choreography and stage presence. They expressed a strong reaction on social media with many negative comments directed at G-Dragon
“Against j-hope and Kai? Sure it wasn’t based on attendance”
“MAMA standards are dropping… it’s like giving best vocal performance to a rapper”
“I am not even talking about j-hope, any other were better dancers”
“It feels more like an attendance award than a deserving one”
“The scam of the year”
G-Dragon ended the night with a “triple crown” and picked up Best Male Artist and the grand prize Artist of the Year as well. During his speech, he dedicated his win to the victims of the recent Hong Kong fire tragedy. He also sparked excitement by hinting at possible BIGBANG activities for their 20th anniversary next year.
Meanwhile, a lot of the frustration around j-hope’s loss didn’t start at the award show—it began earlier with the nomination list. Many fans felt that some of his biggest songs from the year weren’t even given a chance.
Tracks like “Sweet Dreams” with Miguel and “Killin’ It Girl” with GloRilla weren’t nominated for Best Collaboration or Best Choreography, which led to many angry comments online. Some fans felt their hard work streaming the songs wasn’t reflected in the nominations, and the phrase “rigged af” appeared more than once on social media.
Still, j-hope didn’t walk away empty-handed in terms of recognition. He earned a spot in the Fans’ Choice Top 10 (Male).
In other news, G-Dragon gears up for Coachella debut with BIGBANG members next year. On the other hand, j-hope’s group, BTS, will make a massive comeback at the end of March 2026.
