He is considered a highly influential figure in the development of Korean hip-hop and is credited with helping bring the genre into the Korean mainstream.[3][4][5][unreliable source?]The Los Angeles Times referred to him in 2011 as "perhaps the most popular Korean rapper in America, Asia and the world."[6]
Early life
Tiger JK (Seo Jung-kwon) was born in Seoul, South Korea on July 29, 1974. His father, Suh Byung Hoo (d. 2014), was a DJ and one of the first Korean pop columnists, and the first Billboard correspondent in Korea in the 1970s.[7][8] His family moved to the United States when he was 12, and he was sent to briefly live with an uncle in Miami, Florida, where he practiced Taekwondo, becoming a 3rd "dan" black belt.[8]
He spent his teenage years in Los Angeles, California, where he attended Glendale Hoover High School in Glendale, CA. As a teen in Los Angeles, Tiger JK witnessed the violence between Korean-Americans and African-Americans during the 1992 Los Angeles Riots. He later said he wanted to use hip hop to create a dialogue between the two communities.[6]
Tiger JK attended Santa Monica College and then transferred to UCLA[9] and graduated with a B.A. degree in English from the Creative Writing program.[10]
Musical career
1995 – 2005: Early career and successes with Drunken Tiger
In 1995, Tiger JK's first solo album, Enter The Tiger, was released in Korea by Oasis Records, a connection Tiger JK had made because his father was friends with the company's CEO. The album got little airplay due to its perceived explicit content.[3][9]
Tiger JK returned to the United States and teamed up with DJ Shine to form the group Drunken Tiger in 1998. The group debuted in Korea and, despite the explicit content of their lyrics and the group's rejection of mainstream music trends, they achieved popularity with their first album, Year of the Tiger, which included the hit songs, "I Want You" and "Do You Know Hip-hop."[3][6][9]
Over the next several years, Drunken Tiger brought on new members and released multiple albums, winning numerous awards.[11][12] Founding member DJ Shine left the group in 2005.[13][unreliable source?]
2006–2013: Creation of Jungle Entertainment and collaborations
Tiger JK performing at the Lolipop Concert in May 2010
In 2006, Tiger JK left Oasis Records and established his own hip-hop label, Jungle Entertainment. The label represented Drunken Tiger, and prominent Korean rappers Yoon Mi-rae and Leessang were among the artists to join the label over the next few years.[1][14]
Tiger JK continued to release music with Drunken Tiger over the next few years, while also collaborating with other artists. In 2012, he featured on "Let This Die," a single by Brian Joo of the R&B duo Fly to the Sky.[15][unreliable source?] That same year, he featured on "Wicked," a song by new K-pop girl group Fiestar.[16][unreliable source?]
2013-present: Founding MFBTY and Feel Ghood Music
In 2013, Tiger JK teamed up with Yoon Mi-rae and Bizzy to form the group MFBTY, an acronym for "My Fans are Better Than Yours." Soon after, he left Jungle Entertainment and founded a new label, Feel Ghood Music, which now releases MFBTY's music.[17] He has had multiple collaborations with popular boy group leader RM of BTS with the latter featuring on his final album Drunken Tiger X: Rebirth of Tiger JK[18] on the song Timeless.
He also featured in Seventeen'sHoshi's Tiger released in 2022.
In 2023, he featured on "TOPLINE", a single released by K-pop group Stray Kids, also appearing in the official M/V.
Personal life
Drug conviction
Tiger JK was arrested for using methamphetamine in Korea in 2000, at the same time that members of the Korean hip hop group Uptown were also arrested on drug charges. Tiger JK said that, though he had used drugs in the past, he had not used them in Korea, and he said that he was ultimately found guilty due to false testimony from the members of Uptown. He spent a month and a half in jail and was given two years probation.[19]
Illness
Tiger JK was diagnosed with acute transverse myelitis, a spinal cord condition that affects motor functions, in 2006. He was hospitalized and took a two-year hiatus from performing. As of 2014, he continued to take medication to treat the condition.[3][20]
Marriage and family
In June 2007, Tiger JK married rapper and singer Yoon Mi-rae in a private ceremony in a Buddhist Temple. The wedding occurred a month before the death of his grandmother who had wanted to see them wed before her passing. Yoon gave birth to their son, Jordan, in March 2008.[9][21]
Other projects
In 2006, Tiger JK launched a clothing line called Lungta.[22]
In 2011, under American rapper Dr. Dre's "Beats By Dr. Dre" headphones line, Tiger JK released his own limited edition headphones. They retailed for 690,000 won, and all profits went to a child safety organization.[23][unreliable source?][24][unreliable source?]
He appeared on "Project Runway: Korea" Season Two, Episode Eight titled "Hiphopper's Wedding Crasher." He challenged the designers to create a wedding dress for his Fiancé, and was a judge in the episode as well.
^ abSPIN magazine, November 2000, Silence makes the beats grow stronger, Brett Forrest, pp. 154-160
^ abcd타이거JK "이젠 힙합 아저씨..치유 끝 다시 설렌다" [Tiger JK: "I'm a Hip Hop Ahjussi, and I'm Ready to Come Back"]. Daum Entertainment (in Korean). September 29, 2014. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
