Moon Ji-hoon (, born October 14, 1986), better known by the stage name Swings (Korean: 스윙스), is a South Korean rapper. Formerly under the label

Brand New Music Brand New Music (, also stylized as BrandNew Music and initialized as BNM) is a South Korean hip hop company founded in 2011 by rapper . History 2003–2012: Founding and first-generation artists Kim Se-hwan (), known as Rhymer, founded the r ...

, he is currently signed to P Nation.

Career

Swings debuted in 2008 with the

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

''Upgrade''. He joined the hip hop group Uptown in 2009 but left by the end of the year. He released his first full-length album, ''Growing Pains'', in 2010. He gained popularity after competing on the second season of the TV rap competition ''Show Me the Money'' in 2013. That summer, Swings triggered a ' Control diss phenomenon' within the Korean hip hop scene with the release of his

diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (an abbreviation of ''disrespect'' or ''disparage'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feu ...

"King Swings Part 2", over the instrumental of Big Sean's " Control", in which he accused rapper Simon Dominic of not protecting his Supreme Team member E-Sens from an alleged slave contract offered by label Amoeba Culture. Swings was named Artist of the Year for 2013 by Korean hip hop magazine HIPHOPPLAYA. The "Control Diss Phenomenon" was a career-changing move for Swings. As South Korea started to adopt hip-hop culture late, there were not any significant diss-battles that happened. As diss rapping is a big part of hip-hop culture, the "Control Diss Phenomenon" was a very impactful event that created an environment where other rappers can join battles to stimulate competition and rivalry. In 2014, he returned to ''Show Me the Money'' as a producer for its third season, alongside established rappers including

San E Jung San (; born ), more commonly known by his stage name San E (), is a South Korean rapper. He debuted in 2010 under JYP Entertainment, where he was the label's first solo rapper. He left the company in 2013 to sign with hip hop label Brand New ...

and Tablo. Swings left the label

in August 2014 to focus his own record label, Just Music. The label currently represents the rappers Black Nut,

Giriboy Hong Si-young (; born January 24, 1991), better known by his stage name Giriboy (), is a South Korean rapper and singer signed to the ''Standard Friends'' label. Career Giriboy began his musical career in 2011 with the single "You Look So Go ...

, Genius Nochang, C Jamm, and Vasco. In April 2017, it established its second label, Indigo Music. It has become one of the most notable hip-hop labels, recruiting Yang Hongwon (previously known as Young B), Kid Milli, Justhis, Jvcki Wai and Noel as its artists.

Psy Park Jae-sang (; born December 31, 1977), better known by his stage name Psy ( ; ), is a South Korean rapper and singer-songwriter, known domestically for his humorous music videos and stage performances and internationally for his hit singl ...

announced on Instagram on April 29, 2021, that Swings had signed a contract with P Nation. Three years following his signing, he announced his eighth studio album ''Upgrade V'' as his first release under the company, to be released on March 8, 2024.

Personal life

Swings is a fluent English speaker, having lived in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

, and studied English at Sungkyunkwan University. He enlisted in the South Korean military in November 2014, despite being exempt from mandatory military service due to psychological disorders. He was discharged from the military in September 2015 due to his mental health. Swings said that he has been receiving treatment since he was young for illnesses including

obsessive compulsive disorder Obsession may refer to: Psychology * Celebrity worship syndrome, obsessive addictive disorder to a celebrity's personal and professional life * Obsession (psychology), a persistent attachment to an object or idea * Fixation (psychology), persi ...

post-traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that develops from experiencing a Psychological trauma, traumatic event, such as sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, warfare and its associated traumas, natural disaster ...

major depression Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Intro ...

, and

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder (BD), previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of Depression (mood), depression and periods of abnormally elevated Mood (psychology), mood that each last from days to weeks, and in ...

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Mixtapes

Charted singles

Filmography

Television

Variety shows

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swings 1986 births Living people South Korean hip-hop singers South Korean male rappers South Korean hip-hop musicians South Korean singer-songwriters Uptown (band) members Brand New Music artists Show Me the Money (South Korean TV series) contestants Sungkyunkwan University alumni South Korean male singer-songwriters People with obsessive–compulsive disorder People with bipolar disorder South Korean hip-hop record producers 21st-century South Korean rappers