Seo Jung-kwon,

Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The l ...

: 서정권,

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, ...

: 徐廷權, also known as Tiger JK (born July 29, 1974) is a

Korean-American Korean Americans are Americans of Korean ancestry (mostly from South Korea). In 2015, the Korean-American community constituted about 0.56% of the United States population, or about 1.82 million people, and was the fifth-largest Asian American ...

rapper, record producer and entrepreneur best known as a founding member of

Korean hip hop Korean hip hop, also known as K-hip hop or K-rap, is a subgenre of Korean popular music. It is widely considered to have originated in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and has since become increasingly popular, both in Korea and abroad. While ...

group

Drunken Tiger Drunken Tiger () was a Korean hip hop group that debuted in 1999 and has since released several albums and won numerous awards. They are known as pioneers of Korean hip-hop who helped bring the genre into the mainstream. The group's original lin ...

. He has also founded two record labels,

Jungle Entertainment Jungle Entertainment (formerly known as Jungleboys), is a production company owned by Executive Producer Jason Burrows, Writer/Director Trent O'Donnell, Writer/Performer Phil Lloyd and Head of Production Chloe Rickard. The Sydney-based compan ...

and

Feel Ghood Music Feel Ghood Music () is a South Korean record label and entertainment agency founded by Tiger JK in 2013. History Originally created in July 2013 by MFBTY to house the new group and their members (Tiger JK, Yoon Mi-rae, and Bizzy) the company F ...

. He is currently a member of hip hop trio

MFBTY MFBTY, an acronym that stands for "My Fans reBetter Than Yours," is a Korean hip-hop group under Feel Ghood Music consisting of Tiger JK, Yoon Mi-rae, and Bizzy. They debuted in 2013 with the single, "Sweet Dream." MFBTY was meant to be only a ...

. 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. ''The Los Angeles Times'' referred to him in 2011 as "perhaps the most popular Korean rapper in America, Asia and the world."

Early life

Tiger JK (Seo Jung-kwon) was born in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

, 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.SPIN magazine, November 2000, ''Silence makes the beats grow stronger'', Brett Forrest, pp. 154-160 His family moved to the United States when he was 12, and he was sent to briefly live with an uncle in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, where he practiced

Taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...

, becoming a 3rd "dan" black belt. He spent his teenage years in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, 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 The 1992 Los Angeles riots, sometimes called the 1992 Los Angeles uprising and the Los Angeles Race Riots, were a series of riots and civil disturbances that occurred in Los Angeles County, California, in April and May 1992. Unrest began in So ...

. He later said he wanted to use hip hop to create a dialogue between the two communities. Tiger JK attended Santa Monica College and then transferred to

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

and graduated with a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree in English from the Creative Writing program.

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. Tiger JK returned to the United States and teamed up with

DJ Shine DJ Shine (born June 11, 1974) is a Korean Rapper, Producer, DJ formerly associated with popular Korean Hip hop group, Drunken Tiger. Before he met Tiger JK he performed as a DJ, in small clubs in New York City and Los Angeles. Shine met JK i ...

to form the group

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." Over the next several years, Drunken Tiger brought on new members and released multiple albums, winning numerous awards. Founding member DJ Shine left the group in 2005.

2006-2013: Creation of Jungle Entertainment and collaborations

In 2006, Tiger JK left Oasis Records and established his own hip-hop label,

. The label represented Drunken Tiger, and prominent Korean rappers

Yoon Mi-rae Natasha Shanta Reid (born May 31, 1981), better known by her Korean name Yoon Mi-rae (), often stylized as ''Yoonmirae'', is an American-born South Korean-based solo rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer, who is also a member of Korean hip ho ...

and Leessang were among the artists to join the label over the next few years. 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 Brian Joo (Korean name: Joo Min-gyu (); born January 10, 1981), better known professionally as Brian (), is a Korean American singer and one-half of the R&B duo Fly to the Sky. His first solo album, ''The Brian'' was released in December 2006. ...

of the R&B duo

Fly to the Sky Fly to the Sky ( ko, 플라이 투 더 스카이) is a South Korean R&B duo consisting of Brian Joo and Hwanhee. Initially marketed as K-pop idols, the duo later developed a more mature image and became one of the most popular R&B groups in S ...

. That same year, he featured on "Wicked," a song by new

k-pop K-pop (), short for Korean popular music, is a form of popular music originating in South Korea as part of South Korean culture. It includes styles and genres from around the world, such as pop, hip hop, R&B, experimental, rock, jazz, go ...

girl group

Fiestar Fiestar ( ko, 피에스타) was a South Korean girl group formed by Kakao M. Before the group's debut, they released a duet with label mate IU titled “Sea of Moonlight” for LOEN Entertainment's collective label album. The track ended up b ...

2013-present: Founding MFBTY and Feel Ghood Music

In 2013, Tiger JK teamed up with Yoon Mi-rae and Bizzy to form the group

, an acronym for "My Fans are Better Than Yours." Soon after, he left Jungle Entertainment and founded a new label,

, which now releases MFBTY's music. 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 on the song Timeless.

Personal life

Drug conviction

Tiger JK was arrested for using

methamphetamine Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamp ...

in Korea in 2000, at the same time that members of the Korean hip hop group

Uptown Uptown may refer to: Neighborhoods or regions in several cities United States * Uptown, entertainment district east of Downtown and Midtown Albuquerque, New Mexico * Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina * Uptown, area surrounding the University of Ci ...

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.

Illness

Tiger JK was diagnosed with acute

transverse myelitis Transverse myelitis (TM) is a rare neurological condition wherein the spinal cord is Inflammation, inflamed. The adjective ''wikt:transverse#Adjective, transverse'' implies that the spinal inflammation (myelitis) extends horizontally throughout ...

, 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.

Marriage and family

In June 2007, Tiger JK married rapper and singer

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.

Other projects

In 2006, Tiger JK launched a clothing line called ''Lungta''. In 2011, under American rapper

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and w ...

'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.

Discography

Solo albums

* ''Enter the Tiger'' (1995) * ''Drunken Tiger X: Rebirth of Tiger JK'' (2018)

Solo mini albums

* ''이런건가요'' ''(I Know)'' (2015)

Solo singles

* "반가워요 (Forever)" (2015)

Soundtrack songs

* "First Love" (feat. Punch) (2014) - From the soundtrack to the TV drama, ''

Pinocchio Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel '' The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a Tuscan ...

''. * "Reset" (feat. 진실 of Mad Soul Child) (2015) - From the soundtrack to the TV drama, '' Who Are You: School 2015.''

Filmography

Film

Television

Endorsements

Hite Hite or HITE may refer to: *HiteJinro HiteJinro Co., Ltd. (; ) is a South Korean multinational drink, brewing and distiller company, founded in 1924. It is the world's leading producer of soju, accounting for more than half of that beverage' ...

w/Drunken Tiger * Kia w/Tiger JK *

Reebok Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...

w/Tiger JK *

Yahoo Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo! Inc. (2017–present), Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds ma ...

w/Tiger JK *CJ One Card w/ Tiger JK and Yoon MiRae *

Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...

w/Tiger JK, Yoon Mirae and Jordan *Giordano w/Tiger JK *

Pringles Pringles is an American brand of stackable potato-based crisps. Originally sold by Procter & Gamble (P&G) in 1968 and marketed as "Pringle's Newfangled Potato Chips", the brand was sold in 2012 to the current owner, Kellogg's. As of 2011, Pri ...

w/Drunken Tiger *Moneual w/Tiger JK and Yoon Mirae *

Hangame Hangame ( ko, 한게임) (also known as Hange ( ja, ハンゲ) and formerly known as NHN Hangame ( ja, NHNハンゲーム) in Japan) is a popular South Korean online game portal operated by NHN Corporation. Launched in December 1999, Hangame offe ...

w/Tiger JK *

The Body Shop The Body Shop International Limited, trading as The Body Shop, is a British cosmetics, skin care and perfume company. Founded in 1976 by Anita Roddick, the company currently has a range of 1,000 products sold in about 3,000 stores, divided ...

w/Tiger JK and Yoon Mirae *

Guinness Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ov ...

w/Tiger JK *

SK Telecom SK Telecom Co., Ltd. ( or ) is a South Korean wireless telecommunications operator and former film distributor and is part of the SK Group, one of the country's largest chaebols. It leads the local market with 50.5 percent share as of 2008. ...

w/Tiger JK and Bizzy *

SONY , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

w/Tiger JK and Yoon Mirae

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Drunken Tiger site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tiger Jk 1974 births Living people American businesspeople convicted of crimes American retail chief executives American fashion businesspeople American hip hop singers American male rappers American music industry executives American musicians of Korean descent American people convicted of drug offenses American rappers of Asian descent Businesspeople from Los Angeles Jungle Entertainment artists Rappers from Los Angeles Rappers from Miami Rappers from Seoul South Korean emigrants to the United States South Korean male film actors South Korean male rappers South Korean music industry executives University of California, Los Angeles alumni West Coast hip hop musicians MAMA Award winners 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians