John Lee (born March 23, 1972), better known by his

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, people from the Korean peninsula or of Korean descent * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Korean **Korean dialects **See also: North–South differences in t ...

name, Joon Lee (

: 이준), is a

Korean American Korean Americans () are Americans of full or partial Korean ethnic descent. While the broader term Overseas Korean in America () may refer to all ethnic Koreans residing in the United States, the specific designation of Korean American impli ...

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

, singer, songwriter, DJ, and most notably one-third of the South Korean R&B/

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

trio,

Solid Solid is a state of matter where molecules are closely packed and can not slide past each other. Solids resist compression, expansion, or external forces that would alter its shape, with the degree to which they are resisted dependent upon the ...

. He introduced

turntablism Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating new music, sound effects, mixes and other creative sounds and beats, typically by using two or more Phonograph, turntables and a cross fader-equipped DJ mixer. The mixer is plugged into ...

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

in the mid '90s. He rose to fame and gained popularity in 1995 with the breakout hit "Holding Onto the End of the Night" (

: 이밤의 끝을 잡고), from

's second album ''The Magic of 8 Ball'' (1995). Lee is regarded as part of the first generation of Korean rappers like the members of

Uptown Uptown may refer to: Neighborhoods or regions in several cities United States * Uptown, Chicago, Illinois * Uptown Manhattan, New York City, New York * Uptown, Richmond, Virginia * Uptown, Dallas, Texas * Uptown, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania * Upt ...

and Hyundo Lee. He became not only one of the most sought after rappers in the South Korean music industry of the '90s collaborating with renown artists including 015B ( ko), Jinyoung Park,

Roo'ra Roo'ra () was a co-ed hip hop and dance-pop vocal group from South Korea who was one of the country's most popular musical acts of the 1990s. The group debuted in 1994 with the hit album ''Roots of Reggae''. Their second album, ''The Angel Who L ...

, and

but also an inspiration to the next generation of rappers –

Gary Gary may refer to: *Gary (given name), a common masculine given name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name Places ;Iran * Gary, Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan Province ;United States *Gary (Tampa), Florida *Gary, Ind ...

Leessang Leessang () was a South Korean hip hop duo, composed of Kang Hee-gun ("Gary" or "Garie") and Gil Seong-joon ("Gil"). Formed in 2002, the duo has released eight albums to date: two self-titled records in 2002 and 2003, ''Library of Soul'' in 2 ...

, Jinpyo Kim and

Flowsik Jay Pak (Korean name: Pak Dae-sik, ; born April 5, 1985), more commonly known by his stage name, Flowsik ( ; ), is a Korean–American rapper and singer. He debuted in 2011 as a member of the hip-hop trio Aziatix. He released his first solo ...

to name a few. Lee, with two other members of

, was at the forefront of bringing the American hip-hop sound to South Korean audience and played a pivotal role establishing the genre during a time when ballad and dance music were prevalent. Joon Lee was one of the first

Korean Americans Korean Americans () are Americans of full or partial Korean ethnicity, Korean ethnic descent. While the broader term Overseas Korean in America () may refer to all ethnic Koreans residing in the United States, the specific designation of Kore ...

to become successful in the South Korean music industry, and opened the door for more Koreans from overseas to enter into the Korean entertainment industry; the industry began seeking talents from abroad proactively thereafter. He has been synonymous with

eight-ball Eight-ball (also spelled 8-ball or eightball, and sometimes called solids and stripes, spots and stripes, bigs and smalls, big ones and little ones, or rarely highs and lows) is a discipline of Pool (cue sports), pool played on a billiard tabl ...

cane from which he was inseparable during his performances of

; subsequently, the eight-ball quickly became the symbol of the group. In addition to being a musician, he runs a

real estate development Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re-lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw Real Estate, land and the sale of developed land or parce ...

company in California with about 30 employees.

Early life

John Lee was born Joon Lee (

: 이준) on March 23, 1972, in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea. He and his family immigrated to the United States in 1980. Lee is the oldest of two siblings and has one sister, named Jackie. Lee and Jaeyoon Chong grew up in the same neighborhood in

Orange County, California Orange County (officially the County of Orange; often initialized O.C.) is a county (United States), county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population ...

. Not only their families vacationed together frequently, they attended the same

church in Fountain Valley, Ca, where they participated in musical activities during their formative years. Lee met

Johan Kim George Han Kim (born March 27, 1973), better known by his Korean name, Johan Kim (), is a Korean-American singer and record producer. He is a member of South Korean R&B/hip hop trio Solid. His song "I Want To Fall In Love" has become a mega-hit ...

at a public library in Fountain Valley, CA, during their high school years; soon after they became friends, Lee invited Kim to his church. Three became close instantaneously over music and breakdancing while at the epicenter of the golden age of hip-hop, which later heavily influences their music. He purchased a cheap set of turntables and a mixer after watching

Beat Street ''Beat Street'' is a 1984 American dance drama film featuring New York City hip hop culture of the early 1980s. Set in the South Bronx, the film follows the lives of a pair of brothers and their group of friends, all of whom are devoted to vari ...

(1984) and began teaching himself how to manipulate them when he was in fifth grade. He got into rapping when he heard

Run-DMC Run-DMC (also formatted Run-D.M.C., RUN DMC, or some combination thereof) was an American hip-hop group formed in Hollis, Queens, New York City in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the mos ...

as a teenage boy. By the time he was in his late teens, he won numerous DJ competitions in California including the

Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

DJ competition in 1991. Lee attended Edison High School,

Huntington Beach Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, United States. The city was originally called Pacific City, but it was changed in 1903 to be named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 as o ...

, Ca, and got his bachelor's degree from

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

in 1999.

Music career

1992–1997: Solid

Early 1990s, Lee along with Jaeyoon Chong and

took part in the early production of L.A. Boyz albums as they were all friends. After noticing their complementary set of skills, then L.A. Boyz manager pursued them to be a boy band to debut in Taiwan adding a fourth member who was fluent in Chinese. Lee took the opportunity hoping that it would allow him to advance and demonstrate his skills to wider audience – maturing his musicianship was a byproduct.

was officially formed in 1992. Realizing that they had a potential to debut as a musical group, they also sent a demo tape to

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. Despite the Taiwanese management company's impressive deal,

decided to accept the offer from the Korean management company, IM Communications, wanting to debut in their motherland. Under the condition that he would eventually come back to finish his undergraduate degree, Lee's parents granted him a permission to pursue music career in

When Lee came into Korean music scene in the 1990s, the industry lacked rappers – or musicians in general – resembling the American hip-hop flair and style of Lee's who was considered to have a unique voice that was a true stand-out. Before Solid's career took off in 1995, he was a featured rapper on "Bob Hair" (

: 단발머리), ''Big 5,'' by 015B (1994). As Solid's debut album, ''Give Me a Chance'' (1993), was a flop due to various reasons – among them were conflicts with their management company and marketing/promotional issues – Hoil Jang, a director of the album, wanting the talents of Solid to go unwasted, invited Lee and Kim to be part of his forthcoming album and their concerts, ''Strikes Back'' (1994). People who listened to "Bob Hair" easily thought the rapper spewing splendid English rhymes was an African American rapper from the U.S. without a doubt. One of many feats that made the Solid's breakout hit "Holding the End of the Night" (

: 이밤의 끝을 잡고), ''The Magic of 8 Ball'' (1995), striking and great was Lee's irreplaceable bass toned narration interludes; Lee also demonstrated his vocal ability to harmonize and that there were more facets to his voice than being a rapper. Apart from contributing his voice to the sound of Solid, Lee was responsible for the distinct hip-hop sound of turntable scratches on all tracks of Solid's albums. Lee is considered to be the first hip-hop DJ in Korea introducing what American hip-hop sounds like to Korean audience. LeejoonDJ96

As the albums of Solid progressed, Lee expanded his musicianship. It wasn't unusual for him to write all the lyrics to his raps but he added himself as a lyricist for a full song on his credentials writing "Dream" (

: 꿈) on the second album of

, ''The Magic of 8 Ball'' (1995). Lee later revealed that the song was based on the lost dream with his estranged friend whom he reconnected after the song release. On the third album, ''Light Camera Action!'' (1996), Lee became a minted songwriter composing a hip-hop track, "If It's For You" (

: 널 위해서라면).

sold over four million albums during their short-lived four-year run in

, making them one of the biggest musical acts of the '90s in the Korean music industry, nonetheless, their contribution to the development of current sound of K-Pop lasted thus far. Chart topping singles by Solid have become beloved K-Pop classics, which are "Holding the End of the Night" (

: 이밤의 끝을 잡고), "My Only Friend" (

: 나만의 친구), "You Are My First and Last" (

: 넌 나의 처음이자 마지막이야), "Happy Ending" (

: 해피엔딩), and "Meant To Be" (

: 천생연분). Lee shared the same apartment with Chong and Kim during the most days of Solid in

, in the '90s where fans constantly flocked to. In an interview during the promotion of "Holding the End of the Night" (

: 이밤의 끝을 잡고), Lee stated that he never imagined himself being part of a musical act performing on stage. Putting behind the whirlwind days of

, Lee went back to being a student at

, in July 1997, in the midst of speculations to why the group came to a halt at the height of their career.

1998–2009: Music career during hiatus from Solid

During the prolonged hiatus from Solid, music shifted to somewhat on the sideline of his life as he ventured into business opportunities in the U.S., yet he always yearned for producing music in any way or form. Lee was an occasional featuring artist and a songwriter for notable artists and hip-hop compilation albums from the late '90s to 2000s – among them are Jinpyo Kim,

G.o.d g.o.d (; acronym for Groove Over Dose) is a South Korean boy band formed by IHQ (company), SidusHQ. Debuting in 1999, the group became one of the most popular boy bands of the early 2000s in South Korea. The members had gone on to solo careers ...

, a fellow member of

, Hyundo Lee and more. As he continued to reside in the U.S. since Solid's extensive break had begun, his TV appearances in

was non-existent. In March 2005, Lee joined

at Kim's '

White Day White Day is celebrated annually on March 14, one month after Valentine's Day, when men give reciprocal gifts to women who gave them gifts on Valentine's Day. It began in Japan in 1978; its observance has spread to several other East Asian reg ...

Live Concert' in

and both shed light on the possibility of the group's reunion. In December 2006, Lee recorded a single with a fellow member of Solid, Jaeyoon Chong for a newly formed R&B/

Hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

group, Soul-Town. Lee and Chong teamed up with two members of

, Yeonjoon Jung and Steve Kim. They released a single, "You Are My Lady," in April 2007 in the midst of a high anticipation from their long-awaited fans and critics alike. "You Are My Lady" became No. 1 hit on the radio chart in Korea in the third week of April 2007 without any promotion. Last album that Lee can be found as a featured artist before the Solid reunion in 2018 is a Christmas complication album, ''Winter Line No. 1,'' in 2009 on a track "White Winter" (

: 하얀겨울). His music career became dormant since the birth of his first child around the end of the 2000s as his priorities veered towards family and real estate business.

2018–present: Solid reunion and ''Into the Light'', fifth studio album

To prepare for the

's reunion and the album release, a weekly meeting – lasting two to four hours – took place via

Skype Skype () was a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for IP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also had instant messaging, file transfer, ...

every Tuesday since the end of 2016, and the members discussed every little details that have gone into the new album in twenty one years. Beginning September 2017, Lee has been splitting his time between California,

U.S The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. and

traveling to the latter once a month – two weeks at a time – to move forward with ''Into the Light'' (2018). As with their previous albums, Lee wrote his own rap parts, which took much longer to write and record than his previous works. He later stated that he felt the most pressured as he had been away from the entertainment industry the longest compared to the other members. Only hesitation that held him back from the comeback was the fear of not meeting the expectations of the fans who remembered Solid from the '90s, however, he decided to proceed for the love of making music was greater. Early March,

announced their long-awaited comeback on official social media and released series of teasers for the forthcoming album on the official YouTube channel. The very first teaser plays an excerpt from the 1996 Solid tour, ''Deliverance'', in which Lee addresses to fans at the end of the Seoul concert that "This is not the end of

" insinuating that the new chapter of the trio is to begin while heightening the anticipation of the album release. During early promotion of ''Into the Light'', Lee repeatedly expressed the awkwardness of getting back the celebrity status for his life has long been away from the spotlight. Yet, he also expressed how much he enjoys and loves taking everything on their own terms this time around without any contract with a label or a management company. Solid released their fifth studio album, ''Into the Light'', on March 22, 2018, peaking at number 1 on iTunes R&B/Soul album chart in Korea and number 5 on iTunes K-pop album charts in Korea and the U.S. The album received rave reviews having everyone, fans and critics alike, agreed that the forward sound of Solid's musicianship hasn't been lost at all after not working together for over two decades. Solid surpassed everyone's expectation by presenting the much evolved and progressive current sound of Solid not dwelling on their glory-days sound of the '90s. May 18 through 20th, 2018, the trio started the second tour of their career, ''Into the Light'', with packed audiences at Blue Square iMarket Hall in

, in which Lee performed with an elite Canadian

beatboxer Beatboxing (also, and sometimes, called beat boxing) is a form of vocal percussion primarily involving the art of mimicking drum machines (usually a TR-808), using one's mouth, lips, tongue, and voice.

KRNFX Terry Im (born May 13, 1989), better known by his stage name KRNFX (stylised krNfx; also pronounced "Korean FX"), is a Korean-Canadian beatboxer and singer. He is perhaps best known for his participation in the first season of '' Canada's Got Tal ...

playing his turntable set.

Personal life

Lee married in June 2004, and the wedding took place in California,

. Lee and his wife have three children: a daughter and fraternal twins (a boy and girl). In an interview, Lee stated that his children were never aware of his music career in

. Even after the reunion of

, his children still don't seem to care much about the fame and unbeknownst rapper status belonging to once a heartthrob of the '90s. Lee has been in real estate business in California for the past twenty years. He built his own house in California, modeled after one of the

Case Study Houses The Case Study Houses were experiments in American residential architecture sponsored by '' Arts & Architecture'' magazine, which commissioned major architects of the day to design and build inexpensive and efficient model homes for the United Sta ...

representing the quintessential mid-20th century architecture of California.

Discography

Solid

* ''Give Me a Chance'' (1993; Re-released in 1995) * ''The Magic of 8 Ball'' (1995) * ''Light Camera Action!'' (1996) * ''Solidate'' (1997) * ''Into the Light'' (2018)

Soul-Town

* ''My Lady'', EP (2007)

As a featured artist

* "Bob Hair" (

: 단발머리), ''Big 5,'' by 015B (1994) * "Say 1, 2, 3," ''It's Time,'' by

J.Y. Park Park Jin-young (; born December 13, 1971), also known by his stage names J. Y. Park and The Asiansoul or the initials JYP, is a South Korean singer-songwriter, record producer, record executive, and reality television show judge. Park rose to s ...

(1996) * "Right This Moment" (

: 지금 이 순간을), ''Jangwoo'', by Jangwoo Lee (1996) * "Late Night" (

: 밤이여), ''Six N`Six'', by

(1999) * '2 Many MC's,' ''Verbal Medication'', by

(1999) * "Holding the End of the Night" (

: 이밤의 끝을 잡고), ''Johan 2'', by

(1999) * "Tell Me," ''Korea 2000 대한민국,'' by various artists (2000) * "Fairy of Shampoo" (

: 샴푸의 요정), ''JP3,'' by Jinpyo Kim (2001) * "Fire," ''HipHop Kharisma,'' by various artists (2002) * "Hip-Hop Rescuers" (

: 힙합구조대), ''The New Classik ...And You Don't Stop,'' by Hyundo Lee and various artists (2004) * "Joy,"''The New Classik ...And You Don't Stop,'' by Hyundo Lee and various artists (2004) * "White Winter" (

: 하얀겨울), ''Winter Line No. 1,'' by various artists (2009) * "Easy Listening," ''Monthly Yoon Jong Shin: May Issue'' (

: 월간 윤종신), by Yoon Jong Shin (2020) * "One Weekend," ''Voyage.01,'' by SAVIYN (2020)

As a songwriter

* "If It's For You" (

: 널 위해서라면), ''Light Camera Action!'', by

(1996) * "Why Do I Again" (

: 왜 또 다시 난), Chapter 1, by

(1999) * "Late Night" (

: 밤이여), ''Six N`Six'', by

(1999) * 'UPT ParadoXXX,' '2 Many MC's,’ 'All I wanna do'; 'Rock this mutha f***er,' ''Verbal Medication'', by

(1999) * "Love of My Life," ''Johan 2'', by

(1999) * "Tell Me," ''Korea 2000 대한민국'' (2000) * "Fire," ''HipHop Kharisma'' (2002) * "Don't Do It," ''My Lady'', by Soul-Town (2007)

Concerts and tours

Solid

* Deliverance (1996) * Into the Light (2018)

Awards

* Golden Disc category, Korea Visual and Records Grand Prize Award (1995)

References

External links

Joon Lee
on

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Joon Living people 1972 births American people of South Korean descent Rappers from Los Angeles Songwriters from California American musicians of Korean descent American rappers of Asian descent 21st-century American rappers Edison High School (Huntington Beach, California) alumni