Yang Hyun-suk (; born January 9, 1970) is a South Korean music executive, rapper, dancer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame as a member of Seo Taiji and Boys during the 1990s. After the group disbanded, he founded and became the

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

and

chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

YG Entertainment YG Entertainment () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment agency established in 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and conce ...

, the fourth-largest record company in South Korea.

Career

1992–1996: Seo Taiji & Boys

Seo Taiji & Boys was formed in 1991 with Seo Taiji, Lee Juno and Yang Hyun-seok. Yang said he first met Seo when the musician came to him to learn how to dance when Yang was a dancer (Yang danced in the Korean dance crew " Spark"(which is considered the first Korean breaking dance group) and in the dancing group " and friends()"). "Blown away" by his music, Yang offered to join the group and they later recruited Lee who was one of the top dancers in Korea. The group was influential on the Korean music scene, famous for their single, "Nan Arayo" (, "I Know"). The group received criticism for some of their albums, most notably for the song, "Shidaeyugam" (, "Regret of the Times"), to which fan backlash led to the abolition of the Pre-censorship law in 1996. The group disbanded in 1996 and each member went on to pursue solo careers.

1996–2019: YG Entertainment

In 1996, he established

and released his first solo album which featured a song composed by Seo Taiji. This was their first collaboration since the breakup. Yang Hyun-Suk has produced hugely successful artists through his company, most notably

Jinusean Jinusean (stylized in all caps; ) is a South Korean Hip hop music, hip hop duo signed to YG Entertainment. The duo, which is made up of Kim Jin-woo (also known as Jinu) and Noh Seung-hwan (also known as Sean), debuted in 1997 and rose to fame wit ...

, 1TYM, Wheesung, Gummy, Seven,

Big Bang The Big Bang is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models based on the Big Bang concept explain a broad range of phenomena, including th ...

, 2NE1, Winner, iKon, Tablo, Epik High, Lee Hi, Blackpink, Treasure, BabyMonster, and

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 ...

. Due to recent controversies involving the Burning Sun scandal and other allegations, Yang Hyun-suk announced his plans to step down from all of his positions at YG Entertainment, and his brother Yang Min-suk announced his decision to resign as CEO of YG Entertainment on June 14, 2019.

2019–present: Conviction and YG return

On December 22, 2022, Yang was acquitted of a charge of threatening an informant. On November 8, 2023, his acquittal for threatening the informant was overturned by the Seoul High Court, finding that he had abused his status at the company to coerce trainees into reversing police testimonies. He was sentenced to 6 months in prison, suspended for 1 year. A previous acquittal for blackmail was upheld. In December 2023, Yang discussed his "deep involvement in every aspect of BabyMonster's production", and how the youth of the members resonated with him because he had a similarly aged daughter. In May 2024, YG Entertainment released a video featuring Yang announcing upcoming plans for BabyMonster and Treasure.

Personal life

Yang began dating former Swi.T member Lee Eun-ju in 2001, and they married in 2010. They have two children together, born in 2010 and 2012.

Discography

Albums

Filmography

TV Series

Accolades

Awards

State honors

Listicles

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yang, Hyun-suk 1970 births Living people 20th-century South Korean male singers 21st-century South Korean rappers Musicians from Seoul South Korean breakdancers South Korean chief executives South Korean hip-hop dancers South Korean hip-hop singers South Korean male rappers South Korean music industry executives