South Korea’s beloved rapper Tiger Jk aka Drunken Tiger with his hit single and video ‘Monster.’
“Tiger JK was born in Seoul, South Korea on July 29 (by lunar calendar on June 11), 1974. At the age of 12, JK moved to Los Angeles with his family. While living in LA, Tiger JK witnessed the tension between Korean Americans and African Americans during the L.A. riots. JK, already an avid follower of hip-hop, was inspired to bridge the gap between the two ethnic cultures using his rhymes. At only 16 years old, he collaborated with Drunken Tiger member Micki Eyes and a friend, Sucram, to compete at a local hip-hop festival in 1992. He hoped that his performance as a Korean-American with other non-Koreans would relieve some of the tensions between the cultures. JK saw it initially as an experiment, but his performance caught the attention of Oasis Records in Korea. As a result, JK was later signed and released his first solo album, “Enter The Tiger,” in 1992. The album had some brief buzz, however, due to censorship and restrictions put on his title song “Hide and Seek,” the album received limited publicity.
JK returned to the US soon after. However, he still felt that the Korea hip-hop was slowly emerging and it needed artists to bring it to the forefront. He teamed up with partner DJ Shine in 1998 and the two debuted under the name Drunken Tiger. Their first album, “Year of the Tiger,” was seen as widely controversial given that the lyrics touched upon taboo topics such as sex and anti-establishment. Their debut singles, “I Want You” and “Do You Know Hip-hop” were released in 1999. Unlike their mainstream hip-hop counterparts, Drunken Tiger wrote their own lyrics, had creative freedom and did not resort to choreographed dancing. As a result, their sound is described as ‘live, energetic and very natural’.” ~Drunken Tiger
2009 Drunken Tiger Feel gHood Muzik : The 8th Wonder’ – www.itunes.com/drunkentiger
~Courtesy photo
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