G-Dragon

G-Dragon - Quick Facts

Profile Overview of G-Dragon

Kwon Ji-yong (Korean: 권지용; born August 18, 1988), best known as G-Dragon (지드래곤), is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. Dubbed the "King of K-pop", he rose to prominence as the leader of the South Korean boy band BigBang, which went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands in the world.

This profile of G-Dragon covers Early Life and Family Background, Career and Rise to Fame, 2009–2011: Solo debut and commercial popularity, 2012–2013: Breakthrough years and comeback with Big Bang and 2014–2016: New albums and rising success.

Born in Seoul, he made his public debut at age six as part of the musical group Little Roo'ra. In 2009, he released his first solo studio album Heartbreaker; the album and its title track of the same name were commercially successful, becoming the best-selling album by a Korean soloist at the time and earning him Album of the Year at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards. This was followed by a collaboration with bandmate T.O.P for the album GD & TOP in 2010. His first EP, One of a Kind (2012), earned Best Album at the 2013 Seoul Music Awards and spawned the chart-topping single "That XX". In 2013, he embarked on the One of a Kind World Tour, his first worldwide tour as a solo artist, making him the first Korean soloist to tour Japanese dome arenas.

G-Dragon released his second studio album Coup d'Etat in 2013, featuring the number-one single "Who You?". His 2017 EP, Kwon Ji Yong, yielded the chart-topping single "Untitled, 2014", and the supporting concert tour Act III: M.O.T.T.E became the largest tour ever conducted by a Korean soloist. In 2023, G-Dragon officially departed YG Entertainment after 20 years of activities, signing to Galaxy Corporation under his real name. His third studio album Übermensch (2025) earned Album of the Year at the 2025 Melon Music Awards and spawned the number-one singles "Home Sweet Home" and "Too Bad"; the former song earned Song of the Year at the same ceremony.

Widely recognized for his influence on youth culture, fashion trends, and music in South Korea, G-Dragon was included in Forbes' list of the 2030 Power Leaders for three consecutive years (2012–2014), and has been part of Hypebeast's list of the 100 most influential people in fashion eight times. He has written or co-written 24 number-one songs on the Gaon Digital Chart, most of which he has also co-produced. G-Dragon is the recipient of numerous awards, including twelve MAMA Awards, fourteen Melon Music Awards, two Korean Music Awards and two Golden Disc Awards, and the first and only solo artist to receive the MAMA Award for Artist of the Year (2013 and 2025). In 2025, South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized G-Dragon's cultural achievements and expanding the value of Korea’s pop culture worldwide by awarding him the Okgwan Order, a 4th grade Order of Cultural Merit; he became the youngest recipient and first idol to receive it.

Early Life and Family Background of G-Dragon

G-Dragon was born on August 18, 1988, in Seoul, South Korea. He enrolled at Kyung Hee University in 2008 to study post-modern music; he later dropped out due to his busy schedule, and instead majored in Sports Technology Management at Gukje Cyber University, obtaining a Bachelor's degree in 2013. G-Dragon graduated in 2016 double majoring Master's degree in Supply Chain Management and Fashion Merchandising at Sejong University. Plans for a doctoral degree were delayed to accommodate his military enlistment.

Career and Rise to Fame of G-Dragon

G-Dragon began his career at age six as part of the group Little Roo'ra. Following the release of the group's Christmas album, the group's contract was terminated by their record company, which shocked G-Dragon. Although he vowed to his mother that he "wouldn't [try to become a singer] again," he was scouted by SM Entertainment on a ski trip with his family. He was a trainee under the record label SM Entertainment for five years (from 8–13 years old), specializing in dance before he left.

During third grade, a friend introduced G-Dragon to the American rap group Wu-Tang Clan. Having been influenced by their music, he developed interest in rapping and began taking classes. After attending a summer school hosted by the South Korean hiphop group People Crew which he joined after begging his mom, he was introduced to Lee Hee-sung, who was member of another South Korean hip hop group X-teen, who tried to make G-Dragon into Korea's Bow Wow. Under People Crew's tutelage, he participated in the release of the Korean hip-hop album Korean hiphop Flex (대한민국 힙합플렉스 2001) in 2001, becoming the youngest Korean rapper at 13 years old. Although he wrote his own lyrics, he admitted that his English was weak and the story behind the lyrics was just another typical "I'm young, but I'm the best" story. Also, he and future fellow BigBang member Choi Seung-hyun were "neighborhood friend from middle school" and would often dance and rap together before G-Dragon moved away. Catching the interest of Sean of the hip-hop duo Jinusean from YG Entertainment, he recommended G-Dragon to Sean's record label's CEO Yang Hyun Suk. After signing a contract with the record label, G-Dragon spent the first year cleaning the studio for the other artists in the record label and fetching water bottles during dance practice.

He chose the stage name G-Dragon ("Ji" is pronounced like "G", and Yong is Korean for "dragon"). He featured on other artists' albums and released several singles with Dong Young-Bae (Taeyang) under the name "GDYB." After YG Entertainment scrapped the plan and opted for a boy band instead, G-Dragon contacted Choi, who auditioned in. G-Dragon, Taeyang, and Choi (who chose the stage name T.O.P), were paired with three other members (Jang Hyun-seung, Daesung, and Seungri).

The formation of the group was documented on television, but prior to their official debut, Jang was dropped. The now-quintet's debut was a moderate success, with their first album selling over 100,000 copies, and included G-Dragon's first solo recording, a cover of the American alternative rock group Maroon 5's single "This Love". The release of the EP Always in 2007 was a musical departure from their previous materials and saw G-Dragon's increased involvement in its production. Several songs were composed by him, including the lead-single "Lies", which became the group's first number one hit. Their following EPs followed its predecessor's footsteps: Hot Issue yielded "Last Farewell" while Stand Up spawned "Haru Haru"; both singles, composed by him, were chart-toppers. Having produced the majority of BigBang's materials, G-Dragon was also involved with the production of Taeyang's debut extended play Hot (2008).

Source: adapted from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-Dragon), text available under CC BY-SA 4.0.