Drunken Tiger () was a

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 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 line-up consisted of central member

Tiger JK Seo Jung-kwon, Hangul: 서정권, Hanja: 徐廷權, also known as Tiger JK (born July 29, 1974) is a Korean-American rapper, record producer and entrepreneur best known as a founding member of Korean hip hop group Drunken Tiger. He has also foun ...

, as well as

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 ...

. Micki Eyes, DJ Jhig, and Roscoe Umali later joined the group. In 2013, Tiger JK moved away from making music under the group's original name and formed

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 ...

with his wife

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

Bizzy Park Jun-young (Hangul: 박준영), better known as Bizzy (Hangul: 비지), is a South Korea-based rapper and member of the hip-hop trio MFBTY. He is an affiliate of YDG's, Yucka Squad, and also the hip-hop crew, The Movement. He became more kno ...

. In 2018, Tiger JK released a final self titled album under the Drunken Tiger name, featuring Yoon Mi-Rae and Bizzy alongside a number of other artists.

History

1998-2000: Debut and early controversy

In 1998,

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 Americans ...

rappers

and

teamed up to form Drunken Tiger. They released their first album, ''Year of the Tiger'' in Korea in 1999. At the time, the album was controversial given its explicit lyrics and rejection of mainstream

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, gos ...

norms. Unlike their k-pop counterparts, Drunken Tiger wrote their own lyrics, expressed anti-establishment views, and did not perform choreography. However, the album's singles, "I Want You" and "Do You Know Hip-hop," are now considered Korean hip hop classics.

2000-2004: Drug charges and early success

In 2000, Drunken Tiger released their second album, ''The Great Rebirth'', and introduced new members DJ Jhig, Micki Eyes, and Roscoe Umali. The album did well on music charts and established the group as "the first commercially successful true hip hop group" in Korea. However, in the midst of the group's success, 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. Methamph ...

in Korea in 1999. 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 the hip hop group Uptown, who has also been arrested on drug charges. Tiger JK spent a month and a half in jail and was sentenced to two years probation. As a result, Drunken Tiger was banned from performing on public media for two years. However, after appealing the decision, the ban was lifted, allowing the group to release their third album in 2001. 2001's ''The Legend Of...,'' is one of Drunken Tiger's most successful albums. Their single "Good Life" became a huge hit, topping Korean music charts for weeks. They went on to win Best Hip Hop Performance at the 2001 MNET Music Video Festival and the Hip-Hop/Rap Award at the 2001

Seoul Music Awards The Seoul Music Awards (; SMA) is a major South Korean music awards show presented by the newspaper ''Sports Seoul''. The award winners are selected based on a combination of criteria, including music sales, popular votes, and expert judges' op ...

. The group released the albums ''Foundation'' and ''One Is Not A Lonely Word'' in 2003 and 2004, respectively. By this point, Drunken Tiger's appeal had grown internationally, with the group gaining fans and performing in countries including Japan, China, and Taiwan.

2005-2012: Departure of DJ Shine and continued success

In 2005, during the debut of the group's sixth album, ''1945 Liberation'', founding member DJ Shine announced he would leave Drunken Tiger. Tiger JK continued using the group's name as a solo artist, and, with the success of the fifth album, signed endorsement deals with Hite Beer and

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 ...

. In 2006, Tiger JK established his own hip-hop label,

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 ...

, which became the new home of Drunken Tiger. The release of Drunken Tiger's seventh album, ''Sky Is The Limit'', marked another high point in Drunken Tiger's career. Although Tiger JK's ability to perform was inhibited by his recently diagnosed acute

transverse myelitis Transverse myelitis (TM) is a rare neurological condition wherein the spinal cord is inflamed. The adjective ''transverse'' implies that the spinal inflammation (myelitis) extends horizontally throughout the cross section of the spinal cord; the ...

, the album's single "8:45 Heaven," a tribute to his late grandmother, became a fan favorite and won Best Hip Hop Song at the 2008

Korean Music Awards The Korean Music Awards () is an annual South Korean music awards show that honors both mainstream and underground musical artists from a variety of genres. Unlike other major South Korean music awards, which largely rely on record sales to det ...

. Drunken Tiger released its eighth album, ''Feel gHood Muzik'', in 2009. The double-disc album featured American hip-hop legend,

Rakim William Michael Griffin Jr. (born January 28, 1968), better known by his stage name Rakim Allah or simply Rakim (), is an American rapper and record producer. One half of golden age hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

, as well as Roscoe Umali, who had not appeared on the last few Drunken Tiger releases. The album sold over 100,000 copies, and all 27 tracks debuted on the Top 100 K-Pop Singles chart. The album ultimately won Record of the Year at the 2010

and Best Hip Hop Album at the 2010

2013-present: Forming MFBTY and Feel Ghood Music

In 2013, Tiger JK and label mates

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

released the song, "Sweet Dream," under the group name

. An acronym for "My Fans reBetter Than Yours," the name MFBTY started as a joke between Tiger JK and fans on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

. Although the name was meant to be temporary, the three artists have made subsequent releases as MFBTY, as well as under their solo names. Later that year, the three artists left Tiger JK's own

and signed to his new label, Feel Ghood Music. In September, they released the album ''The Cure'', under the name Drunken Tiger ft. Yoon MiRae and Bizzy. The album, which peaked at #6 on the

K-Pop Hot 100 The K-pop Hot 100 is a music singles chart in South Korea, launched by ''Billboard'' in conjunction with ''Billboard'' Korea () on August 25, 2011. It is the second Asian ''Billboard'' chart after the Japan Hot 100. The chart used the same multime ...

chart, was a tribute to Tiger JK's father, who was battling cancer at the time. In 2015, MFBTY released the album ''Wondaland'', which was an immediate success. Hours after its release, 17 of the top 20 songs on Daum's music chart were from ''Wondaland.'' The album ultimately reached #8 on

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

's World Albums chart. Tiger JK said the reason he wasn't making music under the name Drunken Tiger anymore was because his young son did not like the word "drunken." In 2018, Tiger JK released a final self titled album under the Drunken Tiger name, featuring Yoon Mi-Rae and Bizzy, as well as other artists including

Dok2 Lee Joon-kyung (; born March 28, 1990) better known by his stage name Dok2 (, pronounced as Dokki), is a South Korean rapper, record producer and co-founder of now-defunct Illionaire Records. Biography Early life Dok2's mother is Korean, and h ...

Eun Ji-won Eun Ji-won Hangul: 은지원, Hanja: 殷志源, (born June 8, 1978) is a South Korean rapper and entertainer. He is the leader of the first generation idol group Sechs Kies (젝스키스). He is recognized as an ancestor of the K-pop world, pav ...

, RM, and

Junoflo Samuel Juno Park (born September 25, 1992), better known as Junoflo (), is a Korean Americans, Korean-American rapper. He has released three studio albums: ''Progression'' (2015), ''Statues'' (2019), ''222:AM'' (2020), one extended play: ''Only Hu ...

Members

(Seo Jung-kwon) — 1998–2018 *

(Lim Byong-wook) — 1998–2005 *DJ Jhig (James Jung) — 2000–2003 *Roscoe Umali — 2000–2002 *Micki Eyes (

Mike Amiri Mike Amiri (born ) is an American fashion designer. He is the founder, CEO and creative director of AMIRI. Career Mike Amiri grew up in Hollywood, Los Angeles. He began his career handcrafting stage pieces for musicians. He designed a capsu ...

) — 2000–2002, 2018

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Awards

Mnet Asian Music Awards

Seoul Music Awards

Golden Disk Awards

Korean Music Awards

Select live performances

External links

Drunken Tiger official website

Drunken Tiger official website

References

{{Authority control Jungle Entertainment artists Musical groups established in 1992 South Korean hip hop groups MAMA Award winners Korean Music Award winners