Lee Tae-min (; born June 20, 1994), known professionally as Mushvenom (; stylized in all caps), is a South Korean rapper and songwriter. He is known for his humorous lyrics and using the Chungcheong dialect in his rap. Mushvenom first garnered attention when he appeared on ''

Show Me the Money 8 The eighth season of the series Show Me the Money (South Korean TV series), ''Show Me the Money'', known as Show Me the Money 8 (also referred to as SMTM8), premiered on July 26, 2019 and ended on September 27, 2019. It is broadcast every Friday ...

'' in 2019. His debut single, "Why Are You So Noisy", was met with critical acclaim. In 2020, he appeared on ''

Show Me the Money 9 The ninth season of the series ''Show Me the Money'' (known as Show Me the Money 9 or SMTM9) premiered on October 16, 2020, and ended on December 18, 2020. It was broadcast every Friday at 23:00 (KST) on Mnet. The season returned to four produci ...

'' and finished in second place. " VVS", a single he released on the show, peaked at number one on the

Gaon Digital Chart The Circle Digital Chart, previously known as the Gaon Digital Chart, is the music industry standard record chart ranking the 200 most popular singles in South Korea. It provides rankings on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, which is based o ...

and won Hip-hop Track of the Year at the

Korean Hip-hop Awards The Korean Hip-hop Awards (KHA; Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing ...

Early life and education

Lee Tae-min was born on June 20, 1994, in

Daedeok Daedeok Innopolis, formerly known as Daedeok Science Town, is the research and development district in the Yuseong-gu district in Daejeon, South Korea. Daedeok Innopolis grew out of the research cluster established by President Park Chunghee in ...

Daejeon Daejeon () is South Korea's fifth-largest metropolis, with a population of 1.5 million as of 2019. Located in the central-west region of South Korea alongside forested hills and the Geum River, the city is known both for its technology and ...

. He began rapping as a hobby when he was in the second year of high school. He graduated from Kukje University of Arts with an associate degree in applied music. He adopted the stage name "Mushvenom" as it sounds similar to "cool guy" () in Korean.

Career

2019: ''Show Me the Money 8'' and "Why Are You So Noisy"

In July 2019, Mushvenom appeared on ''

'' where he first garnered attention. He was eliminated in round six (producer crew battle). In September 2019, he released his debut single "Why Are You So Noisy", which was nominated for Best Rap Song at the

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 ...

and Hip-hop Track of the Year at the

. In November 2019, he released the single "Let Me Know", which was ranked in sixth place in ''Music Ys 2019 Single of the Year list. In December 2019, he released the single "Nice Head", which was nominated for Best Rap Song at the Korean Music Awards.

2020: ''Show Me the Money 9'' and "VVS"

In October 2020, Mushvenom appeared on ''

'' where he released " VVS" with Mirani, Munchman, and Khundi Panda. It became his most successful single, charting at number 1 on the

for seven consecutive weeks and winning Hip-Hop Track of the Year at the Korean Hip-hop Awards. He also released singles "Tricker", "Godok", "Go", and "The Beauty of Void" on the show and finished in second place. He was ranked in second place in ''Music Ys 2020 Rookie of the Year list.

Artistry

Mushvenom is known for his "humorous lyrics, witty rhymes, and ear-catching Chungcheong accent". In an interview with ''Inven'', he cited his family as his biggest influence. He also gets inspiration from dramas such as ''Taejo Wang Geon'', movies, and comedy shows.

Discography

Singles

Filmography

TV

Awards and nominations

References

External link

* {{YouTube, channel=UC0amQTlNLu0qdBgyDt1_k4A 1994 births Living people People from Daejeon Show Me the Money (South Korean TV series) contestants South Korean male rappers