Jo Dong-rim ( ko, 조동림; born March 25, 1985), better known by the stage name Mad Clown ( ko, 매드클라운), is a South Korean

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

, and

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

. He debuted with the single "Luv Sickness" in 2008 and released his first extended play, ''Anything Goes'', in 2011. He broke into the mainstream following the release of " Stupid in Love," his hit 2013 collaboration with

Soyou Kang Ji-hyun (born February 12, 1992), known professionally as Soyou, is a South Korean singer. She is best known as a former member of the South Korean girl group Sistar. Life and career 1992–2010: Early life and career beginnings Soyou ...

of the girl group

Sistar Sistar (, often stylized as SISTAR) was a South Korean girl group formed in 2010 by Starship Entertainment. The group consisted of Hyolyn, Bora, Soyou and Dasom. They made their official debut with the song " Push Push" on 3 June 2010. Their ...

. He has since released the extended plays ''Ferocity'' (2014), ''Piece of Mine'' (2015), ''Love is a Dog From Hell'' (2017), and ''0'' (2020).

Early life

Jo Dong-rim was born just outside of Chicago in

Evanston, Illinois Evanston ( ) is a city, suburb of Chicago. Located in Cook County, Illinois, United States, it is situated on the North Shore along Lake Michigan. Evanston is north of Downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, Wil ...

on March 25, 1985. He and his parents moved back to South Korea when he was around one year old. His family sent him back to the U.S. to study when he was 14. Growing up he was heavily influenced by Rapper

2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

. He was pursuing a degree in Sociology in the U.S. but later left his studies to continue to pursue music.

Career

2008-2012: Debut and early career

Mad Clown debuted in 2008 and released his first EP in 2011.

2013-2018: Starship Entertainment, collaborations, and television judge

He has worked on several collaborations, including Stupid in Love with South Korean singer

from the South Korean group

, released on September 10, 2013. On March 28, 2014, Starship Entertainment announced on their Twitter account that

Hyolyn Kim Hyo-jung (; born December 11, 1990), better known by her stage name Hyolyn (효린), is a South Korean singer and songwriter, now under the management of her own self-started production company Bridʒ. She is a former member of the South Kor ...

would feature in Mad Clown's comeback track, "Without You". The music video for "Without You" was released on April 3, 2014. On December 12, 2014, Mad Clown featured on "Anxious" by Melody Day. In December, he also began working as a mentor on ''No.Mercy'', a survival show of trainees from Starship Entertainment which led to the formation of

Monsta X Monsta X (; stylized as MONSTA X) is a South Korean boy group formed through the reality survival program ''No.Mercy'' under Starship Entertainment. The group is currently composed of six members: Shownu, Minhyuk, Kihyun, Hyungwon, Joohoney ...

. In 2015, he featured on

Jooheon Lee Joo-heon (; born October 6, 1994), better known by the stage name Joohoney and formerly mononymously known as Jooheon, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, producer, and actor. He is a member of the South Korean boy group Monsta ...

of Monsta X's first mixtape, ''SUPEXX''. Mad Clown released his third extended play ''Piece of Mine'' in January 2015. In 2016, he was a judge and producer for the fifth season of Show Me the Money. In 2018, Mad Clown did not renew his contract with Starship. That year, he also participated in the seventh season of "Show Me The Money" under the alias of "MOMMY SON", donning a pink

ski mask A balaclava, also known as a balaclava helmet or ski mask, is a form of cloth headgear designed to expose only part of the face, usually the eyes and mouth. Depending on style and how it is worn, only the eyes, mouth and nose, or just the fron ...

to cover his appearance. After being eliminated from the show, he released the song, "Shonen Jump (ft. Bae Gisung)" in mock retaliation against those who eliminated him. He also performed the song during the filming of the final episode of the show.

2019-present: New label, more collaborations, further releases

In January 2019, Mad Clown collaborated with Stella Jung, releasing the single "No Question". In September 2020, Mad Clown announced his first EP following his departure from Starship. The album, titled ''0'', will be released on October 6 through Sameside Company and has four ballads.

Personal life

Mad Clown's younger brother is film and television actor Jo Hyeon-cheol. Mad Clown married his non-celebrity wife on May 15, 2016, after a year of dating. He has a child, a son. On September 22, 2022, Mad Clown revealed that he divorced his non-celebrity wife last year after 5 years of marriage.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Soundtrack appearances

Other charted songs

Filmography

Television

Awards and nominations

Gaon Chart Music Awards

Golden Disc Awards The Golden Disc Awards (, formerly spelled the Golden Disk Awards before 2015) is an annual South Korean major music awards ceremony that honors achievements in the local music industry. The awards ceremony was founded with the purpose to promo ...

Melon Music Awards

Mnet Asian Music Awards The MAMA Awards (formerly Mnet Asian Music Awards) is a major music awards ceremony presented annually by entertainment company CJ E&M. First held in South Korea, the majority of prizes has been won by K-pop artists, although there are other As ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mad Clown 1985 births Living people Show Me the Money (South Korean TV series) contestants Starship Entertainment artists South Korean male rappers South Korean hip hop record producers South Korean singer-songwriters Melon Music Award winners South Korean male singer-songwriters