Moon Ji-hoon (

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

: 문지훈, born October 14, 1986), better known by the stage name Swings (Korean: 스윙스), is a South Korean rapper. Formerly under the label

Brand New Music Brand New Music (Hangul: 브랜뉴 뮤직, also stylized as BrandNew Music and initialized as BNM) is a South Korean hip hop company founded in 2011 by rapper . History 2003–2012: Founding and first-generation artists Kim Se-hwan (Hangul: � ...

, he is currently signed to P Nation.

Career

Swings debuted in 2008 with the

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

''Upgrade''. He joined the hip hop group Uptown in 2009 but left by the end of the year. He released his first full-length album, ''Growing Pains'', in 2010. He gained popularity after competing on the second season of the TV rap competition ''Show Me the Money'' in 2013. That summer, Swings triggered a ' Control diss phenomenon' within the Korean hip hop scene with the release of his

diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (diss – abbr. from ''disrespect'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the ...

"King Swings Part 2", over the instrumental of Big Sean's "

Control Control may refer to: Basic meanings Economics and business * Control (management), an element of management * Control, an element of management accounting * Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization * Controllin ...

", in which he accused rapper

Simon Dominic Jung Ki-suck (; born 9 March 1984), better known by his stage name Simon Dominic (), is a South Korean hip hop recording artist. He debuted in 2009 as a member of the hip-hop duo Supreme Team, which disbanded in 2013. As a solo artist, he has ...

of not protecting his Supreme Team member

E-Sens Kang Min-ho (; born 9 February 1987), better known by the stage name E Sens (), is a South Korean rapper. He debuted in 2009 as a member of the hip hop duo Supreme Team, which disbanded in 2013. In 2015, he released his first solo album, ''Th ...

from an alleged

slave contract A slave contract () refers to an unfair, long-term contract between Korean idols and their management agencies. Conditions Aspiring K-pop idols, known as "trainees," sign contracts with management agencies when the trainee is as young as 12 or 1 ...

offered by label

Amoeba Culture Amoeba Culture () is a South Korean independent record label established in 2006 by Dynamic Duo and Go Kyung-min. The label is home to prominent artists such as Dynamic Duo, Rhythm Power, and Ha:tfelt. The label had the third largest sales amo ...

. Swings was named Artist of the Year for 2013 by Korean hip hop magazine Hiphop Playa. The "Control Diss Phenomenon" was a career-changing movie for Swings. As South Korea started to adopt hip-hop culture late, there were not any significant diss-battles that happened. As diss rapping is a big part of hip-hop culture, the "Control Diss Phenomenon" was a very impactful event that created an environment where other rappers can join battles to stimulate competition and rivalry. In 2014, he returned to ''Show Me the Money'' as a producer for its third season, alongside established rappers including

San E Jung San (; born ), more commonly known by his stage name San E (), is a South Korean rapper. He debuted in 2010 under JYP Entertainment, where he was the label's first solo rapper. He left the company in 2013 to sign with hip hop label Brand Ne ...

and

Tablo Daniel Armand Lee (Korean: Lee Seon-woong; Hangul: 이선웅; born July 22, 1980), better known by his stage name Tablo (Hangul: 타블로), is a Korean-Canadian hip hop recording artist, lyricist, composer and record producer. Tablo is best k ...

. Swings left the label

in August 2014 to focus his own record label, Just Music. The label currently represents the rappers

Black Nut Kim Dae-woong (), better known as Black Nut (Hangul: 블랙넛), is a South Korean rapper from Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, signed to hip hop record label Just Music. He reportedly acted as the record label's interim president starting in 2014 ...

Giriboy Hong Si-young (; born January 24, 1991), better known by his stage name, Giriboy (Hangul: 기리보이), is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter,record producer,and actor signed to Just Music. Career Giriboy began his musical career in ...

Genius Nochang No Chang-joong (Hangul: 노창중, born September 24, 1991), better known by his stage name Genius Nochang (Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ...

C Jamm Ryu Sung-min (Hangul: 류성민; born February 28, 1993), better known by his stage name C Jamm (Hangul: 씨잼), is a South Korean rapper. He released his debut album, ''Good Boy Doing Bad Things'' on July 17, 2015. He is the runner-up of Sh ...

, and Vasco. In April 2017, it established its second label, Indigo Music. It has become one of the most notable hip-hop labels, recruiting Yang Hongwon (previously known as Young B),

Kid Milli Choi Won-jae (Hangul: 최원재, born October 26, 1993), better known by his stage name Kid Milli (Hangul: 키드밀리), is a South Korean rapper. He released his first extended play, ''Maiden Voyage'', on February 23, 2017. Biography Before ...

Justhis Heo Seung (Hangul: 허승, born May 7, 1991), better known by his stage name Justhis (Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Ch ...

Jvcki Wai Hong Ye-eun (; born July 5, 1996), known professionally as Jvcki Wai (), is a South Korean rapper. In 2018, she signed to Indigo Music and released her debut studio album ''Enchanted Propaganda''. In 2021, she won Collaboration of the Year at the ...

and Noel as its artists. Psy announced on Instagram on April 29, 2021, that Swings had signed a contract with P Nation.

Personal life

Swings is a fluent English speaker, having lived in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, and studied English at

Sungkyunkwan University Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU or simply ''Seongdae'', Hangul: 성균관대학교; Hanja: 成均館大學校) is a private comprehensive research university in South Korea. The institution traces its origins to the historic Sungkyunkwan, founde ...

. He enlisted in the South Korean military in November 2014, despite being exempt from

mandatory military service Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

due to psychological disorders. He was discharged from the military in September 2015 due to his mental health. Swings said that he has been receiving treatment since he was young for illnesses including obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, and bipolar disorder.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Mixtapes

Charted singles

Filmography

Television

Variety shows

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swings 1986 births Living people South Korean male rappers South Korean singer-songwriters Uptown (band) members Brand New Music artists Show Me the Money (South Korean TV series) contestants Sungkyunkwan University alumni South Korean male singer-songwriters