South Korean rapper Jung San, known as San E, is not just any rapper. He is, indeed, the most successful solo rapper in South Korea's mainstream music. After securing a contract with Brand New Music, San E recently released a new single.
San E became famous back in 2008 when he released his first mix tapes, dubbed "Ready to be Signed" and "Ready to be Famous". To attract attention to his music, he jokingly dissed one of the famous underground rappers Verbal Jint.
His diss on Verbal Jint achieved its purposed and raised the attention of South Korea's hip hop community and Verbal Jint - who, surprisingly, then invited San E to join Verbal Jint's hip hop crew, Overclass.
In 2010, San E won the Best Hip Hong Song Korea Music Awards for his song "Rap Genius." Following that award, he became the first rapper that secured contract with JYP Entertainment, one of the big three labels in South Korea's k-pop industry.
Then San E released his first mini album dubbed "Everybody Ready?" in which San E collaborated with fellow JYP Entertainment artists Min, and Joo and Yeeun on the mini album.
San E then released his single "Tasty San"" that featured Min in the M Countdown music television show. A few months later, San E started another round of promotion for the single "LoveSick", in which the video featured Sohee from Wonder Girls.
San E is not like any other rapper. He uses music as an outlet. He was born in South Korea but moved to Georgia, USA, when his parents were struggling due to the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. That is what gave him a closeness to this style of music and an international sense.
"I always wanted to let everybody know hip-hop is worldwide," said the rapper.
He then announced his ambitious plan to release a charity single. The purpose of it all is to cross the barriers of race, culture, language and sex, alongside the collective known as Hip Hop for the World. He recorded a global anthem "HIPHOPISHIPHOP".
Hip Hop for the World includes talented artists from four continents and is led by San E, famous for his K-Pop Hot 100 hits like "Break-Up Dinner," "A Midsummer Night's Sweetness" and "Body Language."
"HIPHOPISHIPHOP is my high school dream. As an immigrant, if I let my friends listen to Korean hip-hop music, they'd be like, ‘They can rap in Korea?' I always wanted to let everybody know hip-hop is worldwide; it can be rap in all different languages you never heard. It took awhile to make it really happen, now here it is."
DISCOGRAPHY
2017 Jan 23 EP [Season of Suffering]
2015 Apr 23 Album [The Boy Who Cried Wolf]
2014 Aug 04 Digital Single 'Body Language'
2014 Jun 12 Project Single 'A Midsummer Night's Sweetness'
2013 Nov 21 2nd Mini Album ['Not' Based on the True Story]
2013 Nov 06 Digital Single 'Where Did You Sleep'
2013 Aug 02 Digital Single 'Story of Someone I Know'
2013 May 13 Digital Single 'Big Boy'
2011 Apr 26 Digital Single 'Don't Go'
2010 Nov 03 Digital Single 'LoveSick'
2010 Sep 13 1st Mini Album [Everybody Ready?]
(more details on his San E facebook page)