T.O.P | |
|---|---|
 T.O.P in August 2016 | |
| Born | Choi Seung-hyun (1987-11-04)November 4, 1987 (age 38) Seoul, South Korea |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2006–present |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | |
Musical artist | |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 최승현 |
| Hanja | 崔勝鉉 |
| RR | Choe Seunghyeon |
| MR | Ch'oe Sŭnghyŏn |
| Signature | |
 | |
Choi Seung-hyun (Korean: 최승현; born November 4, 1987), known professionally asT.O.P, is a South Korean rapper, lyricist, composer, record producer, philanthropist[1] and actor.[2] He performed as an underground rapper before joining the record labelYG Entertainment and debuted as the lead rapper of theboy bandBigBang in 2006. The group became one of the best-selling groups of all time in Asia and one of the best-selling boy bands in the world.[3] In 2010, while the group was on hiatus, T.O.P andG-Dragon collaborated to release the album,GD & TOP. As a solo rapper, he has released two digital singles, "Turn It Up" (2010) and "Doom Dada" (2013), that have peaked at number two and four, respectively, on theGaon Digital Chart.
T.O.P made his acting debut in 2007 through the TV seriesI Am Sam (2007), followed byIris (2009) and the TV movieNineteen (2009). He made his film debut with71: Into the Fire (2010), for which he received praise and won multiple accolades including Best New Actor at the2010 Blue Dragon Film Awards and the2011 Baeksang Arts Awards. Subsequently, he garnered lead roles in the filmsCommitment (2013), for which he was awarded 'New Asian Actor of the Year' at theBusan International Film Festival andTazza: The Hidden Card (2014). In 2024, T.O.P portrayedThanos in thesecond season of theNetflixdystopiansurvivalthriller seriesSquid Game.
Choi Seung-hyun was born in theSongpa District ofSeoul, South Korea.[citation needed] He is the great nephew of Korea's pioneeringabstract art artistKim Whanki and grew up in contact with art due to his family.[4][5] Choi became interested inhip hop at a young age.[6] He and fellow future BigBang memberKwon Ji-yong were "neighborhood friend[s] from middle school" and often danced and rapped together.[7] Although Kwon later moved away and the two "became distant", Choi was contacted by Kwon when YG Entertainment, Kwon's record label, was scouting for possible candidates to create a boy group.[7] By then, Choi had already performed on many underground stages at hip hop clubs[8] and established a reputation as an underground rapper with the stage name Tempo.[9] In 2003 under the name of Tempo, he was the winner of KBS Radio'sRap Battle.[10] After contact, Choi subsequently recorded several demos with Kwon and sent them toYang Hyun-suk,CEO of YG Entertainment, who later asked him to audition.[9] Choi was initially rejected by the record label, which deemed him too "chubby" to fit the "idealistic version" of an idol.[9] He later "went home and exercised hard because [he] wanted to join YG Entertainment,"[9] losing 20 kg in 40 days.[9] Six months later, Choi returned for another audition and was signed.
Given the stage name of T.O.P. (탑) by senior YG artistSeven,[11] he became one of two rappers alongside G-Dragon (Kwon's stage name) inBigBang. The two were paired with four others:Taeyang,Daesung,Seungri andHyunseung and a documentary leading up to their debut was aired to promote them.[12] Hyunseung was later dropped by Yang, and BigBang made its official debut with five members.[13] Their first studio album,Big Bang Vol. 1 - Since 2007, received lukewarm receptions,[14] and included T.O.P.'s first solo song "Big Boy". The group achieved mainstream success with the release of the song "Lies" (거짓말;Geojitmal) from theextended playAlways (2007), which topped several charts upon its release. The singles, "Last Farewell" (마지막 인사;Majimak Insa) fromHot Issue (2008) and "Day by Day" (하루하루;Haru Haru) fromStand Up (2008), became chart-toppers as well.[15][16]
After releasing the band's albums and singles, T.O.P. began working on his solo career. In April 2007, he was featured with fellow BigBang members Taeyang and G-Dragon on singerLexy's single "Super Fly" for her albumRush. Later that summer, he appeared as an actor in Red Roc's "Hello" music video.[17] He became the first member of BigBang to venture into acting, starring in theKBS2 dramaI Am Sam,[18] portraying the school's top fighter, Chae Musin. Despite wanting to use his stage name when acting, believing it reflects his professional side more, he is often billed with his real name, with his stage name included in parentheses.[6] He also became a host ofMBC's music programMusic Core.
While promoting his group's materials in 2008, T.O.P appeared on other artists' records, includingGummy for the song "I'm Sorry" for her albumComfort, veteran singerUhm Jung-hwa for her single "D.I.S.C.O." and ZiA for her single "I Only See You". The same year, he was admitted toDankook University in the theatre department.[19] The following year, T.O.P. portrayed the assassin Vick in the critically acclaimed[20] Korean television dramaIris (2009).[21] He also recorded the song "Hallelujah" for the drama's soundtrack with Taeyang and G-Dragon. FollowingIris, T.O.P. starred in the suspense film19-Nineteen along with fellow memberSeungri.[22] The duo released the single "Because" for the movie's soundtrack.
T.O.P's performance in the 2010 war drama71: Into the Fire was well-received, earning him several Best New Actor awards at local award-giving bodies.[23] The movie also gained one million admissions in a week.[24] Simultaneously, T.O.P began to prepare for his solo musical debut.[25] During BigBang's Big Show Concert in January 2010, T.O.P. performed his new single "Turn It Up".[26] Released as a digital single, it peaked at number two,[27] and sold over 1.3 million downloads by the end of 2010.[28]
Later that year, T.O.P and bandmateG-Dragon formed asubunit to release the albumGD & TOP (2010).[29] Prior to the release of the album, the duo held a worldwide premiere showcase for their album at Times Square in Yeongdeungpo ofSeoul, South Korea,[30] which was also broadcast live on YouTube.[31] Three singles were released in support of the album: "High High", "Oh Yeah", and "Knock Out".[32] All three singles preceded the release of the album and attained commercial successes: "Knock Out" was a chart topper[33] while "Oh Yeah" and "High High" both peaked at number two and number three respectively.[34][35] The album was released on Christmas Eve, and debuted at number one[36] with 200,000 pre-ordered copies.[37]
From 2011 to 2012, T.O.P was extensively involved with BigBang's promotional activities for their EPsTonight (2011) andAlive (2012) which included a ten-monthworld tour that travelled to four continents. After group activities wrapped up, he focused his attention back to acting, starring in the filmCommitment (2013), playing the son of a North Korean spy who is falsely accused.[38][unreliable source?][39][unreliable source?] T.O.P first became attached to the role because he "felt sympathy for the main character, Lee Myung Hoon."[40][unreliable source?] While filming a combat scene for the movie, he injured the back of his hand on a glass fragment and was later admitted to the hospital for surgery. For his role, he won the Rookie Award at the Asia Star Awards, held during theBusan International Film Festival.[41][unreliable source?]
T.O.P was named one of the hottest sex symbols of 2013 byRolling Stone.[42] That November, he released his second digital single, "Doom Dada".[43] The song was performed for the first time at the2013 Mnet Asian Music Awards inHong Kong.[44][unreliable source?] "Doom Dada" earned the #1 position onDazed magazine's Top 10 K-Pop tracks of 2013, where it was called "inviting and alienating... it's K-Pop but sly, frenetic and slippery."[45] He later featured on English artistPixie Lott's Japanese album alongside G-Dragon for the song "Dancing on My Own".[46][unreliable source?]
In 2014, T.O.P starred in the gambling filmTazza: The Hidden Card, based on themanhwa of the same name. After debuting as a furniture designer in 2015 in collaboration withVitra,[47] he was awarded the Visual Culture Award at the Prudential Eye Awards.[48][unreliable source?] Later that year, he starred in CJ E&M's web dramaThe Secret Message alongside Japanese actressJuri Ueno. Despite being a rapper, he sang on the single "Hi Haruka" as part of the drama's soundtrack.
After spending the majority of 2015touring and promoting BigBang's materials for their album Made (2016), T.O.P was cast in the German-Chinese filmOut of Control alongside Hong Kong actressCecilia Cheung. The movie is scheduled for release in China.[49]
T.O.P began his two-yearmandatory military service on February 9, 2017, as a conscripted police officer, where he was set to be discharged on November 8, 2018, after completing the requirements.[50] After news broke in June that he would be prosecuted without detention for use of marijuana,[51][unreliable source?] T.O.P was subsequently transferred to a different police division to await notice of prosecution, and was suspended from police duty pending verdict on his case.[52][unreliable source?] A few days after the announcement, T.O.P was found unconscious in police barracks due to a suspected anti-anxiety medicine overdose of prescribedbenzodiazepine,[53][unreliable source?] and was hospitalized.[54] On June 8, T.O.P's mother confirmed that he regained consciousness and was recovering.[55]
On June 29, at his first trial for the marijuana usage charges at the Seoul Central District Court,[56] T.O.P pleaded guilty, admitting that he did smoke marijuana in four instances in early October 2016[57] and received two years of probation.[58] After undergoing a disciplinary review by the police to decide if T.O.P should return as a conscripted policeman or complete his service as a public service officer,[59] T.O.P was eventually assigned reservist status by theMinistry of National Defense and transferred from the police department[60] to complete hismandatory service as a public service worker.[61] He resumed his mandatory service as public service officer at the Yongsan Arts and Crafts Center in central Seoul on January 26, 2018.[62] Afterwards T.O.P was discharged on July 6, 2019.[63] His dispensation took place officially two days later.[64]
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T.O.P holds several records in the art world, becoming the first K-pop singer to be named to a list of 200 artists in the art world at Growse Magazine.[65][unreliable source?] On February 7, 2022, YG Entertainment announced thatBigBang would make their comeback with a new song on April 5. They also announced that T.O.P ended his exclusive contract with YG Entertainment. YG announced at the time that he would continue with group activities.[66] However, T.O.P confirmed on May 31, 2023, that he had withdrawn from the group.[67]
On December 4, 2024, he was revealed as a cast member for thesecond season ofSquid Game through the official Netflix YouTube account in the form of a "Meet the Cast" video.[68] He would play the role of a former rapper,Thanos, fallen from grace due to a crypto scam.[69] The character was created before casting, T.O.P receiving the role after series creatorHwang Dong-hyuk found his "serious" approach.[70] Hwang explained that he wanted to cast someone who stopped working due to drugs, T.O.P retiring from the K-pop industry and leaving BigBang over amarijuana conviction.[71] To get ready for an action scene with actor Yim Si-wan who portrayed Myung-gi, both attended an action school to improve their chemistry together. During this training for the fight scene between the two, T.O.P broke ribs. According to Yim, they stopped filming, but T.O.P wanted to continue, so they resumed.[72] When asked about Thanos' death, Hwang identified him as one of his favorite characters, believing that an "intense" death at the end of season 2 was the perfect time to kill him, and thatseason 3 will still feel like he is there with how the plot progresses.[73]
The casting of T.O.P received controversy in South Korea, the actor's face blurred on the Korean showLive This Morning when airing a segment about the show.[71][74] The casting led to some viewers to believe thatLee Jung-jae, who portrayedSeong Gi-hun and was close to T.O.P, had gotten him the role, a claim that Lee denied.Netflix and Hwang received criticism for this casting for possibly setting a bad precedent.[75] T.O.P was absent for a time from promotional events with the cast.[76] Responding to speculation that he was removed from promotional events over the controversy, Hwang said that they planned to not have him featured from the beginning, wanting T.O.P to be able to talk about his involvement at his own pace.[77] He felt that he had "a lot of guts" for agreeing to do the performance considering his history with drugs,[78] and was surprised that he had still not been forgiven.[71] He also believed that the reaction to his casting would not be reflected outside of Korea due to different legality and opinions on marijuana use in some countries. He also believed that his character may prove popular with younger viewers in Korea.[77]
After release, his acting was criticized by those in South Korea, particularly that his vocal and facial performance was out of place, with the quality of his rap having mixed reception.[75] Reception to Thanos and his performance was much less negative from international viewers and foreign media than from South Korean viewers,[79] and was praised heavily by those outside of South Korea.[80][81][82] T.O.P. continued promotingSquid Game in 2025 duringFYC events forPrimetime Emmy Award consideration, as he was submitted under theSupporting Actor in a Drama Series category.[83][84]
T.O.P andBigBang have been praised for their individuality and ability to fuse a pop sound withrap,R&B anddance elements.[85] T.O.P possesses abass vocal range.[86] Columnist Jeff Benjamin ofBillboard K-Town noted how he is known for his low-bass timbre rapping,[87] while fellow journalist Tamar Herman, wrote that T.O.P's rap is "an integral part to the group's sound" and that he tends to favor a "confident, almost mocking, tone".[88] Adrienne Stanley ofKpop Starz also praised the rapper for his "speed and accuracy" when delivering bars.[41] Both his solo releases – "Turn It Up" and "Doom Dada" – are hip hop influenced,[89] with the latter drawing critical acclaim for its "lyrical rhythms [that] are both inviting and alienating" fromDazed magazine, that declared T.O.P was leading the evolution of K-Pop.[90] Additionally,Billboard noted how the song's melody "is magnetizing with its whirring synths, tribal beats, and chanting, all of which pale in comparison to the rapper's aggressive, multi-tonal delivery of his verses," affirming that T.O.P "revealed his true artistry" with the song.[88]
While working on materials with G-Dragon for their subunit, the two experimented with different styles.[91] Co-writing majority of the lyrics, the pair noted that as "rappers [...] we'd like to tell more stories for our fans to listen."[91] In an attempt to create their own style away from their band, the duo opted for a more hip hop sound to contrast the BigBang's current genre at the time,electronic music, though the influence of this genre along withR&B andacoustic was acknowledged. The duo also admitted to becoming "much more diverse [in their] attempts" to create their own style, preferring to mix several genres together in order to "bring out more of our character that we don't get to show when we're Big Bang."[91]
T.O.P often edits his lyrics "more than a hundred times," and draws inspiration from "things that don't speak. [From] beautiful and pretty objects rather than people." While hip hop is his primary music consumption, he also listens toclassical music and particularly enjoys the English rock bandPink Floyd.[92][93][unreliable source?] He also notes how his role as a musician influenced his acting to be more emotional.[6] While internationally, BigBang is often referred to as a "K-pop" group, T.O.P has expressed distaste with the label[94] noting how "[y]ou don't divide pop music by who's doing it. We don't say, for instance, 'white pop' when white people make music."[95]
In August 2014, T.O.P joined theIce Bucket Challenge, an international campaign to develop medical treatment for Lou Gehrig's disease, also known asamyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He made a donation to the Seungil Hope Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides aid to Lou Gehrig patients.[96][97] In October 2016, in partnership with British auction houseSotheby's, he curated a collection of contemporary art as part of a special charity auction in Hong Kong. The project was named #TTTOP, and it featured 28 works by both Asian and Western artists. The auction saw a sale of more thanHK$ 135 million[98][99][unreliable source?] and a portion of the proceeds was donated to theAsian Cultural Council (ACC) to support emerging Asian artists.
On November 4, 2018, in celebration of his birthday, T.O.P's fans from four Asian countries donated₩11 million (US$9,900) in his name to the Yongsan Welfare Foundation to help the less fortunate.[100][101]
On March 3, 2020, T.O.P., under his legal name, donated ₩100 million to the Hope Bridge National Disaster Association of Daegu, in the province of North Gyeongsang. The funds will be used to provide the medical staff of the area with personal protective equipment and to help in the fight against COVID-19.[102]
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Story of Men | 2008 | Himself | Cameo |
| Nineteen | 2009 | Seo Jeong-hun | Lead role |
| 71: Into the Fire | 2010 | Oh Jang-beom | Lead role |
| Iris: The Movie | 2011 | Vick | Film adaption ofIris for Japan |
| Commitment | 2013 | Lee Myeong-hoon / Kang Dae-ho | Lead role |
| Tazza: The Hidden Card | 2014 | Ham Dae-gil | Lead role |
| Big Bang Made | 2016 | Himself | Documentary |
| Out of Control | 2017 | Tom Young | Lead role |
| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| I Am Sam | 2007 | Chae Mu-sin | Main cast |
| Iris | 2009 | Vick | Main cast |
| Haru | 2010 | Himself | Cameo |
| Secret Message[103] | 2015 | Woo-hyun | Main cast |
| Squid Game | 2024–2025 | Thanos | Main (season 2); Guest (season 3) |
 | This section of abiography of a living personneeds additionalcitations forverification. Please help by addingreliable sources.Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibelous. Find sources: "T.O.P" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(May 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Award | Year | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asian Film Awards | 2010 | Best New Actor | 71: Into the Fire | Nominated | [104] |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2011 | Best New Actor | Won | [105] | |
| Popularity Award | Won | [105] | |||
| 2014 | Popularity Award | Commitment | Nominated | ||
| BIFF Asia Star Awards | 2013 | Rookie Award | Won | [106] | |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2010 | Best New Actor | 71: Into the Fire | Won | [107] |
| Popularity Award | Won | [107] | |||
| Grand Bell Awards | 2010 | Hallyu Popularity | Won | [108] | |
| Best New Actor | Nominated | [109] | |||
| 2015 | Popularity Award | Tazza: The Hidden Card | Nominated | ||
| KBS Drama Awards | 2009 | Best New Actor | Iris | Nominated | [110] |
| Korean Film Awards | 2010 | Best New Actor | 71: Into the Fire | Nominated | [111] |
| Max Movie Awards | Best New Actor | Won | [112] | ||
| Prudential Eye Awards | 2015 | Visual Culture Award | T.O.P | Won | |
| Singapore Entertainment Awards | 2014 | Most Popular K-pop Music Video | "Doom Dada" | Nominated | |
| Style Icon Awards | 2010 | New Icon (Movie) | 71: Into the Fire | Won | [113] |
| Gold Derby TV Awards | 2025 | Best Supporting Actor | Squid Game 2 | Won | [114] |
After applying, in 2022, T.O.P was selected to participate in a lunar spaceflight as part of theDearMoon project crew.[115][116] The mission was scheduled to occur in 2023 aboard theSpaceX Starship. The project was cancelled in 2024, with organizers citing delays to the Starship program as the reason for the cancellation.[117]
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| Singles | |
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