About
Also known as: 최승현, 탑
Before he ever set foot in a proper studio, Choi Seung hyun was already grinding on underground hip hop stages in Seoul under the name Tempo, even winning a rap battle on KBS Radio in 2003. His path into the spotlight came through a childhood friend, future BigBang member G Dragon, whose label YG Entertainment was building a new boy group. The catch: T.O.P was initially rejected for being too out of shape. He famously lost 20 kg in 40 days, came back six months later, and got signed. His stage name was given to him by YG senior artist Seven. BigBang went on to become one of the best selling groups in Asia, and T.O.P carved out a serious lane beyond the group. His solo singles 'Turn It Up' and 'Doom Dada' both cracked the top five on the Gaon Digital Chart, and his collaborative album with G Dragon, GD and TOP, dropped three commercially successful singles. On screen, his role in the war film 71: Into the Fire earned him Best New Actor at both the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Baeksang Arts Awards. More recently, he took on the role of Thanos in the second season of the Netflix series Squid Game.
