Jay Park (KR)

About

Also known as: Jaebeom, Jaebeom Park, 박재범, 재범, 제이팍

Jay Park, born Park Jae beom in Edmonds, Washington, built a genuinely unusual career arc: he went from leading K pop group 2PM to becoming one of the most influential figures in Korean hip hop and R&B after a very public split from the group in 2009. Rather than fade out, he came back swinging as a solo artist, deeply embedded in South Korea's underground hip hop scene, which was a rare move for anyone with an idol background. The New York Times once summed him up as 'not just an artist, but also his own PR agent, fan club president, and TV network,' which tells you a lot about his energy. He founded the independent labels AOMG and H1ghr Music, giving a proper home to Korean hip hop talent and helping push the genre into the mainstream. Tracks like 'MOMMAE' and 'Me Like Yuh' showed his knack for blending hip hop swagger with smooth R&B grooves, and his work with artists like GRAY, Hoody and Loco cemented his reputation as both a performer and a creative force behind the scenes.