Bang Yong-guk

Bang Yong-guk (born March 31, 1990), also known mononymously as Yongguk, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and best-selling author who served as the leader of boy group B.A.P up until his departure from TS Entertainment in August 2018.

Bang Yong-guk was born in Seoul, South Korea, on March 31, 1990.

He is the youngest out of two sons and one daughter in his family.

He has an identical twin brother named Yongnam, who has also performed as an underground artist, and an older sister named Natasha, who works as a tattoo artist.

He moved with his family to the coastal Ijak islands of Incheon when he was young, living there for a short period of time before moving back to mainland Incheon.

He studied at Gae Woong Elementary School and Gae Woong Middle School, and at 18 graduated from Yuhan High School.

He was offered a scholarship for college, which he did not attend.

Bang first began meeting with other members of Soul Connection when he was in his second year of middle school after posting his rap lyrics on an online forum and being recognized for his skill.

Through meeting with seniors that were actually active in the music industry, watching them compose and produce, and learning from them, he was able to refine his own techniques and become better at making his style of music

He made his musical debut in 2008 as a member of an underground hip hop group called Soul Connection under the alias of "Jepp Blackman".

In 2010, Bang was contacted by TS Entertainment to be part of a hip-hop idol group after the duo Untouchable recommended him.

Though he was worried that the type of music he could make would be limited, TS Entertainment assured him of being able to live out his dreams.

Thus, he joined.

In March 2011, he featured on Song Ji-eun's single "Going Crazy", which became a number one hit in South Korea.

In July of that year he released his first solo digital single, "I Remember", featuring Beast's Yoseob and in November he promoted in a sub-unit called Bang & Zelo with fellow B.A.P member Zelo, releasing the single "Never Give Up".

On March 3, 2011, Song Ji-eun's single "Going Crazy" was released, featuring Bang.

The single was a commercial and critical success, with fans praising Bang's "husky and fiery delivery".

It topped the Gaon Music Chart and Gaon Digital and Streaming Chart and gained attention for Bang as an artist; following the single's release, he trended on major portal search sites in South Korea and was requested for multiple broadcast appearances.

However, his agency declined these appearances, stating that he was still a trainee and not ready to appear on broadcasts outside of promotional performances.

The agency thanked fans for their interest nevertheless.

On August 11, TS Entertainment released Bang's single "I Remember", featuring Yoseob of Beast.

The song was a moderate success, peaking in the Top 10 on real time charts in Korea and at #22 on the Gaon Chart.

However, the single was deemed unfit for broadcast promotions by KBS because of multiple scenes of shooting and violence.

On December 11, Bang debuted with Zelo as part of the sub-unit rap duo Bang&Zelo with the song "Never Give Up".

Bang was the first member to be announced as part of new TS Entertainment boy group B.A.P, of which he acts as the leader and main rapper.

B.A.P released their first single in January 2012.

The group released its first single, "Warrior", in January 2012.

They held their debut showcase in Seoul with over 3,000 attendees on January 28.

The single met with critical acclaim, with media outlets describing the single as "powerful and charismatic".

The following year, Bang performed at the 2013 SBS Gayo Daejeon as part of a collaborative hip-hop stage featuring Tiger JK, Yoon Mirae, and Bizzy and also including Zico, RM and Eun Jiwon.

On November 27, 2014, it was reported that all B.A.P members had filed a lawsuit against their label to nullify their contracts, claiming unfair conditions and profit distribution.

The group entered a hiatus

On 4 April 2015 during the hiatus, Bang released a solo song titled "AM 4:44".

On August 1, 2015, it was revealed that B.A.P had reached an agreement with and returned to TS Entertainment.

B.A.P made their comeback in November 2015 with the mini-album Matrix, produced and written by Bang.

On October 25, 2016, TS Entertainment revealed that Bang will not be participating in the promotions for B.A.P's upcoming full-length album, Noir, due to anxiety disorders.

In April 2017, B.A.P began their six city 'Party Baby- U.S. Boom' tour.

Bang returned from his hiatus to join the rest of the boys for the single's promotion, "Wake Me Up".

On July 4, 2017, Bang released a solo track titled "Yamazaki".

The track featured lyrics in English, Japanese, and Korean.