Bang Yongguk Sets off on First Solo U.S. Tour

For the first time in his career, Bang Yongguk will be embarking on a solo U.S. tour. Beginning at the end of May, the tour will start on the east coast before moving west to finish up in California mid-June. The Colors of Bang Yongguk tour is comprised a total of ten U.S. cities.

Starting off as an underground rapper by the name Jepp Blackman in 2008, Yongguk has been in the music industry for over ten years. He made his idol debut in 2011 with the duo unit, BANG&ZELO, before releasing solo tracks “Going Crazy,” featuring then labelmate Song Jieun, and “I Remember,” featuring Yang Yoseob. Following the success of the two songs, the rapper officially debuted as the leader of group B.A.P in 2012. The group quickly rose to fame, in part due to their edgier, hip-hop inspired releases, written and produced by Yongguk himself. Unfortunately, in 2014, the group filed a joint lawsuit against their label, TS Entertainment, due to mistreatment and lack of payment and transparency, and entered a hiatus. Coming to an agreement with the company late 2015, the members of B.A.P re-grouped, and continued group activities until their contract expirations in 2018.

After leaving the company, Yongguk went on to drop several solo tracks, including “Hikikomori,” and his first full album, BANG YONGGUK, in 2019. The soloist also released a short film and a photo essay that same year, with both seeing wide success. The documentary, Something to Talk About, was nominated for an award at the 2019 DMZ International Film Festival, and his photo essay, The Best is Yet To Come, became a bestseller on the Korean charts. Following the completion of his military service in 2021, Yongguk established a one-man company, Consent Media, and has since continued to make music under his own label. Most recently, the rapper released his first EP, 2, with title song “Up.”