As one of the founding members of the K-pop powerhouse boy band
BTS, rapper, producer, and songwriter
Suga brought an edge to the group with his aggression and street-smart attitude. As
BTS rose to the top of the charts around the globe, he released introspective, lyrical solo efforts such as
Agust D and D-2, while also guesting on tracks with the likes of
Halsey and
Psy.
Born Min Yoon-gi in Daegu, South Korea,
Suga began songwriting at 13, later performing as an underground rapper named Gloss and joining the hip-hop group D-Town. In 2013 he made his breakthrough as a member of
BTS, a seven-piece pop group who would build a massive global following with chart-topping releases and international tours. In August 2016, he debuted his solo project,
Agust D, via a free eponymous mixtape (BigHit Entertainment). The self-produced
Agust D brought
Suga away from the shiny K-pop idol world, tackling topics like depression, fear, and fame. Featuring the bombastic single "Agust D" -- which sampled
James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" -- and appearances by
Yankie ("Tony Montana") and
Suran ("So Far Away"),
Agust D was re-released in 2018. It rose to the Top Five of both the World Albums and Heatseekers charts, as well as peaking at number 46 on the Billboard Emerging Artist chart.
As the
BTS star continued to rise across the globe,
Suga and his bandmates ruled the charts in both Korea and the U.S. during their
Love Yourself and
Map of the Soul eras. He also joined American pop artist
Halsey on their 2019 album,
Manic, contributing "Suga's Interlude."
Suga's second mixtape as
Agust D, D-2, arrived in May 2020. Documenting his life and experiences in the years since his debut, the project embellished his hip-hop-indebted sound with inspiration from traditional Korean storytelling, instrumentation, and military music. In addition to features from MAX, NiiHWa, and Kim Jong Wan (NELL), the effort also included an appearance by
BTS leader
RM. That year, he also teamed with MAX on his single "Blueberry Eyes" and produced the chart-topping "Eight" for
IU. In 2021,
Suga continued his solo endeavors, working with Samsung, producing "You" for ØMI, and featuring on
Juice Wrld's "Girl of My Dreams."
As activities with
BTS heated up in 2022 -- including a massive Las Vegas residency --
Suga teamed with
Psy on his album Psy 9th, producing and featuring on the single "That That." ~ Neil Z. Yeung