72 Facts About G-Dragon

Kwon Ji-yong, best known as G-Dragon, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur, known as the "King of K-pop".

In 2023, G-Dragon officially departed YG Entertainment after 20 years of activities, signing to Galaxy Corporation under his real name.

Widely recognized for his influence on youth culture, fashion trends, and music in South Korea, G-Dragon was included in Forbes' list of the 2030 Power Leaders for three consecutive years, and has been part of Hypebeast's list of the 100 most influential people in fashion eight times.

G-Dragon has written or co-written 24 number one songs on the Gaon Digital Chart most of which he has co-produced.

G-Dragon is the recipient of numerous awards, including eight MAMA Awards, six Melon Music Awards, two Korean Music Awards and two Golden Disc Awards, and the first and only solo artist to receive the MAMA Award for Artist of the Year.

G-Dragon was born on August 18,1988, in Seoul, South Korea.

G-Dragon enrolled at Kyung Hee University in 2008 to study post-modern music.

G-Dragon later dropped out due to his busy schedule, and instead majored in Leisure Sports Studies at Gukje Cyber University, obtaining a Bachelor's degree in 2013.

G-Dragon graduated in 2016 with a Master's degree in content and retail distribution at Sejong University.

G-Dragon began his career at age six as part of the group Little Roo'ra.

G-Dragon was a trainee under the record label SM Entertainment for five years, specializing in dance before he left.

The release of the EP Always in 2007 was a musical departure from their previous materials and saw G-Dragon's increased involvement in its production.

In support of his album, G-Dragon staged his first solo concert at Olympic Gymnastics Arena in December 2009.

G-Dragon was found innocent and was cleared of all charges on March 15,2010.

G-Dragon formed a duo with Park Myung Soo for the Infinite Challenge Seohae Ahn Highway Song Festival 2011.

G-Dragon's first extended play One of a Kind was released on September 15,2012, drawing positive reviews, placing first on the Billboard World Album Chart and entering the Billboard 200 Chart at 161.

G-Dragon won "Best Male Solo Artist" at the 14th Mnet Asian Music Awards and "Record of the Year" for One of a Kind at the 22nd Seoul Music Awards.

G-Dragon embarked on the One of a Kind World Tour in 2013, becoming the first Korean solo artist to hold a four-dome tour in Japan and the second Korean solo artist to have a world tour.

The success of Coup d'Etat led to G-Dragon winning a total of four awards at the 15th Mnet Asian Music Awards: Best Male Solo Artist, Best Music Video for "Coup d'Etat", Best Dance Performance for "Crooked", and the highest award, Artist of The Year.

G-Dragon later took home the World's Best Entertainer and World's Best Album at the World Music Awards.

G-Dragon participated in the Infinite Challenge music festival again for the second time on October 17,2013, in Imjingak, composing and performing the song "Going to Try" with comedian Jeong Hyeong-don.

In 2014, G-Dragon wrote and produced for other YG artists.

G-Dragon wrote the track "Good to You" from 2NE1's album Crush.

G-Dragon worked on Taeyang's second album Rise, writing and producing the lead single "Ringa Linga" and "Stay With Me", and was a featured artist on the latter track.

G-Dragon appeared on the same show again the following year, for the Muhan Company special, in which he acted for the first time.

G-Dragon served as a guest rapper for IU's lead single "Palette," off her album of the same name which topped the Gaon Chart for two consecutive weeks.

G-Dragon began his two-year mandatory military service on February 27,2018, by entering the 3rd Infantry Division's boot camp in Gangwon province as an active duty soldier, where he was set to be discharged on October 26,2019, after completing the requirements.

On January 1,2023, G-Dragon announced he would be preparing a comeback album.

G-Dragon made further appearances at the 2024 SBS Gayo Daejeon on December 25 and at Le Gala Des Pieces Jaunes in Paris on January 23,2025, alongside Taeyang.

G-Dragon has listed Jinusean, Fabolous and Kanye West as influences.

When BigBang debuted, G-Dragon produced mainly hip hop songs for their albums before the quintet branched out and experimented with electronic music, setting it as the new music trend in Korea.

G-Dragon writes the majority of his lyrics, explaining that "each feeling [in creating the music] is different", using his emotions to direct the lyrical content and the composition of his songs.

G-Dragon is often described as a "perfectionist" who's very critical during recording sessions.

Where there's a constricted idea of masculinity in society, G-Dragon exploded the paradigm for how a man could be.

G-Dragon was postmodern in the best sense of the word.

G-Dragon proved that you could, in some way, be anything and everything.

G-Dragon maintains tight control over his career, publicly opposing the idea of singers as "products" of the entertainment industry and criticizing agencies who do not give their artists creative control.

G-Dragon has consistently altered his hair throughout the years, ranging from various shades of colors to different cuts.

G-Dragon is noted for his androgynous appearance, with the Korea JoongAng Daily calling him "a notable star fashioning genderless style", noting how his image deviates from the fixed gender type of men and women.

G-Dragon has covered various issues of W, Dazed, Hypebeast, Elle, Vogue, and landed editorials in Harper's Bazaar, Esquire, among other Asian magazines.

G-Dragon was chosen by The Chosun Ilbo as the Best Dressed Celebrity of 2012, while in 2014, he was chosen as one of the Best-Dressed Street Style Stars of the year by New York.

G-Dragon was included in the 2015's and 2016's Business of Fashion's 500 Global Fashion Leaders list, making him one of the five Koreans on the list, and the only K-Pop act to have made the cut.

G-Dragon was the only Korean in Hypebeast's 100 Innovators list.

In 2012, G-Dragon built a pension hotel in Gyenggi-do as a gift to his family, putting in approximately 1 billion won to help finance it.

On October 20,2015, G-Dragon officially opened his first cafe on Jeju Island, under the name of "Monsant Cafe".

G-Dragon endorsed the Italian sportswear label Kappa as part of their 100th anniversary and it was reported that he earned US$1.9 million from the brand.

G-Dragon was selected as the face of Hyundai's Verna concept vehicle, appearing at an auto show in Beijing which saw 10,000 fans gather to see him in person.

In 2017, G-Dragon endorsed Vidal Sassoon in China, he joined Nike's Air Max Day global campaign and endorsed the Vapormax shoe, causing instant sell-outs across online stores in South Korea.

In 2013, G-Dragon partnered with Ambush for a special collaboration release which includes apparel and accessories.

G-Dragon opened an art exhibition in 2015 under the name Peaceminusone: Beyond the Stage.

G-Dragon launched a collaboration with Giuseppe Zanotti and designed two unisex shoe styles.

G-Dragon's collection includes Millionare Nurse by Richard Prince, which sold at a Sotheby's auction in 2014 for $3.3 million.

G-Dragon owns the George Condo pieces Big John and the four-piece set Jean-Louis, Jean Louis with One Ear, Jean Louis' wife and Jean Louis' Wife's sister.

G-Dragon organized an auction of some of his possessions through Pharrell Williams' Joopiter auction house in September 2024: included were pieces of clothing, artwork and furniture.

G-Dragon went on to design three collections for the brand.

G-Dragon became a brand ambassador for French fashion house Chanel, and starred in the label's Gabrielle bag campaign during 2017, alongside Pharrell.

In 2017, G-Dragon launched pop-up shops for his brand Peaceminusone, starting in Seoul, and continuing with Miami, Osaka and Hong Kong.

G-Dragon launched a collaboration with French retailer Colette which was made available to purchase on his online store.

G-Dragon contributed to the self-titled AMBUSH book due to be published by Rizzoli on March 4,2025.

G-Dragon has shown support for numerous charity organizations over the years.

G-Dragon has used his image to raise awareness for multiple causes, including the UN Refugee Agency and the Red Campaign to fight AIDS.

In December 2023, G-Dragon announced he would be creating the JusPeace Foundation to combat drug addiction and support artists.

G-Dragon donated 300 million won to help start it up and serves as honorary chairman.

G-Dragon was the highest paid touring singer-songwriter in Korea, earning the most from songwriting royalties in 2012.

G-Dragon was highlighted as one of the "50 Reasons Why Seoul is the Best City" by CNN in 2011 and topped the list of the "Most Influential Entities of K-Pop" by Ilgan Sports in 2013.

G-Dragon has been called the "King of K-Pop" by various media publications including Rolling Stone, Dazed and Vogue.

G-Dragon was discharged on October 26,2019, at the headquarters of South Korean Army's Ground Operations Command in Yongin.

G-Dragon held an event nearby with around 3000 fans that same day.

In June 2024, the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology named G-Dragon a visiting professor for a two-year period, whereby he would give leadership lectures to students of the university.

G-Dragon made his first public appearance after the scandal at the 2011 MTV EMAs with his group.

On October 25,2023, G-Dragon was booked by the Incheon Metropolitan Police and was under investigation for alleged drug use.

G-Dragon owns a mixed-use six story building in Cheongdam-dong which he purchased in 2017 for 8.85 billion won.