# Swings (rapper)

Moon Ji-hoon (Korean: 문지훈, born October 14, 1986), better known by the stage name Swings (Korean: 스윙스), is a South Korean rapper. Formerly under the label Brand New Music, he is currently signed to P Nation.

## Career

Swings debuted in 2008 with the extended play Upgrade. He joined the hip hop group Uptown in 2009 but left by the end of the year. He released his first full-length album, Growing Pains, in 2010.
He gained popularity after competing on the second season of the TV rap competition Show Me the Money in 2013. That summer, Swings triggered a 'Control diss phenomenon' within the Korean hip hop scene with the release of his diss track "King Swings Part 2", over the instrumental of Big Sean's "Control", in which he accused rapper Simon Dominic of not protecting his Supreme Team member E-Sens from an alleged slave contract offered by label Amoeba Culture. Swings was named Artist of the Year for 2013 by Korean hip hop magazine HIPHOPPLAYA.
The "Control Diss Phenomenon" was a career-changing move for Swings. As South Korea started to adopt hip-hop culture late, there were not any significant diss-battles that happened. As diss rapping is a big part of hip-hop culture, the "Control Diss Phenomenon" was a very impactful event that created an environment where other rappers can join battles to stimulate competition and rivalry.
In 2014, he returned to Show Me the Money as a producer for its third season, alongside established rappers including San E and Tablo.
Swings left the label Brand New Music in August 2014 to focus his own record label, Just Music. The label currently represents the rappers Black Nut, Giriboy, Genius Nochang, C Jamm, and Vasco.
In April 2017, it established its second label, Indigo Music. It has become one of the most notable hip-hop labels, recruiting Yang Hongwon (previously known as Young B), Kid Milli, Justhis, Jvcki Wai and Noel as its artists.
Psy announced on Instagram on April 29, 2021, that Swings had signed a contract with P Nation. Three years following his signing, he announced his eighth studio album Upgrade V as his first release under the company, to be released on March 8, 2024.

## Personal life

Swings is a fluent English speaker, having lived in Atlanta, Georgia, and studied English at Sungkyunkwan University.
He enlisted in the South Korean military in November 2014, despite being exempt from mandatory military service due to psychological disorders. He was discharged from the military in September 2015 due to his mental health. Swings said that he has been receiving treatment since he was young for illnesses including obsessive compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, and bipolar disorder.

## Discography
### Studio albums

| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | KOR |
| Growing Pains | Released: March 11, 2010 Label: Hiphopplaya Formats: CD, download | — |
| Upgrade II | Released: July 22, 2011 Label: Hiphopplaya Formats: CD, download | — |
| Vintage Swings | Released: October 28, 2014 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download | — |
| Levitate 2 | Released: October 11, 2016 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download | — |
| Upgrade III | Released: March 24, 2018 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download | 44 |
| Upgrade 0 | Released: December 26, 2018 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download | 61 |
| Upgrade IV | Released: March 4, 2020 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download | 46 |
| "—" denotes release did not chart. |||

### Extended plays

| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | KOR |
| Upgrade | Released: May 14, 2008 Label: Kakao M Formats: CD, download | — |
| Mood Swings II Part 1: Major Depression (감정기복 II Part 1: 주요 우울증) | Released: February 26, 2014 Label: Brand New Music Formats: CD, download | 31 |
| Mood Swings II Part 2: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (감정기복 II Part 2: 강박증) | Released: July 17, 2014 Label: Brand New Music Formats: CD, download | — |
| Mood Swings II Part 3: Psychotherapy (감정기복 II Part 3: 심리치료) | Released: September 8, 2016 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download | — |
| The Intr0 | Released: November 30, 2018 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download | — |
| "—" denotes release did not chart. |||

### Mixtapes

| Title | Album details |
| #1 Mixtape Vol. II | Released: February 27, 2013 Label: Brand New Music Formats: CD, download |
| #1 Vol. II Instrumental | Released: June 12, 2013 Label: Brand New Music Formats: CD, download |
| Levitate 1 | Released: October 11, 2016 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download |
| Levitate 3 | Released: October 11, 2016 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download |
| Crumbs (부스러기) | Released: May 19, 2018 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download |

### Charted singles

| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales (DL) | Album |
| Title | Year | KOR | Sales (DL) | Album |
| As lead artist |||||
| "Instincively Remix" (본능적으로 Remix) feat. Yoon Jong-shin, Taeyang | 2011 | 59 | KOR: 173,772 | Non-album singles |
| "I'll Be There" feat. Jay Park | 2011 | 79 | KOR: 51,112 | Non-album singles |
| "Would You" (줄래) feat. Seo In-guk | 2013 | 28 | KOR: 140,819 | Non-album singles |
| "A Real Lady" feat. Beenzino, Gray, Zion.T | 2013 | 9 | KOR: 315,639 | Non-album singles |
| "Bulldozer" (불도저) | 2014 | 36 | KOR: 107,638 | Non-album singles |
| "Victorious" (이겨낼거야 2) feat. Gray | 2014 | 57 | KOR: 72,168 | Mood Swings II Part. 1: Major Depression |
| "Fallin'" feat. Jay Park | 2014 | 23 | KOR: 74,526 | Non-album singles |
| "The Wrong Way" (역주행) feat. Dok2, Genius Nochang | 2014 | 73 | KOR: 54,410 | Non-album singles |
| "Her Number" (전화번호) feat. Verbal Jint, 40 | 2014 | 9 | KOR: 402,617 | Mood Swings II Part. 2: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder |
| "Gravity" feat. Mad Clown, Giriboy | 2014 | 34 | KOR: 109,911 | Mood Swings II Part. 2: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder |
| "Pool Party" | 2014 | 14 | KOR: 155,919 | Non-album singles |
| "Rap Star" | 2014 | 85 | KOR: 26,048 | Non-album singles |
| "My Ballad" feat. Kim Ye-rim | 2014 | 60 | KOR: 31,942 | Vintage Swings |
| "Your Soul" | 2016 | 98 | KOR: 20,383 | Non-album single |
| "On My Way" feat. Gray, Bewhy | 2016 | 94 | KOR: 28,684 | Mood Swings II Part. 3: Psychotherapy |
| "Clock Out" (퇴근) feat. Jay Park, Crush | 2017 | 88 | KOR: 20,596 | Non-album single |
| Collaborations |||||
| "Money" with P-Type | 2013 | — | KOR 24,025 | Non-album singles |
| "Brilliant Is..." with Skull, Haha, Geeks, Zico, Mad Clown, Double K, Zizo, Soul Dive, Heo Kyung-hwan, Kim Ji-min feat. Gill, Jungin | 2013 | 75 | — | Non-album singles |
| "A Real Man" with Ailee | 2014 | 4 | KOR: 509,564 | Non-album singles |
| "Trap" with U Sung-eun | 2014 | 27 | KOR: 91,161 | My Secret Hotel OST |
| "Not Enough" with Kid Milli and Mad Clown featuring Yumdda and pH-1 | 2019 | 37 | | Show Me the Money 8 Episode 1 |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. |||||

## Filmography
### Television

| Year | Program | Network | Notes |
| 2013 | Show Me The Money 2 | Mnet | Contestant |
| 2014 | Show Me The Money 3 | Mnet | Judge/Producer with San E |
| 2017 | High School Rapper | Mnet | Judge |
| 2017 | Mix Nine | JTBC | Rap Instructor |
| 2018 | Show Me the Money 777 | Mnet | Judge |
| 2019 | Show Me the Money 8 | Mnet | Judge |
| 2020 | Show Me the Money 9 | Mnet | Contestant |

### Variety shows

| Year | Title | Network | Role | Notes |
| 2019 | Not the Same Person You Used to Know | Mnet | Main Guest | With Giriboy, Han Yo-han (rapper, songwriter), Superbee (rapper), Kwon Hyuk-soo, Im Bo-ra (Swings' girlfriend), Jenny Kim (Swings' mother) Episode 4 |
| 2020 | King of Mask Singer | MBC | Contestant | as "Advent of a Bill-god" (Episodes 259–260) |