J-Hope

*See also: His KProfile and BTS Wiki Page*

## Signature

 **Jung Ho-seok**  (정호석; born February 18, 1994), better known by his stage name **J-Hope** (stylized as **j-hope**), is a South Korean rapper, songwriter, dancer, and record producer. In 2013, J-Hope made his debut as a member of the South Korean boy band BTS, managed under Big Hit Entertainment.

J-Hope released his first solo mixtape, *Hope World*, worldwide on March 1, 2018. The album was met with a positive reception. His debut at number 63 (and subsequent peak at number 38) made him the highest charting solo Korean artist on the *Billboard* 200 at the time of the mixtape's release.

## Life and career

### 1994–2012: Early life

J-Hope was born as Jung Ho-seok on February 18, 1994, in Gwangju, South Korea, where he lived with his parents and older sister. Before debuting with BTS, he was part of the underground dance team Neuron and took dance classes at Gwangju Music Academy. J-Hope had been relatively well known for his skills in dance prior to his debut; he won various local prizes for dance, including placing first in a national dance competition in 2008. His skills in dance eventually led him to gain interest in singing, helping him to audition as an idol trainee. As a trainee, J-Hope was featured as a rapper in Jo Kwon's song "Animal", which was released in 2012.

### 2013–present: BTS

*Main article: BTS*
On June 13, 2013, J-Hope made his debut as a member of BTS on Mnet's *M! Countdown* with the track "No More Dream" from their debut single album *2 Cool 4 Skool*. He was the third member to join the group as a trainee after RM and Suga. J-Hope has since been involved in the creation process of every album in BTS' discography.

On June 14 2019, J-Hope, together with fellow BTS member V, collaborated with Zara Larsson on a soundtrack called A Brand New Day for a mobile game BTS World.

### 2018–present: Solo activities

On March 1, 2018, J-Hope released his first solo mixtape, *Hope World*, worldwide, along with a music video for the title track "Daydream". A music video for the B-side "Airplane" was later released on March 6. The mixtape debuted at number 63 and peaked at number 38 on the *Billboard* 200, making him the highest charting Korean solo act on the chart up to that point. *Hope World* also peaked at number 35 on the Canadian Albums chart, and number 19 on the US Top Rap Albums chart. Three mixtape tracks, "Daydream", "Hope World", and "Hangsang", charted on the World Digital Songs Chart, at number 3, 16, and 24 respectively. The following week, the tracks rose to number 1, 6, and 11, with three additional tracks off of *Hope World*, "Airplane", "Base Line", and "P.O.P (Piece of Peace) pt. 1" arriving on the chart at number 5, 6, and 12, respectively. "Daydream" peaking atop the chart made J-Hope one of only ten Korean groups, including his band BTS, to reach number one. The success of his solo debut lead him to rank at number 3 on the Emerging Artists Chart, and 97 on the Artist 100 Chart for the week of March 10, later peaking at number 91 for the week of March 17. He is the fifth Korean artist, and the second Korean soloist after Psy, to place on the Artist 100.
The mixtape charted in ten countries worldwide, with "Daydream" charting in three.

In 2019, J-Hope released a free collaboration single, "Chicken Noodle Soup", on September 27, featuring American singer, Becky G. The track debuted at number 81 on the *Billboard* Hot 100, with 9.7 million streams and 11,000 downloads for the week ending October 4, making J-Hope the first member of BTS to chart on the *Hot 100* as a solo artist outside of the group, the third Korean solo artist to rank on the chart (after Psy and CL), and the sixth Korean artist overall to do so. "Chicken Noodle Soup" also debuted at number 1 on the World Digital Songs chart and is J-Hope's second song to achieve this after 2018's "Daydream".

## Name

His stage name, "J-Hope (제이홉)", comes from his desire to represent hope for fans, as well as to be "the hope of BTS." It is also a reference to the myth of Pandora's box, as after the box was opened and all the evils inside were released to the world, the only thing left was hope.

## Artistry

J-Hope has been described as having an upbeat and energetic tone to his music and performances. His mixtape, *Hope World*, was described as having a fun nature and variety of musical genres, including synth-pop, trap, house, alternative hip hop, funk-soul, and retro elements. Jeff Benjamin of *Fuse* wrote that the atmospheric style of "Blue Side", *Hope World*'s outro track, "leaves the listener curious for what's coming next from J-Hope." The lyrical elements of the mixtape, notably the lead song "Daydream", was praised by *Billboard* magazine for its discussion of the difficulties an idol faces in their career, various literary references, and fun presentation of the serious subject matter.

J-Hope cites the adventurous nature of Jules Verne's *Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea* and the works of Kyle, Aminé, and Joey Badass as influencers on his style and work on *Hope World*. The idea of peace has also provided a basis for much of his lyrics, stating that "it'd be fantastic to become a part of someone's personal peace through my music" in an interview with *Time* magazine. The idea of "representing the modern generation" has also influenced his work on BTS' music. There was also a reference to Douglas Adams' science fiction series *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*.

He released his first mixtape, *Hope World*, on March 1, a mixtape that "showcases exceptional creativity, genuine personality, and a cohesive sense of direction."

### Impact

In 2018, he was awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by the President of South Korea along with other members of the group. He had the most-liked tweet in the world for 2018 when he posted the "In My Feelings Challenge".

## Personal life

In 2016, he purchased a luxury apartment in South Korea worth US$1.6 million for his personal use. As of 2019, he currently lives in Hannam-dong, Seoul, South Korea with his members.

### Philanthropy

On February 18, 2019, J-Hope donated 100 million Korean won (estimated $89,000 US dollars) to Child Fund Korea, in support of those attending his high school alma mater in Gwangju. He had previously donated 150 million won (roughly US$133,000) to the same organization in December 2018, but requested the donation be private at the time.

### Mixtapes

* Label: Big Hit
* Format: Digital download, streaming

### As writer

*Main article: List of songs written by J-Hope*

### Music videos

 "Airplane"
 "In My Feelings" (Drake song) | 3:37

## Trivia

* J-Hope's family consists of his mother, father, and older sister.
* Initially, he auditioned for JYP Entertainment, together with B.A.P's Youngjae and Halo's Dino.
* Before his debut, J-hope hated doing aegyo but now he has changed his mind.
* J-Hope and B.A.P's Zelo went to the same Academy for rap and dance in Gwangju.
* J-Hope's favorite color is green.
* He has a dog named Mickey.
* He hates exercising and working out.
* J-Hope used to be a tennis player in elementary school and played in competitions. He once received a bronze medal, out of a team of 3 competitors.
* J-Hope and Suga are really bad at drawing.
* He likes melodramatic movies and remembers watching a lot of DVDs when he was a kid since his father also likes movies.
* His role models are A$AP Rocky, J. Cole, Beenzino, and G.D.
* J-Hope attended BigBang's Seungri's dance academy.
* He has a driving license.
* He likes visiting the Fancafe when he has time because he needs to know what the fans are saying.
* Whenever he has a problem or worries, he shares them with RM or Suga.
* J-Hope likes it when someone strokes his hair. He says it helps him to sleep, a habit picked up from his childhood when his mother used to pat him gently to put him to sleep.
* Things he wants to steal from other members include Jimin's abs as well as RM's rap skills and good English.
* In the dorm he shares a room with Jimin.
* J-Hope was ranked 88th on TC Candler's "The 100 Most Handsome Faces of 2018".
* The three requirements for J-Hope's happiness are family, health, and love.
* J-Hope's ideal type is a girl who loves him, is good at cooking, and thinks a lot.

## Notes

1. ↑ "Daydream" did not enter the NZ Top 40 or Hot Singles Chart, but peaked at number seven on the NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart.
2. ↑ "Chicken Noodle Soup" did not enter the NZ Top 40, but peaked at number 13 on the NZ Hot Singles Chart.