j-hope

South Korean artist J-Hope, whose skills span rap, vocals, songwriting, choreography, and production, first rose to prominence as part of the worldwide K-pop force BTS. His initial solo outing arrived in 2018 through the mixtape Hope World. The following year brought the chart-topping single “Chicken Noodle Soup” alongside Becky G. His first proper solo album, Jack in the Box, appeared in 2022 and was soon followed by the 2023 collaboration “On the Street” with J. Cole.

Born Jung Ho-seok in Gwangju, he cultivated an early passion for dance before expanding into singing and rapping. BTS welcomed him as a member in 2013, after which the group emerged as one of the defining K-pop acts of its era and cracked the American market with a hip-hop-tinged dance aesthetic. Jung became the third BTS member to launch a solo path when Hope World arrived in 2018. The project marked him as only the fifth Korean artist to reach the Billboard 200—after BoA, Taeyang, Jonghyun, and G-Dragon—and simultaneously set the record for the highest-charting solo K-pop entry on that tally up to that point. Hope World peaked at number 63 on the Billboard 200 while also claiming the top spot on the World Albums chart. During the same year he reached number one on the Billboard 200 on two separate occasions as part of BTS with Love Yourself: Tear and Love Yourself: Answer.

The 2019 duet “Chicken Noodle Soup” with Becky G quickly climbed international charts, fueled by a viral social-media dance challenge; it led the Billboard World Digital Songs chart and crossed into the Hot 100. BTS maintained momentum into the new decade, racking up additional number-one singles and albums that pushed the group deeper into record-breaking territory. Following the 2022 compilation Proof, Hybe confirmed Jung’s first official solo album, Jack in the Box, which landed that July. In the same month he became the first South Korean performer to headline a main stage at a major U.S. festival when he debuted at Lollapalooza.

With BTS on hiatus in early 2023 as members fulfilled mandatory military service, Jung pressed ahead with solo work that included an ambassadorship for a fashion brand. He also joined forces with one of his key influences, J. Cole, on the single “On the Street.” In 2024 he released the street-dance docuseries Hope On The Street together with the six-track companion album Hope On The Street, Vol. 1, which features guest appearances by Jung Kook, Nile Rodgers, and Huh Yunjin.