Zico

Emerging from South Korea’s rap underground as frontman of the seven-piece ensemble Block B, the multi-talented rapper, vocalist, and producer Zico charted a distinctive course through the K-pop scene throughout the 2010s. Equally active as a solo artist across the 2010s and 2020s, he supplied the incisive rap delivery on major successes such as “Eureka” (with Zion.T), “Any Song,” and “Spot!” (with JENNIE), while also issuing the 2019 solo album Thinking.

South Korea’s Woo Ji-ho (우지호) first navigated underground rap circles in Japan and Korea under the alias Nacseo (낙서, “scribble” in Korean), moving among crews including Undisputed, Dope Squad, and Harmonics in the late 2000s. After adopting the name Zico (지코) upon joining Stardom in 2009, he appeared on IU’s “Marshmallow” and released the inaugural solo mixtape Zico on the Block in 2010. With those credentials secured, he was chosen to lead Stardom’s newly formed seven-piece hip-hop outfit Block B in 2011. Despite the group’s unsettled debut period—during which the single “Freeze” faced a Korean television ban—Zico demonstrated precocious skill by handling much of the production while still in his teens and establishing himself as both a sharp rapper and gifted lyricist. Early tracks such as “Nillili Mambo” and “Very Good” propelled Block B toward prominence, with Zico’s command of rapping, production, songwriting, and composition proving indispensable. Over subsequent years the group issued two studio albums and seven mini-albums, earning multiple chart-topping positions with 2013’s Very Good, 2014’s Jackpot, and 2016’s Blooming Period, alongside enduring singles including “Jackpot,” “HER,” and “Nillili Mambo.”

Parallel to his Block B duties, Zico cultivated an independent profile in the early 2010s by writing, rapping, and producing segments for the television program Show Me the Money (notably “Moneyflow,” “Okey Dokey,” and “Fear”), releasing the follow-up mixtape Zico on the Block 1.5, and performing at major music broadcasts, concerts, and fashion gatherings. Following his solo comeback via the contentious 2014 single “Tough Cookie,” he scored two number-one hits in 2015—“Boys and Girls” and “Eureka”—both featured on the debut mini-album Gallery. Another chart-topper arrived in 2016 with the introspective ballad “I Am You, You Are Me.” His second mini-album, Television, appeared in July 2017 and reached number three on the Korean Albums Chart. The more reflective full-length Thinking followed in 2019, released in two installments and also peaking at number three domestically. In 2020 he achieved one of his signature successes with “Any Song,” an upbeat, piano-driven track carrying existential undertones; the bittersweet party anthem led the Korean charts, earned platinum certification from the KMCA, and was ranked by Gaon as the most-streamed song in the country for the first half of the year. After delivering the third mini-album Random Box, Zico paused activities to complete mandatory military service.

Reappearing in 2022, he prepared the fourth mini-album Grown Ass Kid, fronted by the singles “Seoul Drift” and “Freak.” Further commercial impact arrived in 2024 with the funky collaboration “Spot!” alongside JENNIE, which held the top spot on Korean charts for three consecutive weeks and reached number one on the Billboard World Digital Songs chart.