T.O.P (ex. BIGBANG) Profile, Bio, & Facts

T.O.P (탑) is a South Korean rapper, songwriter, and actor. He is a former member of BIGBANG. He made his solo debut on June 21, 2010, with the digital single “Turn It Up”.

T.O.P (ex. BIGBANG) Profile

T.O.P (ex. BIGBANG) Facts:

Early Life

– T.O.P was born in Songpa-gu, Seoul, South Korea.
– He went to Seoul Sincheon Elementary School and Seowon Middle School.
– He graduated from Hansol High School.

Personal Life

– His older sister is named Choi Hye Yoon.
– He has known G-Dragon since childhood.
– He attended Dankook University and was in the Department of Performance and Film.
– T.O.P said he has suffered from depression since he was young and has penned 100 songs from 2017 to 2023. (Prestige Hong Kong)
– His great-uncle was Korean abstractionist Kim Whanki.
– He feels relaxed by watching beautiful things, especially art.
– He said when he was young he said that he had the fantasy that his girl should be innocent, her hair should be long and her personality should be a certain way but now he just wants to meet someone who he can relate to. (VLIVE T.O.P 귀신)
– He was initially rejected by YG for being overweight but was later accepted after losing 20kg in 40 days.
– His hobbies include reading books, swimming, and doing silly things.
– He had his first kiss by the Han River in the 7th grade.
– He wanted to become a rapper in 4th/5th grade after listening to American rapper
Notorious B.I.G’s music.
– He was sensitive about visuals since he was young because both his mom’s and dad’s side of the family were involved in arts. (Larry’s List)
– He loves arts so much that it is rumored that he spends 95 percent of his income on arts. (Prestige Online)
– He feels that he is not the TOP of Big Bang anymore and his music tastes have varied from the group. (NME)
– He said that he would never date a fan.
– T.O.P was the tallest member in BIGBANG.
– He doesn’t care about age when it comes to dating and is fine as long as she is not as old as his mom or is underage.
– His stage name was inspired by former YG artist Se7en.
– His nicknames include Tabi, Bingu Top, Tempo, and Choom Top.
– As long as the girl is sensible and witty, he doesn’t care if she has no sense of fashion.
– Before joining YG, he was an underground rapper known as “Tempo.”
– Figure skater Kim Yuna is one of his childhood friends.
– He said the K-pop training system is harsh and the trainees are trained like robots.
– T.O.P’s ideal type is a feminine girl because he lacks femininity. (VLIVE T.O.P 귀신)
– He frequently skipped or left school without shoes, even walking home barefoot if his shoes were taken away.

Career

– T.O.P was the lead rapper, vocalist, and visual in BIGBANG.
– He has a training period of one year.
– He was also a part of the Big Bang subunit GD&TOP with G-Dragon.
– Initially, BIGBANG was to debut as a duo but he, Seungri and Daesung were later added to the group.
– He has actively participated in writing and producing numerous songs for the group.
– In 2003, he won Radio Star’s “Rap Battle.”
– He was the first K-pop idol to make it to Growse Magazine’s list of Top 200 Artists.
– IRolling Stone Magazine named him one of the ‘Hottest Sex Symbols ‘ in 2013.
– He has contributed to OSTs for the dramas: “Friend, Our Legend,” “19,” and “Secret Message.”
– He enlisted in the military on February 9, 2017, and served as a conscripted policeman. He was discharged from the military on July 6th, 2019.
– He appeared in many films including “Out of Control”, “71: Into the Fire”, “Nineteen”, “Tazza: The Hidden Card” and “Commitment” (2013).
– He is set to become the first Korean idol to go to space.
– He left YG Entertainment on February 7, 2022.
– On May 31, 2023, he confirmed his departure from BIGBANG on his personal Instagram account multiple times.

Likes & Dislikes

– He likes listening to Pink Floyd’s music.
– His favorite painters include Mark Grotjahn, Rudolf Stingel, Jina Park, and Mark Bradford. (Larry’s List)
– He enjoys collecting figurines.
– He doesn’t like people who interfere in other’s business.
– His favorite color is pink.
– He doesn’t like to wear revealing clothing, unlike Taeyang.

Food Preferences

– He loves to eat sushi, especially tuna sushi.
– He isn’t picky about eating but a few things he can’t are Gopchang, chicken feet, and beef entrails. 
– His favorite ice cream flavor is Vanilla ice cream.
– He likes to eat sweets.

Abilities

– He was not a high-achieving student and received poor marks in school.
– He can calculate the number of calories in food rapidly.
– He is skilled in beatboxing.

Personality & Habits

– In his younger years, T.O.P was very short tempered, sensitive, and often lost control but now he has become easygoing and rarely gets mad. (VLIVE T.O.P 귀신)
– He was considered the jokester in BIGBANG.
– He has a habit of wearing a lot of clothes when he sleeps.
– He doesn’t like people who are not close to him, touch him.
– He is passionate about contemporary art and is a collector. (Larry’s List)
– He used to sleepwalk when he was young.

Philanthropy

– In 2016, he organized a charity art auction that raised 135 million Hong Kong Dollars, with a portion donated to the Asian Cultural Council.
– He participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge and donated money to the Seungil Hope Foundation, which aids those with ALS.
– In 2020, he donated 100 million won to the Hope Bridge National Disaster Association, supporting the fight against COVID-19.

Marijuana Case & Suicide Attempt

– In 2017, T.O.P pleaded guilty to charges of marijuana usage and received a 2-year probation sentence.
– While awaiting trial, he was hospitalized due to an overdose of his prescribed anxiety medication.
– He revealed that he tried to commit suicide in 2017 and it was one of the worst moments in his life. (Prestige Hong Kong)

Awards

– T.O.P won the “Visual Culture Award” at the Prudential Eye Awards in 2015.
– He won the “Best New Actor” award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards (2010), Max Movie Awards (2010), and Baeksang Arts Awards (2011) for his work in “71: Into the Fire”.

SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES
Instagram: @choi_seung_hyun_tttop

Streaming Platform Links
Genie | Spotify | Bugs | Melon | Apple Music

T.O.P Photos

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