Jung Ho-seok (Hangul: 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
Jung Ho-seok was born 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 dancecompetition 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.
