RM, born on September 12, 1994, as Kim Namjoon (김남준), is a South Korean rapper, songwriter, composer, and producer. He is also known as the leader of the South Korean group BTS.

At thirteen years old, Namjoon, under the stage name Runch Randa, was a part of the Seoul underground hip-hop scene and collaborated with popular artists like Zico and Ugly Duck. South Korean rapper and entertainer Sleepy then discovered his talent during an underground crew audition. Sleepy linked the middle school student to Big Hit Entertainment. “Hitman” Bang, the CEO of Big Hit Entertainment, formed BTS because of Namjoon.

Namjoon debuted with BTS in 2013 under the name Rap Monster. As of 2017, he now goes by RM because it fits him better as an adult. As the leader of the group, RM is responsible for connecting the group’s aspirations to its business, mediating discords among members, and shaping the musicality of the group along with other members and producers. RM also acts as a songwriter, composer, and producer for many BTS songs.

Aside from his activities with BTS, RM works on his music. In 2015, he released his first mixtape, RM, which appeared on SPIN’s 50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015.

Three years later, in 2018, he released his second mixtape mono., that made him the highest-charting Korean solo act on Billboard 200.

RM’s mono. has reached #1 on iTunes Album Chart in 123 countries, becoming the highest charting album in iTunes history worldwide. It’s even more impressive as the album was also available to legally download for free.

He also frequently works with other artists. Over the years, he collaborated, among others, with Krizz Kaliko, Warren G, Wale, HONNE, Fall Out Boy, and Lil Nas X.

The high-IQ rapper has also worked with many South Korean artists including Zico (지코), Gaeko (개코), MFBTY, Primary (프라이머리), eAeon (이이언), NELL (넬) and YOUNHA (윤하).

Despite writing songs for BTS and for himself, RM also wrote for other artists, including solo works of his band members, GLAM, HOMME, and TOMORROW X TOGETHER.

In 2015, as a part of the soundtrack of MARVEL’s Fantastic Four movie, he released “Fantastic.”

On September 2018, on behalf of BTS, Namjoon delivered a speech at the UN General Assembly as the group has previously worked with UNICEF to launch the “Love Myself” campaign, which advocated against youth violence. Later, in October 2018, along with the other members of BTS, he was awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by the President of South Korea for the contribution to Korean culture.

In January 2020, he was promoted to a full member of the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA).

RM is credited officially as a writer and composer of over 200 songs by Korea Music Copyright Association — KOMCA (10003681) and was placed multiple times among the top entries on Billboard Hot 100 Songwriters, Billboard Hot 100 Producers, Billboard Japan Hot 100 Lyricists, and Billboard Japan Hot 100 Composers lists.

In December 2022, he released his long-awaited first solo album Indigo, which features numerous diverse collaborations with RM’s personal heroes as well as close friends. The album achieved commercial success, topping the charts and breaking several records.