Swings, also known as Moon Ji-hoon, is a South Korean rapper who officially debuted in 2008 with the EP Upgrade. Swings is an industry veteran within the K-Hip-Hop scene, and has been largely credited towards inculcating hip-hop diss culture, and popularising the genre in South Korea. His well-known songs include “Bulldozer”, “Keep Going” and “No Mercy.”

He grew up in the US, but moved to South Korea at an early age where he found himself being ostracised for his rebellious nature. However, he began working towards being a hip-hop artist when he went to Sungkyunkwan University for college.

He joined the Korean rap group, Uptown in 2009, but left shortly after. He rose to fame by competing in the second season of the rap competition, Show Me The Money, where his disstrack towards fellow competitor Simon Dominic triggered the ‘Control Diss Phenomenon’ of South Korean Hip-hop. His rise following Show Me The Money was meteoric – he released multiple critically acclaimed projects such as his Upgrade series, founded two labels (Indigo Music and Just Music) as well as acted as a judge on multiple editions of Show Me The Money.

He was exempted from his mandatory military service due to his various mental health issues – which he has addressed in his music, in songs such as “Home” – which subjected him to widespread media backlash. However, he has stated that it is this very criticism that fuels him to overcome his challenges, citing one of the reasons for him to continue as an artist as “becoming an inspiration for people to go on [through his music].”