Lim Sung-bin (; born September 12, 1987), better known by the stage name Beenzino (), is a South Korean rapper. Beenzino first gained popularity through the duo Jazzyfact, which he formed with Shimmy Twice in 2008. And he made his first official public appearance at Dok2's Hustle Real Hard Concert on June 5, 2011, and has since released three solo albums, as well as other works in collaboration with hip hop producers Primary and Shimmy Twice, and as the duo Hot Clip with South Korean rapper Beatbox DG. He is noted for his melodic style of rapping.
After establishing his reputation within the Korean rap scene, he became well known through singles such as "Dali, Van, Picasso", which was a mainstream hit. Beenzino toured as a solo artist in the U.S. in 2015.
History
Early life and career beginnings For a few years as a young child, Beenzino lived in Christchurch, New Zealand, eventually moving back to Korea before middle school, which he attended in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi province. He enrolled at Seoul National University to study sculpture, and graduated in 2014.
His stage name is a play on that of Boston rapper Benzino, combined with "빈" (pronounced "been") from his birth name. He first gained recognition by posting recordings to the DC Tribe website, through which he was first recruited by established rapper Simon Dominic. He went on to feature on albums by well-known artists including Dok2, Epik High, Supreme Team, and Verbal Jint, and released albums as part of the rap duos Jazzyfact (with producer Shimmy Twice) and Hotclip (with Beatbox DG).
Debut as a solo artist Beenzino made his debut as a solo MC on hip hop producer Primary's collaborative album P'Skool's Daily Apartment, released July 28, 2009. By 2011, he was a respected solo artist, although still a rookie by industry standards. In October, he featured on Primary's 2011 album Primary and the Messengers.
In 2012, Beenzino released his first solo album, 24:26, and performed with Illionaire Records during their nationwide Korean tour that summer. In November, he collaborated with label-mates The Quiett and Dok2 in the free digital single "Illionaire Gang", which was released to coincide with their November 11 Illionaire Day Concert.
In 2013, the pre-release of his single "Dali, Van, Picasso" from his 2014 album Up All Night was downloaded almost 600,000 times without a music video, and propelled him to mainstream success. He went on to perform at MU:Con 2013 and featured on albums by K.Will (The Third Album Part 2: Love Blossom) and Lee Hyori (Monochrome).
In April 2014, he featured on the Junggigo song "Want U", which was a number one hit in Korea and sold over a million copies.Sales references for "Want U": He also performed at the 2014 Asian Music Festival on May 25 in New York City and the One Hip Hop Festival at Hongik University, and as a featured guest during Verbal Jint's international concert tour.
In 2016, he released his third album, 12, including the prior releases "Dali, Van, Picasso", "We Are Going To", and "Break".
In 2020, Beenzino left Illionaire Records and joined fellow rapper and friend E Sens after signing with Beasts and Natives Alike in 2021.
Personal life In August 2022, Beenzino registered his marriage to model Stefanie Michova, and the wedding has yet to be decided. On May 23, 2024, Beenzino and Michova made an announcement on Instagram that they are expecting their first child. The couple welcomed their first child, a son named Ru-bin, on November 9, 2024.
Discography
Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales KOR 12Released: May 31, 2016 Label: Illionaire, CJ E&M Formats: CD, digital download 11KOR: 6,002 NowitzkiReleased: July 3, 2023 Label: Bana, Kakao Entertainment Formats: CD, digital download 3KOR: 51,716Cumulative Sales of Nowitzki:
Extended plays Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales KOR 24:26Released: July 3, 2012 Label: Illionaire Records, Genie Music Formats: CD, digital download — Up All NightReleased: July 16, 2014 Label: Illionaire Records, CJ E&M Formats: CD, digital download 12KOR: 3,212 24:26 (5th Anniversary Remaster)Released: July 11, 2017 Label: Illionaire Records, Genie Music Formats: CD, digital download 6KOR: 5,441"—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Singles As lead artist Title Year Peak chart positions Sales (DL) Album KORAs lead artist:
Collaborations:
As lead artist "I'll Be Back" 2012 — rowspan="2" 24:26 "Slow It Down" () — "Boogie On & On" 62 KOR: 303,976Cumulative sales of "Boogie On & On": "Aqua Man" 87KOR: 22,915 "Dali, Van, Picasso" 2013 1KOR: 662,041Cumulative sales of "Dali, Van, Picasso": 12 "How Do I Look?" 2014 6KOR: 335,812Cumulative sales of "How Do I Look?": Up All Night "So What" () 2015 4KOR: 319,534Cumulative sales of "So What": "Break" 13KOR: 357,889Cumulative sales of "Break": 12 "We Are Going To" 59KOR: 43,310 "Life in Color" 2016 43KOR: 91,019 "Saturday" () feat. Black Nut 12KOR: 233,974Cumulative sales of "At The End Of Saturday": 12 "January" feat. YDG 52KOR: 27,104 "Time Travel" 36KOR: 53,598 "OKGO"feat. E Sens 2019 90 rowspan="9" rowspan="3" "Fashion Hoarder"feat. Zene the Zilla 86 "Blurry"feat. Dbo 82 "Trippy" 2023 138 Nowitzki "Monet" 149 "In Bed/Makgulli" (침대에서/막걸리) 159 "Coca Cola Red" 189 "990" 166 "Travel Again" (여행 Again) 73 Collaborations "Illionaire Way" with The Quiett & Dok2 2011 — "U & I"with Toy & Crush 2014 3KOR: 435,678Cumulative sales of "U & I": Da Capo "Rockin' With The Best"with The Quiett & Dok2 96KOR: 16,793 "The Color" with Yoon Jong-shin 2015 54KOR: 55,953Cumulative sales of "The Color": Monthly Project 2015 "No Matter What" with BoA 2016 7KOR: 292,678Cumulative sales of "No Matter What": SM Station Season 1 "The Fearless Ones"with The Quiett, Sik-K, Changmo 2019 — "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
As featured artist Title Year Peak chart positions Album KOR
"The Invisible Man" ()2010 — "Tomorrow Sucks" (Bonus Mix) —Tomorrow Sucks"Smoke" — "How Dare You Pour Oil or Something" () 91Go Easy 0.5"Fantom" — "Would You Be My"2011 —Fever For Calmness"She's There" — "Handalas" ()—Missing Soul"Don't Do That" ()2012 — rowspan="2" "What I See" —"Get Dough" —AMBITIQN"Thank You"2013 75 "Where'd They Go" (Dub Remix)—Dub In Nuol Vol.1 "So Good" 45 rowspan="2" "A Real Lady" 9"Holiday" () —Jackasoul "Want U" ()2014 1 "Ice Ice Baby" () 56STEP 1"On Your Body" () 75THE VGINS"Born Hater" 3Shoebox"Cheers"2015 28 "Get" 10UZ"Mannequin" () 112"Mayo" () 36I Am...& I Am"Calling in Love" — "Surprise" ()2016 35U-Turn"Paldangdam" () 14 rowspan="3" "Thursday Night" () 2"Work Spirit" () —"Five More Minutes" (5분만 더)2017 48Colour"Ambition and Vision"—Reborn"You" () 40 rowspan="4" "Traffic Light" () —"Outside" 12"Dope" —"Tropical Night" —Prophet"Seoul Night" () 2019 6 "Clear Vision" —Yamangkkun"Flip" — "Stay Up" 2019 89 City Lights"Hula Hoops"DPR Live feat. Beenzino, Hwasa 2021 185Iite Cool [EP] "Counting Stars" 1 "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Other charted songs Title Year Peak chart positions Album KOR "Stinky Kiss (Intro)" 2023 180 Nowitzki "Radio" 194
Awards and nominations Award ceremony Year Category Nominee / Work Result Korean Hip-hop Awards2017Artist of the YearBeenzinoHip Hop Album of the Year12Hip Hop Track of the Year"Flexin'"Collaboration of the Year"January" 2024Artist of the YearBeenzinoHip Hop Album of the YearNowitzkiHip Hop Track of the Year"Travel Again" Korean Music Awards 2013 Best Rap & Hip Hop Album 24:26 Best Rap & Hip Hop Song"Aqua Man"2017Best Rap & Hip Hop Album12Best Rap & Hip Hop Song"Time Travel"2024Album of the YearNowitzkiBest Rap & Hip Hop AlbumArtist of the YearBeenzinoSong of the Year"Travel Again" Best Rap & Hip Hop Song MAMA Awards2016Best Collaboration"No Matter What" Melon Music Awards2014Best Rap/Hip Hop Award"How Do I Look?"
References