Moon Ji-hoon (, born October 14, 1986), better known by the stage name Swings (), is a South Korean rapper. Formerly under the label Brand New Music, he is currently signed to P Nation.
Career Swings debuted in 2008 with the extended play Upgrade. He joined the hip hop group Uptown in 2009 but left by the end of the year. He released his first full-length album, Growing Pains, in 2010.
He gained popularity after competing on the second season of the TV rap competition Show Me the Money in 2013. That summer, Swings triggered a "Control Diss Phenomenon" within the Korean hip hop scene with the release of his diss track "King Swings Part 2", over the instrumental of Big Sean's "Control", in which he accused rapper Simon Dominic of not protecting his Supreme Team member E-Sens from an alleged slave contract offered by label Amoeba Culture. Swings was named Artist of the Year for 2013 by Korean hip hop magazine .
The "Control Diss Phenomenon" marked a significant point in Swings' career. At the time, diss battles were relatively uncommon in South Korean hip hop, which had adopted the genre's culture later than other markets. The event encouraged other rappers to engage in competitive battles, helping to establish diss culture as a more prominent part of the South Korean hip hop scene.
In 2014, he returned to Show Me the Money as a producer for its third season, alongside established rappers including San E and Tablo.
Swings left the label Brand New Music in August 2014 to focus his own record label, Just Music. The label currently represents the rappers Black Nut, Giriboy, Genius Nochang, C Jamm, and .
In April 2017, it established its second label, Indigo Music. It has become one of the most notable hip-hop labels, recruiting Yang Hongwon (previously known as Young B), Kid Milli, Justhis, Jvcki Wai, and Noel as its artists.
Psy announced on Instagram on April 29, 2021, that Swings had signed a contract with P Nation. Three years following his signing, he announced his eighth studio album Upgrade V as his first release under the company, to be released on March 8, 2024.
Personal life Swings is a fluent English speaker, having lived in Atlanta, Georgia, and studied English at Sungkyunkwan University.
He enlisted in the South Korean military in November 2014, despite being exempt from mandatory military service due to psychological disorders. He was discharged from the military in September 2015 due to his mental health. Swings said that he has been receiving treatment since he was young for illnesses including obsessive–compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression, and bipolar disorder.
Discography Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions KOR
Growing Pains Released: March 11, 2010 Label: Hiphopplaya Formats: CD, download— Upgrade II Released: July 22, 2011 Label: Hiphopplaya Formats: CD, download— Vintage Swings Released: October 28, 2014 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download— Levitate 2 Released: October 11, 2016 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download— Upgrade III Released: March 24, 2018 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download 44 Upgrade 0 Released: December 26, 2018 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download 61 Upgrade IV Released: March 4, 2020 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download 46
Extended plays Title Album details Peak chart positions KOR Upgrade Released: May 14, 2008 Label: Kakao M Formats: CD, download — Mood Swings II Part 1: Major Depression(감정기복 II Part 1: 주요 우울증) Released: February 26, 2014 Label: Brand New Music Formats: CD, download 31 Mood Swings II Part 2: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder(감정기복 II Part 2: 강박증) Released: July 17, 2014 Label: Brand New Music Formats: CD, download — Mood Swings II Part 3: Psychotherapy(감정기복 II Part 3: 심리치료) Released: September 8, 2016 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download — The Intr0 Released: November 30, 2018 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download —
Mixtapes Title Album details #1 Mixtape Vol. II Released: February 27, 2013 Label: Brand New Music Formats: CD, download #1 Vol. II Instrumental Released: June 12, 2013 Label: Brand New Music Formats: CD, download Levitate 1 Released: October 11, 2016 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download Levitate 3 Released: October 11, 2016 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download Crumbs () Released: May 19, 2018 Label: Just Music Formats: CD, download
Charted singles Title Year Peak chart positions Sales (DL) Album KOR As lead artist "Instincively Remix" (본능적으로 Remix) 2011 59 KOR: 173,772 rowspan="5" "I'll Be There" 79 KOR: 51,112 "Would You" () 2013 28 KOR: 140,819 "A Real Lady" 9 KOR: 315,639Cumulative sales of "A Real Lady":
"Bulldozer" () 2014 36 KOR: 107,638Cumulative sales of "Bulldozer":
"Victorious" () 57 KOR: 72,168Cumulative sales of "Victorious":
Mood Swings II Part. 1: Major Depression "Fallin'" 23 KOR: 74,526 rowspan="2" "The Wrong Way" () 73 KOR: 54,410Cumulative sales of "The Wrong Way":
"Her Number" () 9 KOR: 402,617Cumulative sales of "Her Number":
Mood Swings II Part. 2: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "Gravity" 34 KOR: 109,911 "Pool Party" 14 KOR: 155,919 rowspan="2" "Rap Star" 85 KOR: 26,048 "My Ballad" 60 KOR: 31,942 Vintage Swings "Your Soul" 2016 98 KOR: 20,383 "On My Way" 94 KOR: 28,684 Mood Swings II Part. 3: Psychotherapy "Clock Out" () 2017 88 KOR: 20,596 Collaborations "Money" 2013 — KOR 24,025 rowspan="3" "Brilliant Is..." 75 "A Real Man" 2014 4 KOR: 509,564Cumulative sales of "A Real Man":
"Trap" 27 KOR: 91,161 My Secret Hotel OST "Not Enough" 2019 37 Show Me the Money 8 Episode 1"—" denotes releases that did not chart.
Filmography
Television YearProgramNetworkNotes 2013Show Me The Money 2 MnetContestant2014Show Me The Money 3MnetJudge/Producer with San E2017High School RapperMnetJudge2017Mix NineJTBCRap Instructor2018Show Me the Money 777MnetJudge2019Show Me the Money 8MnetJudge2020Show Me the Money 9MnetContestant (4th)
Variety shows +YearTitleNetworkRoleNotes2019Not the Same Person You Used to KnowMnetMain GuestWith Giriboy, Han Yo-han (rapper, songwriter), Superbee (rapper), Kwon Hyuk-soo, Im Bo-ra (Swings' girlfriend), Jenny Kim (Swings' mother) Episode 4 2020 King of Mask Singer MBC Contestant as "Advent of a Bill-god" (Episodes 259–260)
References