Drunken Tiger

Drunken Tiger (드렁큰 타이거) is a critically acclaimed Korean/American hip hop group which debuted in 1999. They are arguably the founders of the Korean hip-hop genre. After 2004, Drunken Tiger's central figure has been Korean-American Tiger JK. Other members affiliated with Drunken Tiger are DJ Shine (who left in 2005), Micki Eyes (Mike Amiri), DJ Jhig, and Roscoe Umali. In 2013, Drunken Tiger reformed to include Yoon MiRae (T) and Bizzy, the rebirth of their project group, MFBTY (My Fans Better Than Yours). At age 16, Tiger JK met Micki Eyes, later to be a member of Drunken Tiger, and performed in a rap festival in Los Angeles. He later caught the eye of Oasis Entertainment of South Korea, got signed, and released his first solo album, Enter The Tiger. The album achieved major success, but due to censorship, the songs were banned from being played from radio stations. Soon after the album and American rapper Ice Cube's highly controversial song Black Korea, Tiger JK teamed up with east coast rapper DJ Shine, and together the duo formed Drunken Tiger. Although the group was formed in the US, the group debuted in South Korea as well. The group immediately gained major popularity with songs such as I Want You and Do You Know Hip Hop? Initially, Drunken Tiger was criticized for generating controversy due to their explicit content, and rebellious attitude towards mainstream music trends. Nevertheless, they continued to write their own music, perform in local shows, and gather a large following. The group would go on to release five albums, before DJ Shine would leave for personal reasons. Throughout his career, Tiger JK has also written and composed many hip-hop songs in South Korea for many well-known artists in the country. In mid-2006, Drunken Tiger established the label Jungle Entertainment.