The singles, “Last Farewell” (마지막 인사; Majimak Insa) from Hot Issue (2008) and “Day by Day” (하루하루; Haru Haru) from Stand Up (2008), became chart-toppers as well. Given the stage name of T.O.P. (탑) by senior YG artist Seven, he became one of two rappers alongside G-Dragon (Kwon’s stage name) in BigBang. By then, Choi had already performed on many underground stages at hip hop bd baji clubs and established a reputation as an underground rapper with the stage name Tempo. In 2024, T.O.P portrayed Thanos in the second season of the Netflix dystopian survival thriller series Squid Game. The group became one of the best-selling groups of all time in Asia and one of the best-selling boy bands in the world. He performed as an underground rapper before joining the record label YG Entertainment and debuted as the lead rapper of the boy band BigBang in 2006.

The song was performed for the first time at the 2013 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong.

• unreliable source? After group activities wrapped up, he focused his attention back to acting, starring in the film Commitment (2013), playing the son of a North Korean spy who is falsely accused.unreliable source? The album was released on Christmas Eve, and debuted at number one with 200,000 pre-ordered copies. While promoting his group’s materials in 2008, T.O.P appeared on other artists’ records, including Gummy for the song “I’m Sorry” for her album Comfort, veteran singer Uhm Jung-hwa for her single “D.I.S.C.O.” and ZiA for her single “I Only See You”. After releasing the band’s albums and singles, T.O.P. began working on his solo career. 1 – Since 2007, received lukewarm receptions, and included T.O.P.’s first solo song “Big Boy”.

  Artistry

  He would later announce on February 12 that the lead single will be entitled “Studio 54”. T.O.P. continued promoting Squid Game in 2025 during FYC events for Primetime Emmy Award consideration, as he was submitted under the Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category. He also believed that his character may prove popular with younger viewers in Korea. Netflix and Hwang received criticism for this casting for possibly setting a bad precedent.

  T.O.P made his acting debut in 2007 through the TV series I Am Sam (2007), followed by Iris (2009) and the TV movie Nineteen (2009). In 2010, while the group was on hiatus, T.O.P and G-Dragon collaborated to release the album, GD & TOP. The auction saw a sale of more than HK$ 135 millionunreliable source? T.O.P and BigBang have been praised for their individuality and ability to fuse a pop sound with rap, R&B and dance elements. On March 17, 2026, T.O.P announced his second single titled “Desperado”.

  2010: Solo career development, move into acting, and GD & TOP

  While internationally, BigBang is often referred to as a “K-pop” group, T.O.P has expressed distaste with the label noting how “you don’t divide pop music by who’s doing it. We don’t say, for instance, ‘white pop’ when white people make music.” He also notes how his role as a musician influenced his acting to be more emotional. Both his solo releases – “Turn It Up” and “Doom Dada” – are hip hop influenced, with the latter drawing critical acclaim for its “lyrical rhythms that are both inviting and alienating” from Dazed magazine, that declared T.O.P was leading the evolution of K-Pop. Adrienne Stanley of Kpop Starz also praised the rapper for his “speed and accuracy” when delivering bars. After release, his acting was criticized by those in South Korea, particularly that his vocal and facial performance was out of place, with the quality of his rap having mixed reception. The casting of T.O.P received controversy in South Korea, and his face was blurred on the Korean morning show Live This Morning when airing a segment about the series.

  Filmography

• The casting of T.O.P received controversy in South Korea, and his face was blurred on the Korean morning show Live This Morning when airing a segment about the series.
• Given the stage name of T.O.P. (탑) by senior YG artist Seven, he became one of two rappers alongside G-Dragon (Kwon’s stage name) in BigBang.

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• } He also notes how his role as a musician influenced his acting to be more emotional.

• On March 20, 2026, he announced his comeback through his social media and his agency, TOPSPOT PICTURES, released his first full-length album, Another Dimension on various online music sites on April 3.
• Prior to the release of the album, the duo held a worldwide premiere showcase for their album at Times Square in Yeongdeungpo of Seoul, South Korea, which was also broadcast live on YouTube.
• After release, his acting was criticized by those in South Korea, particularly that his vocal and facial performance was out of place, with the quality of his rap having mixed reception.
• He also recorded the song “Hallelujah” for the drama’s soundtrack with Taeyang and G-Dragon.
• Both his solo releases – “Turn It Up” and “Doom Dada” – are hip hop influenced, with the latter drawing critical acclaim for its “lyrical rhythms that are both inviting and alienating” from Dazed magazine, that declared T.O.P was leading the evolution of K-Pop.

Later that year, he starred in CJ E&M’s web drama The Secret Message alongside Japanese actress Juri Ueno.

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• On June 29, at his first trial for the marijuana usage charges at the Seoul Central District Court, T.O.P pleaded guilty, admitting that he did smoke marijuana in four instances in early October 2016 and received two years of probation.
• The group achieved mainstream success with the release of the song “Lies” (거짓말; Geojitmal) from the extended play Always (2007), which topped several charts upon its release.
• Yim later said that they stopped filming but T.O.P wanted to continue, so they resumed.
• On December 4, 2024, T.O.P was revealed as a cast member for the second season of the Netflix series Squid Game.
• In April 2007, he was featured with fellow BigBang members Taeyang and G-Dragon on singer Lexy’s single “Super Fly” for her album Rush.
• After group activities wrapped up, he focused his attention back to acting, starring in the film Commitment (2013), playing the son of a North Korean spy who is falsely accused.
  • On March 17, 2026, T.O.P announced his second single titled “Desperado”.
  • The group became one of the best-selling groups of all time in Asia and one of the best-selling boy bands in the world.
  • T.O.P. continued promoting Squid Game in 2025 during FYC events for Primetime Emmy Award consideration, as he was submitted under the Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category.
  • 1 – Since 2007, received lukewarm receptions, and included T.O.P.’s first solo song “Big Boy”.
  • unreliable source?

  On February 7, 2022, YG Entertainment announced that BigBang would make their comeback with a new song on April 5.

• For his role, he won the Rookie Award at the Asia Star Awards, held during the Busan International Film Festival.unreliable source?

• He played Thanos, a former rapper who had fallen from grace due to a crypto scam.

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• } A few days after the announcement, T.O.P was found unconscious in police barracks due to a suspected anti-anxiety medicine overdose of prescribed benzodiazepine,unreliable source?
• Despite wanting to use his stage name when acting, believing it reflects his professional side more, he is often billed with his real name, with his stage name included in parentheses.
• After debuting as a furniture designer in 2015 in collaboration with Vitra, he was awarded the Visual Culture Award at the Prudential Eye Awards.unreliable source?

As a solo rapper, he has released two digital singles, “Turn It Up” (2010) and “Doom Dada” (2013), that have peaked at number two and four, respectively, on the Gaon Digital Chart. On March 20, 2026, he announced his comeback through his social media and his agency, TOPSPOT PICTURES, released his first full-length album, Another Dimension on various online music sites on April 3. On January 1, 2026, T.O.P announced that he will release his first solo album Another Dimension. Despite being a rapper, he sang on the single “Hi Haruka” as part of the drama’s soundtrack.

On February 7, 2022, YG Entertainment announced that BigBang would make their comeback with a new song on April 5. On June 29, at his first trial for the marijuana usage charges at the Seoul Central District Court, T.O.P pleaded guilty, admitting that he did smoke marijuana in four instances in early October 2016 and received two years of probation. ] A few days after the announcement, T.O.P was found unconscious in police barracks due to a suspected anti-anxiety medicine overdose of prescribed benzodiazepine,unreliable source? T.O.P was subsequently transferred to a different police division to await notice of prosecution, and was suspended from police duty pending verdict on his case.