Korean hip-hop pioneer Drunken Tiger to release last album

By Dong Sun-hwa

Tiger JK, the pioneer of Korean hip-hop, will release his last album as Drunken Tiger on Nov. 14.

Tiger JK has been the sole member of Drunken Tiger since 2005 after DJ Shine left. But after the release of this 10th album, Tiger JK will not use the name.

“In this digital music world, a song made of heart and soul vanishes one week after release, making it demanding to stick to the originality of Drunken Tiger,” the rapper said.

He reportedly has been engrossed in completing the album.

“I have been in bliss when thinking about my fans who are now mostly in their 30s or 40s, they would welcome this album,” he said.

Drunken Tiger, Korea's first-generation hip-hop team that has been acclaimed for taking the unexplored genre into the mainstream, debuted in 1999. Hit tracks have included “Do You Know Hip-Hop” and “Because I'm A Man.”

In 2007, Tiger JK married American-born Korean hip-hop singer Yoon Mi-rae, who is also known as Natasha Shanta Reid, and formed hip-hop group MFBTY with her and another rapper, Bizzy.