Choi Seung-hyun (Korean: 최승현; born November 4, 1987), known professionally as T.O.P, is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter and actor. He is also a musician and philanthropist.
T.O.P at the Busan International Film Festival
Early Career and Debut with BigBang
Before joining YG Entertainment, T.O.P performed as an underground rapper. 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. The two were paired with Taeyang, Daesung, and Seungri, and a documentary leading up to their debut was aired to promote them. Hyunseung was later dropped by Yang, and BigBang made its official debut with five members.
BigBang debuted on August 19, 2006, under YG Entertainment with their first single, BIGBANG. Their first studio album, Big Bang Vol. 1 - Since 2007, received lukewarm receptions, and included T.O.P.'s first solo song "Big Boy". 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.
BIGBANG (빅뱅) is a 3-member South Korean boy group, consisting of G-DRAGON, Taeyang, and Daesung. On March 11, 2019 Seungri announced that he left the entertainment industry. On May 31, 2023 T.O.P officially left. All members have left YG and are under different labels.
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Solo Ventures and Acting Debut
After releasing the band's albums and singles, T.O.P. began working on his solo career. 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. Later that summer, he appeared as an actor in Red Roc's "Hello" music video. He became the first member of BigBang to venture into acting, starring in the KBS2 drama I Am Sam, portraying the school's top fighter, Chae Musin.
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".
The same year, he was admitted to Dankook University in the theatre department. The following year, T.O.P. portrayed the assassin Vick in the critically acclaimed Korean television drama Iris. He also recorded the song "Hallelujah" for the drama's soundtrack with Taeyang and G-Dragon.
He made his film debut with 71: Into the Fire (2010), for which he received praise and won multiple accolades including Best New Actor at the 2010 Blue Dragon Film Awards and the 2011 Baeksang Arts Awards. Subsequently, he garnered lead roles in the films Commitment (2013), for which he was awarded 'New Asian Actor of the Year' at the Busan International Film Festival and Tazza: The Hidden Card (2014).
Big Bang live- T.O.P's solo-Doom Dada (fancam) NJ10/11/15
GD & TOP Collaboration
In 2010, during BIGBANG's hiatus, T.O.P and G-Dragon formed a duo and released the number-one collaboration album GD & TOP. While working on materials with G-Dragon for their subunit, the two experimented with different styles. Co-writing majority of the lyrics, the pair noted that as "rappers [...] we'd like to tell more stories for our fans to listen." In an attempt to create their own style away from their band, the duo opted for a more hip hop sound to contrast the BigBang's current genre at the time, electronic music, though the influence of this genre along with R&B and acoustic was acknowledged.
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Solo Musical Debut and "Doom Dada"
T.O.P's performance in the 2010 war drama 71: Into the Fire was well-received, earning him several Best New Actor awards at local award-giving bodies. Simultaneously, T.O.P began to prepare for his solo musical debut. During BigBang's Big Show Concert in January 2010, T.O.P. In November 2013, he released his second digital single, "Doom Dada". The song was performed for the first time at the 2013 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong. "Doom Dada" earned the #1 position on Dazed magazine's Top 10 K-Pop tracks of 2013, where it was called "inviting and alienating...
Later Acting Roles and Activities
From 2011 to 2012, T.O.P was extensively involved with BigBang's promotional activities for their EPs Tonight (2011) and Alive (2012) which included a ten-month world tour that travelled to four continents. 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. T.O.P first became attached to the role because he "felt sympathy for the main character, Lee Myung Hoon." While filming a combat scene for the movie, he injured the back of his hand on a glass fragment and was later admitted to the hospital for surgery.
In 2014, T.O.P starred in the gambling film Tazza: The Hidden Card, based on the manhwa of the same name. That November, he released his second digital single, "Doom Dada".
After debuting as a furniture designer in 2015 in collaboration with Vitra, he was awarded the Visual Culture Award at the Prudential Eye Awards. Later that year, he starred in CJ E&M's web drama The Secret Message alongside Japanese actress Juri Ueno. After spending the majority of 2015 touring and promoting BigBang's materials for their album Made (2016), T.O.P was cast in the German-Chinese film Out of Control alongside Hong Kong actress Cecilia Cheung.
Controversy and Military Service
On June 5, 2017, T.O.P was investigated for using marijuana following a tip from Han Seo Hee. He was transferred to a different police division and suspended from duty while awaiting prosecution. The following day, T.O.P was found unconscious in a police barracks after overdosing on anti-anxiety medication, leading to his hospitalization. At his trial on June 29, T.O.P pleaded guilty to marijuana use in four instances in October 2016 and was given a two-year probation sentence. He was reassigned to complete his mandatory military service as a public service worker at the Yongsan Arts and Crafts Center, resuming service on January 26, 2018.
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Departure from YG Entertainment and Future Projects
On February 7, 2022, YG Entertainment announced that T.O.P had left the company after his contract ended, though he would continue to be a part of BIGBANG. On December 4, 2024, T.O.P was revealed as a cast member for the second season of the Netflix series Squid Game. He played Thanos, a former rapper who had fallen from grace due to a crypto scam. After auditioning, he won the role because series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk liked his "serious" approach. Hwang explained that he wanted to cast someone who had stopped working due to drug-related issues, and T.O.P had retired from K-pop and left BigBang over a marijuana conviction.
On January 1, 2026, T.O.P personally announced the news of his comeback on his social media, writing, "A NEW ALBUM IS ON THE WAY." and added the phrase "ANOTHER DIMENSION".
Philanthropy
In August 2014, T.O.P joined the Ice Bucket Challenge, an international campaign to develop medical treatment for Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He made a donation to the Seungil Hope Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides aid to Lou Gehrig patients. In October 2016, in partnership with British auction house Sotheby's, he curated a collection of contemporary art as part of a special charity auction in Hong Kong. The project was named #TTTOP, and it featured 28 works by both Asian and Western artists. On March 3, 2020, T.O.P., under his legal name, donated ₩100 million to the Hope Bridge National Disaster Association of Daegu, in the province of North Gyeongsang.
Other Facts
- When he first auditioned for YG he was rejected because of his then physical appearance not fitting idol standards.
- He frequently skipped or left school without wearing shoes.
- He would’ve been the first Korean idol to go to space on a rocket developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
- T.O.P.’s ideal type: “My ideal girl is someone feminine with a voice thinner than mine. I don’t like girls who like to meddle. I truly don’t care about her fashion sense as long as she has a sensible and witty personality.
T.O.P holds several records in the art world, becoming the first K-pop singer to be named to a list of 200 artists in the art world at Growse Magazine. After applying, in 2022, T.O.P was selected to participate in a lunar spaceflight as part of the DearMoon project crew. The mission was scheduled to occur in 2023 aboard the SpaceX Starship.