j-hope

February 18, 1994 — Gwangju, South Korea

Jung Ho-seok (정호석; born February 18, 1994), known professionally as j-hope (제이홉), is a South Korean rapper, songwriter, record producer and dancer under BigHit Music. He is a member of the boy group BTS. j-hope released his first solo mixtape, Hope World, in 2018. It was received positively by critics and peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard 200, the highest-charting album by a Korean solo artist at the time. He became the first member of BTS to enter the Billboard Hot 100 as a soloist in 2019, when his single "Chicken Noodle Soup", featuring singer Becky G, debuted at number 81. In 2022, j-hope released his debut studio album Jack in the Box. In 2023, he released his single "On the Street" with J. Cole. In 2024, he released a six-part docuseries titled Hope on the Street, accompanied by the special album Hope on the Street Vol. 1. In 2020, j-hope was promoted to full member of the Korea Music Copyright Association. In 2018, he was awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by the President of South Korea, along with the other members of BTS, for his contributions to Korean culture.