So Ji Sub never wanted to be anything other than a rapper. His acting career just happened when he took a modeling job so he could be near his rapper idol, Kim Sung Jae of the hip-hop duo Deux.
"I did modeling because I wanted to see Kim and also because it was the best way to earn good easy money," he said.
Fortunately, becoming a successful actor, the owner of the 51K Entertainment Agency and a film investor, has helped him realize his original dream of creating rap music. The star of “The Master’s Sun” and “Phantom” has continued to work on his career as a rapper, releasing titles in between his drama work.
In 2009, using the name G, he contributed the tracks, "Lonely Life" and "Foolish Love" to the "Rough Cut" and "Cain and Abel" soundtracks. In 2011 he released the single "Pick Up Line" using his own name. In January 2013 he released a mini album "6PM...Ground," which featured Younha. Four songs from the album were used to make a 12-minute music drama. Park Shin Hye and Yoo Seung Ho appeared in the music videos.
In June he released his third electro-hip-hop EP titled 18 Years. Eighteen years is how long he has worked in the industry since his debut as an actor. He wrote and composed the title track of 18 Years, and the song features the vocals of Saetbyeol. Two of the album’s tracks were done in collaboration with the hip-hop group Soul Dive.
And to thank his fans, So Ji Sub has released one of the album’s singles for free. On his birthday, Nov. 4, he released a free single titled “So Love” and dedicated the song to his fans. Soul Dive, DJ Juice and Saetbyeol are featured on the song.
He recorded “So Love” as a thank you to his fans, after completing his first Asian tour, “So Ji Sub 2014 Let’s Have Fun in Asia.” The tour took him to seven Asian countries in the span of two months.
Whatever you think of the actor’s skills as a rapper, it’s fun to see him from a completely different perspective. His rapper persona is a far cry from his smooth and sophisticated image as the shopping mall chaebol in “The Master’s Sun.’ He’s almost hard to recognize but just as charming. Check him out in the music video for “So Love”