Birth name: Choi Seung Hyun
Also known as: T.O.P, Tempo
Born: November 4, 1987 (1987-11-04) (age 22) in Seoul, South Korea
Origin: Republic of Korea
Genres: Hip-hop, Hardcore hip hop, K-pop
Occupations: Composer, Lyricist, Rapper, Beatboxer, MC, Actor
Years active: 2006 - present
Labels: YG Entertainment
The "Big Brother" of the band is Choi Seung Hyun (최승현), also known as Tempo or T.O.P. YG's staff calls him Keun SeungHyun, meaning Big Seung Hyun, to distinguish between the two Big Bang members named Seung Hyun. Before joining Big Bang, he performed in clubs and even won KBS Radio's "Rap Battle" in 2003. Tempo is one of the two rappers in the Big Bang and is also very talented in beat-boxing. Recently, TOP has successfully finished filming his role as the school's top fighter in a Korean drama called, I Am Sam. His character's name in the drama was Chae Mu Shin and his talent as an actor has impressed the fans and the viewers as well. Even though BIG BANG is listed as his debut, TOP has been rapping since middle school under the name Tempo. He started doing gigs in underground clubs, sometimes with an older friend of his, NBK Gray. They never sign a label or released an album. “Buckwild”, one of their songs was storming the internet in mp3 format.
Unlike the rest of Big Bang, TOP hasn’t trained to be a singer. His only singing part so far is at the beginning of She Can’t Get Enough.
He often gets sent on TV shows alone, either as a guest or MC. In August 2007, he started acting in the drama I Am Sam. In summer 2007, he was also featured as an actor in Red Roc’s Hello MV.
