B.I (rapper)

B.I
Birth name	Kim Hanbin (김한빈)
Also known as	B.I
Born	(1996-10-22) October 22, 1996 South Korea
Genres	Hip hop, K-pop
Occupation(s)	rapper, lyricist, composer, producer, choreographer, leader
Years active	2013 (2013)–present
Labels	YG Entertainment (2013–present)
Website	www.ygfamily.com

B.I
Hangul	김한빈
Revised Romanization	Gim Han-bin
McCune–Reischauer	Kim Han-pin

Kim Han Bin (Korean: 김한빈; born October 22, 1996 in South Korea), better known by his stage name B.I (Korean: 비아이), is a South Korean rapper and leader of the YG Entertainment group iKON, formerly known as Team B in the 2013 Mnet reality-survival program show "Who is Next: WIN".

Along with rapping, B.I has shown an increasing role in song production, notably composing labelmate Winner's hit debut single "Empty" and collaborating with Epik High for the track "Born Hater" before officially debuting in 2015. B.I was also involved in the production, song and lyrical composition for all the tracks in iKON's Debut Half Album Welcome Back.

He also appeared in the survival program "Mix and Match" with fellow iKON members Jinhwan, Bobby, Junhoe, Donghyuk, Yunhyeong and Chanwoo in 2014 before his official debut.

Career

Early Life and Trainee Years

B.I was first introduced to public at age 13 as a featured rapper in MC Mong's track "Indian Boy" in 2009. Along with appearing in the "Indian Boy" music video, he also appeared in live performances of the song and had a cameo appearance in MC Mong's follow-up "Horror Show" music video.

B.I joined YG Entertainment as a trainee in January 2011, where he and fellow trainees Bobby and Kim Jinhwan became the foundation of the future six-member "Team B". Team B was revealed to the public in Mnet's reality-survival program show "Who is Next: WIN" in 2013. In the show, two teams, Team A and B, competed in three official battle rounds, each consisting of song arrangement, dance, and original song composition. The public would then vote on for their favorite performances, with the overall winning team moving on to debut and the losing team to be either rearranged or disbanded. As the team leader, B.I led and constructed Team B's dance choreography and song arrangement, a role he occupied even prior to WIN. During WIN, he earned his first composition credit for the team's song finale "Climax". Team B ultimately lost, with Team A moving on to debut under the name Winner, leaving the future of Team B in limbo.

In May 2014, YG Entertainment announced that B.I and Bobby would compete in Mnet's rap survival program "Show Me the Money'." Under the guidance of his team mentors Masta Wu and Tablo of Epik High, B.I progressed to the Top 8 and released the self-composed and written chart-topping single "BE I" before being eliminated in episode 7.

In August, Winner debuted with the title track "Empty", which had been composed and given to Winner by B.I as a gift. The song went on to top multiple music charts and achieved the No. 1 position in various music programs.

Late 2014-present: iKON

Following the end of "Show Me The Money 3", YG announced that the members would be returning to compete in another reality survival show entitled "MIX & MATCH", which they had already begun filming. While B.I, Bobby, and Jinhwan were confirmed for three of the seven spots, the remaining three members of Team B competed with three new trainees, Jung Chan Woo, Yang Hong Seok and Jung Jin Hyung, for the four remaining places on the team. During the airing of "MIX & MATCH", B.I earned production credits for two more songs: the Team B single "Wait for Me" as a composer and lyricist and the Epik High collaboration track "Born Hater". Along with being a featured rapper alongside Beenzino, Verbal Jint, Winner's Mino, and fellow iKON teammate Bobby, B.I was credited as a co-composer alongside DJ Tukutz.

Discography & Filmography

See also: iKON (South Korean band) § Discography

Singles

Year	Title	Peak chart positions	Digital Sales	Album
		KOR Gaon
2014	"BE I"	5	KOR: 409,985+	Show Me The Money 3 Part 1

Music videos

Year	Title	Artist	Length	Album	Official Video	Notes
2013	"Ringa Linga"	Taeyang	3:49	RISE	BIGBANG	Cameo
2014	"Born Hater"	Epik High	5:36	Shoebox	Epik High - Born hater	Featuring Artist
2015	"이리오너라 (Anthem)"	B.I & Bobby	3:55	Welcome Back	iKON	Artist

Production Credits

Year	Artist	Song	Role	Album
2013	Team B	"Climax"	Co-Lyricist & Co-Composer	Win Final Battle
		"Just Another Boy"
2014	Winner	"Empty"	Co-Lyricist & Composer	2014 S/S
	Himself	"BE I"	Lyricist & Co-Composer	Show Me The Money 3
	Team B	"Wait for Me"	Co-Lyricist & Co-Composer	기다려 Wait For Me - Single
	Epik High	"Born Hater"	Co-lyricist, Co-Composer, Melody Composition & Vocals	Shoebox
	iKON	"Long Time No See"	Co-Lyricist & Co-Composer	MIX&MATCH
		"SINOSIJAK"
2015		"My Type"		Welcome Back - Half Album
		"Rhythm Ta"
		"Airplane"
		"Welcome Back"
		"Today" (오늘따라; Oneul Ddara)"
		"M.U.P" (솔직하게; Soljighage)"
		"이리오너라 (Anthem)"		Welcome Back - Full Album
		"지못미(APOLOGY)"	Co-Lyricist

Reality shows and appearances

Year	Channel	Title	Notes
2013	Mnet	Who is Next: WIN	10 episodes; Premiered on August 23
2014		Show Me the Money 3	Eliminated on August 14 (episode 7)
		MIX&MATCH	9 episodes
2015	JTBC	Mari and Me	Himself, along with iKON's Jinhwan