Code Kunst

Summary

Jo Sung-woo (Korean조성우; born December 18, 1989), better known by his stage name Code Kunst (코드 쿤스트), is a South Korean composer and music producer. In 2015, he released his second studio album Crumple and joined Highgrnd. In 2017, he released his third studio album Muggles' Mansion. In 2018, he signed to AOMG and appeared as a judge alongside Paloalto on Show Me the Money 777. He released his fourth studio album People in 2020 and won Producer of the Year at the Korean Hip-hop Awards in 2021. In 2023, he released his fifth studio album Remember Archive.

Code Kunst
코드 쿤스트
Woo Won-jae's Music High February 27, 2020
Woo Won-jae's Music High February 27, 2020
Background information
Birth nameJo Sung-woo
Born (1989-12-18) December 18, 1989 (age 34)
Yeonsu, Incheon, South Korea
Genres
Occupation(s)
Years active2013–present
LabelsAOMG
Member ofLegit Goons[1]
Websiteaomgofficial.com/codekunst
Korean name
Hangul
조성우
Revised RomanizationJo Seong-u
McCune–ReischauerCho Sŏngu

Early life and education edit

Jo Sung-woo was born on December 18, 1989, in Yeonsu, Incheon.[2][3] He became interested in hip hop after listening to Nas' "Doo Rags".[4] He decided to pursue a career in music after serving in the military.[5] He studied design at Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts, but got expelled.[6]

The word "Kunst" means "Art" in German, so the stage name Code Kunst has a meaning of "the music I produced will become arts."[7]

Career edit

2013–2017: Signing to Highgrnd edit

In 2013, Code Kunst released his debut single "Lemonade",[2] starting his music career relatively late in his life. Upon being asked whether he was nervous about his career in the beginning, he said, "At first, I wasn't nervous because in the beginning I was really going to do music as a hobby. I was already somewhat old and I didn't have the skills at first, but I felt that I needed to hurry. I'm too late, I'm too late... this thought was so strong. So I made the decision to spend the years I was 24 and 25 years old, 2 years--2 years, let me use that as if it were 4 years."[8]

In April 2015, he released his second studio album Crumple, which was later nominated for Best Rap Album at the Korean Music Awards.[9] In September 2015, Code Kunst joined the label HIGHGRND under YG Entertainment due to the impact of Tablo.[10] He specifically cited Tablo's willingness to work together in person, such as on tracks like "Hood" featuring Tablo and Joey Bada$$, made him believe HIGHGRND was a good label for him.[11] He released his third album Muggles' Mansion in February 2017,[12] which received critical acclaim.[13]

2018–present: Signing to AOMG edit

Code Kunst left HIGHGRND and joined AOMG in June 2018.[14] In September 2018, he officially appeared in the Korean Hip-Hop survival show Show Me the Money 777 as one of the judges.[15] "Good Day", a song he composed on the show, received positive reviews from critics.[16] Loopy and Kid Milli from his team won second and third place in Show Me the Money 777.

In 2019, Code Kunst, along with Jay Park, Simon Dominic, Woo Won-jae, and Gray, appeared as judges on the audition program Signhere started by Korean Hip-hop label AOMG and MBN.[17] In the same year, he appeared in another Hip-hop reality survival program High School Rapper 3.[18] He was in the same team with The Quiett. Together they produced "Go High" (feat. Changmo, Woo Won-jae), sang by female rapper Lee Young-ji, who became the final winner to the show.

Code Kunst released his fourth studio album People in 2020. In the same year, he was announced as a producer for 'Show Me the Money 9' along with Paloalto as a team.[19] In 2021, he won Producer of the Year at the Korean Hip-hop Awards.[20] He then appeared as a winning producer for Show Me the Money 10 along with Gaeko of the rap group Dynamic Duo.

In 2023, he released his fifth studio album Remember Archive.[21]

Television edit

Jo has appeared on I Live Alone as a regular cast since 2022. For his appearance on the show, he won the Rookie Award in 2022 and Popularity Award in 2023 at the MBC Entertainment Awards.[22][23]

In March 2024, Jo was announced as one of the panelists for South Korean dating reality show, My Sibling's Romance.[24]

Artistry edit

Code Kunst said that looking at his mother's paintings while growing up has greatly influenced and aided him in visualizing music.[25] Additionally, in an interview-style conversation with fellow AOMG member Punchnello, he has said that he draws musical inspiration from the simple and common experiences of everyday people which he also had before signing with larger labels (including "financially troubling situations and the kinds of things that happen in such situations"). As a result, he thought signing with a label too early might hinder his ability to experience the things regular people go through in their mid-20s.[26] For similar reasons, he had decided to name his 2017 album, "Muggles' Mansion." Specifically he has said that the world "muggles" has two meanings to him, one which means very common and one that does not. For the album he wanted to "tell common stories with sources that reflect myself, yet includes sounds which aren't so common."[27]

He adds a lot of vocal chopping in his music which became one of his unique music styles.[28] Rolling Stone India commented that "he takes deep dives into old-school blues, rock, soul and hip-hop, tying it all neatly together with his signature vocal chopping techniques and flawless loops of instrumentals."[29]

He cited Mac Miller as his biggest influence.[30]

Philanthropy edit

In 2020, Code Kunst donated to the Official George Floyd Memorial Fund, stating that Black music made a big impact on his life.[31]

Personal life edit

Code Kunst has two cats named Panda and Seeroo.[32]

Filmography edit

Television shows edit

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2018 Show Me the Money 777 Judge and producer
2019 Signhere
High School Rapper 3
2020 King of Mask Singer Contestant [33]
Show Me the Money 9 Judge and producer
2021 Show Me the Money 10 [34]
2022–present I Live Alone Regular cast [35]
2023 My Friends Are Smarter Than Me Host [36]
Sing Again Judge Season 3 [37]
2024 My Sibling's Romance Host [38]

Web shows edit

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2022 Change Days Host Season 2 [39]
Witch Hunt 2022 [40]

Music video appearances edit

Year Song Title Artist Ref.
2021 "Lipstick" Lee Hi (Feat. Yoon Mirae) [41]

Discography edit

Studio albums edit

Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[42]
Novel
Crumple
  • Released: April 28, 2015
  • Label: Luminant Entertainment
  • Formats: CD, digital download
34
Muggles' Mansion 26
People
  • Released: April 2, 2020
  • Label: AOMG, Kakao M
  • Formats: CD, digital download, streaming
10
Remember Archive
  • Released: March 16, 2023
  • Label: AOMG
  • Format: CD, Digital download
19
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Extended plays edit

Title EP details
Hear Things

Singles edit

Title Year Peak chart
positions
Album
KOR
[47]
"Lemonade"
feat. Blnk-Time
2013 Hear Things
"1-2"
feat. C Jamm
"Betting"
feat. Don Mills
2014 Novel
"Edison" (에디슨)
feat. Nucksal
2015 Crumple
"Golden Cow"
feat. C Jamm and DJ SQ
"Hood"
feat. Tablo and Joey Badass
Non-album single
"Parachute"
feat. Oh Hyuk and Dok2
24 Muggle's Mansion
"Beside Me"
feat. BewhY, YDG and Suran
2016 92
"Fire Water"
feat. G.Soul and Tablo
2017
"Rain Bird"
feat. Colde and Tablo
2018 Non-album singles
"Bless"
feat. Loco and Woo Won-jae
"XI"
feat. Lee Hi
2019 199
"Too Late"
feat. JMSN
"Treat Her Better"
feat. Niia
All About Us
"Joke!"
Feat. C Jamm and Simon Dominic
2020 People
"Knock"
feat. Baek Ye-rin
"Flower" ()
feat. Jay Park, Woo and Giriboy
140
"For the Gone" (사라진 모든 것들에게)
with Choi Jung-hoon and Simon Dominic
106 Non-album singles
"You Get Off" 2021
"Cheers" (치열)
with Lee Chan-hyuk, Colde and Sogumm
"Take Me"
with Meenoi
2022
"The Ball Is Round"
with Woo Won-jae and Jeon So-yeon
"Bad Bad"
(feat. Tabber and Jay Park)
2023 Remember Archive
"55"
(feat. Baek Ye-rin and Wendy)
99
"Jumper"
(feat. Gaeko and Mino)
102
"Circle"
(feat. Crush)
183
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Awards and nominations edit

Award Year Nominee Category Result Ref.
Korean Music Awards 2016 Crumple Best Rap Album Nominated [9]
Korean Hip-hop Awards 2018 Muggles' Mansion Hip-hop Album of the Year Nominated [48]
Himself Producer of the Year Nominated
2019 Nominated [49]
2021 Won [20]
2022 Nominated [50]
2024 Nominated [51]
MBC Entertainment Awards 2022 Rookie Award – Male Won [22]
2023 Popularity Award - Reality Won [23]
Brand Customer Loyalty Awards 2023 Multitainer - Male Won [52]

References edit

  1. ^ Shin, Dongha (2022-01-31). "[오피니언] 이상한 보통 사람들, 리짓군즈 입덕 가이드 ① [음악]". Art Insight. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  2. ^ a b "코드 쿤스트". Daum Encyclopedia.
  3. ^ Park, Eun-hae (February 18, 2022). "샤이니 민호 서울대 출신 엄친아 형, 코드쿤스트 절친으로 깜짝 등장 '나혼산'" [Shinee Minho's brother, Mr. Perfect who graduated from Seoul National University, made a surprise appearance as a close friend of Code Kunst]. Newsen (in Korean).
  4. ^ "[GL Interview] 다양한 장르의 용광로에서 주조된 Code Kunst의 음악 바이오그래피". Gear Lounge (in Korean). June 8, 2020.
  5. ^ Park, Su-in (March 5, 2017). "[팝인터뷰]코드쿤스트, 하루를 이틀처럼 2년 같은 1년 보낸 이유". Herald Pop.
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  8. ^ "[Producer Code Kunst] All About_Code Kunst : part.1". YouTube. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  9. ^ a b "CODE KUNST [CRUMPLE]". Korean Music Awards (in Korean).
  10. ^ Lee, Mi-yeong (September 22, 2015). "코드쿤스트, 혁오 이어 하이그라운드 합류" [Code Kunst, joins Highgrnd after Oh Hyuk]. iNews24 (in Korean).
  11. ^ "Picking at the mind of producer Code Kunst!". YouTube.
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  13. ^ "2017 올해의 가요 앨범". IZM. December 2017.
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  15. ^ Park, Se-hoe (July 15, 2018). "(공식)'쇼미더머니 777'의 프로듀서 라인이 완성됐다" [The producer line of 'Show Me the Money 777' is completed]. Huffington Post Korea (in Korean).
  16. ^ "《2018, 음악취향Y의 추천》 장르별 싱글 (6) : 힙합 #2". Music Y. February 21, 2019.
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  19. ^ "엠넷 '쇼미9' 프로듀서 4팀 결성·자이언티-기리보이 등" [Mnet 'Show Me 9' 4 producer teams are formed, Zion.T-Giriboy etc.]. The Korea Economic Daily Entertainment (in Korean). August 19, 2020.
  20. ^ a b "한국힙합어워즈 2021 수상작" [Korean Hip-hop Awards 2021 Winners]. Korean Hip-hop Awards (in Korean).
  21. ^ Lee, Jin-ju (March 3, 2023). "코드 쿤스트, 정규 5집 'Remember Archive' 16일 발매" [Code Kunst, releases fifth studio album 'Remember Archive' on 16]. BNT (in Korean).
  22. ^ a b Cha Sang-yeop (December 30, 2022). "MBC연예대상' 전현무 대상… '나혼산' 올해의 예능프로그램(종합)" ['MBC Entertainment Awards' Jeon Hyun-moo Grand Prize... 'Nahonsan' Entertainment Program of the Year (Comprehensive)] (in Korean). Money S. Retrieved December 29, 2022 – via Naver.
  23. ^ a b Kim, So-yeon (2023-12-29). "원탑X코쿤, 인기상 수상 "책임감 느껴"[2023 MBC 방송연예대상]" [One Top X Cokun, wins popularity award "I feel responsible"]. Star Today (in Korean).
  24. ^ 뉴스1 (2024-03-29). "'연애남매' 이진주 PD "후반부 관전포인트는 남매들 팀플레이"[N인터뷰]①". 뉴스1 (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-04-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  25. ^ "[CODE KUNST : 9¾ DOCUMENTARY] EP 01 엄마의 그림들 (Mother's Drawings)". YouTube.
  26. ^ "코드 쿤스트(CODE KUNST) & 펀치넬로 (punchnello) | AOMG ANJU(안주) (ENG)". AOMG.
  27. ^ "[ENG SUB] COMMENTARY&BEHIND : CODE KUNST - MUGGLES' MANSION". SEOUL MUSIC (서울뮤직).
  28. ^ AOMG - [코드 쿤스트 (CODE KUNST)] MBC, '라디오스타' - 2019. 06. 19.... | Facebook, retrieved 2020-01-31
  29. ^ Chakraborty, Riddhi (April 5, 2020). "Kulture Kolumn: Appreciating the Genius of Code Kunst". Rolling Stone India.
  30. ^ Lee, Ju-han (September 8, 2018). "'쇼미더머니 777' 코드 쿤스트, 故 맥 밀러 추모 "진심으로 동경했던 유일한 뮤지션"". Seoul Economic.
  31. ^ "국내에서도 뜨거운 'Black Lives Matter' 운동". Melon (in Korean). June 5, 2020.
  32. ^ Shin, Ji-won (January 14, 2022). "코드 쿤스트, 고양이 집사로 사는 법..."반려묘 시루X판다 궁디 팡팡...내 궁딩이는 누가 두들겨 주나"('나혼산')". The Korea Economic Daily.
  33. ^ Ji, Min-kyung (May 3, 2020). "'복면가왕' 코드쿤스트·차청화·김강훈·럭키 1R 탈락..주윤발 6연승 도전 [종합]". OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  34. ^ Park, Soo-in (August 9, 2021). "개코-코드 쿤스트 '쇼미더머니10' 프로듀서 합류 '킹메이커 군단 완성" [Gaeko-Code Kunst joined the producer of 'Show Me the Money 10' and completed the 'Kingmaker Corps']. Newsen (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  35. ^ Hwang, Hyo-i (July 25, 2022). "기안84X코드쿤스트, 황정민·조승우·지진희 계보 이을까" [Kian 84 x Code Kunst, will they be the next Hwang Jeong-min, Jo Seung-woo, and Ji Jin-hui?]. Sports Kyunghyang (in Korean).
  36. ^ Kang, Da-yun (January 2, 2023). "내친나똑' 전현무 MC 발탁→조세호·코드쿤스트·김동현 출격 [공식]" [Selected MC Jeon Hyun-moo for ‘My Chin-na-tok’→Jo Se-ho, Code Kunst, and Kim Dong-hyun sortie [Official]] (in Korean). My Daily. Retrieved January 2, 2023 – via Naver.
  37. ^ Lee, Seul (November 8, 2023). "'싱어게인3' 최초 슈퍼 어게인→"내 OST가 가장 유명" 참가자까지" ['Singer Gain 3' first super gain → "My OST is the most famous" participant]. X-ports News (in Korean). Retrieved November 8, 2023 – via Naver.
  38. ^ Ahn, Eun-jae (2024-03-01). "가족과 연애가 합쳤다… '환연' 이진주 PD의 '연애남매' 어떨까 [N초점]" [Family and love combined... How will 'My Sibling's Romance' by 'Exchange' PD Lee Jin-ju be?]. News1 (in Korean).
  39. ^ Jeong, Bit (May 12, 2022). "[공식]'체인지 데이즈' 시즌2, 6월 2일 첫공개…"진짜 헤어지는 기분" 티저부터 화제" [[Official] 'Change Days' Season 2, first released on June 2nd... From the teaser of "It feels like a real breakup" topic] (in Korean). Sports Chosun. Retrieved May 12, 2022 – via Naver.
  40. ^ Oh, Ji-won (May 23, 2022). "마녀사냥' 7년 만의 귀환…신동엽·김이나·코드쿤스트·비비 MC 발탁" ['Witch Hunt' returns after 7 years... Shin Dong-yeop, Kim Ina, Code Kunst, and BB were selected as MCs] (in Korean). YTN. Retrieved May 23, 2022 – via Naver.
  41. ^ Choi, Jeong-ah (September 9, 2021). "이하이, 등장한 '빨간 립스틱' 뮤비 티저 공개…박재범→정찬성 총출동" [Lee Hi, 'Red Lipstick' MV teaser released... Jae-beom Park → Chan-seong Jeong]. Sportsworld (in Korean). Retrieved September 9, 2021 – via Naver.
  42. ^ Circle Chart peaks:
    • "Crumple". Circle Chart. September 16, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
    • "Muggle's Mansion". Circle Chart. March 11, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
    • "People". Circle Music Chart. April 11, 2020. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
    • "Remember Archive". Circle Music Chart. April 15, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  43. ^ "2017년 09월 Album Chart".
  44. ^ "2017년 03월 Album Chart".
  45. ^ "Circle Album Chart – April 2020". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  46. ^ Cumulative sale of Remember Archive:
    • "Circle Album Chart – Week 15, 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved April 20, 2023.
    • "Circle Album Chart – Week 16, 2023". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  47. ^ Circle Digital Chart peak positions
    • "Parachute": "Digital Chart - 2015 Weeks 44". Circle Chart. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
    • "Beside Me": "Digital Chart- 2016 Weeks 31". Circle Chart. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
    • "XI": "Digital Chart - 2019 Weeks 02". Circle Chart. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
    • "Flower": "Digital Chart – Week 14 of 2020". Gaon Chart (in Korean). Retrieved April 9, 2020.
    • "For the Gone": "Digital Chart - 2020 Weeks 47". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved September 23, 2022.
    • "55": "Digital Chart - 2023 Week 11". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved March 23, 2023.
    • "Jumper" and "Circle": "Digital Chart - 2023 Week 12". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  48. ^ "Korean Hip-hop Awards 2018 nominees". Korean Hip-hop Awards (in Korean).
  49. ^ "Korean Hip-hop Awards 2019 nominees". Korean Hip-hop Awards (in Korean).
  50. ^ "Korean Hip-hop Awards 2022 Nominees". Korean Hip-hop Awards (in Korean).
  51. ^ "Korean Hip-hop Awards 2024 nominees". Korean Hip-hop Awards (in Korean).
  52. ^ Kim, Yang-su (May 2, 2023). "황제성x장도연x아이브, '브랜드 고객충성도 대상' 부문별 최고점" [Hwang Je-seong, Jang Do-yeon, Ive, scores highest in each "Brand Customer Loyalty Award' category]. Joy News 24 (in Korean).

External links edit