RM

Kim Nam-joon, known professionally as RM (formerly Rap Monster), is a South Korean rapper, songwriter, and record producer born on September 12, 1994. He is best known as the leader of the South Korean boy band BTS under Big Hit Music. RM began his music career in the underground Korean hip-hop scene under the stage name Runch Randa before joining Big Hit in 2010.

Born in Sangdo-dong, Seoul, RM grew up in Ilsan. As a child, he learned English by watching the American sitcom Friends. He actively wrote poetry as a student, garnering awards and posting his work online. At age 11, listening to Epik High's "Fly" inspired his interest in hip-hop music and lyricism. Although his parents initially opposed his musical ambitions due to his strong academic performance, RM convinced them to allow him to pursue rapping. He later earned a degree in Broadcasting and Entertainment from Global Cyber University and enrolled in a master's program at Hanyang Cyber University.

RM joined Big Hit Entertainment in 2010 after being recommended to producer Pdogg by the rapper Sleepy. He trained for three years with fellow members Suga and J-Hope, contributing to pre-debut tracks and co-writing the debut single for the girl group Glam. RM officially debuted as a member of BTS on June 13, 2013, and subsequently produced and wrote lyrics for many of the band's releases.

Throughout his career, RM has engaged in various solo projects and collaborations. In 2015, he appeared on the Korean variety show Problematic Men and released his debut self-titled solo mixtape, RM. He also collaborated with artists such as Warren G, MFBTY, Primary, and Yankie, and contributed the digital single "Fantastic" to the Korean soundtrack for Marvel's Fantastic Four.

In 2017, RM released the socially conscious track "Change" with American rapper Wale and officially changed his stage name from Rap Monster to RM to reflect a broader artistic spectrum. In October 2018, he released his second mixtape, Mono, which peaked at number 26 on the Billboard 200, making it the highest-charting album by a Korean solo artist in the US at the time. Between 2018 and 2021, he featured on tracks with artists including Fall Out Boy, Honne, Lil Nas X, Younha, and eAeon.

RM made his official solo studio debut on December 2, 2022, with the album Indigo, which featured contributions from Erykah Badu and Anderson .Paak and peaked at number three on the Billboard 200. In 2023, he was named a brand ambassador for Bottega Veneta and featured on singles by So-yoon and Colde. On May 24, 2024, RM released his second studio album, Right Place, Wrong Person, an alternative music project that peaked at number five on the Billboard 200.