T.O.P made his acting debut in 2007 through the TV series I Am Sam (2007), followed by Iris (2009) and the TV movie Nineteen (2009). In 2010, while the group was on hiatus, T.O.P and G-Dragon collaborated to release the album, GD joya baji & TOP. The auction saw a sale of more than HK$ 135 millionunreliable source? T.O.P and BigBang have been praised for their individuality and ability to fuse a pop sound with rap, R&B and dance elements. On March 17, 2026, T.O.P announced his second single titled “Desperado”.
Filmography
While internationally, BigBang is often referred to as a “K-pop” group, T.O.P has expressed distaste with the label noting how “you don’t divide pop music by who’s doing it. We don’t say, for instance, ‘white pop’ when white people make music.” He also notes how his role as a musician influenced his acting to be more emotional. Both his solo releases – “Turn It Up” and “Doom Dada” – are hip hop influenced, with the latter drawing critical acclaim for its “lyrical rhythms that are both inviting and alienating” from Dazed magazine, that declared T.O.P was leading the evolution of K-Pop. Adrienne Stanley of Kpop Starz also praised the rapper for his “speed and accuracy” when delivering bars. After release, his acting was criticized by those in South Korea, particularly that his vocal and facial performance was out of place, with the quality of his rap having mixed reception. The casting of T.O.P received controversy in South Korea, and his face was blurred on the Korean morning show Live This Morning when airing a segment about the series.
During BigBang’s Big Show Concert in January 2010, T.O.P. performed his new single “Turn It Up”. Following Iris, T.O.P. starred in the suspense film 19-Nineteen along with fellow member Seungri. The following year, T.O.P. portrayed the assassin Vick in the critically acclaimed Korean television drama Iris (2009). Despite wanting to use his stage name when acting, believing it reflects his professional side more, he is often billed with his real name, with his stage name included in parentheses.
2019: Military service, personal and legal issues with marijuana usage
] Later that year, he starred in CJ E&M’s web drama The Secret Message alongside Japanese actress Juri Ueno. After debuting as a furniture designer in 2015 in collaboration with Vitra, he was awarded the Visual Culture Award at the Prudential Eye Awards.unreliable source? For his role, he won the Rookie Award at the Asia Star Awards, held during the Busan International Film Festival.unreliable source? While filming a combat scene for the movie, he injured the back of his hand on a glass fragment and was later admitted to the hospital for surgery. T.O.P first became attached to the role because he “felt sympathy for the main character, Lee Myung Hoon.”unreliable source? Released as a digital single, it peaked at number two, and sold over 1.3 million downloads by the end of 2010.
He also recorded the song “Hallelujah” for the drama’s soundtrack with Taeyang and G-Dragon. He became the first member of BigBang to venture into acting, starring in the KBS2 drama I Am Sam, portraying the school’s top fighter, Chae Musin. Later that summer, he appeared as an actor in Red Roc’s “Hello” music video. In April 2007, he was featured with fellow BigBang members Taeyang and G-Dragon on singer Lexy’s single “Super Fly” for her album Rush. The group achieved mainstream success with the release of the song “Lies” (거짓말; Geojitmal) from the extended play Always (2007), which topped several charts upon its release.
The song was performed for the first time at the 2013 Mnet Asian Music Awards in Hong Kong.
- The following year, T.O.P. portrayed the assassin Vick in the critically acclaimed Korean television drama Iris (2009).
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- During BigBang’s Big Show Concert in January 2010, T.O.P. performed his new single “Turn It Up”.
- Prior to the release of the album, the duo held a worldwide premiere showcase for their album at Times Square in Yeongdeungpo of Seoul, South Korea, which was also broadcast live on YouTube.
- Both his solo releases – “Turn It Up” and “Doom Dada” – are hip hop influenced, with the latter drawing critical acclaim for its “lyrical rhythms that are both inviting and alienating” from Dazed magazine, that declared T.O.P was leading the evolution of K-Pop.
- On March 20, 2026, he announced his comeback through his social media and his agency, TOPSPOT PICTURES, released his first full-length album, Another Dimension on various online music sites on April 3.
- After release, his acting was criticized by those in South Korea, particularly that his vocal and facial performance was out of place, with the quality of his rap having mixed reception.
- He also recorded the song “Hallelujah” for the drama’s soundtrack with Taeyang and G-Dragon.
unreliable source? After group activities wrapped up, he focused his attention back to acting, starring in the film Commitment (2013), playing the son of a North Korean spy who is falsely accused.unreliable source? The album was released on Christmas Eve, and debuted at number one with 200,000 pre-ordered copies. While promoting his group’s materials in 2008, T.O.P appeared on other artists’ records, including Gummy for the song “I’m Sorry” for her album Comfort, veteran singer Uhm Jung-hwa for her single “D.I.S.C.O.” and ZiA for her single “I Only See You”. After releasing the band’s albums and singles, T.O.P. began working on his solo career. 1 – Since 2007, received lukewarm receptions, and included T.O.P.’s first solo song “Big Boy”.
T.O.P appeared one last time in the final episode, which sees a character briefly hallucinating Thanos. Yim later said that they stopped filming but T.O.P wanted to continue, so they resumed. Hwang explained that he wanted to cast someone who had stopped working due to drug-related issues, and T.O.P had retired from K-pop and left BigBang over a marijuana conviction. After auditioning, he won the role because series creator Hwang Dong-hyuk liked his “serious” approach.
As a solo rapper, he has released two digital singles, “Turn It Up” (2010) and “Doom Dada” (2013), that have peaked at number two and four, respectively, on the Gaon Digital Chart. On March 20, 2026, he announced his comeback through his social media and his agency, TOPSPOT PICTURES, released his first full-length album, Another Dimension on various online music sites on April 3. On January 1, 2026, T.O.P announced that he will release his first solo album Another Dimension. Despite being a rapper, he sang on the single “Hi Haruka” as part of the drama’s soundtrack.
He would later announce on February 12 that the lead single will be entitled “Studio 54”. T.O.P. continued promoting Squid Game in 2025 during FYC events for Primetime Emmy Award consideration, as he was submitted under the Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category. He also believed that his character may prove popular with younger viewers in Korea. Netflix and Hwang received criticism for this casting for possibly setting a bad precedent.
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- } While filming a combat scene for the movie, he injured the back of his hand on a glass fragment and was later admitted to the hospital for surgery.
- The casting of T.O.P received controversy in South Korea, and his face was blurred on the Korean morning show Live This Morning when airing a segment about the series.
Later that year, he starred in CJ E&M’s web drama The Secret Message alongside Japanese actress Juri Ueno.