Since kickstarting his music career in 1995 as a member of the pop duo Panic, Kim Jin-pyo has established himself as a rapper, singer-songwriter, and prolific entertainer whose projects include television programs and sporting events. He was born in South Korea on August 13, 1977, and raised in the same Seoul neighborhood as his longtime friend Lee Juck. Together, the two neighbors formed Panic in 1995, with Kim Jin-pyo serving as the group's rapper. Panic released Nobody in 1995, Bottom in 1996, and Sea Within in 1998, ultimately splitting up after Sea Within's release. Immediately following the breakup, both Jin-pyo and Juck launched solo careers. Exception, Jin-pyo's first solo release, was released in 1998, followed later that year by JP.Style. He also formed a new project, Nova Sonic, and introduced the band's rock-inspired sound with a self-titled debut album, Nova Sonic, in 1999. Nova Sonic released two additional albums before Jin-pyo left the band in 2002, and he returned his focus to his solo career with the self-titled record Kim Jin-pyo in 2003. That same year, he won the Mnet Asian Music Award for "Best Hip Hop Performance" with his single "With a Dogged Spirit." His solo career with albums like 2008's Galanty Show, 2012's JP 6, and 2013's JP 7. Although he released music at a slower pace during the late 2010s and early 2020s, he maintained a presence in the world of Korean hip-hop, with the title track from his 2009 EP Romantic Winter even returning to the Top 200 - Korea chart during the holiday season of 2022.
