| San E | |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Native Name: | 정산 |
| Native Name Lang: | ko |
| Birth Name: | Jung San |
| Birth Date: | January 23, 1985 |
| Birth Place: | Bupyeong District, Incheon, South Korea |
| Genre: | Hip hop |
| Instrument: | Vocals |
| Years Active: | present |
Jung San (; born January 23, 1985),[1] more commonly known by his stage name San E, is a South Korean rapper.[2] He debuted in 2010 under JYP Entertainment, where he was the label's first solo rapper. He left the company in 2013 to sign with hip hop label Brand New Music.[3] He left the company in 2018 and established hip hop label FameUs Entertainment in 2019.
San E has released one full-length album: The Boy Who Cried Wolf (2015), and three extended plays: Everybody Ready? (2010),
San E was born on January 23, 1985, in South Korea. He moved with his family to Atlanta, Georgia, US, when he was a middle school student because his parents had been struggling financially as a result of the 1997 Asian financial crisis.[9] He attended the University of Georgia, where he majored in graphic design.[10]
San E released his first mixtapes Ready To Be Signed and Ready To Be Famous in 2008 and 2009, respectively. As a way to draw attention to his self-released music, San E jokingly dissed established underground rapper Verbal Jint in one of his songs. The diss brought him attention from the Korean hip hop community and from Verbal Jint himself, who invited San E to join his hip hop crew, Overclass.[11] [12]
Still unsigned, San E won Best Hip Hop Song at the 2010 Korean Music Awards for the track "Rap Genius."[13] Soon after, he became the first solo rapper to sign with JYP Entertainment, one of the "big three" records labels in the k-pop industry.[14] That September, he released his first mini-album, Everybody Ready?, which featured fellow JYP Entertainment artists Min (of Miss A), and Joo and Yeeun (of Wonder Girls). He debuted several days later on the television music show, M Countdown, with his single "Tasty San," featuring Min.[15] In November, San E started another round of promotions for the single, "LoveSick," the music video for which starred label mate Sohee of Wonder Girls.[16]
In 2011, San E released several singles, including “Please Don't Go," a collaboration with rapper Outsider and singer Lee Changmin (of 2AM).[17] The song reached #14 on the Gaon Digital Chart, making it his highest charted song while contracted under JYP Entertainment.[18] He also collaborated that year with Verbal Jint, Beenzino, Swings, and other artists on the single "Stand Up, Japan!" which benefited Japan's relief efforts after the Tohoku tsunami.[19]
In April 2013, San E ended his contract with JYP Entertainment, saying that he was leaving on good terms.[20] That June, he joined hip hop label, Brand New Music, home to his Overclass crew mate, Verbal Jint.[21] San E achieved his first #1 hit on the Gaon Digital Chart with the song, "Story of Someone I Know," from the album
In late 2018, Brand New Music terminated San E's contract after the rapper made a series of controversial remarks about feminism.[35] [36]
In 2019, San E established hip hop label FameUs Entertainment and recruited rappers Errday, Malkey, and Be'O. They released their first compilation album God FameUs on April 9, 2020.[37]
San-E married his girlfriend in a private ceremony on September 24, 2022, in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.[38]
| Title | Album details | Peak position | Sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | ||||
| Everybody Ready? |
| 20 | [No data available] | |
| 27 | 1,558+[41] | ||
| Season of Suffering |
| 22 | 845+[42] | |
| Ballad Rap Song |
|
| Title | Year | Peak position | Sales | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | |||||
| "Tasty San" (feat. Min) | 2010 | 45 | [No data available] | Everybody Ready? | |
| "LoveSick" | 19 | ||||
| "Someone's Dream" (feat. So Hyang) | 2011 | 48 | Dream High OST Pt. 3 | ||
| "Please Don't Go" (feat. Outsider & Changmin) | 14 | 407,462+ | Non-album single | ||
| "Wish U To Be Unhappy" (feat. Bee of Rphabet) | 54 | 242,259+ | |||
| "Big Boy" (feat. Bee of Rphabet) | 39 | 108,996+ | |||
| "Story Of Someone I Know" | 2013 | 1 | 1,139,790+ | Not' Based on the True Story | |
| "Where Did You Sleep?" (feat. Verbal Jint & Swings) | 8 | 570,537+ | |||
| "Break-Up Dinner" (feat. Sanchez of Phantom) | 3 | 608,340+ | |||
| "What's Wrong With Me" (feat. Kang Min-hee) | 2014 | 4 | 952,054+ | You're All Surrounded OST Pt.1 | |
| "A Midsummer Night's Sweetness" (with Raina) | 1 | 2,176,748+ | Non-album single | ||
| "Body Language" | 1 | 727,872+ | |||
| "Brand New Day" (with Brand New Music artists) | 30 | 100,723+ | Brand New Year Vol.3 | ||
| "Coach Me" | 2015 | 16 | 150,317+ | No Mercy Part.1 | |
| "On Top Of Your Head" | 17 | 122,579+ | The Boy Who Cried Wolf | ||
| "Me You" | 2 | 1,127,476+[43] | |||
| "Like Father, Like Son" | 23 | 143,833+[44] | Non-album single | ||
| "Sour Grapes" | 2 | 774,942+[45] | |||
| "Like An Airplane" | 2016 | 12 | 250,502+ | ||
| "Sugar and Me" | 5 | 418,248+ | |||
| "I Am Me" | 2017 | 61 | 28,700+ | Season of Suffering | |
| "Mohae" | 5 | 158,185+[46] | Non-album single | ||
| "A Midsummer Night's Sweetness: Summer Again" ) | 2021 | 62 | Non-album single |
| Year | Title | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Show Me The Money 3 | Appeared throughout season as producer on "Team Brand New Music." | |
| 2015 | Show Me The Money 4 | Appeared throughout season as producer on "Team Brand New Music." | |
| Unpretty Rapstar | Host of season 1 | ||
| Unpretty Rapstar 2 | Host of season 2 | ||
| Off to School | Cast member for episodes 44-46 | ||
| 2016 | Hip Hop Nation | Co-host with Shin Dong Yup | |
| 2016–2017 | Battle Trip | Co-host (until April 2017) | |
| 2017 | The Unit | Mentor/Host of season 1 | |
| 2018 | High School Rapper 2 | Mentor | |
| 2021 | Show Me the Money 10 | Contestant |
|-| 2013|"Story of Someone I Know"[47] |Song/Artist of the Year (August)| |-| 2014| "A Midsummer Night's Sweetness" (with Raina)[48] | Song/Artist of the Year (July)|
|-| 2015|"A Midsummer Night's Sweetness" (with Raina)|Digital Bonsang| |-| 2016| The Boy Who Cried Wolf| Best Rap/Hip Hop Award|
|-|2010|"Rap Genius"|Best Hip Hop Song|
|-| rowspan="4"| 2014
[49] | rowspan="3"|"A Midsummer Night's Sweetness" (with Raina)| Best Song| |-| Hot Trend| |-| Rap/Hip Hop| |-| "What's Wrong With Me?"| OST|
|-| rowspan="4"| 2014| "A Midsummer Night's Sweetness" (with Raina)| rowspan="2"|Song of the Year[50] | |-| rowspan="2"| "Body Language"||-|Best Rap Performance| |-|"A Midsummer Night's Sweetness" (with Raina)| Best Collaboration| |-| rowspan="2"| 2015| rowspan="2"| "Me You"| Song of the Year[51] | |-| Best Rap Performance|
|-| 2014| San E & Raina| Hip Hop/Rap Award| |-| 2015| San E| Hip Hop/Rap Award|
Web site: Gaon Album Chart - December 2013 (see #119). Gaon Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. 2018-03-29.
Web site: Gaon Album Chart - January 2017 (see #85). Gaon Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. 2018-03-29.
Web site: Gaon Download Chart - October 2015 (see #42). Gaon Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. 2016-04-21.