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Korean rapper and internet personality Lee Young-ji has seen a phenomenal rise in her popularity after she became the first ever woman to win the renowned rap competition Show Me The Money since the show started in 2012.
Most K-pop fans might know her from the beloved YouTube series Nothing Much Prepared (or My Alcohol Diary), where she interviewed everyone's favorite idols, including BTS' Jin, SEVENTEEN's Seungkwan and Hoshi, and TWICE's Nayeon and Chaeyoung. As entertaining and hilarious as the show is, Young-ji is more than just an interviewer, being a phenomenal rapper on her own merit.
Four things about Korean rapper Lee Young-ji who featured on BSS' Fighting
1) She donated the money she won from Show Me The Money 11
The 20 year-old rapper's time on the eleventh season of Show Me The Money came with its own share of popularity. Several netizens attributed the low ratings to what they believed was preferential treatment with reference to her screentime. Soon after becoming the first female rapper to win the show, Lee Young-ji announced her plan to donate most of her cash prize (the total of which was 100 million won or approximately 79260 USD) to charity.
In an Instagram story, Young-ji explained why she came to that decision. She wrote that her ultimate goal was to earn enough to be able to start a charity, and she tried to donate whenever she could, no matter the amount. The rapper concluded by saying,
"Aside from all the reasons, I'm just doing it. There are people who misunderstand sometimes. Please don't misunderstand."
2) Young-ji is a successful CARAT (fan of SEVENTEEN) whose favorite member is Hoshi
Very few K-pop fans can claim to have worked with their favorite K-pop idols. Lee Young-ji is one of them. Her comments below SEVENTEEN's music videos and fancams of Hoshi are well-documented. The Spider singer even came to Young-ji's show and scolded her for not getting back to him about a possible collaboration. Caught off guard, the rapper promptly called Hoshi her prince and admitted to being worried about her lyrics not being good enough.
Young-ji seems to have gotten over her mental blockade as she recently featured on BooSeokSoon aka BSS' track Fighting, which has been loved by K-pop fans, charting on several music websites.
3) She won High School Rapper in 2019
Show Me The Money was not Lee Young-ji's first rapping competition to air on television. The Freesia rapper participated in the third season of Mnet's High School Rapper, going on to win the show. She was the first woman to ever win the competition, creating a name for herself in the hip-hop community in Korea.
When she placed first on Show Me The Money in 2022, she also became the first High School Rapper winner to ever win the ten-year-old rapping competition. Despite being only twenty years of age, her accomplishments speak of her talents in a field dominated by male artists.
4) She once shocked everyone with a photoshoot
While she is known for her bubbly personality and unique tone while rapping, Lee Young-ji's dramatic weight loss for a photoshoot astounded many. She mentioned in the caption of the photograph that her reputation might suffer because her low sodium and blood sugar made her have a lousy personality.
The surprise was short-lived, however, as Young-ji mentioned during her appearance on Knowing Bros (or Men on a Mission). She said fans preferred her "girl-next-door" look, which was chubbier and based around her vibrant energy as opposed to her figure. She has always been someone who is herself, no matter what. Lee Young-ji proved that her personality and skills are her best features when she rapped Freesia and danced the Hey Mama choreography to Monkey Magic in the same episode.
SEVENTEEN's subunit BooSeokSoon (or BSS) recently released their first single album, Second Wind, in which Lee Young-ji features as a collaborating artist. Fans have loved her verse in the song, with many calling her a successful fan for being able to work with her idol.
Young-ji also plans to release an album in 2023, and fans of the rapper are very excited to have a longer album from the artist who has only released singles so far.
