Beenzino

Not to be confused with Benzino.

In this Korean name, the family name is Lim.

Lim Sung-bin (Korean: 임성빈; born September 12, 1987),^[1] better known by the stage name Beenzino (Hangul: 빈지노), is a South Korean rapper.^[2] His stage name is a play on that of Boston rapper Benzino, combined with "빈" (pronounced "been") from his birth name.^[3] Beenzino made his first official public appearance at Dok2's Hustle Real Hard Concert on June 5, 2011, and has since released three solo albums, as well as other works in collaboration with hip hop producers Primary and Shimmy Twice, and as the duo Hot Clip with South Korean rapper Beatbox DG.^[4] He is noted for his melodic style of rapping.^[5]

Beenzino
Beenzino in May 2019
Born	Lim Sung-bin (1987-09-12) September 12, 1987 (age 35) South Korea
Occupations	Rapper record producer
Spouse	Stefanie Michova (m. 2022)
Musical career
Genres	Hip hop
Years active	2009–present
Labels	Illionaire Records Beasts and Natives Alike
Korean name
Hangul	임성빈
Revised Romanization	Im Seong-bin
McCune–Reischauer	Im Sŏngpin
Stage name
Hangul	빈지노
Revised Romanization	Binjino
McCune–Reischauer	Pinchino
Website	www.illionaire.kr

After establishing his reputation within the Korean rap scene, he became well known through singles such as "Dali, Van, Picasso", which was a mainstream hit.^[5] Beenzino toured as a solo artist in the U.S. in 2015.^[6]

History

Early life and career beginnings

Beenzino spent most of his childhood in Christchurch, New Zealand and moved to Korea before middle school, which he attended in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi province.^[7] He enrolled at Seoul National University to study sculpture, and graduated in 2014.^[8][9]

He first gained recognition by posting recordings to the DC Tribe website, through which he was first recruited by established rapper Simon Dominic. He went on to feature on albums by well-known artists including Dok2, Epik High, Supreme Team, and Verbal Jint, and released albums as part of the rap duos Jazzyfact (with producer Shimmy Twice) and Hotclip (with Beatbox DG).^[7]

Debut as a solo artist

Beenzino made his debut as a solo MC on hip hop producer Primary's collaborative album P’Skool’s Daily Apartment, released July 28, 2009.^[10] By 2011, he was a respected solo artist, although still a rookie by industry standards.^[11] In October, he featured on Primary's 2011 album Primary and the Messengers.^[12]

In 2012, Beenzino released his first solo album, 24:26, and performed with Illionaire Records during their nationwide Korean tour that summer.^[13] In November, he collaborated with label-mates The Quiett and Dok2 in the free digital single "Illionaire Gang", which was released to coincide with their November 11 Illionaire Day Concert.^[14]

In 2013, the pre-release of his single "Dali, Van, Picasso" from his 2014 album Up All Night was downloaded almost 600,000 times without a music video, and propelled him to mainstream success.^[5] He went on to perform at MU:Con 2013^[15] and featured on albums by K.Will (The Third Album Part 2: Love Blossom) and Lee Hyori (Monochrome).^[16]

In April 2014, he featured on the Junggigo song "Want U",^[17] which was a number one hit in Korea and sold over a million copies.^[18] He also performed at the 2014 Asian Music Festival on May 25 in New York City and the One Hip Hop Festival at Hongik University,^[19][20] and as a featured guest during Verbal Jint's international concert tour.^[21]

In 2016, he released his third album, 12, including the prior releases "Dali, Van, Picasso", "We Are Going To", and "Break".

In 2020, Beenzino left Illionaire Records and joined fellow rapper and friend E Sens after signing with Beasts and Natives Alike in 2021.^[22]

Personal life

In August 2022, Beenzino registered his marriage to model Stefanie Michova, and the wedding has yet to be decided.^[23]

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions	Sales
		KOR ^[24]
12	Released: May 31, 2016 Label: Illionaire Records, CJ E&M Formats: CD, digital download Track listing Time Travel At The End Of Saturday (토요일의 끝에서) feat. Black Nut I Don't Mind Flexin! January feat. YDG Being Myself Break Imagine Time feat. Suran Found (젖고있어) Dali, Van, Picasso We Are Going To	11	KOR: 6,002^[25]

Extended plays

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions	Sales
		KOR ^[24]
24:26	Released: July 3, 2012 Label: Illionaire Records, Genie Music Formats: CD, digital download Track listing Nike Shoes feat. Dynamic Duo Slow it Down (진절머리) feat. Okasian & Dok2 Boogie On & On Aqua Man Summer Madness feat. The Quiett I'll Be Back Profile feat. Dok2 & The Quiett If I Die Tomorrow Always Awake	—	—
Up All Night	Released: July 16, 2014 Label: Illionaire Records, CJ E&M Formats: CD, digital download Track listing Jackson Pollock D*ck How Do I Look? Crazy (미쳤어) feat. Don Mills Up All Night feat. Mayson the Soul I Don't Have to Work	12	KOR: 3,212^[26]
24:26 (5th Anniversary Remaster)	Released: July 11, 2017 Label: Illionaire Records, Genie Music Formats: CD, digital download Track listing Nike Shoes feat. Dynamic Duo Slow it Down (진절머리) feat. Okasian & Dok2 Boogie On & On Aqua Man Summer Madness feat. The Quiett I'll Be Back Profile feat. Dok2 & The Quiett If I Die Tomorrow Always Awake	6	KOR: 5,441^[27]
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Singles

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Sales (DL)	Album
		KOR ^[28]
As lead artist
"I'll Be Back"	2012	—	—	24:26
"Slow It Down" (진절머리) feat. Okasian & Dok2		—
"Boogie On & On"		62	KOR: 303,976^[29]
"Aqua Man"		87	KOR: 22,915^[30]
"Dali, Van, Picasso"	2013	1	KOR: 662,041^[31]	12
"How Do I Look?"	2014	6	KOR: 335,812^[32]	Up All Night
"So What" (어쩌라고)	2015	4	KOR: 319,534^[33]	Non-album single
"Break"		13	KOR: 357,889^[34]	12
"We Are Going To"		59	KOR: 43,310^[35]
"Life in Color"	2016	43	KOR: 91,019^[36]	Non-album single
"Saturday" (토요일의 끝에서) feat. Black Nut		12	KOR: 233,974^[37]	12
"January" feat. YDG		52	KOR: 27,104^[38]
"Time Travel"		36	KOR: 53,598^[38]
"OKGO" feat. E Sens	2019	90	—	Non-album singles
"Fashion Hoarder" feat. Zene the Zilla		86
"Blurry" feat. Dbo		82
"Trippy"	2023	138
Collaborations
"Illionaire Way" with The Quiett & Dok2	2011	—	—	Non-album single
"U & I" with Toy & Crush	2014	3	KOR: 435,678^[39]	Da Capo
"Rockin' With The Best" with The Quiett & Dok2		96	KOR: 16,793^[40]	Non-album single
"The Color" with Yoon Jong-shin	2015	54	KOR: 55,953^[41]	Monthly Project 2015
"No Matter What" with BoA	2016	7	KOR: 292,678^[42]	SM Station Season 1
"The Fearless Ones" with The Quiett, Sik-K, Changmo	2019	—	—	Non-album single
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Singles as a featured artist

Title	Year	Peak chart positions	Album
		KOR ^[43]
"The Invisible Man" (투명인간) Tiramisu feat. Beenzino	2010	—	Non-album single
"Tomorrow Sucks" (Bonus Mix) Demicat feat. Beenzino, Sean2slow		—	Tomorrow Sucks
"Smoke" VidaLoca feat. Beenzino		—	Non-album single
"How Dare You Pour Oil or Something" (기름 같은걸 끼얹나) Verbal Jint feat. Beenzino, Deb		91	Go Easy 0.5
"Fantom" Dok2 feat. Beenzino		—	Non-album single
"Would You Be My" Paloalto feat. Beenzino	2011	—	Fever For Calmness
"She's There" VidaLoca feat. Beenzino, Zion.T		—	Non-album single
"Handalas" (안달났어) Leo Kekoa feat. Beenzino, MC Meta		—	Missing Soul
"Don't Do That" (그쯤에서 해) Dok2 feat. Beenzino, The Quiett	2012	—	Non-album singles
"What I See" Prepix feat. Yong Jun-hyung, Beenzino, Esna		—
"Get Dough" The Quiett feat. Beenzino		—	AMBITIQN
"Thank You" D-Unit feat. Beenzino	2013	75	Non-album single
"Where'd They Go" (Dub Remix) Nuol feat. Beenzino		—	Dub In Nuol Vol.1
"So Good" Leo Kekoa feat. Beenzino, Yeeun		45	Non-album singles
"A Real Lady" Swings feat. Beenzino, Gray, Zion.T		9
"Holiday" (홀리데이) Mayson the Soul feat. Beenzino		—	Jackasoul
"Want U" (너를 원해) Junggigo feat. Beenzino	2014	1	Non-album single
"Ice Ice Baby" (얼음땡) Parc Jae-jung feat. Beenzino		56	STEP 1
"On Your Body" (너의 몸에 벤) Ven feat. Beenzino		75	THE VGINS
"Born Hater" Epik High feat. Beenzino, Verbal Jint, B.I, Mino, Bobby		3	Shoebox
"Cheers" Gaeko, Yankie feat. Beenzino, Babylon	2015	28	Non-album single
"Get" Urban Zakapa feat. Beenzino		10	UZ
"Mannequin" (마네퀸) Primary feat. Beenzino, Suran		11	2
"Mayo" (마요) Shin Seung-hun feat. Beenzino		36	I Am...& I Am
"Calling in Love" Suran feat. Beenzino		—	Non-album single
"Surprise" (서프라이즈) Bumkey feat. Beenzino	2016	35	U-Turn
"Paldangdam" (팔당댐) Eddy Kim feat. Beenzino		14	Non-album singles
"Thursday Night" (목요일 밤) Urban Zakapa feat. Beenzino		2
"Work Spirit" (작업혼) YDG feat. Beenzino		—
"Five More Minutes" (5분만 더) Sanchez feat. Beenzino	2017	48	Colour
"Ambition and Vision" Dok2 feat. Beenzino, Changmo, Kim Hyo-eun, Hash Swan, The Quiett		—	Reborn
"You" (너야) Seulong feat. Beenzino		40	Non-album singles
"Traffic Light" (신호등) Jero feat. Beenzino		—
"Outside" Crush feat. Beenzino		12
"Dope" DG feat. Beenzino		—
"Tropical Night" Microdot feat. Beenzino		—	Prophet
"Seoul Night" (서울 밤) Urban Zakapa feat. Beenzino	2019	6	Non-album single
"Clear Vision" Zene the Zilla feat. Beenzino		—	Yamangkkun
"Flip" Peniel feat. Beenzino		—	Non-album single
"Stay Up" Baekhyun feat. Beenzino	2019	89	City Lights
"Hula Hoops" DPR Live feat. Beenzino, Hwasa	2021	185	IITE COOL [EP]
"Counting Stars" Be'o feat. Beenzino		1	Non-album single
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Awards

Year	Recipient	Award	Category	Result
2010	Beenzino	2010 HiphopPlaya Awards^[44]	Featuring of the Year	Won
2011	Beenzino	2011 HiphopPlaya Awards^[45]		Won
2012	"Profile"	2012 HiphopPlaya Awards^[46]	Best Lyrics/Verses	Won
2013	"Dali, Van, Picasso"	2013 HiphopPlaya Awards^[47]	Single of the Year	Won

References

1. "빈지노 프로필" (in Korean). Naver.
2. "15 Korean Rappers You Should Know That Aren't Psy". XXL Mag. February 15, 2013. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
3. Kim, Bo Eun (September 28, 2012). "People Interview: Beenzino". Musina Magazine (in Korean). Retrieved July 26, 2014.
4. "도끼, 'HUSTLE REAL HARD' 콘서트 연다". HiphopPlaya Magazine (in Korean). May 3, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
5. "The Rise Of Illionaire Records, The Independent Label Taking Korean Hip-Hop To The Next Level". Complex UK. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
6. "Beenzino Sets Five-Date U.S. Tour for December". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
7. "[Music Salon] 빈지노 (Beenzino)". HiphopLE Magazine (in Korean). January 9, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
8. "빈지노, 뜨거운 그대의 Biography". 10asia Hankyung (in Korean). July 29, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
9. Jin, Eun-soo (April 9, 2014). "Junggigo, Beenzino team up". JoongAng Ilbo. Retrieved May 19, 2015.
10. "P' Skool "Daily Apartment"". HiphopPlaya Magazine (in Korean). August 14, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
11. 갖고 싶은 힙합의 얼굴들. 10asia Hankyung (in Korean). September 15, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
12. "싸이, Mnet<슈퍼스타K 4> 19일 생방송 촬영 불참". 10asia Hankyung. October 15, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
13. "ILLIONAIRE RECORDS, 'They Love Who? (Remix)' Free Track Revealed". HiphopKr. June 25, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
14. "The Quiett, Dok2 and Beenzino Releases Free Track 'ILLIONAIRE GANG'". HiphopKr. November 11, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
15. "Mu:Con Seoul 2013". Soompi. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
16. "Rapper Beenzino to Feature in Lee Hyori's New Album". Soompi. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
17. "Junggigo Releases Music Video for "Want U" Feat. Beenzino and "CSI Interview"". Soompi. May 8, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
18. Sales references for "Want U":
    • . Gaon Chart. Korea Music Content Industry Association. Archived from the original on January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
19. "EXO-M, B1A4, Park Shin Hye,Verbal Jint & More Are Coming To The U.S. In May". KpopStarz. April 23, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
20. "San E - Beenzino - Loco-Crucial Star To Perform in "One Hip Hop"". KpopStarz. May 15, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
21. "Verbal Jint to Hold World Tour, Starting with New York City". Soompi. May 22, 2014. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
22. Choi, Yonghwan (March 25, 2021). "빈지노, 비스츠앤네이티브스 합류 & 2집 발매 준비 소식 (Korean)". HYPEBEAST KR.
23. Yeon, Hwi-seon (August 5, 2022). "빈지노♥스테파니 미초바 혼인신고, 정식 부부 됐다" [Beenzino ♥ Stephanie Michova Marriage Registration, Officially Married] (in Korean). Osen. Retrieved August 5, 2022 – via Naver.
24. "Gaon Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • "12 charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • "Up All Night charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • "24:26 (5th Anniversary Remaster) charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
25. "2016년 06월 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 1, 2019.
26. "2014년 08월 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 1, 2019.
27. "2017년 07월 Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 1, 2019.
28. "Gaon Digital Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    As lead artist:
    • ""Boogie On & On" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Aqua Man" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Dali, Van, Picasso" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""How Do I Look?" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""So What" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Break" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""We Are Going To" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Life in Color" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Saturday" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Time Travel" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""OKGO" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Fashion Hoarder" charting". Retrieved August 1, 2019.
    • ""Blurry" charting". Retrieved October 31, 2019.
    • ""Trippy" charting". Retrieved February 9, 2023.
      Collaborations:
    • ""Rockin' With The Best" charting". Retrieved August 1, 2019.
    • ""U & I" charting". Retrieved August 1, 2019.
    • ""The Color" charting". Retrieved August 1, 2019.
    • ""No Matter What" charting". Retrieved August 1, 2019.
29. Cumulative sales of "Boogie On & On":
    • "2013년 06월 Download Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • "2013년 07월 Download Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • "2013년 08월 Download Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 1, 2019.
30. "2013년 24주차 Download Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 1, 2019.
31. Cumulative sales of "Dali, Van, Picasso":
    • . Archived from the original on June 23, 2015.
    • "2014년 01월 Download Chart".
    • "2014년 02월 Download Chart".
    • "2014년 03월 Download Chart".
32. Cumulative sales of "How Do I Look?":
    • "2014년 07월 Download Chart".
    • "2014년 08월 Download Chart".
33. Cumulative sales of "So What":
    • "2015년 03월 Download Chart".
    • "2015년 04월 Download Chart".
34. Cumulative sales of "Break":
    • "2015년 10월 Download Chart".
    • "2015년 11월 Download Chart".
35. "2015년 50주차 Download Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 1, 2019.
36. "2016년 05월 Download Chart".
37. Cumulative sales of "At The End Of Saturday":
    • "2016년 23주차 Download Chart".
    • "2016년 06월 Download Chart".
38. "국내 대표 음악 차트 가온차트!". gaonchart.co.kr. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
39. Cumulative sales of "U & I":
    • "2014년 11월 Download Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • "2014년 12월 Download Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 1, 2019.
40. "2014년 11월 Download Chart".
41. Cumulative sales of "The Color":
    • "2015년 19주차 Download Chart".
    • "2015년 20주차 Download Chart".
42. Cumulative sales of "No Matter What":
    • "2016년 06월 Download Chart".
    • "2016년 07월 Download Chart".
43. "Gaon Digital Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean). Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""How Dare You Pour Oil or Something" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Thank You" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""So Good" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""A Real Lady" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Want U" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Ice Ice Baby" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""On Your Body" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Born Hater" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Cheers" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Get" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Mannequin" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Mayo" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Surprise" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Paldangdam" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Thursday Night" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Five More Minutes" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""You" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Outside" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Seoul Night" charting". Retrieved October 1, 2019.
    • ""Counting Stars" charting". Retrieved December 23, 2021.
44. . HiphopPlaya Magazine. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
45. . HiphopPlaya Magazine. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
46. "2012 HiphopPlaya Awards". HiphopPlaya Magazine. Retrieved July 27, 2014.
47. "2013 HiphopPlaya Awards". HiphopPlaya Magazine. Retrieved July 27, 2014.

External links

• Official website