Rapper Zico says that he is a “grown ass kid” and he’s not afraid to show it.

Zico is back in the Korean hip-hop scene after two years with his new EP “Grown Ass Kid,” which dropped last Wednesday. The multi-talented entertainer, who is a rapper, producer and CEO of his own label KOZ Entertainment, spent the last two years serving his mandatory military service.

Due to testing positive for Covid-19 just two days before the EP’s release, Zico postponed his showcase to Monday this week. It was held at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas Ball Room in Gangnam District, southern Seoul.

Consisting of five tracks — the lead track “Freak,” “Seoul Drift,” “Trash Talk” featuring rapper Changmo, “OMZ freestyle” and “Nocturnal animals” featuring singer Zior Park — the EP can be likened to Zico’s diary.

“Two years was not a short amount of time, and this album is filled with my contemplations and thoughts during that time,” Zico said during the showcase. “I jotted down any ideas I got from time to time and I’m feeling nervous [about returning after such a long time] in a whole new way.”

The title of the EP represents Zico’s identity as a musician, and even as a person.

“The world has changed so much during the past two years, both culturally and socially, but if there’s one thing that hasn’t, it’s my passion for music,” Zico said. “I may have aged, but I still feel like a ‘grown ass kid.’ I guess you could say that I’ve brought back my musical identity and reinterpreted it by adding new elements.”

Because he’s taken such a long break, Zico said he tried to work on this album like he was making music for the first time.

Songs like “Seoul Drift” aim to move past the pandemic era by “adding color to the grayish atmosphere of Seoul,” Zico said. “Nocturnal animals,” an alternative R&B-style track, reflects his own struggles with insomnia while working on his music.

Zico introduced “Freak” as a song that makes his signature energy truly shine. It heavily relies on choreography.

“I spent more time in the practice room as opposed to my other songs in the past,” Zico said. “While they mostly focused on the rap or singing, ‘Freak’ has fast-paced choreography that lasts throughout the entire performance of the song.”

Zico, who repeatedly said throughout the event how much he missed the stage and interacting with fans, has a busy schedule ahead of him. He will perform on weekly music shows like Mnet’s “M Countdown” (2004-) starting this week and will take to the stage at upcoming music festivals as well. He also has plans to appear on an episode of JTBC’s “Men on a Mission” (2015-).

“I’m really satisfied with how this album turned out because I feel like it candidly portrays what kind of character Zico is,” he said. “But again, the listeners might feel different. If they are dissatisfied, then it’s my job to do better.”

Zico has had a long career, starting off as a rapper in the underground hip-hop scene. Along with fellow Block B member Park Kyung, the pair dropped the song “The Letter” in 2009 under the group name Harmonics.

In 2011 Zico debuted as a K-pop idol in boy band Block B with the EP “Do U Wanna B?” The septet, consisting of members Taeil, B-Bomb, Jaehyo, U-Kwon, Park Kyung, Zico and P.O, saw commercial success with songs like “NalinA” (2012), “Nillili Mambo” (2012), “Very Good” (2013), “HER” (2014) and “Yesterday” (2017).

Zico launched his solo career, which then established his identity as an artist in addition to being an idol, with the single “Tough Cookie” (2014), featuring rapper Don Mills. His subsequent songs like “Say Yes Or No” (2015), “Boys And Girls” (2015), “I Am You, You Are Me” (2016), “Artist” (2017) and “Any Song” (2020) all proved to be hits.

He is also a producer, whose notable works include Mino’s “Okey Dokey” (2015), Dean’s “Pour Up” (2015), Kim Se-jeong’s “Flower Road” (2016) and PSY’s “I Luv It” (2017).

In 2020, K-pop powerhouse HYBE acquired KOZ Entertainment and earlier this year, Zico became the Korean ambassador for Fendi.

Zico (Woo Ji-ho)


Date of birth: Sept. 14, 1992
Zodiac sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Mapo District, western Seoul
Debut: April 2011 as a member of boy band Block B
Agency: KOZ Entertainment

Zico started out in the underground hip-hop scene and later shifted to the K-pop industry as the leader of boy band Block B in 2011. He produced the majority of the band’s songs, including “NalinA” (2012), “Nillili Mambo” (2012), “Very Good” (2013), “HER” (2014) and “Yesterday” (2017). He is noted for having a successful career in both the K-pop and hip-hop scene, the latter mostly depicted by his solo songs like “Tough Cookie” (2014), “Artist” (2017) and “Any Song” (2020). Zico is active as a producer, the CEO of his label KOZ Entertainment and a fashion icon as the Korean ambassador for Fendi.

This information was confirmed by KOZ Entertainment on Aug. 2, 2022.

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]