G-Dragon (Kwon Ji Yong) is the leader and head songwriter for popular South Korean boy group BIGBANG. Both a rapper and singer, his musical aspirations began at a young age. After training for five years under SM Entertainment, the influence of the Wu-Tang Clan got him interested in rapping, and he began taking classes at age 12. He caught the eye of YG Entertainment, where he went on to train for several years before debuting as the leader of BIGBANG in 2006. Although they originally were predominantly hip-hop in style, BIGBANG and G-Dragon are credited for setting the new trend in Korean pop when they branched into electronic music in 2007. Since this success, G-Dragon's become a major celebrity in South Korea and has had the freedom to work on solo and unit projects and collaborations.
