Min Yoon-gi was born on March 9, 1993 in , South Korea. The younger of two sons, he attended Taejeon Elementary School, Gwaneum Middle School, and . He became interested in rap after hearing "Ragga Muffin" by , stating that it was different from anything he had ever heard before. After hearing , he decided to become a rapper.
By age 13, he began to write music lyrics and learned about . He worked a part-time job at a record studio by age 17. From then on, he began composing and arranging music, , and performing. Before being signed, he was active under the name Gloss as an . As part of the hip hop crew D-Town in 2010, he produced "518-062", a song commemorating the .
Originally joining the company as a music producer, Suga trained under for three years alongside members and . He made his debut as a member of on 's with the track "No More Dream" from their debut single album . He has produced and written lyrics for a variety of tracks on all of BTS' albums.
For BTS' third Korean-language (EP) , Suga released a solo intro entitled "Intro: The Most Beautiful Moment in Life". The rap track's lyrics itself discussed the fears of reaching adulthood at the end of one's adolescent years. It released on April 17, 2015, and featured an animated music video.Pt. 1's follow up EP, , featured another intro performed by Suga, called "Intro: Never Mind", specifically recounting Suga's teenage years. The song released on November 15, 2015, and additionally served as the intro for BTS' 2016 . Suga did not perform another introductory track for BTS until 2020, where he released "Interlude: Shadow" as part of the album roll out for . The interlude is a rap song that references "Intro: O!RUL8,2?" from the 2013 , and discusses BTS' fame, comparing its reality to the celebrity O!RUL8,2? dreamed about. The song released on January 10, along with a music video also referencing the struggles of fame. Tamar Herman of described it as a "evocative, yet brash track" and noted how the song's sound changes midway through to show "this dichotomy between the relationship of how fame and audiences watching him affects his idea of self".
In addition to performing intros for BTS, Suga released two solo tracks under the group's name. The first, a song entitled "First Love", appeared on BTS' 2016 , is an autobiographical rap track reminiscent of a monologue. On the 2018 compilation album , Suga released the song "Trivia: Seesaw", which discussed the up-and-down nature of falling in love. That same year, Suga was awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan as a member of BTS by the along with other members of the group.
In July 2021, he was appointed by , along with the other members of BTS, to help "lead the global agenda for future generations, such as sustainable growth" and "expand South Korea's diplomatic efforts and global standing" in the international community.
2016–present: Solo work
Suga released a free via on August 15, 2016. He decided against releasing the project as a commercial studio album, describing it as the "feeling of being trapped in some sort of framework." On the record, he discussed matters such as his struggles with depression and social phobia. Fuse TV rated it one of the top 20 mixtapes of 2016. The following year, in 2017, Suga composed the song "Wine" for singer , whom he had previously worked with for a single on his mixtape. At Suga's studio, Suran heard a rough draft of "Wine" and asked Suga for the song. The record peaked at #2 on the and won best Soul/R&B track of the year at the on December 2, 2017. Suga also received the "" for his work on the track. Suga later re-released his mixtape for digital purchase and streaming in February 2018. The reissue reached #3 on 's , #5 on the chart, and #74 on the chart. It also caused Suga's solo alias, Agust D, to reach #46 on the chart for the week of March 3.
In January 2019, Suga provided a rap feature on 's single "Song Request". The track was co-written by Suga and of Epik High, who also produced the track. The single debuted at number three on South Korea's and at number two on Billboard's chart, with 3,000 downloads during the song's two-day charting period. Suga later produced a track for Epik High's extended play, titled "Eternal Sunshine", in February. He co-wrote and produced the digital single, "We Don't Talk Together", for singer , which she released on July 7. In December, American singer-songwriter released the song "", from her third studio album , which both featured and was produced by Suga.
On May 6, 2020, released the digital single "" featuring and produced by Suga. The song debuted at number one on both the Gaon Digital Chart and Billboard World Digital Songs chart. Suga released his second mixtape, (the continuation to ), together with the music video for its lead single "Daechwita" on May 22, which peaked at #76 on the US chart. The mixtape debuted at number 11 on the and became the highest-charting album by a Korean soloist in the US. It is also the first Korean solo release to reach the top 10 in the United Kingdom, opening at number 7 on the UK albums chart.
In 2021, Suga recomposed 's signature ringtone, "". The track was unveiled on August 11, 2021, as part of Samsung's "" event. On October 8, 2021, it was announced that Suga participated in producing the title song "You" by Japanese singer, that is set to be released on October 15.
NameSuga at the 2016 on February 17, 2016.
The stage name Suga (슈가) is derived from the first syllables of the term (슈팅 가드), the position he played in basketball as a student. He adopted the alias Agust D in 2016 for his mixtape, which is derived from the initials DT, short for his birthplace, Daegu Town, and "Suga" spelled backwards.
Artistry
Suga is responsible for writing, composing, , , and his material. Over 100 registered songs are credited to him by the . He is a pianist, and produces and music. His lyrics involve themes that are "full of dreams and hope," conceived with the intent of his music becoming "many people's strength." He cites and as his inspirations to pursue hip hop music. Particularly, he credits the former's -hip hop hybrid album Ragga Muffin (2005) and its title track for igniting his interest in the genre.
Jeff Benjamin of said that Suga's mixtape "showcases the star's ear for hot productions, hardcore rap style, and how he can make his vulnerabilities a strength." Other critics stated that Suga's "storytelling execution in the music he creates tears down the barrier of censoring and sugarcoating".
In January 2018, Suga was promoted to a full member of the Korea Music Copyright Association.
Reception
In a survey conducted by , Suga was ranked the 13th most preferred idol of the year for 2017. In the 2018 and 2019 surveys, he ranked 7th and 9th, respectively.
