In K-Pop, there is a growing number of artists that are known for their skills in a certain area before training, rather than being trained into that position. We see instances of underground artists coming out into stardom. There are ongoing arguments among the community regarding “idol rappers” compared to “organic rappers,” and it has caused some controversy for many years. While we’re not here to argue this subject, we are going to highlight a few idols that have made a name for themselves outside the idol space. Today we’re starting with Ravi of VIXX, in honor of his album dropping in a few days.

Ravi is currently the CEO of two different music agencies, GROOVL1N and The L1VE. Artists signed under his labels include big names like Ailee and Wheein of MAMAMOO as well as hip-hop artists such as Xydo, nafla and Cold Bay. His journey in the music industry started out pretty standard, as in order to join VIXX he participated on the survival show MyDOL in 2012. He also actually helped to co-write VIXX’s debut title “SUPER HERO” as well.

But Ravi was not necessarily known as more than an idol rapper. In 2015 he participated in the famous rap competition series Show Me The Money 4, but was eliminated early. Luckily this did not deter him, as later that year he was featured in the only VIXX sub-unit VIXX LR and had his first mixtape fully written, produced, and composed by himself releasing in early 2016. This mixtape featured a number of big names in the K-Hip-Hop genre, including Basick (the winner of SMTM 4), Hanhae, and Microdot.

After the release of the mixtape, Ravi made his official solo debut in 2017 with mini-album [R.EAL1ZE]. As VIXX’s activities began to wane, Ravi released more and more solo music under Jellyfish Entertainment before leaving in 2019 to form his own label, now recognized as GROOVL1N. His solo work shows a versatile spectrum of music, with vastly different artist features and genres explored. This 2018 release is still one of our favorites.

While VIXX’s status remains unknown and somewhat in limbo, he still maintains a role as a member of the group despite leaving the original agency. So far he’s contributed to at least 46 songs for the group, whether that be by writing or composing. Though he’s shifted into a CEO position at his label, he’s still consistently released solo music up until this day, working with the likes of Soyeon of (G)I-DLE, Ha Sungwoon, and Chungha. While his songs aren’t always mainstream popular, there’s no doubt he’s producing quality music and helping to raise more artists into greatness at both his labels. 

If you’re interested in seeing Ravi in action, he will be on tour with his labelmates at GROOVL1N here in the U.S. in March!