Kim Nam-joon, known professionally as RM (formerly Rap Monster), is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer under Big Hit Music. He is the leader of the boy group BTS. Born in Seoul and raised in Ilsan, RM began his music career in the underground Korean hip-hop scene as a teenager, going by the name Runch Randa. He joined Big Hit in 2010, and debuted as part of BTS in June 2013. RM released his first solo mixtape, RM, in 2015, followed by his second mixtape, mono, in 2018. The latter became the highest-charting album by a Korean solo artist in the US in history when it peaked at number 26 on the Billboard 200. He made his official solo debut in 2022, with the release of his studio album Indigo, which featured contributions from various artists including Erykah Badu and Anderson Paak. It peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200, becoming the highest-charting album by a Korean solo artist of all-time. In 2024, he experimented with alternative music on his sophomore album Right Place, Wrong Person, which peaked at number 5 on the Billboard 200 and garnered critical acclaim. RM has also collaborated with artists such as Warren G, Krizz Kaliko, MFBTY, Primary, Gaeko, Wale, Fall Out Boy, Younha, Megan Thee Stallion, Tablo, and Lil Nas X. In 2018, he was awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by the President of South Korea, along with the other members of BTS, for his contributions to Korean culture. In 2020, RM was promoted to a full member of the Korea Music Copyright Association.
