Dumbfoundead

Jonathan Park
Background information
Native name 박성만 (Park Sung Man)
Birth name Jonathan Park
Also known as Dumbfoundead, DFD, Dumb, Korean Jesus, Parker
Born February 18, 1986
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Origin Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres Hip hop
Occupation(s) Rapper, actor
Years active 2005-present
Labels Knocksteady
Associated acts Project Blowed, Swim Team, Thirsty Fish, Duke Westlake, DJ Zo, Wax, George Watsky
Website dumbfoundead.com

Jonathan Park (Hangul: 박성만; RR: Park Seong-man) (February 18, 1986), better known by his stage name Dumbfoundead, or currently Parker, is a Korean-American entertainer. He originates from the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

Early life

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina[1] to South Korean immigrants, Jonathan Park (Korean name: 박성만 Park Sung Man) was smuggled in along with his sister by his mother to Mexico, and then later settled in Koreatown in Los Angeles at the age of three. He was often seen as a class clown by his peers at an early age, and was exposed to hip-hop at age ten upon entering a community center in MacArthur Park and meeting emcees such as Mark Luv of Zulu Nation, Poppin' Chuck, Cre8 RTN, and Ezrock.[2] This first experience with hip-hop allowed him to develop the technique of freestyling and to educate himself on hip-hop's history and roots. A year later, he was taken to Project Blowed, an open-mic workshop located in Leimert Park in South Central Los Angeles, by a high school friend. There he would continue to hone his abilities as an emcee amongst the influence of "Blowdians" such as Otherwize, Riddlore, Nocando, P.E.A.C.E., and many others, eventually earning the title of "Blowdian" himself.[2]

Park dropped out of John Marshall High School in his sophomore year, as a result of frequent truancy. After dropping out, Park moved into a one-bedroom apartment in the MacArthur Park area with his sister. Prior to initiating a full-time professional music career, he worked as a bail bondsman, among many other odd jobs in order to support the finances he needed to pay for his home.[3]

Career

Park played a supporting role in Joseph Kahn's horror film Detention.[4]

His solo album, DFD, was released on November 1, 2011.[5] The second album, Take the Stares, was released on October 16, 2012.[6]

Dumbfoundead has frequently collaborated with other artists, including Epik High, Wax, Jay Park, Kahi and Breezy Lovejoy.[7]

He has been featured on NBC for his viral video Jam Session 2.0, consisting of 8 different musicians from around the world sharing the spotlight individually via split screen but collaborating on one cohesive track.[8] He has also been on Los Angeles Times,[9] Last Call with Carson Daly,[10] MTV Hive,[11] and Mnet.[12]

Style and influences

He is known for his affiliation with Los Angeles based hip hop collective Project Blowed, he has participated in the West Coast division of rap battle league Grind Time, and in Jumpoff's 2007 World Rap Championships; both of which have given rise to his status as a strong web presence. He has also done a stint as the opening act for South Korean hip hop group Epik High's Map the Soul tour,[13] and is also a member of the hip hop trio Thirsty Fish and Los Angeles battle crew Swim Team.[14]

Discography

Solo
Thirsty Fish
Swim Team
Other collaborations
Guest appearances

References

  1. ↑ Tewksbury, Drew (22 June 2012). "MURS, Dumbfoundead, & Medusa Discuss Freestyling Mecca Project Blowed and Why Hip Hop Lacks Female MC's". KCET.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Dumbfoundead interview with Urban Decadence". A-tunes.net. 16 May 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  3. ↑ Weiss, Jeff (18 November 2011). "Dumbfoundead On Dropping Out Of High School, Working As A Bail Bondsman, And The Advantages Of Being An Asian Rapper". LA Weekly. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  4. ↑ Kang, Y. Peter (16 June 2011). "Sony Buys Rights To Joseph Kahn’s Indie Horror Film". KoreAm.
  5. ↑ Son, Linda (9 November 2011). "Dumbfoundead Gets Personal and Professional with 'DFD'". KoreAm.
  6. ↑ Lam, Charles (26 October 2012). "Dumbfoundead can't 'Take the Stares'". Northwest Asian Weekly.
  7. ↑ "Dumbfoundead & Epic High interview with". Popseoul.com. 22 May 2009. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  8. ↑ "MusicRaw: Dumbfoundead". KNBC.
  9. ↑ Weiss, Jeff (8 July 2011). "The arrival of Dumbfoundead: Koreatown rapper's 'Are We There Yet?'". Los Angeles Times.
  10. ↑ "Last Call with Carson Daly". NBC. 17 December 2012.
  11. ↑ "Dumbfoundead: A Rap Battle Vet Grows Up". MTV. 11 November 2011.
  12. ↑ "Dumbfoundead". Mnet.
  13. ↑ Eunicec (9 June 2009). "Funnin' with Dumbfoundead". Allkpop. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  14. ↑ "MP3: Swim Team Members Open Mike Eagle, Dumbfoundead, Sahtyre, and Alpha MC". URB. 6 May 2009.
  15. ↑ "Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 15 January 2012.

External links