- T.O.P. Is a South Korean singer and rapper
- He was a member of boy band BIGBANG
- He plays retired rapper Thanos in Squid Game season 3
You might not know T.O.P now but you sure will if you’ve watched Squid Game season 2. Season 2 dropped on Boxing Day after a 3-year wait. Although Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) is the star, many fans were hyped for T.O.P, real name Choi Seung-hyun, to join season 2.
Read more: Squid Game season 2 has fans asking the same question
Ironically Seung-hyun is playing himself in the series…sort of. He plays Thanos, a purple-haired retired rapper. His casting drew lots of attention from KPop fans because the famous Korean singer shot to fame by fronting the Korean boy band BIGBANG as the rapper from 2006 until 2023. He announced his exit in 2023 and subsequently was announced to join the cast of Squid Game alongside many new members.
Pre Squid Game, the Korean star had many achievements in music and acting. For his 2010 film Into The Fire, he was nominated for a few awards. He won 3 Blue Dragon Film Awards and 2 Baesang Arts Awards for Popularity and Best New Actor. He also won awards for style and culture, winning the Visual Culture Award at the 2015 Prudential Eye Awards, as well as a New Icon Award at the Style Icon Awards in 2010 for Into The Fire. Wow, talk about achievements at a young age.
Achievements with BIGBANG
His achievements in music are greater and bigger.
With BIGBANG, he has won several Song Of The Year awards at the Korean Music Awards and other award ceremonies. Additionally, the band won the Artist of the Year Award in 2008 at the Seoul Music Awards.
Read more: Everything we know about Squid Game season 3
Their songs have broken countless chart records, often staying in the charts for ridiculous periods. Digitally they have succeeded too, being the first Korean act to have nine music videos exceeding 100 million YouTube views, their tour also set world records for ticket sales in Taiwan, and the list keeps on going…
Of course, they have many notable achievements as a group and naturally made a lot of money. But how much alone from his long music career and Squid Game role, is T.O.P worth? Keep reading to find out.
T.O.P’s Early Life
T.O.P was born in Seoul South Korea. He had a connection to art early in his life, as he is the great-nephew of the abstract artist Kim Whanki. He was friends and neighbors with his BIGBANG band member Kwon Ji-yong (G-Dragon). Because of his connection with Ji-yong, he had a keen interest in hip-hop music and culture from a young age.
Rise to Fame with BIGBANG
To an extent, Ji-yong helped T.O.P get his big break because he was under YG Entertainment and called T.O.P when he heard they were potentially looking for members to form a boyband. You’d be surprised to know he was rejected by the label because he was ‘chubby’. For context, the beauty standards in Korea are insane, and the idols are very slim.
When he lost the weight he signed on to join the band BIGBANG and was given the stage name T.O.P, and the rest is history.
The band was gradually formed with other members soon joining and a documentary was made to promote them. They released their first album, Big Bang Vol. 1 – Since 2007. The group only became successful with the single Lies a little later on.
What is T.O.P’s net worth?
From his many acting gigs and musical successes, T.O.P has built a generous fortune. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he is worth approximately $12 million.
The 37-year-old’s constant number-one singles and perhaps his high profile as an actor have helped him to receive more opportunities, and therefore build his net worth through music, acting, and other ventures, which we will dive into.
Squid Game Thanos star T.O.P’s main earnings
BIGBANG
It’s safe to assume that during his time in BIGBANG, T.O.P was paid a salary like his other members. In 2016, it was reported the band earned $44 million in one year, but of course that would have to be split between the members and the label, managers, and taxes. Well, you know how it goes.
However, currently, there is no information on how much he was paid individually while in the band, but we can imagine it was a lot.
Acting earnings
His acting career spans almost 2 decades, so we have to assume that he has made a good amount from his acting roles. Again, there aren’t specific salary details on his payments for his acting projects.
Squid Game
Most notably he starred in season 2 of Squid Game. We imagine being one of Netflix’s most popular shows would make him a nice bit of cash. Show lead Jung-jae was paid a hefty amount for season 1 of Squid Game. He was paid $248,000 per episode for season 1, totalling $2.2 million. Reports claim he upped that amount for season 2, to $1 million per episode, although this isn’t confirmed.
Meaning if his request was met, he would’ve earned a staggering $7 million from the seven episodes in season 2. Regardless of his salary, nothing has been confirmed on how much T.O.P earned from Squid Game season 2. We can imagine that thanks to his star power and notoriety, he may’ve been able to charge more than the other actors, although definitely wouldn’t have been paid more than Jung-Jae because he isn’t a leading character.
Property and real estate
At the age of 37, of course T.O.P has investments – and real estate is no exception. According to Lifestyle Asia, the former BIGBANG member has a villa in Yongsan with an estimated worth of $3 million. He also reportedly owns a whole building – yes, a building – in Hannam. We hope he’s not a bad lanyard.
Another investment property the star used for business purposes is a beautiful vineyard producing wine. The Vineyard is located in Argentina and the star has shown off the beautiful winery before.
Other investments, brands and endorsements
Aside from property, the K-Pop legend has his wine brand, T’Spot. The singer has personally created a few of the brand’s wines. There is no estimate on how much the wine brand is worth, but they retail for relatively cheap. One of the bottles is $13, while the other is $15. Pretty reasonable.
Impressive Art Collection
We love an artsy man over here, and it isn’t his artist relatives that just inspired his collection. Obviously his money has too.
It is well-known T.O.P is an art collector. He owns some impressive original works by American artist Andy Warhol. Warhol’s pieces go for crazy amounts. Once at auction, Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn sold for $195,040,000. Well, he must have some green bills in that bank then. In 2016 in Hong Kong, he broke the Southerby’s selling record by helping to curate some art.
In March 2022, the singer said in an interview he had an impressive art collection. One of the highlights of the article? He reportedly told the interviewer he spends “more” than the estimated 95 per cent of his income on art, as the reports say.
On his love of art, he said: “I believe that having the most unique art in my collection will inspire me to make the most unique music,” says Choi. “Art is my breakthrough. The visual inspiration and energy received from art stimulates me and becomes the driving force that moves me in new ways”.
Endorsements and brand deals
Of course, his art collection is impressive, but so are his other business ventures and investments. Surprisingly, T.O.P isn’t huge on fashion like his K-Pop counterparts BTS or Blackpink. Of course, he has been spotted in designer gear. He can and has charged $500,000 for a six-month endorsement contract, the South China Morning Post, reports.
Unlimited credit card investment
The eliteness of this is unmatched. The singer supposedly owns a Hyundai Black Card. The card is exclusive to wealthy Koreans and is a status symbol. Benefits include a 100 million won credit limit for the month, vouchers for luxury brands and luxury dining, in addition to coupons for airlines and flying. The required spending per month on the card is at least $9,000 as a minimum. Oh, wow.
Charity work and Philanthropy
The art auction with Southerbys that the star participated in was part of a charity art sale in his name. The star has also made generous donations to charities, like the Hope Bridge National Disaster Association which he donated $67,881.88 to during COVID-19. T.O.P is undoubtedly a very rich man, but what we’ve learned from this article, is that he is a good investor and a multi-talented person.
