E Sens

Kang Min-ho (Korean: 강민호; born 9 February 1987),[1] better known by the stage name E Sens (Korean: 이센스), is a South Korean rapper. He debuted in 2009 as a member of the hip hop duo Supreme Team, which disbanded in 2013.[2] In 2015, he released his first solo album, The Anecdote, which won Album of the Year at the 2016 Korean Music Awards.[3] He released his second album, The Stranger, in 2019.[4]

In this Korean name, the family name is Kang.
E Sens
Birth nameKang Min-ho
Also known asBlanky Munn
Born (1987-02-09) 9 February 1987
Daegu, South Korea
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)Rapper
Years active2003–present
LabelsAmoeba Culture
Beasts And Natives Alike
Associated actsSupreme Team, Simon Dominic, XXX
Korean name
Hangul
강민호
Hanja
姜閔浩
Revised RomanizationGang Min-ho
McCune–ReischauerKang Minho

Early life

E Sens was born on 9 February 1987 in Daegu, South Korea. He was 9 years old when his father died, and he dropped out of high school when he was 17. He became interested in hip hop at that time and chose the name E Sens, which is a shortened version of "Essayistic Sense."[5][6]

Career

2002–07: Underground beginnings

In 2002, E Sens won a rap contest in Daegu, where he caught the attention of Minos, then a member of the hip hop team Virus. E Sens soon starting performing alongside Virus and other rappers in Daegu in a regular series of concerts called the "Hip-Hop Train" project. In 2004, he released his debut mini-album, Uncut, Pure!, a collaboration with rapper Planet Black.[7]

E Sens garnered more attention in the hip hop community in 2007 when he featured on the song, "지켜볼게" by Paloalto and The Quiett.[8] His popularity continued to increase with the single, "꽐라," which appeared on the Jiggy Fellaz compilation album Xclusive.[9]

2007–13: Mix tapes and Supreme Team

E Sens released his first mix tape, Blanky Munn's Unknown Verses, in 2007.[8] Soon after, he signed a contract with record label Amoeba Culture as a member of the duo Supreme Team with Simon Dominic.[10] Before the duo's debut, he released his second mix tape, New Blood, Rapper Vol.1, in 2008, which also garnered much attention from the Korean hip-hop community.[11] The following year, E Sens became a member of Illest Konfusion, a hip hop crew that included Simon Dominic, Beenzino, and Swings.[12] Supreme Team debuted the same year with the mini-album, Supreme Team Guide To Excellent Adventure.[10] The duo went on to achieve critical success, winning Best New Male Group at the 2009 Mnet Asian Music Awards and the Hip Hop Award at the 2010 Golden Disk Awards.[13]

2013–present: Solo career and drug charges

In July 2013, E Sens opted not to renew his contract with Amoeba Culture and left the label as well as Supreme Team. Both he and Simon Dominic announced they would pursue solo careers.[14] Shortly after leaving the label, E Sens released a song called "You Can't Control Me," which attacked the label and one of its founders, Gaeko of the hip hop group Dynamic Duo. The song led to an outbreak of diss tracks in the Korean hip hop community, with Swings, Gaeko, and Simon Dominic all weighing in on their own response songs by the end of the summer.[15]

In 2014, E Sens joined the agency Beasts and Natives Alike and released "I'm Good," his first solo single following Supreme Team's break up. Soon after, he starred in his own internet reality show, also called I'm Good.[16]

E Sens was arrested for marijuana use for a third time in April 2015, violating his probation period after previously being arrested in 2012. He was sentenced to a year and six months in jail in July.[17][18] A month later, he became the first Korean rapper to release an album from jail with The Anecdote. The album was a success, garnering unprecedented pre-sale orders and winning both Album of the Year and Best Rap & Hip Hop Album at the 2016 Korean Music Awards.[3]

Discography

Studio albums
Title Album details Peak chart positions Sales
KOR
[19]
The Anecdote
  • Released: 27 August 2015
  • Label: Beasts And Natives Alike
  • Format: CD, LP, digital download
 2
The Stranger
  • Released: 22 July 2019
  • Label: Beasts And Natives Alike
  • Format: CD, digital download
 4

Awards

Korean Music Awards
Year Category Nominated work Result Ref
2016 Album of the Year The Anecdote Won [3]
Best Rap & Hip Hop Album Won
2020 Best Rap & Hip Hop Song The Stranger Won

References
  1. "Supreme Team (슈프림팀)". KBS World Radio. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  2. "힙합듀오 슈프림팀 해체..이센스 "솔로 활동"". Yonhap News (in Korean). 22 July 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  3. "이센스 한국대중음악상 올해의 음반상 '옥중 수상'…빅뱅 3관왕". The Kyunghyang Shinmun (in Korean). 1 March 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  4. "이센스, 새 앨범 '이방인' 한정반 3일 만에 품절…올해 힙합 앨범 최고 판매량". Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). 11 July 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  5. "이센스 "17세 때 아버지 여의고 힙합에 빠졌다" 심경고백" [E Sens Confesses that He Got into Hip Hop after His Father's Death When He was 17] (in Korean). Joong-ang Ilbo. 31 August 2010. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  6. "My name is 슈프림팀" [My name is Supreme Team] (in Korean). Ten Asia. 14 August 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  7. "Uncut, Pure! E-Sens , Elcue , Planet Black" (in Korean). Hiphop Playa. 2 July 2004. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  8. "Unknown Verses, Interview with E-SENS" (in Korean). Hiphop Playa. 16 October 2007. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  9. "E SENS" (in Korean). Namuwiki. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  10. "Supreme Team". KBS World Radio. Retrieved 6 April 2016.
  11. "이야기 꾼 Minos, E-SENS 를 만나다" [Storyteller Minos Meets E-SENS] (in Korean). Hiphop Playa. 28 April 2008. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  12. "E-SENS & Swings Join Illest Konfusion". Hiphop Playa. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  13. "Winners from the 25th Golden Disk Awards". AllKpop. 9 December 2010. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  14. "Supreme Team disbands + E-Sens leaves Amoeba Culture". AllKpop. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  15. "A Concise Guide to the "Diss" Battles Involving E-Sens, Amoeba Culture, Simon D and More". Soompi. 26 August 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  16. "E Sens Tells Everyone 'I'm Good' With His Own Internet Reality Show". KpopStarz. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  17. "Rapper E-Sens Arrested for Third Time for Marijuana Use". Soompi. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  18. "E-Sens sentenced to 1.5 years in jail after getting caught smoking marijuana again". AllKpop. 22 July 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
  19. "Gaon Album Chart". Gaon Music Chart (in Korean).
  20. Cumulative sales of The Anecdote"
  21. "2019 Monthly Album Chart – July". Gaon Chart. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
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