Cho PD | |
|---|---|
 Cho in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Cho Joong-hoon |
| Born | January 27, 1976 |
| Origin | South Korea |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer, rapper |
| Years active | 1998–2010; 2011–present |
Cho Joong-hoon (Korean: 조중훈; born January 27, 1976), better known by his stage name Cho PD, is a South Korean record producer, rapper, and the founder of record label Stardom Entertainment.[1] Producing his own music for himself and his crew Stardom (his company's eponym), he rose to prominence through the internet then debuted in 1998. Later, he also would support other artists like Psy, Verbal Jint and a young Dok2 earlier in their careers. After twelve years, he briefly "retired" from music in 2010.[2] However, he came out of retirement in 2011 with his two studio albums, State of the Art and Art of Business.[3]
On November 23, 2018, Cho was found guilty of fraud by the Seoul Central District Court. The sentence concerned Cho withholding undisclosed assets worth ₩270,000,000 (approx. $238,116 USD) in July 2015 when he signed a contract to transfer the assets of Stardom Entertainment to a new unnamed company. These undisclosed funds were derived from Topp Dogg’s 2015 concert tour of Japan. Cho was given a two-year prison sentence, suspended for 3 years.[4]
Since his sentencing, he made an attempt to reinvent his branding. In May 2019, he launched ChoCo Entertainment, which specializes in powering virtual AI-based K-pop idols.
In 2023, he announced the launch of a new K-Pop group called ChoCo[5] that will have various sub-units including: ChoCo1, ChoCo2,[6] and ChoCo1&2.[7]
- ^ "조pd(ZoPD) 소개". Mnet (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2016-08-08. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
- ^ "Cho PD takes his new release to Twitter". Korea JoongAng Daily. 2010-05-27. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
- ^ "Album Review: Cho PD - Art & Business, Parts 1 & 2". Hello Kpop. 2011-10-28. Retrieved 2016-06-29.
- ^ "조피디, 그룹 '탑독' 투자금 부풀려 소속사 양도…사기혐의 1심 집행유예". Seoul Economy (in Korean). 2018-11-23. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
- ^ Kairui (2023-04-26). "ChoCo Entertainment Plans Debut For Upcoming Rookie K-Pop Group 'ChoCo'". K-Pop Concerts. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
- ^ YuJun (2023-05-16). "Who Are The Members Of ChoCo? Meet The Super Talented Members Of The K-Pop Group ChoCo". Kpopmap. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
- ^ "초코1&2, 6월1일 '엠카'서 '프루티 룹스' 무대 최초 공개". 뉴스1 (in Korean). 2023-05-31. Retrieved 2023-06-19.