Jang Hyuk reveals T.J rap secret: practiced for a year, never wanted to perform

A year of rap lessons for a project he didn't want. That's what Jang Hyuk brought up during his August 24 appearance on the YouTube channel 짠한형 신동엽, where he and Lim Woo-il were guests.

Back in the mid-to-late 1990s, male actors routinely appeared in music videos to build their image before landing drama roles. His agency at the time—Sidus, where he stayed from his debut until two or three years ago, totaling close to 30 years—pitched a T.J project album with him as the lead. When he refused to sing, they had an answer: rap instead.

"I had never done rap before, so I practiced for about a year," he said. The track moved fast, even by today's standards. No breathing room between bars.

He also set the record straight about god, the group that formed at Sidus during his time there. "I was not a member of god." The group came together one by one after he'd already started at the agency. He lived alongside the god members back then. For stretches of about three weeks, they all went hungry.

About those music show appearances for T.J: he'd agreed not to perform live. But broadcast wouldn't air a music video unless the artist showed up on stage. So he went. He lip-synced every performance—and memorized every word anyway, with no prompter. The detail landed like a punchline, and he knew it.

When asked about his youthful looks, Jang Hyuk kept it simple: no procedures, just exercise.