Happy 31st Birthday Min Yoongi aka SUGA Of BTS

It's SUGA's birthday today! Let's learn a little bit about BTS's super producer and rapper. Min Yoon-gi aka SUGA aka Agust D, is a South Korean rapper, songwriter and record producer. Under Big Hit Entertainment, he debuted as a member of the South Korean boy band BTS in 2013. His first solo mixtape, Agust D, was released in 2016 and re-released in 2018 to digital download and streaming platforms, reaching number three on Billboard's World Albums Chart. In 2020, he released his second solo mixtape, D-2; it peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard 200, number seven on the UK Albums Chart, and number two on Australia's ARIA Album Chart. SUGA released his debut solo album, D-Day, in 2023. It debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, tying him with BTS bandmate Jimin as the highest-charting South Korean solo artists of all time. A full member of the Korea Music Copyright Association, Suga has songwriting and production credits on over 150 songs.

SUGA was diagnosed with appendicitis and underwent surgery at Severance Hospital in Sinchon on December 9, 2013. He was discharged on the December 17 but was re-hospitalized on December 26 due to inflammation of the surgical site. Consequently, he was unable to attend year-end music festivals. In December 2016, SUGA suffered an ear injury after tripping over a door threshold. Following doctor recommendations, he took a one-week break from performing and participating in choreography (including at year-end festivals) to ensure the wound healed properly.

In November 2020, SUGA underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum (reverse Bankart tear) in his left shoulder and announced that he would be taking a break from subsequent promotional activities in order to fully recover. He resumed activities in January 2021, beginning with a performance with BTS at the 35th Golden Disc Awards.

On his 25th birthday, SUGA donated beef to 39 orphanages in the name of "ARMY", BTS' fanbase, in fulfillment of a promise he made in 2014 to buy his fans meat should he find success as a musical artist. The following year, for his 26th birthday, he donated ₩100 million (US$85,810.58) and 329 BT21 Shooky dolls to the Korea Pediatric Cancer Foundation. In February 2020, Suga donated ₩100 million (US$84,726.68) to the Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association to help prevention and relief efforts in his hometown of Daegu, one of the cities most affected by the coronavirus outbreak in South Korea at the time. He donated another ₩100 million (US$87,416.41) in March 2021, to Daegu's Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital to support child cancer patients unable to access treatment due to financial difficulties.

On March 9, 2022, in celebration of his 29th birthday, SUGA donated ₩100 million (US$87,416.41) to the Hope Bridge Disaster Relief Association to help victims of the extensive wildfires along the country's eastern coastal area. On March 9, 2023, he donated ₩100 million (US$87,416.41) to the Korean Save the Children, for the purchase of blankets, mattresses, and school supplies for children in southern Turkey and northern Syria. SUGA has spoken openly about mental health, sharing his experiences with depression through his music, and has tried to normalize conversations around the topic.

SUGA released his debut solo album, D-Day, in 2023. It debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, tying him with BTS bandmate Jimin as the highest-charting South Korean solo artists of all time. A full member of the Korea Music Copyright Association, SUGA has songwriting and production credits on over 150 songs, including Suran's "Wine", which peaked at number two on the Gaon Music Chart and won Best R&B at the 2017 Melon Music Awards.

SUGA writes, composes, arranges, mixes, and masters his own material. Over 100 registered songs are credited to him by the Korea Music Copyright Association. He plays piano and produces mainly hip hop and R&B music. His lyrics involve themes that are "full of dreams and hope," conceived with the intent of his music becoming "many people's strength." He cites Stony Skunk and Epik High as his inspirations to pursue hip hop music. Particularly, he credits the former's reggae-hip hop hybrid album Ragga Muffin (2005) and its title track for igniting his interest in the genre.

SUGA Agust D Tour (also known as SUGA | AGUST D TOUR 'D-DAY' after the album release) was the first worldwide concert tour by South Korean rapper Suga, also known as Agust D, in support of his debut studio album, D-Day. The tour began on April 26, 2023, in New York City, and ended on August 6, 2023, in Seoul, South Korea. On February 14, 2023, Big Hit Music announced that Suga would be embarking on a world tour with a poster listing dates for 20 shows in the United States, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and South Korea. On March 10, 2023, new shows were announced for June 2–4 at the Pia Arena MM in Kanagawa, Japan. Additional shows in Singapore and Bangkok, Thailand were announced on April 5, 2023. On June 25, 2023, during the artist's then-last worldwide concert tour date in Seoul, 3 additional encore shows at KSPO Dome in Seoul, South Korea were announced, bringing the total number of shows to 28.

On May 11: Max joined SUGA on stage performing their song "Burn It" together. May 14: Halsey joined Suga on stage performing their song "SUGA's Interlude" together. June 24: Psy joined SUGA on stage performing their song "That That" together. August 4: Jungkook joined Suga on stage performing the song "Burn It" together, Jung Kook also performed "Seven" solo after that. August 5: Jimin joined SUGA on stage performing the song "Tony Montana" together, Jimin also performed "Like Crazy" solo after that. August 6: RM joined SUGA on stage performing the song "Strange" together, RM also performed his unreleased song after that. August 4, 5, 6: SUGA performed "Dear My Friend (어땠을까)" instead of "Polar Night".

ARMYs all over the world sent him heartfelt messages as he turned 31 years old.