Dumbfoundead
Background information
Native name	박성만 (Park Sung Man)
Birth name	Jonathan Park
Also known as	DFD, Dumb, Korean Jesus
Born	(1986-02-18) February 18, 1986 (age 27) Buenos Aires, Argentina
Origin	Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres	Alternative hip hop
Occupations	Rapper, actor
Years active	2005-present
Labels	Knocksteady
Associated acts	Project Blowed, Swim Team, Thirsty Fish, Duke Westlake, DJ Zo, Wax, Jay Park, George Watsky, Breezy Lovejoy, Victor Kim, EOM, Andrew Garcia
Website	dumbfoundead.com

Jonathan Park (Korean: 박성만 Park Sung Man) (February 18, 1986), better known by his stage name Dumbfoundead, is a Korean-American entertainer. He originates from the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

Early life [edit]

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina^[1] to South Korean refugees, Jonathan Park (Korean name: 박성만 Park Sung Man) was smuggled in along with his sister by his mother to Mexico, and then later settled in Koreatown in Los Angeles at the age of three. He was often seen as a class clown by his peers at an early age, and was exposed to hip-hop at age ten upon entering a community center in MacArthur Park and meeting emcees such as Mark Luv of Zulu Nation, Poppin' Chuck, Cre8 RTN, and Ezrock.^[2] This first experience with hip-hop allowed him to develop the technique of freestyling and to educate himself on hip-hop's history and roots. A year later, he was taken to Project Blowed, an open-mic workshop located in Leimert Park in South Central Los Angeles, by a high school friend. There he would continue to hone his abilities as an emcee amongst the influence of "Blowdians" such as Otherwize, Riddlore, Nocando, P.E.A.C.E., and many others, eventually earning the title of "Blowdian" himself.^[2]

Park dropped out of John Marshall High School in his sophomore year, as a result of frequent truancy. After dropping out, Park moved into a one-bedroom apartment in the MacArthur Park area with his sister. Prior to initiating a full-time professional music career, he worked as a bail bondsman, among many other odd jobs in order to support the finances he needed to pay for his home.^[3]

Career [edit]

Park played a supporting role in Joseph Kahn's horror film Detention.^[4]

His solo album, DFD, was released on November 1, 2011.^[5] The sophomore album, Take the Stares, was released on October 16, 2012.^[6]

Dumbfoundead has frequently collaborated with other artists, including Epik High, Wax, Jay Park, and Breezy Lovejoy.^[7]

He has been featured on NBC for his viral video Jam Session 2.0, consisting of 8 different musicians from around the world sharing the spotlight individually via split screen but collaborating on one cohesive track.^[8] He has also been on Los Angeles Times,^[9] Last Call with Carson Daly,^[10] MTV Hive,^[11] and Mnet.^[12]

Style and influences [edit]

He is known for his affiliation with Los Angeles based hip hop collective Project Blowed, he has participated in the West Coast division of rap battle league Grind Time, and in Jumpoff's 2007 World Rap Championships; both of which have given rise to his status as a strong web presence. He has also done a stint as the opening act for South Korean hip hop group Epik High's Map the Soul tour,^[13] and is also a member of the hip hop trio Thirsty Fish and Los Angeles battle crew Swim Team.^[14]

Discography [edit]

Solo

• DFD (2011) (#6 Heatseekers Albums, #41 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, #24 Rap Albums)^[15]
• Love Everyday EP (2012)
• Take the Stares (2012)
• Old Boy Jon (2013)

Thirsty Fish

• Testing the Waters (2007)
• Watergate (2011)

Swim Team

• Oceans Eleven (2008)

Other collaborations

• Super Barrio Brothers (2005) (with 8-Bit Bandit)
• Fun with Dumb (2009) (with DJ Zo)
• Clockwise (2010) (with Wax)
• Cut + Paste (2010) (with DJ Zo)
• White Boy Wasted (2012) (with Your Favorite Martian)

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Official website