Ryu Yeong-gi (류영기/リュ・ヨンギ), better known by his stage name VERBAL, is a Zainichi Korean rapper, music video director and record producer who is a member of hip hop groups M-Flo, Teriyaki Boyz and Honest Boyz.
Trivia
- He is a third generation Zainichi Korean, as he was born in Japan but is of Korean descent (as one of his grandparents emigrated from Korea to Japan years ago).
- He is fluent in Japanese (his native language), Korean (his family's original native language) and English.
- The reason he is fluent in English is because he lived in the US in the 80s due to his parents' work.
- Due to his fluency in English, he has worked with major Western artists, such as Americans Kanye West and Pharrell Williams and Australian Kylie Minogue.
- Although a native of Tokyo, he considers Boston (the capital of the state of Massachusetts in the United States) to be his hometown, as he grew up there and studied at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary or GCTS (an important and historic American evangelical seminary) and Boston University (one of the most renowned private universities in the United States).
- Since 2004, he has been married to Korean-American fashion designer and entrepreneur Yoon Ahn, co-founder and creative director of Ambush Design Company and former jewelry director of Dior Men (the menswear-focused branch of Dior).
- She and Verbal co-founded Ambush Design Company in 2002, two years before they got married.
- He was originally Catholic, but converted to Protestantism after a bitter heartbreak and is now a Christian.
- He is very outspoken on his Christian faith, often making references to it in his lyrics. In interviews, he has expressed interest in working in the field of urban ministry once he’s finished with music.
- He is known for his love of American hip-hop and is a huge fan of some of the biggest names in this musical style, such as Gang Starr, Company Flow, Ras Kass, RUN D.M.C., A Tribe Called Quest, Leaders of the New Skool, De La Soul and Stetsa Sonic.