On September 14, 2014, Iron’s ‘poison’ was released. ‘Poison’ was the song he showcased in the final episode of Mnet’s hip-hop competition program ‘Show Me the Money 3’, aired on September 4 of the same year, reinterpreting the hip-hop duo Leessang’s ‘poison’ in his own styl
‘Poison’ contains the ups and downs of Iron’s life. He depicted his difficult life as a recipient of basic living assistance during his teenage years. In particular, lyrics like “Even in a life like a sewer, I rise again / Living as I wish, I live on / I go higher, higher / In the swamp of life, I see a bigger world / So that I don’t regret at the end of life / I run madly, like crazy” conveyed his story. This song resonated deeply with people, and Iron achieved second place in ‘Show Me the Money 3’.
Immediately after its release, ‘Poison’ swept the number one spot on various music streaming charts, causing a stir in the music industry. Notably, it achieved better streaming performance than Bobby’s ‘Guard Up and Bounce’, the winner of ‘Show Me the Money 3’. ‘Poison’ also ranked second on Melon’s weekly chart in the second week of September 2014 (September 8-14), fourth in the third week (September 15-21), and fifth in the fourth week (September 22-28), enjoying long-lasting popularity.
Amidst high interest, Iron released his single ‘blu’ the following year and began his full-fledged career as a singer.
However, Iron’s heyday was short-lived. Although he was emerging as a promising figure in the hip-hop scene, he faced various personal controversies. In 2016, he was charged with marijuana use and was sentenced to eight months in prison with a two-year probation. The same year, he was sentenced in a first trial to eight months in prison, two years probation, and 80 hours of community service for assaulting and threatening his ex-girlfriend who proposed a breakup.
In 2020, he was arrested and charged with assaulting a minor male student, B, who was learning music from him, using a baseball bat multiple times.
Amidst these events, news of Iron’s death broke. He was 29 years old. Consequently, the assault case against Iron was closed due to lack of prosecution rights.
According to the police, the late Iron was found collapsed in the flower bed of an apartment in Jung-gu, Seoul, on January 25, 2024. He was transported to the hospital via ambulance after being reported by a nearby security guard, but ultimately passed away. It is reported that no suicide note was found.
Thus, Iron ended his tumultuous life, leaving behind only the voice that held ‘poison’.