Kwon Ji Yong (Korean: 권지용; born August 18, 1988), better known by his stage name G-Dragon (Korean: 지드래곤), is a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, dancer, lyricist, producer, model, endorser and fashion icon.

At the age of eight he was under contract at SM Entertainment, but he decided to change record labels. After 6 years as a trainee under the record label YG Entertainment, G-Dragon officially debuted as the leader and one of two rappers for the Korean group Big Bang. G-Dragon has been involved with writing, composing, and producing many of Big Bang's hit tracks, including "Lies", "Last Farewell", and "Haru Haru".

He released his debut solo album, Heartbreaker (2009), which yielded the number-one single of the same name. The album went on to become one of the most successful albums of the year, garnering sales of over 200,000 copies and winning the Mnet Asian Music Awards for Album of the Year. Heartbreaker also sparked major controversies for the artist, including accusations of plagiarism. After almost a year of hiatus, G-Dragon and bandmate, T.O.P collaborated to record and release the album GD & TOP (2010). The album saw the release of three singles: "High High," "Oh Yeah," and "Knock Out," all of which have charted within the top three positions of the Gaon chart, with "High High" becoming a chart-topper. In 2012, G-Dragon released his second solo album, "One of a Kind," with hit singles "One of a Kind," "Crayon," and "That XX." Recently in 2013, he released his second full album in four years Coup D'Etat.

He is the only man selected as one of the "50 Reasons Why Seoul is the Best City" by CNN.

On April 2013, G-Dragon released a new song, '미치GO', through messaging app LINE. G-Dragon became the second member of Big Bang to make a solo debut in Japan after his bandmate Daesung's solo concert tour in February. G-Dragon embarked on his first worldwide tour as a solo artist, which included a four-dome tour in Japan. As of September 2013, he is promoting his album Coup D'Etat.

Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, Kwon Jiyong began his career at the age of 5 as part of the group Little Lula. After releasing a Christmas album, the group's contract was terminated by their record company, to which Kwon described as "shock[ing]." Although he vowed to his mother that he "wouldn't do it [becoming a singer] again," Kwon Jiyong was scouted by SM Entertainment while on a ski trip with his family. He was a trainee under the record label for five years (8–13 years old), specializing in dance before he left as he was unclear about what he wanted to do.

In third grade, Jiyong was introduced to the American rap group Wu-Tang Clan by a friend. Inspired by their music, he developed an interest in rapping and began taking classes. Under People Crew's tutelage, he participated in the release of the Korean hip-hop Flex album in 2001, becoming the youngest Korean rapper at just 13 years old. Although he wrote his own lyrics for the song, he admitted that his English was weak and the story behind the lyrics actually meant "I'm young, but I'm the best." Kwon Jiyong caught the interest of Sean of the hip-hop duo Jinusean from YG Entertainment, who later recommended him to CEO Yang Hyun Suk. After signing a contract with the record label. Kwon Jiyong spent the first year cleaning the studio for the other artists in the record label and fetching them water bottles during dance practice. He and another trainee Dong Young-bae, originally planned to debut as the hip-hop duo GDYB, with him choosing the stage name of G-Dragon ("Ji" is pronounced like "G", and Yong is Korean for Dragon). After six years of training, Kwon made several featured appearances on other artists' albums and even released several singles with Dong Young-bae under the name "GDYB". G-Dragon made his official debut as the leader of the group Big Bang in 2006, after six years of training under YG Entertainment, with Dong Youngbae (who chose the stage-name Taeyang) and three other members (T.O.P, Daesung, Seungri).

The formation of the group was documented on television, and though there were initially six members, one was dropped before the official debut. The group's debut was fairly successful, with their first single netting in sales of over 40,000 copies. It spawned several airplay singles, including "La La La", "We Belong Together" and "Forever with You" which featured label-mate Park Bom. The album also included G-Dragon's first solo song, a cover of the American alternative rock group Maroon 5's single "This Love". Following the release of the group's mini-album Always in 2007, G-Dragon began to involve himself more with the production of their albums. Always featured several songs composed by him, including the lead-single "Lies" (Korean: 거짓말; Revised Romanization: Geojitmal), which became the group's first number-one hit. Their following mini-albums followed its predecessor's footsteps: Hot Issue yielded "Last Farewell" (Korean: 마지막 인사; Revised Romanization: Majimak Insa) while Stand Up spawned "Day by Day" (Korean: 하루하루; Revised Romanization: Haru Haru); both singles, which were composed by him were chart-toppers.

Described as the "most fashionable" one in his group, G-Dragon's role in influencing fashion trends in South Korea have garnered him awards such as the "Style Icon of 2008" and the award for "Most Influential Men of 2008" sponsored by Arena magazine.Fashion icon Kang Dong Won has also acknowledged G-Dragon's influences, calling him a "fashionista."

While promoting Heartbreaker, his change in hairstyle from dying it to blonde gained popularity among his fans and became one of the top hairstyles of the year. Additionally, his constant sporting of triangular scarves became a trend among teenagers and were later nicknamed the "Big Bang scarves."

Despite his influences, G-Dragon has admitted to being self-conscious of his role as a musician, noting how he had "changed many things including the tone of my voice because I was conscious about my job when I was in front of others." Aware that his public image is important when promoting his materials, G-Dragon notes that "what the public perceives of [my physical appearance] is my doing so it's my fault if I give off the wrong intention." He also strongly opposes the idea of singers as "products" of the entertainment industry.

On October 5, 2011, it was reported that G-Dragon was tested positive for marijuana. His urine test came back negative but a weak positive for marijuana was detected from testing the content of his hair. The tests were done in early June and the results came back in August. As it was a first offense with a minuscule amount, it resulted in an indictment and he was not charged. He allegedly accepted an offered cigarette from a fan in Japan during a party back in May. He was the only one at the party who was later tipped off to Korean authorities. He confessed that he smoked the cigarette that was offered to him, but after realizing it was not a normal cigarette, he threw it away.

The scandal caused a halt to his promotions, and YG Entertainment issued a statement that he was being given time to reflect on his mistake. Because he was not charged, he did not lose any endorsers and later made his first public appearance after the scandal at the 2011 MTV EMAs with his group Big Bang

Inspired by music by the Wu-Tang Clan, G-Dragon participated in the annual hip hop Flex album in 2001 at the age of 12, establishing his career as an artist. During the early days of Big Bang's career, the band was marketed predominately as a hip-hop group, though they went on to experiment with electronic music and setting it as the new music trend in Korea. From previous exposure to a range of genres with Big Bang, G-Dragon incorporated a mix of dance, hip-hop, and R&B songs into Heartbreaker. During the production for the collaboration album GD & TOP, G-dragon opted for a more hip-hop sound, though he does acknowledge that R&B, acoustic, and electronic music heavily influenced it.

Since becoming a solo artist, G-Dragon has maintained tight control over his music, stating that "each feeling [in creating the music] is different," using his emotions to direct the lyrical content and the composition of his songs. In attempts to distinguish himself from other artists and composer, G-Dragon admits to "giving twist and turn at every corner and evoking [a] different story" with each part of his music, acknowledging that although the chorus is the catchiest part of the song, he wants all the parts to his song to be remembered. Prior to his establishment as a solo artist, he was also involved with the production of Big Bang's albums, writing and composing majority of their songs.

G-Dragon's contributions to his own music have garnered him praises and criticism alike. Preferring to pen lyrics that "sound like an actual story", the Korea Times have praised him as a "genius singer-songwriter",though the rapper has expressed being uncomfortable with the label. His effort to create melodies won him praises as one of the best composers of 2008, with many pop culture critics and industry representatives choosing him as the "musician whose future they anticipate the most." His rap lyrics have also placed him fourth during a vote for "Most God-like" rapper in Japan. The rapper also topped Forbes listing of "Most Hardworking Idol", and made into its list "Korea 2030 Power Leaders."