Perry Thomas Borja Missing: What We Know About the YG Producer’s Disappearance
For K-pop fans who know YG Entertainment primarily through artists such as BIGBANG and BLACKPINK, Perry Thomas Borja may be an unfamiliar name.
Long before YG Entertainment became one of South Korea’s largest entertainment companies, however, Perry was among the rappers and producers involved in developing the label’s early hip-hop identity.
Known professionally as Perry, the American rapper and producer worked with several important early YG artists, including Jinusean, 1TYM, SE7EN, Lexy and BIGBANG.
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He also released his own album through YG and participated in music that helped define the company’s early sound.
Now, Perry’s name has resurfaced for a very different reason.
On September 17, 2026, SBS’s investigative current-affairs program Unanswered Questions (그것이 알고 싶다) issued a public appeal seeking information about Perry’s current whereabouts. The program said it was looking for people who know where Perry is or who are in contact with his family. SBS identifies him as having been last seen in Los Angeles in 2010 and as having subsequently been reported missing.
The appeal has renewed attention on a disappearance that had circulated for years primarily through online discussions and family statements.
But what exactly is known about Perry, his career and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance?
Who is Perry Thomas Borja?
Perry Thomas Borja is an American rapper and producer from Oakland, California, who became active in South Korea’s music industry during the 1990s.
SBS describes him as an American rapper and producer who had been active in the Korean hip-hop scene since the mid-1990s. He became associated with the early YG Family and contributed to music involving some of the label’s foundational artists.
SBS’s earlier 2023 report states that Perry officially joined YG Entertainment as a rapper and producer in 1999. During his years with the company, he worked on music involving Jinusean, 1TYM, Lexy, SE7EN, Gummy, BIGBANG and other YG-associated artists.
That places Perry within a particularly important period of YG’s history.
The company was still developing its identity at the time, and hip-hop was central to the YG Family concept. Perry’s work contributed to that sound before YG evolved into the multinational K-pop company known today.
His career was not limited to production, either. Perry also performed as a rapper and eventually released music under his own name.
Perry by Storm: Perry’s own YG album
In September 2001, Perry released his solo album Perry by Storm.
Korean music service Bugs lists the album as a full-length release dated September 4, 2001. Its track list includes collaborations with several artists associated with the YG scene.
Among the tracks listed by Bugs are:
- “Storm”, featuring G-Dragon, Sean and Masta Wu
- “Get Ready”, featuring YG Family
- “Bounce”, featuring Teddy and Masta Wu
- “Oh No”
- “Turn It Out”, featuring Masta Wu
The album provides an interesting snapshot of YG’s musical world during the early 2000s.
It also demonstrates why describing Perry simply as a former YG employee would undersell his role. He was an artist in his own right, while simultaneously contributing to the work of other performers associated with the label.
His connection to artists who would later become major names in Korean pop and hip-hop makes his disappearance particularly notable to followers of K-pop history.
Perry’s connection to BIGBANG
Perry’s connection to BIGBANG is perhaps the easiest entry point for today’s K-pop audience.
He participated in the group’s early music and continued to receive songwriting credits during BIGBANG’s Japanese activities.
For example, the Japanese release BIGBANG2 credits Perry Borja as a lyricist on “TONIGHT” and “SOMEBODY TO LUV.” He is also credited for lyrics on “BEAUTIFUL HANGOVER”, while the album’s credits list him among the contributors to the song’s composition as well.
He also received a songwriting credit for “Tell Me Goodbye.”
SBS identifies BIGBANG’s 2010 Japanese release “Beautiful Hangover” as Perry’s last known project connected to YG.
That doesn’t necessarily mean every database will identify “Beautiful Hangover” as the final song Perry ever worked on. Rather, it establishes 2010 as the important final period of his documented YG activity.
And that same year is central to the story of his disappearance.
Perry was reportedly last seen in Los Angeles in 2010
According to SBS’s current reporting, Perry was last seen in Los Angeles in 2010.
After that point, publicly documented traces of his activities become extremely limited.
SBS’s September 17 appeal describes him as having continued his music career in South Korea from the mid-1990s before being last seen in Los Angeles in 2010 and subsequently being reported missing.
The precise circumstances surrounding his last known sighting are not publicly established in the available reporting.
That distinction matters.
There is a difference between knowing that someone was reportedly last seen in a particular city and knowing what happened to that person afterward.
At present, the public information does not establish exactly when Perry last had contact with his family, where he went after his last reported sighting, or what ultimately happened to him.
Those unanswered questions are part of the reason SBS’s investigative program is now seeking information.
Perry’s family raised the disappearance in 2021
The disappearance did not first become public in 2026.
According to SBS, a family member identified as Perry’s nephew discussed the situation on social media in 2021. The family member said Perry had last been seen in Los Angeles in 2010 and that he had been missing since then. He also said that a missing-person report had been filed with the U.S. Department of State.
Those statements subsequently circulated among online communities and K-pop fans.
However, there is an important caveat.
The claim about the U.S. Department of State should be presented as a statement attributed to Perry’s family, rather than as an independently verified government record.
The available public reporting does not provide sufficient evidence to say that a particular U.S. government missing-person case file has been independently confirmed.
That distinction is especially important because Perry’s disappearance has been discussed online for years, and some versions of the story have mixed documented information with speculation.
SBS previously reported on Perry’s disappearance in 2023
The September 2026 appeal is also not the first time SBS has covered Perry’s disappearance.
In October 2023, SBS Star published a report titled The Aughts Star Producer of YG Entertainment Perry Reportedly Missing for 13 Years. At the time, SBS reported that Perry had been missing for more than a decade and described his career with YG and his work with artists including Jinusean, 1TYM, Lexy, SE7EN, Gummy and BIGBANG.
That 2023 report also discussed theories that had circulated concerning Perry’s relationship with YG Entertainment and why he might have withdrawn from public life.
Crucially, those theories were presented as rumors and speculation, not established explanations for his disappearance.
This makes the September 2026 development more significant than simply another social-media discussion.
The case has now returned to SBS’s investigative program, which is actively asking the public for information.
What theories have circulated about Perry?
Over the years, various theories have appeared online concerning Perry’s disappearance.
Some have suggested that he deliberately withdrew from the entertainment industry or wanted to live away from public attention. Other discussions have connected his disappearance to alleged disagreements or creative differences involving YG Entertainment.
SBS reported on some of those theories in 2023, including speculation about a possible fallout with YG. The report did not establish those theories as the reason Perry disappeared.
There have also been online claims concerning possible sightings and connections to Guam.
Those claims should be treated particularly cautiously.
An alleged sighting posted online is not proof of a person’s whereabouts, and there is currently no basis to state as fact that Perry moved to Guam or that he deliberately disappeared there.
For readers trying to understand the case, the distinction is simple:
Perry’s last reported sighting in Los Angeles in 2010 is part of the reported history of the case. The reasons for his disappearance and his whereabouts afterward remain unresolved.
Why Perry’s disappearance matters to K-pop history
Perry’s story is notable beyond the mystery surrounding his whereabouts.
His career overlaps with the formative period of YG Entertainment, when the company’s musical identity was strongly connected to Korean hip-hop.
He worked with artists from the company’s early generation, including Jinusean and 1TYM, while also contributing to the work of later stars such as SE7EN and BIGBANG.
His 2001 album Perry by Storm also places him directly within the YG Family roster rather than solely behind the scenes.
His BIGBANG credits provide another connection between Perry’s early YG career and a group that would eventually become one of the most influential acts in K-pop’s global expansion. The Japanese release BIGBANG2 lists Perry among the writers for several tracks.
For newer K-pop fans, therefore, Perry represents a largely forgotten part of YG’s history.
His disappearance has now brought that history back into focus.
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What is documented or reported
- Perry Thomas Borja is an American rapper and producer from Oakland, California.
- He became active in South Korea’s music industry during the 1990s.
- SBS reports that he joined YG Entertainment as a rapper and producer in 1999.
- He worked with artists including Jinusean, 1TYM, Lexy, SE7EN, Gummy and BIGBANG.
- He released the solo album Perry by Storm in 2001.
- Perry received songwriting credits on several BIGBANG songs.
- He was reportedly last seen in Los Angeles in 2010.
- A family member publicly discussed his disappearance in 2021 and said a missing-person report had been filed with the U.S. Department of State.
- SBS previously reported on his disappearance in 2023.
- SBS’s Unanswered Questions is now seeking information about his whereabouts.
What remains unknown
- Perry’s current whereabouts.
- What happened after his reported last sighting in Los Angeles.
- The exact circumstances surrounding his disappearance.
- Whether any alleged post-2010 sightings were genuine.
- Whether the family-reported U.S. government missing-person filing can be independently verified through a publicly accessible record.
- Whether any of the theories concerning Perry’s disappearance have a factual basis.
Those unanswered questions are precisely why the current SBS appeal is significant.
Perry Thomas Borja disappearance timeline
| Year | Development |
|---|---|
| 1990s | Perry becomes active in South Korea’s hip-hop scene. |
| 1999 | SBS reports that Perry officially joins YG Entertainment as a rapper and producer. |
| 2001 | Perry releases his solo album Perry by Storm. |
| 2000s | He works with several YG artists, including Jinusean, 1TYM, Lexy and SE7EN. |
| 2010 | Perry is reportedly last seen in Los Angeles. His BIGBANG-related work includes “Beautiful Hangover.” |
| 2021 | A family member publicly says Perry has been missing and that a missing-person report was filed with the U.S. Department of State. |
| 2023 | SBS publishes a report examining Perry’s disappearance. |
| September 17, 2026 | SBS’s Unanswered Questions publicly seeks information about Perry’s whereabouts. |
SBS is now asking for information
The most important development today is that Unanswered Questions is no longer simply discussing an old online rumor.
The program has publicly asked people who know Perry’s current whereabouts—or who are in contact with his family—to provide information. SBS published the appeal alongside photographs of Perry and information about how tips can be submitted.
That does not mean the program has determined what happened to Perry.
It means the search for information has entered a new public phase.
After years in which Perry’s disappearance was largely discussed through family statements, fan communities and online speculation, an established Korean investigative program is now actively seeking leads.
Whether that effort produces a confirmed sighting, new information about Perry’s life after 2010, or an explanation for what happened to him remains unknown.
The search for Perry continues
Perry Thomas Borja occupies a distinctive place in YG Entertainment’s history. He was a rapper and producer involved during the company’s formative hip-hop years, released his own music through YG and contributed to work by artists who would become major figures in Korean popular music.
But since he was reportedly last seen in Los Angeles in 2010, his whereabouts have remained unknown.
His family raised the disappearance publicly years ago, and SBS previously reported on the case in 2023. Now, in September 2026, Unanswered Questions has issued a new public appeal for information.
For now, the responsible conclusion is also the simplest one: there are still significant unanswered questions about Perry’s whereabouts, and no publicly confirmed explanation for what happened to him.
SBS is asking anyone with credible information to come forward. Until new evidence emerges, the many theories surrounding Perry’s disappearance should remain exactly that—theories, not facts.