Epik High (Korean: 에픽하이) is a South Korean hip-hop trio formed in 2001, composed of Tablo, Mithra Jin, and DJ Tukutz. Primarily based in Seoul, the group signed with Woollim Entertainment and released their first two studio albums, Map of the Human Soul (2003) and High Society (2004), to minor success. The trio rose to fame with the release of their follow-up studio albums, Swan Songs (2005), Remapping the Human Soul (2007), and Pieces, Part One (2008), spawning the hit singles "Fly", "Paris", "Fan", "Love Love Love", "One" and "Umbrella". Although the majority of these albums were censored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism due to strong language and themes of crimes, war, religion, and education, Epik High established themselves as one of the leading hip-hop artists in the country, gaining a cult following and critical acclaim.[1]
Following the completion of Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz's mandatory military service[2] and the end of their exclusive contract with Woollim Entertainment, Epik High signed with YG Entertainment in 2012. The trio's next studio albums, 99 (2012), Shoebox (2014), and We've Done Something Wonderful (2017), explored heartbreaks, personal struggles, and self-help. Supported by the successful singles "It's Cold", "Up", "Born Hater", "Spoiler", "Happen Ending", "Love Story" and "Home Is Far Away", Epik High garnered international recognition, becoming the first South Korean act to play at Coachella.[3][4][5][6]
Epik High left YG Entertainment in 2018, after which they started their own in-house label, Ours Co., and signed with William Morris Endeavor to manage their overseas promotions. They released their second extended play Sleepless in __________ in 2019, followed by a two-part tenth studio album, Epik High Is Here (2021 & 2022). They released their third EP Strawberry in 2023.
History
2001–2005: Career beginnings and breakthrough
Epik High was formed in 2001[7] upon frontman Tablo's return to South Korea after graduating from Stanford University.[8] He had already met rapper Mithra Jin during a trip back to Seoul while still in college and they began performing together in the local underground hip hop scene with the "Movement" crew, one of the most prominent Korean hip hop crews of the time that included the likes of Uptown, CB Mass, Leessang and Drunken Tiger. Initially they intended to debut as a duo but decided to add a DJ for their live performances, in the same vein as Dilated Peoples.[1] They recruited DJ Tukutz, a turntablist-disc jockey known to the Hongdae club scene who occasionally played with CB Mass.[9][10][11]
The trio's first performance together was to a small audience at the amusement park Everland in 2002.[12] Preparations for their first album were delayed due to them and their producer being defrauded and the lack of financial backing from a major label, forcing the members to work part-time jobs to raise the necessary funds.[1][11] They signed with newly-established Woollim Entertainment and released their debut album, Map of the Human Soul, in 2003. This was followed by a second album, High Society in 2004. As the genre was unpopular among mainstream audiences, the releases were met with a lukewarm response from the public, with critics seeing little market for "lyrically complex music" that starkly contrasted the popular trends of the era that was more oriented towards songs with simple lyrics or was choreography-focused.[8][13]
Swan Songs was intended to be Epik High's final album, following the poor commercial performance of their previous two releases; however, it became a mainstream hit and made them one of the most popular hip-hop groups in Korea.[14] The album was a chart success with the title track, "Fly," reaching number one on domestic charts.[15] "Fly" also featured on the soundtracks for FIFA 07 and Pump It Up.[14] Another of the album tracks, "Paris" featuring Loveholics' Jisun, was also a hit in Japan and Korea.[14] The album was repackaged the following year as Black Swan Songs, which included remixes of several tracks.
2006–2009: Continued success
Originally set for release in October 2006, Epik High's fourth album Remapping the Human Soul was released on January 23, 2007.[16] The two upbeat lead singles, "Fan" and "Love Love Love," were hits, while the rest of the album had darker undertones and tackled diverse themes including sex crimes, war, religion, and education. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism reportedly censored the album due to its lyrical and thematic content.[17] Despite this, it was a commercial success in both Korea and Japan. It went on to sell 120,301 copies during the year, making it the third best-selling album of 2007 in South Korea.[18] During this time, the group spoke of their "no genre, just music" philosophy, expressing frustration with "narrow," "outdated and isolated" perceptions of the hip hop genre.[19][20]
Over 50,000 copies of their fifth studio album entitled Pieces, Part One was pre-ordered before its release in April 2008. The album's release was followed by music videos for the singles "One," "Breakdown," and "Umbrella." After the album's success, Epik High released the EP Lovescream to acclaim in October, with the EP's title track "1 Minute 1 Second" topping online music charts. In early 2009, Epik High parted ways with Woollim Entertainment and founded their own independent label, Map The Soul, which also managed MYK, Planet Shiver, and Dok2. They released their seventh work, a "book album" entitled 魂: Map the Soul, on March 27 and distributed it exclusively on Epik High's website. Tablo stated that 魂: Map the Soul is not the group's official sixth album but a particular project.
Music videos for the single "Map the Soul" were released on May 19, with worldwide and Korean versions. To commemorate their first release under the independent label, Epik High toured in Japan and performed at Melon Ax in Seoul with Kero One and MYK. That month, they also served in various cities in the US (New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle) along with Dumbfoundead, Kero One, MYK, and Far East Movement. On July 22, Epik High and Map the Soul signed with electronic group Planet Shiver and released the remix album Remixing The Human Soul.
Epik High's sixth album, [e], was released on September 16 with the title single "Wannabe" (따라해) featuring Mellow, an electronic pop track critiquing K-pop trends. The studio album contained 30 tracks in a 2-CD format. Its release was followed by a South Korean tour, beginning on September 19.[citation needed]
2010–2012: Epilogue, military service, and hiatus
On October 15, 2009, DJ Tukutz enlisted for mandatory military service, two days after his marriage.[21] He was discharged in August 2011.[22]
In January 2010, they performed at Midem 2010 in Cannes.[23] While DJ Tukutz was conscripted into the army, Epik High's seventh studio album, Epilogue, was released under Woollim Entertainment on March 9, 2010, to chart success.[24] The music video for its title track, "Run," featured several Woollim trainees who eventually debuted as members of boyband Infinite several months later: L as the video's protagonist, Sunggyu as a guitarist, Woohyun as bassist, and Sungjong as keyboardist. In addition, infinite's Hoya and Dongwoo also served as backup dancers during promotions of the single on various music shows.
Shortly after the album's release, Mithra Jin enlisted on August 3.[22] He reported to Chuncheon for basic training and served as an infantry rifle soldier, a member of the military band, and a GOP soldier before being transferred to the Defense Media Agency (DEMA).[22]
During the two-year hiatus that followed, Tablo (who is a Canadian citizen and therefore was not required to carry out military service) signed a four-year contract with YG Entertainment and released a solo album titled Fever's End on November 1, 2011.[25] However, he indicated that Epik High had not disbanded.[25]
Mithra Jin was discharged from the military on May 14, 2012 and Epik High began preparations for their comeback.[26] In July, it was confirmed that the trio would return as a group under YG Entertainment after a three-year hiatus.[27] On October 9, the group released the single "It's Cold" featuring the newly signed Lee Hi, to chart success.[28] They digitally released the album 99, as well as music videos for the tracks "Up" (featuring Park Bom) and "Don't Hate Me," on October 19. The album was physically released on October 23 with two extra tracks, not on the digital release.[29][30] During the SBS Gayo Daejeon on December 30 they joined Dynamic Duo and Simon D for "Cypher 2012", a remix of popular hip-hop tracks of the year to popular and critical acclaim.[31][32][33]
2013–2017: 10th anniversary and worldwide recognition
On October 23, 2013, Epik High released the single "420" featuring Double K, Yankie, Dok2, Sean2Slow, Dumbfoundead, TopBob, and MYK to celebrate their tenth anniversary.[34][unreliable source?]
On May 18, 2014, they released the single "With You" in collaborating with Chinese Singer Bibi Zhou, as a re-recording of "Fool" (originally featuring Bumkey) from their previous album Epilogue.[35] On October 18, YG Entertainment released the music video for the pre-release track "Born Hater" featuring a line-up of noted rappers.[36] Epik High's eighth studio album, Shoebox, was physically released on October 22 and met with critical praise for the emotion and complex lyrical content of lead singles "Happen Ending" and "Spoiler" as well as other tracks including "Burj Khalifa" and "Amor Fati."[37]
In March 2015, Epik High performed at SXSW in Austin, Texas.[38] In April 2016, they became the first-ever Korean act to perform at the Coachella music festival,[4][39] where their performance was well received by audiences.[40] On October 23, 2017, they released We've Done Something Wonderful, their ninth studio album.[41]
2018–present: Departure from YG and new releases
On October 3, 2018, Epik High left YG Entertainment after their contract expired and set up their own label, naming it "Ours Co".[42][43] On February 19, 2019, Epik High signed to William Morris Endeavor to manage their overseas promotions.[44] Epik High released their second EP, Sleepless in __________, on March 11.[44] The EP peaked at number 8 on the Gaon Album Chart[45] and number 6 on the Billboard US World Album Chart.[46] On October 22, 2020, the band posted a new video announcing their tenth album for January 2021.[47] On December 28, 2020, Tablo announced that the group would release part 1 of their tenth album, Epik High Is Here, on January 18, 2021.[48] The album's first single, "Rosario", featured CL and Zico.[49]
On June 29, 2021, Epik High released the new single "Rain Song," featuring Colde.[50] On October 25, 2021, Epik High released the new single "Face ID," which features Sik-K, Justhis, and Giriboy. The single serves as a pre-release for part two of Epik High Is Here.[51][full citation needed] On January 12, 2022, it was revealed that Epik High would be performing at Coachella 2022, making them the first Korean act to be re-invited to the festival.[52] On February 14, 2022, the group released part 2 of Epik High Is Here.[53][full citation needed] On March 17, 2022, Epik High announced that it would be holding the 2022 'Epik High Is Here Encore' concert for three days from May 11 to 13.[54]
On May 30, 2024, it was announced that Epik High would be releasing their first mixtape, Pump, on June 20.[57] It was also announced that the group would embark on their North American Tour, "The Pump Tour," beginning on August 22 and ending on September 25.[58]
Artistry
Lyrical themes
The content of Epik High's discography is largely social commentary, often utilizing direct or thinly-veiled references to current events or personal experiences. For example, "난 사람이 제일 무서워 (People Scare Me)", the first track from the 2017 album We've Done Something Wonderful, referred to the then-ongoing 2017–2018 North Korea crisis while "K-Drama" from the 2024 mixtape Pump satirized the cliched "happily-ever-after" endings frequently seen in Korean dramas.[59] Other songs such as "FAQ" from the critically-acclaimed Remapping the Human Soul and "Born Hater", the lead single of Shoebox, addressed the criticism and hateful online comments written about them by directly quoting the statements. As some of their hits frequently featured strong language or profanity in both English and Korean, the original recordings are banned from variety programs or music programs by terrestrial television networks and only the "clean version" is allowed to be performed.[60]
Musical style
Although generally categorized as hip hop artists, Epik High are known for being more experimental and have since disregarded the traditional confines of Korean hip hop by incorporating elements or collaborating with artists from other genres such as R&B, trot, soul and Latin music.[61][62][26] The members themselves addressed the criticism directed at them for "straying" from hip hop and stated in a 2005 interview with The Hankyoreh that they disliked being pigeon-holed into a particular category or genre.[63]Dazed noted: "They don't quite fit into pop, but they've evolved beyond a traditional hip hop act too: and they've angered the underground community by daring to meld elements of rock, soul, R&B and pop with their rap verses."[19][20]
Impact and legacy
Epik High were part of a new wave of hip hop artists who had started underground before gaining more visibility, following in the footsteps of trailblazer Tiger JK and duos Leessang and Dynamic Duo.[20] They are among the first hip hop acts to achieve mainstream success and recognition, becoming the first hip hop artist to have a song rank first on a music program with the success of "Fly" from the 2005 album Swan Songs;[64] since then, their songs have won number 1 multiple times on all music programs broadcast by the country's three main television broadcasters (KBS's Music Bank, MBC's Show! Music Core and SBS's Inkigayo) and pop music-centered channel Mnet (M Countdown) and they have performed at major music awards ceremonies such as the MAMA Awards and Golden Disc Awards. In 2010 they became the first Korean artists to top the US iTunes charts (hip hop category).[6][65][66] Their success on music programs and various charts was considered groundbreaking for a hip hop act, particularly in a landscape largely dominated by idol groups and pop singers.[67] Although no longer part of the underground hip hop scene, they have continued to regularly feature both established and lesser-known hip hop artists in their albums or inviting them as guests at their concerts.[68]
Within the domestic music industry, Epik High have garnered critical acclaim for their prolific musical output while maintaining their artistic integrity and have been credited with influencing a new generation of "self-composing" idols, as well as younger hip hop artists.[69] Despite changing labels several times throughout their career, the trio continued to retain their creative independence, with all three members directly involved in the process from conception to release. Rappers Tablo and Mithra mainly contribute to the lyrics and composition while Tukutz oversees the musical direction and post-production process.[70][26][30]
^ abNguyen, Mai (September 28, 2011). "Epik High's Tablo Joins YG Family". Asia Pacific Arts. University of Southern California. Archived from the original on August 29, 2017. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
^Gong Yeo-ju (March 17, 2022). 에픽하이, 5월 앙코르 콘서트 확정(공식) [Epik High, May Encore Concert Confirmed (Official)] (in Korean). YTN. Archived from the original on March 17, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022 – via Naver.
^에픽하이, '골든 디스크' 힙합상 수상. Asia Business Daily (in Korean). December 10, 2009. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
^제3회 '한국대중음악상' 분야별 후보들 [Nominations by category at the 3rd 'Korean Popular Music Awards']. Munhwa Ilbo (in Korean). February 15, 2006. Archived from the original on September 9, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2022 – via Naver.
