Epik High
Epik High is a South Korean hip-hop trio formed in 2001, composed of rapper and songwriter Tablo, rapper and lyricist Mithra Jin, and DJ and record producer DJ Tukutz. Based in Seoul, the trio first met in 2001 before signing with Woollim Entertainment and released their first two studio albums, Map of the Human Soul and High Society, to minor success. The trio rose to fame with the release of their follow-up studio albums, Swan Songs, Remapping the Human Soul, and Pieces, Part One, 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.
Following the completion of Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz's mandatory military service 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, Shoebox, and We've Done Something Wonderful, 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.
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. They released their third EP Strawberry in 2023.
History
2001–2005: Career beginnings and breakthrough
Epik High was formed in 2001 upon frontman Tablo's return to South Korea after graduating from Stanford University. Having previously met rapper Mithra Jin during a trip back to Seoul while still in college, the duo 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. They recruited DJ Tukutz, a turntablist-disc jockey known to the Hongdae club scene who occasionally played with CB Mass.The trio's first performance together was to a small audience at the amusement park Everland in 2002. 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. 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 which favored songs with simple lyrics or was choreography-focused.
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. The album was a chart success with the title track, "Fly," reaching number one on domestic charts. "Fly" also featured on the soundtracks for FIFA 07 and Pump It Up. Another of the album tracks, "Paris" featuring Loveholics' Jisun, was also a hit in Japan and Korea. 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. 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. 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. During this time, the group spoke of their "no genre, just music" philosophy, expressing frustration with "outdated and isolated" perceptions of the hip hop genre and the backlash they received from "narrow-minded" traditionalist factions of the domestic hip hop community.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 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" 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 concert at the Olympic Hall. However, promotional activities and plans for a tour were canceled when DJ Tukutz's enlistment date was unexpectedly pushed forward. He enlisted for mandatory military service on October 15, two days after his marriage, and was discharged in August 2011.
2010–2012: ''Epilogue'', military service, and hiatus
Following DJ Tukutz's enlistment, Tablo and Mithra Jin continued as a duo, with guest DJs joining them for live performances. They performed at Midem 2010 in Cannes on January 26, 2010. Epik High's seventh studio album, Epilogue, was released under Woollim Entertainment on March 9, 2010, to chart success. 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, Hoya and Dongwoo also served as backup dancers during promotions of the single on various music shows.Shortly after promotions for Epilogue ended, Mithra Jin enlisted on August 3. 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.
During the two-year hiatus that followed, Tablo signed a four-year contract with YG Entertainment and released a solo album titled Fever's End on November 1, 2011. However, he indicated that Epik High had not disbanded.
Mithra Jin was discharged from the military on May 14, 2012 and Epik High began preparations for their comeback. In July, it was confirmed that he and DJ Tukutz had joined Tablo in signing with YG Entertainment and that Epik High would be making a comeback after a three-year hiatus. On October 9, the group released the single "It's Cold" featuring the newly signed Lee Hi, to chart success. They digitally released the album 99, as well as music videos for the tracks "Up" 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. 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.
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.On May 18, 2014, they released the single "With You" in collaborating with Chinese Singer Bibi Zhou, as a re-recording of "Fool" from their previous album Epilogue. On October 18, YG Entertainment released the music video for the pre-release track "Born Hater" featuring a line-up of noted rappers. 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."
In 2015 Epik High gained further recognition abroad with well-received performances at the K-Pop Night Out at SXSW in the U.S. and the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan. In April 2016, they became the first-ever Korean act to perform at the Coachella music festival, where their performance was well received by audiences. On October 23, 2017, they released We've Done Something Wonderful, their ninth studio album.