Epik High,
[OURS Co.]
Epik High Is Here might sound like the title of a nascent group’s wide-eyed debut, but veteran Korean alt hip-hop outfit Epik High has been making music since 2001. The first part of the tenth studio album from Tablo, Mithra Jin, and DJ Tukutz continues their penchant for genre-warping bangers, deep introspection, and blessed collaborations with some of the most notable Korean artists in the industry. The 10-track effort’s greatest example of this is the Latin-infused leading single “Rosario.” Enlisting the star power of pop firestarter CL and rapper Zico proves to be an inspired move as both descend upon the mellow beat, matching the unwavering confidence of a group that correctly boasts of “[paving] the way for everyone that is paving the way.” The rest of the album cleverly borrows elements from EDM (Miso collaboration “True Crime”), ’90s-era hip-hop (“Acceptance Speech,” featuring former iKon leader B.I), and pop, courtesy of dreamy
YG Entertainment. The involvement of ‘
A’ (she who shall not be named) only added fuel to the fire. While he admitted to wanting to rely on said drugs because he was going through a challenging time in his life, he denied ever going through with purchasing or abusing them. Under the pressure of guilt, B.I announced his departure from iKON immediately afterwards. In February of 2020, a drug test conducted on B.I returned negative results, dismissing any doubts about his admitted innocence in the matter. However, Korean media and the entertainment industry at large did what it does best and forced B.I into a hiatus almost 2 years long, during which time he worked on himself and quietly rebuilt the foundation for his career.
mtv Epik High Is Here For You The hip-hop trio carved space for themselves in the South Korean mainstream. With their tenth album, they re paving ground for other artists, too
By Regina Kim
âWe were anomalies when we started,â says Tablo of the Korean hip-hop trio Epik High, which he leads. A Stanford graduate whose given name is Daniel Lee, he wears a black cap and matching hoodie on the opposite end of a Zoom call, giving off a laid-back, unassuming air that belies his status as a South Korean superstar. Though rap and hip-hop have become infused in all of the countryâs major pop from BTS to Big Bang to Blackpink, Epik High were genre pioneers when they formed in 2001, mixing high-speed vocal deliveries with seemingly disparate elements as punk and classical at a time when the sound was considered niche. âAs time went on and other people started experimenting with different sounds in hip-hop, we bec