Epik High
Encyclopedia
Epik High is a South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

n indie hip hop group from Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

. The group is composed of Tablo
Tablo
Daniel Armand Lee, whose Korean name is Lee Seon-Woong , is more commonly known by his stage name Tablo . He is a hip hop musician, rap artist, songwriter and lyricist. He is best known as the rapper and leader of the South Korean hip hop group Epik High...

, Mithra Jin
Mithra Jin
Choi Jin , more commonly known by the stage name Mithra Jin , is a Korean hip hop musician, rap artist, and lyricist. He is the second MC of the group Epik High.- Biography :...

 and DJ Tukutz
DJ Tukutz
DJ Tukutz is a DJ, Producer, songwriter. He is best known as the DJ of the South Korean hip hop group Epik High.- Biography :...

. Their music has been considered by many as a "lyrical piece of literature" and "urban poetry", lyric orientated, soulful and often witty while addressing serious social issues such as identity, discrimination, community, unity and change as a whole through the use of sometimes controversial subject matter. The group went on hiatus in 2009 as a result of DJ Tukutz being called for mandatory military service. DJ Tukutz returned from his mandatory military service on August 7, 2011, leaving only Mithra Jin away from the group. Mithra Jin is also enlisted into the military and is expected to return in 2012.

2003-2005: Earlier Days

Epik High was relatively unknown early in their career due to hip-hop's lack of popularity in Korea. Their success began with the release of their second album, titled "High Society
High Society (Epik High album)
-Track listing:#신사들의 산책 #High Skool#평화의 날 #The Sunrise Interlude#Lesson 2 #My Ghetto #The Basics #신사들의 절약정신 #Lady #피해망상 Part 3...

". Upon the success of their third album, Swan Songs, released in late 2005, Epik High has become one of the most popular hip-hop groups in Korea. "Fly", the title song, and "Paris" (feat. Jisun from Loveholic
Loveholic
Loveholic is a South Korean modern rock group.Their song "Shingiru " was used as the ending theme to the Japanese anime Black Blood Brothers...

) from their third album became hits in Korea, reaching number one on many Korean music channels as well as on online music charts. "Fly" was also chosen for the video games FIFA 07
FIFA 07
FIFA 07 is the 2007 edition of EA Sports' series of football simulator video games. Developed by EA Canada, it is published by Electronic Arts....

 and Pump it up
Pump It Up
Pump It Up, commonly abbreviated as PIU or shortened to just Pump, is a music video game series currently developed by Nexcade and published by Andamiro, a Korean arcade game producer. The game is typically played on a dance pad with five arrow panels: up-left, up-right, bottom-left, bottom-right,...

, this song has now become a popular track for dancers/freestylers. Epik High's fourth album, "Remapping the Human Soul
Remapping the Human Soul
Remapping the Human Soul is the fourth album by Epik High, and it was released on January 23, 2007. The album was supposed to come out in October 2006, but due to problems in the job the date was postponed. The album sold almost 90,000 copies in its first month of release and pushed Epik High to...

", released on January 23, 2007 has shown a very different music style from their previous albums. "Fan", the fourth album's title song, and "Love Love Love" have been big hits in 2007.

2006: Swan Songs

Epik High's 3rd album, Swan Songs, became a mainstream hit in the Korean music scene. Notable hit singles included Fly and Paris.
The album was later repackaged as "Black Swan Songs", which included remixes of various hit songs.

2007: Remapping the Human Soul

Their fourth album, Remapping the Human Soul
Remapping the Human Soul
Remapping the Human Soul is the fourth album by Epik High, and it was released on January 23, 2007. The album was supposed to come out in October 2006, but due to problems in the job the date was postponed. The album sold almost 90,000 copies in its first month of release and pushed Epik High to...

, was released on January 23, 2007. The album was supposed to come out in October 2006, but the date was postponed. The album sold almost 90,000 copies in its first month and pushed Epik High to the number one spot for best upcoming artist. It went on to sell a total of 130,000 copies. The group was chosen as the best artist of the month. The group decided to head towards a 'no genre, just music' style for their fourth album. Some songs in the fourth album have been banned from several channels due to issues dealing sexual crimes, war, education and religion; the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is trying to stop air play as stated by Tablo in an interview with The Korea Times. With the title song "Fan", the album became their number one selling music album. In addition, Epik High's fame has risen in Japan with the song "Flow", which features Emi Hinouchi
Emi Hinouchi
is a Japanese urban music singer-songwriter. She was formerly signed under King Records' sub-label Venus-B and Taku Takahashi's Tachytelic Records. She is best known for writing songs for Heartsdales and for her collaborations with M-Flo....

. They will release a CD sample in Japan. There have been offers to remake "Fly" as well as "Paris". The album sold 120,301 copies during the year, making it the third best-selling album of 2007 in South Korea.

2008: Early Success of Fifth Album and The First Mini-Album

Over 50,000 copies of the fifth studio album entitled "Pieces, Part One" were pre-ordered.
The first single off the new album and released music video is "One," which features Jisun from Loveholic
Loveholic
Loveholic is a South Korean modern rock group.Their song "Shingiru " was used as the ending theme to the Japanese anime Black Blood Brothers...

 and Korean actress Jung Ryu-won. Shortly after "One", music videos for "Breakdown" and "Umbrella" were created.
After the success of "Pieces, Part One," Epik High released a mini-album, titled Lovescream.
This is their first mini-album since their debut in 2003. It came out September 30, 2008.
Teasers were put up on the Epik High website, which gained attention because it was made of abstract, animated graphics instead of actual actors.
The mini-album gained huge success and the title track "1 Minute 1 Second" topped online music charts.

2009-2011: Venture into Map the Soul and Merger with Woollim

Early 2009, Epik High parted ways with their old label Woolim Entertainment, and founded Map The Soul
Map the Soul
Map the Soul is Epik High's book album which was released on March 27 2009.The first single from the album is "Map the Soul ". The album is Epik High's first venture under their own independent label, Map the Soul Inc....

, an independent record label that currently consists of Epik High, MYK, Planet Shiver and Dok2
Dok2
Dok2 a.k.a Gonzo Tha Notorious Kid or The Dirty South Korean is a South Korean rapper and producer. At the young age of 16, Dok2 was a former member of Korean hip hop group ALL BLACK with fellow child rapper, Microdot...

.

Epik High's seventh work, a book-album entitled "魂: Map the Soul," was released on March 27, 2009. Completely independent from any major label, the book-album was distributed exclusively on Epik High's website, MapTheSoul.com. YouTube videos show Epik High's progress as they recorded and created the album with the help of other artists such as MYK, Kero One and Beatbox DG. Tablo has specifically stated that 魂: Map the Soul is not Epik High's official 6th album but instead a special project. On May 19, 2009, Epik High released both worldwide and Korean versions of the music video for "Map the Soul".
To commemorate their first release under their independent label and to interact with fans, Epik High toured various cities in the US (New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, San Francisco and Seattle) along with Kero One
Kero one
Kero One is a Korean-American hip hop MC and producer from San Francisco, California.-History:Kero One originally worked as a web designer, making 50 copies of his first single with home equipment and personal credit cards. One of the copies was purchased at a record shop in Tokyo by a Japanese DJ,...

, MYK and Far East Movement
Far east movement
Far East Movement is an Asian American electro hop quartet based in Los Angeles. The group formed in 2003 and consists of Kev Nish , Prohgress , J-Splif , and DJ Virman...

 in May 2009.

On July 22, 2009, Epik High and the electronic group they scouted, Planet Shiver, joined forces and released an album with re-recorded, remixed and remastered versions of Epik High’s past hit songs titled Remixing The Human Soul.

On August 14, 2009, Epik High member Tablo
Tablo
Daniel Armand Lee, whose Korean name is Lee Seon-Woong , is more commonly known by his stage name Tablo . He is a hip hop musician, rap artist, songwriter and lyricist. He is best known as the rapper and leader of the South Korean hip hop group Epik High...

 revealed on his blog that they are working on a new album called "[e]".
Shortly after on September 16, 2009, Epik High's 6th album, "(e)
(e)
[e] is Korean hip-hop group Epik High's sixth official album released in September 2009 and is also their third major album release of the same year. The two other albums released in 2009 are Map the Soul and Remixing the Human Soul, an electronica-inspired remix compilation album with labelmates...

", was released. This album contains 30 tracks in 2CDs and a 74 page mini-book, which has interviews of each member as well as pictures. The Korean tour began on September 19, right after the album release. The first single for (e) was "따라해(Wannabe)" which features Mellow, and is an electronic-pop song that criticizes the current trends of K-pop
K-pop
K-pop is a musical genre consisting of electropop, hip hop, pop, rock, and R&B music originating in South Korea...

. A joint music video was released for the next upcoming singles ("Trot" and "High Technology") shortly afterward. On December 6, 2009, a music video featuring scenes from the movie "No Mercy" was released with the track "Slow Motion".

On October 15, 2009, DJ Tukutz temporarily left the group to begin mandatory military service for two years. Epik High is currently on hiatus due to this matter.

However, in a video announcement released by Tablo, new unreleased songs from the group was to be released. Shortly after, the album "Epilogue"
Epilogue (Epik High album)
Epilogue is a special release album from Korean hip-hop group Epik High. The album is a collection of unreleased tracks from the group's discography spanning 7 years and 11 albums. It is also the first album released without DJ Tukutz, due to his departure for the Korean military in October...

 was released on March 9.

Epik High had created their new album with their new song "Run" where they show a totally new reflection of what they were before. This new album contains less songs than the last one but is with dedication to all their fans and they thank everyone for all their support, as they wait for DJ Tukutz to finish his military service.

Due to the hiatus, Tablo and Mithra have started working on their respective solo albums.

On August 3, 2010, it was announced that Mithra had enlisted in the army.

Announced on September 27, Tablo
Tablo
Daniel Armand Lee, whose Korean name is Lee Seon-Woong , is more commonly known by his stage name Tablo . He is a hip hop musician, rap artist, songwriter and lyricist. He is best known as the rapper and leader of the South Korean hip hop group Epik High...

 will be making his comeback on November 1 with a solo album. Although Tablo
Tablo
Daniel Armand Lee, whose Korean name is Lee Seon-Woong , is more commonly known by his stage name Tablo . He is a hip hop musician, rap artist, songwriter and lyricist. He is best known as the rapper and leader of the South Korean hip hop group Epik High...

 signed an exclusive 4-year contract with YG Entertainment
YG Entertainment
YG Entertainment is a record label and talent agency founded by Korean band Seo Taiji & Boys member Yang Hyun Suk and based in Seoul, South Korea. It specializes in producing R&B and hip hop music. YG stands for Yang Goon and are also the initials of the chief executive officer, Yang Hyun Suk...

, he indicated that does not mean that Epik High has disbanded nor that they will necessarily sign to YG as a group.

Members

  • Tablo
    Tablo
    Daniel Armand Lee, whose Korean name is Lee Seon-Woong , is more commonly known by his stage name Tablo . He is a hip hop musician, rap artist, songwriter and lyricist. He is best known as the rapper and leader of the South Korean hip hop group Epik High...

     AKA Supreme T, AKA Daniel Armand Lee: rapping, vocals, songwriting, composing, programming
  • Mithra Jin
    Mithra Jin
    Choi Jin , more commonly known by the stage name Mithra Jin , is a Korean hip hop musician, rap artist, and lyricist. He is the second MC of the group Epik High.- Biography :...

     AKA Sleeping M: rapping, vocals, songwriting, composing
  • DJ Tukutz
    DJ Tukutz
    DJ Tukutz is a DJ, Producer, songwriter. He is best known as the DJ of the South Korean hip hop group Epik High.- Biography :...

     AKA Street T: turntables, programming, samples, songwriting, vocals, composing, engineering

The Movement

Epik High is part of The Movement, a Korean hip-hop crew, which includes several other well-known hip-hop artists:
  • Drunken Tiger
    Drunken Tiger
    Drunken Tiger is a critically acclaimed Korean/American hip hop group which debuted in 1999 and has since released eight albums.As of 2009, Drunken Tiger's central figure is Korean American Tiger JK...

  • Dynamic Duo/CB Mass
    Dynamic Duo
    Dynamic Duo is a Korean hip hop duo, made up of members Choiza and Gaeko. Unlike the rough and off beat sound of their past group, CB Mass, Dynamic Duo changed their style to a more audience-friendly sound with a brighter ambiance...

  • T
    Tasha Reid
    Tasha Reid , better known by her Korean name Yoon Mi-rae , is an R&B singer and rapper.- Early life :Reid was born to a South Korean mother, and an African American father...

  • Sean2Slow
  • Buga Kingz
  • Leessang
    Leessang
    Leessang is a South Korean Hip-hop duo, composed of Kang Hee-gun and Gil Seong-joon . Formed in 2002, Leessang is known for its collaborations with Drunken Tiger, Yoon Mi Rae, Big Mama King, Hwayobi, and many others. Leessang is composed of one vocalist and one rapper...

  • YDG
  • G-Won (Eun Ji Won)
    Eun Ji Won
    Eun Ji Won is a Korean rapper, Host, dancer, composer and former leader of Korean Hip hop group Sechs Kies . Sechs Kies was divided into The Black Kies, which were the three rappers and The White Kies which were the vocalists...

  • Double K
  • TBNY
  • Insane Deegie
  • Bobby Kim
  • Ex-plicit Linez
    Ex-plicit linez
    Brandon Jermaine Yun, better known by his stage name EXP , formerly EX-PLICIT LINEZ, is a Korean American rapper and Former Radio personality for New York Korean Radio NYKR 1660 AM, a mutual protégé of Drunken Tiger and Lee Hyun Do a.k.a D.O...

  • Dok2
    Dok2
    Dok2 a.k.a Gonzo Tha Notorious Kid or The Dirty South Korean is a South Korean rapper and producer. At the young age of 16, Dok2 was a former member of Korean hip hop group ALL BLACK with fellow child rapper, Microdot...

  • Roscoe Umali
  • Mickey Eyez
  • Bizzy
  • Planet Shiver

Studio albums

  • 2003: Map of the Human Soul
    Map of the Human Soul
    -Track listing:#Go#풍파 #I Remember #하늘에게 물어봐 #10년 뒤에 #Lesson One #그녀가 불쌍해 #Street Lovin' #Love Song -Track listing:#Go#풍파 (featuring 한상원)#I Remember (featuring Kensie)#하늘에게 물어봐 (featuring Dynamic Duo A.K.A. 최자와 개코)#10년 뒤에 (Dear Me) (featuring Leeds)#Lesson One (Tablo's Word)#그녀가 불쌍해 (featuring...

  • 2004: High Society
    High Society (Epik High album)
    -Track listing:#신사들의 산책 #High Skool#평화의 날 #The Sunrise Interlude#Lesson 2 #My Ghetto #The Basics #신사들의 절약정신 #Lady #피해망상 Part 3...

  • 2005: Swan Songs
  • 2007: Remapping the Human Soul
    Remapping the Human Soul
    Remapping the Human Soul is the fourth album by Epik High, and it was released on January 23, 2007. The album was supposed to come out in October 2006, but due to problems in the job the date was postponed. The album sold almost 90,000 copies in its first month of release and pushed Epik High to...

  • 2008: Pieces, Part One
    Pieces, Part One
    Pieces, Part One is the fifth studio album by Korean hip hop group Epik High, released on April 17, 2008. A Repackaged Version of the album was released with a remix version of Love Love Love called Love Love Love .-Track listing:...

  • 2009: (e)
    (e)
    [e] is Korean hip-hop group Epik High's sixth official album released in September 2009 and is also their third major album release of the same year. The two other albums released in 2009 are Map the Soul and Remixing the Human Soul, an electronica-inspired remix compilation album with labelmates...

  • 2010: Epilogue
    Epilogue (Epik High album)
    Epilogue is a special release album from Korean hip-hop group Epik High. The album is a collection of unreleased tracks from the group's discography spanning 7 years and 11 albums. It is also the first album released without DJ Tukutz, due to his departure for the Korean military in October...


Projects

  • 2006: Black Swan Songs
    Black Swan Songs
    Black Swan Songs is a remix album in 2006 by Epik High. This is Epik High's first remix album.-Track listing:Disc 1Disc 2# 사진첩 #Paris...

     (Repackaged)
  • 2009: Map the Soul
    Map the Soul
    Map the Soul is Epik High's book album which was released on March 27 2009.The first single from the album is "Map the Soul ". The album is Epik High's first venture under their own independent label, Map the Soul Inc....

  • 2009: Remixing The Human Soul

Awards

Year Awards
2005
  • 2005 KBS Music Awards
    KBS Music Awards
    The KBS Music Awards was a major music awards show that is held annually in South Korea.-KBS Music Awards, era:*2005: Kim Jong Kook*2004: Rain*2003: Lee Hyori*2002: Jang Nara*2001: g.o.d.*2000: g.o.d.*1999: Jo Sungmo*1998: H.O.T....

    : Best Hip Hop Artist
  • 2006 SBS Music Awards: Best Hip Hop Artist
  • 20th Golden Disk Awards
    Golden Disk Awards
    The Golden Disk Awards is an awards show founded in 1986 that is presented annually by the Music Industry Association of Korea for outstanding achievements in the music industry in South Korea...

    : Best Hip-Hop Artist
  • 2005 M.net KM Music Festival
    M.net KM Music Festival
    The Mnet Asian Music Awards , is a major music award show that is held by Mnet Media annually in South Korea, involving the participation of some of the most well-known actors and singers...

    : Best Hip-Hop Artist
2007
  • 2007 M.net KM Music Festival
    M.net KM Music Festival
    The Mnet Asian Music Awards , is a major music award show that is held by Mnet Media annually in South Korea, involving the participation of some of the most well-known actors and singers...

    : Album of the Year (Remapping the Human Soul)
  • 2007 M.net KM Music Festival
    M.net KM Music Festival
    The Mnet Asian Music Awards , is a major music award show that is held by Mnet Media annually in South Korea, involving the participation of some of the most well-known actors and singers...

    : Best Hip Hop Artist (Fan)
  • 22nd Golden Disk Awards
    Golden Disk Awards
    The Golden Disk Awards is an awards show founded in 1986 that is presented annually by the Music Industry Association of Korea for outstanding achievements in the music industry in South Korea...

    : Bonsang (Fan)
  • 2008
  • 17th Seoul Music Awards
    Seoul Music Awards
    The Seoul Music Awards is an awards show founded in 1990 that is presented annually by the Sports Seoul for outstanding achievements in the music industry in South Korea.- Categories :...

    : Bonsang (Fan)
  • 17th Seoul Music Awards
    Seoul Music Awards
    The Seoul Music Awards is an awards show founded in 1990 that is presented annually by the Sports Seoul for outstanding achievements in the music industry in South Korea.- Categories :...

    : Best Album
  • 2008 M.net KM Music Festival
    M.net KM Music Festival
    The Mnet Asian Music Awards , is a major music award show that is held by Mnet Media annually in South Korea, involving the participation of some of the most well-known actors and singers...

    : Best Hip Hop Artist
  • 2009
  • 24th Golden Disk Awards
    Golden Disk Awards
    The Golden Disk Awards is an awards show founded in 1986 that is presented annually by the Music Industry Association of Korea for outstanding achievements in the music industry in South Korea...

    : Best Hip Hop Artist

  • External links

    Map the Soul Epik High's official website Tablo's Cyworld homepage DJ Tukutz's Cyworld homepage Mithra Jin's Cyworld homepage Icarus Walks Epik High's fansite & fanforum
    The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
     
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