After Two Decades, Epik High Is Still Here and Still Shaping the Future of Korean Music – Vanity Fair

Before there was BTS or BigBang, there was Epik High. Ask anyone whos been listening to K-pop for more than a few years, and chances are theyd know Epik High because the pioneering Korean hip-hop trio has had a profound and far-reaching influence on Korean popular music. With K-pop icons such as BTS, Seventeen, and B.I citing them as an inspiration, Epik High is the musicians musicians. And on Monday, February 14, they released Epik High Is Here(Part 2), the second half of their latest two-part albumtheir tenth full-length album in their two-decade-long career.

There was a lot that we wanted to say, and we felt like we couldnt do that with just one album, Epik High frontman Tablo tells Vanity Fair. Also, we were in a situation where the whole world was under quarantine for the first part of this album, so we knew that it was gonna be a long-term period of difficulty for everyone.

Released in January 2021, Epik High Is Here (Part 1) was met with great acclaim, landing in the top 10 on U.S. iTunes and on Spotifys Top 10 Album Debuts charts both in the U.S. and globally. Just over a year later, Epik Highs much-anticipated follow-up is their most personal and powerful work yeta thoughtful retrospective on their 20-year journey recounted in 12 wide-ranging tracks. Epik High Is Here(Part 2) is a rich, eclectic mix of free-flowing rhymes and soaring melodies drawn from hip-hop, pop, indie rock, and other various genres, and it may just provide the emotional outlet we all need as we continue to deal with the ongoing pandemic.

Who in 2022 is not feeling confused, angry, or lost? No one. We wanted this album to be something that grows with people throughout this entire period of difficulty, says Tablo.

Composed of Tablo, Mithra Jin, and DJ Tukutz, Epik High was formed in 2001 before hip-hop waswidely mainstreamin South Korea. The trio didnt readily receive much recognition because their lyrics were deemed too complex and their sound too unlike the typical K-pop songs that dominated the airwaves at the time. But in 2005, they found mainstream success with their third album, Swan Songs, (originally meant to be their last), which featured the hit single Fly. Shortly after releasing Fly, they won the top spot on a popular Korean music show.

It was rare to see a Korean hip-hop group on those shows, but it was nearly impossible to get number one, Tablo explains. We were up against [K-pop group] TVXQat the peak of their popularity, and everyone was telling us congratulations for trying, but we actually won. That was a huge moment because it was also the moment that Korean hip-hop became recognized on national TV. I think that was the turning point.

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Today, the alternative hip-hop trio is widely credited with being one of the first acts to infuse hip-hop and rap into South Koreas mainstream music. Since their inception, Epik High has worked with artists across genres, helping inspire subsequent crossovers and collaborations in the Korean music industry and introducing a variety of sounds into K-pop and Korean hip-hop. Although their penchant for combining rap and hip-hop with elements of pop, rock, and even classical was initially considered too niche and experimental, its partly thanks to their pioneering efforts that weve heard these disparate genres often woven into K-pop songs over the years.

Whats amazing is that every artist that weve supposedly influenced takes it to another level, says Tablo. They will influence a bunch of other people that will take it even further. I would love it to be this domino effect.

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After Two Decades, Epik High Is Still Here and Still Shaping the Future of Korean Music - Vanity Fair