Part VII – Epik
High
This entry could
be the most controversial in choice when certain things are considered: They
have a style that is definitely more “Pop” than the others, they collaborate
with numerous K-pop artists, and they were picked up by a K-pop label. However,
those same things make Epik High an ideal selection.
Central to this
trio, is the controversial Kyopo, Tablo. Though born in Seoul, Tablo (Lee
Seon-woong, or Dan as his friends knew him) grew up everywhere. He went to
several Foreign Schools around the world, spent a huge chunk of time in Canada
(He is legally Canadian), and graduated from Seoul International School. There
is a great deal of resentment towards people like Tablo among Korean men in
that, though Korean, he is not required to do military service. Perhaps this
was fuel for the fire that would follow him.
Dan Lee
graduated from Stanford in the early 2000’s, obtaining a Bachelor’s and a
Master’s. For some reason, people got really uppity about this and called him a
liar. He presented all the documents to prove it publically and they still didn’t
believe him. MBC followed him to Stanford, where he met his old friends,
professors, and even went to the offices to produces first hand documents, on
site. They still called him a liar. The police deemed Tablo’s education and
degrees to be true, in Korea and internationally, and arrested the man who
began it for criminal defamation and for (ironically) using falsified
identification. Twenty other Korean citizens were issued summons on similar
charges. The online communities dedicated to defaming him were shut down. Game
over? Not quite, as a new one began and is still running with 33,000 members
and counting, despite undeniable evidence.
Yes, I chose
this group because its main member is a victim of Korean online hate, making
them K-“UN”pop.
The group’s
journey into hip hop began in Tablo’s younger years, listening to Tiger JK
songs. The two would later become semi close and do small collaborations. Every
kid’s dream…
They became
noticed with their song “Fly”, from their third album “Swansong”, intended to
be their final since their first two failed to reach recognition.
They followed
this with a triumphant double album, “Remapping the Human Soul”, a play on the
title of their first album, signaling a new beginning. This came with the
popular single “Love Love Love”. It’s a little poppy, but also catchy… those
clever mofos.
Then came “Pieces:
Part One” (Part two never happened). It featured the less poppy, more badass, “Breakdown”.
The next album “(e)”
was the last before Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz (NOT Canadian) went to military
service. They had some fun with the video “Trot” on their way out.
They were
dropped by their label and Tablo was picked up as a solo act by YG (ie: the
lesser of three evils). Jin and Tukutz would sign after their discharge, two
years later.
Their comeback
album, “99”, features some K-pop singers, but still remains true to who the
group has been from the beginning. I hate Bom, but I like the song “Up”. This
is music that belongs in a club.
And that is the
more defining thing about Epik High; they’re club music, something between the
soulessness of K-pop, and the underground grittiness of Drunken Tiger.
Enjoy a few
more:
Wannabe:
Run:
One Minute, One Second:
It's Cold:
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