Epik High Is Here For You

By Regina Kim


“We were anomalies as soon as we started,” 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 the country’s major pop from BTS to Big Bang to Blackpink, Epik High were genre pioneers once they formed in 2001, blending high-speed vocal deliveries with seemingly disparate elements as punk and classical at a time once the sound was believed niche. “As time went on and other people began playing around with different sounds in hip-hop, we became more accepted,” he tells MTV News.


Composed of Tablo, fellow rapper Mithra Jin, and DJ Tukutz, Epik High craft outspoken, socially conscious lyrics that tackle topics ranging from discrimination and class struggle to religion and politics, subjecting them to controversy and even outright bans over the years. However that raw authenticity has only fueled their success: All of Epik High’s previously released albums have charted No. 1 on the South Korean iTunes hip-hop chart. Furthermore to reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s World Albums chart in 2014, they became the initial major Korean act to perform at Coachella in 2016. They’re set to reprise their appearance at the music festival later this year.


Right now the industry veterans are back with the initial half of their two-part tenth album, Epik High Is Here, every aspect of which they treated like a film production. “Every song is a scene,” Tablo says, as on display in the cinematic, sprawling composition of “End of the World” and the lush portrait of contemporary society “Leica.” That plan of action extends to their collaborators, which include the popular South Korean rappers Zico and CL, along with contributions from emerging stateside talents, like the singer-songwriter Hayley Gene Penner, whose writing credits include tracks for The Chicks and The Chainsmokers. “The artists are like character actors, and we’re in the director’s chair,” Tablo adds. “We know exactly what we want for the scene and who could be the ideal actor to deliver that scene.”


The resulting collection is a true epic, the story of collaborations and inspirations inevitably shaped by the coronavirus pandemic, including the title itself.  Although while the songs deal with somber lyrical themes of sadness, anger, and confusion, the album’s core message is one of hope — a reflection of Tablo’s belief that, if the whole world is collectively experiencing painful emotions, then it might unite in positive sentiments, also. “We’re all in the same boat,” he says. “We’re all confused, nevertheless Epik High is here for you and with you.” Speaking with MTV News ahead of the album’s release, Tablo reveals the secret to the group’s longevity, along with his aspirations for the future of Korean rap and hip-hop as it pervades music around the globe.


MTV News: As soon as did you begin working on the album?


Tablo: It depends on the song. We had demos for “Based on a True Story” and “Acceptance Speech” about four years prior. Some of the songs are fully new — they came in several weeks before we had to press out CDs. We were debating everything up until the very last moment, which is normally what we do anyways.


MTV News: The word “here” comes up a lot on this album. Moreover to being included in the title, it’s noticed in the lyrics of  “Wish You Were” and “Acceptance Speech.” Where is “here” for you, and what sort of significance does the word hold for you? 


Tablo: You stay in your residence, although you never really imagine it. It’s just where you come back soon after work or go to sleep, right? However we’ve had to think about each of our “here”s in a new light. And for me, I think “here” isn't a fixed place — it’s an ever-changing place that is both physical and spiritual. Even any time once you look at the arc of Epik High’s career, “here” has changed so several times, where some days “here” is a very good place and we’re flying high, and some days “here” is the lowest of lows.


People who ambitious are usually imagining a higher end “here.” They want that certain job or that certain life, which means that you’re never actually thinking about the “here” that you’re living in right now. I think I was probably the same way. I think I’m finally learning that my “here” is going to change day by day or perhaps minute by minute. Some days it’s going to be fantastic, and some days it’s going to be horrible, nevertheless it is my “here,” and I’m OK with that. So any time As soon as I mention, "Epik High is here,” wherever that may be, we’re OK with that. We know it’s ever-changing.


MTV News: What do you hope people will get out of this album? What’s the in general message you’d like to convey?


Tablo: I just want people to feel like someone knows, that someone is with them and is just as confused and furious as they are. If they’re irritated about something, I want these songs to join them. Hopefully, at the end of the song, some of their anger will have transformed into something better, like courage.


I don’t want my songs to be diversions. I don’t want our music to simply be a way to get away from or disregard what’s going on. I think there really are other musicians that are wonderful at doing that. Yet I don’t think that is our forte, and that’s not even close to what our music is pretending to do. I want our music to mirror whichever emotions you are really feeling, because most likely we’re feeling that way also, and we really do know what it’s like. It may feel comforting to know that you’re not alone.


MTV News: Can you talk about the meaning of the titles of some of your songs?


Tablo: “Rosario” has countless meanings, [referencing] the rosary and praying the rosary. It also comes from the Latin rosarium, which means “a crown of roses.” All that is inside of the song. We’re talking about God and celebrity and dealing with your own demons. I thought that if a Messiah figure were to come down to earth today, what would people mention? I think people would attack this person, and nobody would believe them. If this person were to use a modern-day way of speaking to express their grievances, how would they do it, and why would they rap? I thought these weird things and then put them into a song.


“Based on a True Story” is for people dealing with heartbreak. In moments of heartbreak, you hope to put your attention into any story that isn't your own, and you watch TV and movies and listen to songs to forget. Although the irony is that everything you visualize or hear hits close to residence and feels like your own story.


MTV News: Epik High has been around for two decades. How has the order stayed with each other for so long, and did you guys hit it off from the beginning?


Tablo: I think we appear to get along really well because, from the very starting, we didn’t get along. The three of us have exceedingly different personalities and musical contradictions. From the starting, we fought, even in public and in front of the camera. We weren’t a crowd that was made, and we didn’t have media training, so we had no other choice nevertheless to be ourselves. And I think that worked out because that meant that we had no “yes” boys. The three of us are so hard on each other that it’s impossible to have a situation where each person around you is a “yes” man, which I think is the worst possible thing you could do to yourself, to have each person agree with you and pretend to love you. Musically as well, I think that’s why we’ve habitually been able to adapt and bloom because we’re really hard on each other. We’ll shit on each other’s songs, and it also just never stopped. And I think ironically that is the only reason we’re still together.


MTV News: Who are some of your biggest influences, for you and for the group?


Tablo: For the categorize, A Tribe Called Quest was probably the hugest influence. It’s one of the only groups that all three of us admired identically. Also, Outkast. Personally, I’ve been an enormous option rock fan. I love Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana. Also, growing up I was in love with The Beatles and Bob Dylan. My main go to hip-hop artist was and still is Nas. Illmatic was the opening hip-hop album that I purchased with my own money.


Nowadays as a crowd, we’re really into the Rolling Stones. We imagine performing as an audience whenever we’re grandpas, and we hope that we’ll have the same energy on stage whenever we’re 90.


MTV News: Are there any artists that Epik High might wish to collaborate with in the future?


Tablo: Mark Ronson. Billie Eilish. Kid Cudi. Bruno Mars.


MTV News: Epik High are pioneers of Korean rap and hip-hop, and I think it’s safe to mention that you guys were the ones who brought those two genres into South Korea’s mainstream music. How would you describe the current rap and hip-hop scene in South Korea? How would you describe the music’s popularity in Korea compared to K-pop and other genres?


Tablo: I think rap and hip-hop are the most popular genres in Korea now by far. BTS is heavily a hip-hop order as well. The members of the sort began off as hip-hop artists, and even as soon as they’ve went away from that into other genres, the way they approach lyrics has never left their hip-hop roots beyond, and I think that’s why they’re so popular. Major groups like Blackpink and Big Bang have routinely been hip-hop-based. Right now the scene is so huge that there really are so several rappers and hip-hop artists that I don’t even know. It’s very vibrant.


We’ve also had a renaissance of indie and folk-rock artists, and several of these have been featured in our music. We’ve routinely wanted to introduce different genres and artists to our fans. We just want each person to like each other’s stuff, because there’s no bad that can come out of that. I’m all about having people expand their circles and break down whichever barriers @they could have between each other. I can’t understand why someone who loves hip-hop must hate other genres, or why some fans of K-pop idols won’t listen to other genres like Korean indie. I can understand that familiarity can be good, although I’ve never divided people into genres. I don’t visualize those barriers, and I don’t want our audience to be able to see those either.


I believe that if each person who is a fan of Korean music in one form or another can all share in this experience and get beyond not just Korean music although Asian music, art, films, and culture overall, then these can do even better. We are having a moment, although I want that moment to be a movement. I really want some 12-year-old with guitar plus a unique sound somewhere in Asia to feel like the path to their dreams isn’t farther than some other kid living in Tennessee. I don’t want anyone of any race to think that their path to their dreams is farther away.