[STICKY] Epik High Information

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From left to right: DJ Tukutz, Tablo, Mithra Jin.

Epik high
에픽 하이

Genre(s)    Korean-pop, hip hop, rap
Years active    2003 - present
Label(s)    Independent
Website    http://www.mapthesoul.com/

Members:

Tablo
Mithra Jin
DJ Tukutz

Epik High (에픽 하이) is a South Korean hip hop group consisting of two master of ceremonies (MCs) and one disc jockey (DJ). Their music is known to be as lyrical as a piece of literature and at the same time very witty and paradoxical.[1] Epik High is known for the hit songs "Fly", "평화의 날" (Day of Peace), "I Remember", "Paris" and most recently "Fan".

History

The group was unknown to many Koreans in the beginning of their career due to the lack of popularity of hip-hop music in Korea. And they begun their success from Second Album, "High school, Lesson2(Sunset).. etc.". However, with the big success of their third album (released in late 2005), they have become one of the most popular hip-hop groups in Korea. "Fly", the title song and "Paris" from their third album was a big hit in Korea and became the number one song on many Korean TV music programs and on online music charts[citation needed]. The song also appeared in the video game FIFA 07. After their success, their 4th Album, Remapping the Human Soul is a very different beat and style from 3rd album, but they got bigger success. "Fan[atic]" - the 4th album's title song, and "Love Love Love.." have been big hits in 2007.

Success of Fourth Album

Their fourth album, Remapping of the Human Soul, was released on January 23, 2007. The fourth album was supposed to come out in October 2006, but due to problems in the job the date was postponed[citation needed]. 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 sold a total of 130,000 copies as the final result. They were chosen as the best artist of the month.[citation needed] Also they decided to become 'no genre, just music' from fourth album. Some songs in the fourth album has been banned from several channels due not to the use of swear words but to issues dealing sexual crimes, war, education and religion to which the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is trying to stop air play as stated by Tablo in an interview with The Korea Times.[2] With the title song "Fan (Fanantic)", pushed Epik High upwards to number one on many music charts and also number one selling music album. Epik High has also been growing fame in Japan with their song "Flow", which features Emi Hinouchi. They will release a CD sample in Japan. There have been offers to remake "Fly" as well as "Paris".[3]

Group consists of..

Tablo (Blo)

Tablo (born July 22, 1980), born Lee Sun Woong (이선웅), or Daniel Armand Lee in American, is the leader and rapper of the group. He was born in South Korea and moved to Canada when he was eight years old. Tablo is known not only for his appearance in Korean variety shows and sitcoms such as MBC's Nonstop5, but also for his Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing from Stanford University, California, USA.[4] Tablo was a big hip-hop fan ever since he could remember, listening to old Run-DMC and Cold Crush tapes and always rhyming around the way in South Korea. But there was one emcee who inspired him to take it seriously. After he heard Drunken Tiger rapping, he became part of a group called Epik High in 2000 and also claimed to be the first emcee to invent the rhyming rifle. In the fickle world of hip-hop, Tablo kept his name alive over the years by doing shows and various cameos with the EPMD. He is planning on making his own album later.

Mithra Jin

Mithra Jin (born January 6, 1983), born Choi Jin (최진) is a rapper in the group. Mithra Jin was originally a poet whose poems also worked as rhymes. Park emceeing and poetry readings were the first places where he met his future partner Tablo. They were introduced by a mutual friend and clicked right away because each other's style of poetic rhymes was comparable.

"I'm capable of anything. Anything on the face of this planet, I'm capable of. And I know that. That's the dangerous thing about me, 'cause I know it. And by knowing it...I'll do it. Just to show that...yes, somebody out there got enough balls to do it." - Mithra Jin

DJ Tukutz

DJ Tukutz (born November 19, 1981), born Kim Jung Shik (김정식) is the disc jockey for the group. DJ Tukutz first got into DJ-ing in the summer of 1995 while spending his time at illegal raves and warehouse parties, where his passion for the scene and music began. He started playing at local raves and parties in Japan's underground Hip-Hop scene, before moving up to South Korea in 2000 to attend the Technics DJ School. After returning from the academy, he hooked up with Tablo and headed to the states. He worked and DJ-ed on radio shows, live events and clubs around the Boston and New York City area.

Taken from their last.fm

Epik High is a hip hop group from South Korea, composed of three members - Tablo, Mithra Jin, and DJ Tukutz. All three members of Epik High can sing, write lyrics, and compose and arrange music. Their music has been known to be 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.

Tablo has a Masters Degree from Stanford University (California, USA) where he majored in English Literature and Creative Writing. When he was 17 years old he wrote the song Rainy Christmas with the famous Korean singer 김건모 (Kim Gun Mo). While attending Stanford University, Tablo was part of an underground hip hop group known as 4n Objects, which caught the attention of CB Mass and Drunken Tiger, leading to them eventually offer to support Tablo in releasing a solo album in Korea.

Mithra Jin had been featured on over 11 major albums in Korea even before Epik High's debut. Mithra Jin and Tablo met through the Movement Crew (a collaboration of hip hop artists who are determined to promote social and political awareness through hip hop culture and music), during a freestyle contest in Seoul. Mithra Jin was pursuing a solo career of his own, but with his artistic vision and style matching so well with Tablo's, the two decided to join together.

DJ Tukutz is Epik High's DJ, "the boy with the magic fingers". He started DJing in 1995, and has attended the Technics DJ School in South Korea. He has DJed in not only Korea, but also in Japan at raves, and in America on radio shows, live events and clubs around Boston and NYC.

Epik High's debut album was Map of the Human Soul, released in 2003 and featuring some big Korean hip hop names such as CB Mass, Drunken Tiger and T. This album and the following three (High Society (2004), Swan Songs (2005) and Remapping The Human Soul (2007)), have featured other well-known Korean artists such as Nell, Clazziquai, Loveholic, TBNY, unknownDJs, Pe2ny and more.

In 2005, Epik High won several awards including Best Hip Hop Artist at the Korean Gold Disc Awards, and a tie for Best Artist of the year. Their song Fly, from their third album Swan Songs was a huge hit, claiming the #1 place on many Korean TV music programs and online music charts. This song also appeared in the video game FIFA 07.

Epik High, and especially Tablo, are often featured in the releases of other artists', and have a side-project known as Blac Bakery.

Their latest release is Remapping The Human Soul (January 2007), a 2 disc album jampacked with 27 tracks. The first disc, Part 01 - The Brain, is a lot more aggressive than much of their earlier work. The second disc, Part 02 - The Heart, includes the song Fan, which became an almost instant hit as soon as it was released.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: http://www.mapthesoul.com