Photos courtesy of YG EntertainmentHereâs how long itâs been since Epik High was last in North America: Their last gig was a tour with Far East Movement before âLike A G6.â But this year, after a well-received appearance at SXSWâs K-Pop Night Out, the Korean hip-hop trio announced a comprehensive tour of the US and Canada that starts in San Francisco on May 28 and ends in Toronto on June 14.Their return is another milestone in a year where Korean rap has become as ubiquitous on the internet as K-pop. Itâs only right, since Epik High was one of the first Korean hip-hop groups to make it big both in their home country and abroad, and their introspective lyrics and snappy beats have had a huge influence on the Korean rappers of today. But this tour isnât just coasting on their legacy. After a long career full of ups and downs, the group is still making music that pushes the boundaries of what theyâve done before, supporting the rappers who grew up listening to their songs while playing on their level.The group formed in 2003, with rappers Tablo and Mithra Jin and producer DJ Tukutz, but they didnât break through to the public until their third album, 2005âs Swan Songsâan album that, as the title indicates, was meant to be their last. The singles âFlyâ and âParisâ were hits in Korea and Japan, and the groupâs career took off, with one hit single after another building on the inspirational, upbeat tone of âFly.â K-pop idol rappers like the members of BTS talk a lot about how to not compromise their credibility as musical artists while being in the mainstream industry, but Epik High has been clear on their terms from the start. Theyâve been openly commercial all along, but theyâve also always had an independent mindset. Since they started in the underground before hitting it big, their music never had to be designed to sell well. It just did. In the same year that Tablo participated in goofy corporate projects like Samsungâs AnyBand supergroup with K-pop stars BoA and Xia Junsu, the Epik High album Remapping the Human Soul had its sales age-restricted for covering topics like sexual crimes, war, and religion.In 2009, at the height of Epik Highâs initial popularity, a rumor started going around the internet that Tablo had falsified his degree from Stanford University, at a time when diploma fraud was a sensitive issue in South Korea and could lead to 18 months in jail for forgery. This turned into general accusations of identity theft and fraud, as well as a theory that the media was protecting Tablo as an elite member of society. A group called TaJinYo (short for âWe Demand the Truth from Tabloâ) formed to reinforce these claims, and their online conspiracy theories soon turned into real-life harassment and death threats that forced Tablo into hiding. After one last album, titled Epilogue, Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz enlisted to fulfill their mandatory military service, and Epik High was put on hold.Then, in 2011, Tablo released a two-part album through YG Entertainment, Feverâs End, with ten dark, depressing, beautiful songs written while he was holed up in his apartment. Once again, the title proved significant; the album was acclaimed not only internationally but within Korea, signifying that the era of hiding was over. Mithra Jin and Tukutz completed their military service, and in 2012 it was announced that the whole group had signed with YG.Their album 99 was teased with Tablo, Big Bang member Seungri, and Psy holding up signs that said âDONâT HATE MEââboth the name of the single and a reference to the public scandals that all three had been in. Itâs this kind of sly self-awareness that has characterized Epik Highâs work since their comeback; rather than act like their hardships never happened, they acknowledge how they have made the group stronger. This North American tour comes on the heels of Shoebox, an album full of fresh sounds and the same thoughtful sensitivity that Epik High has come to represent over their 12-year career.The motivational message and cheery sound of Epik Highâs breakthrough single got it featured on the soundtrack for FIFA 07. The upbeat electronic track, smooth vocal hook and pattering back-and-forth rapping between Tablo and Mithra Jin helped to establish the template for Korean hip-hop of the period.âFanâ is a dark take on the sound established by âFlyâ and âParisâ: melodramatic strings, an anxious, double-time chorus, and lyrics from the viewpoint of an obsessive fan, with a creepy music video to match.With a slower tempo and a stronger focus on the chorus than previous singles, âUmbrellaâ speaks to the groupâs reputation for âdepressing fun,â in that it is sad and hopeful at the same time. The chorus melody is so enduring that in 2014 Younha re-released it in solo ballad form.Epik Highâs brainy sense of humor includes a love of themes and continuity between songs. [e] is one of their most ambitiously themed albums, with two discs named â[e]motionâ and â[e]nergyâ and multiple songs titled with the letters O, S, and T. âWannabeâ comes from the high-impact â[e]nergyâ side, and its music video is also a two-parter; if you want to see what happens next, see the second music video from the album, âTrotâ/âHigh Technology.âTheir last single before their hiatus, âRunâ follows the same urgent, string-driven path as their earlier singles âParisâ and âFanâ but with a creeping sense of hopelessness underneath. The soaring instrumental makes you feel like running, but the chorus has the punchline: âNo matter how much I run, Iâm still on the same spot.âTabloâs decision to join YG was a family-based one: Itâs the same agency that manages his wife, actress Kang Hye-jung (who played Mido in Oldboy). This move brought him into YGâs musical family, too, and the year after Feverâs End, Tablo appeared on G-Dragonâs solo album, One of a Kind. Taeyang also features on Epik Highâs album Shoebox, and Tablo reworked his song âEyes, Nose, Lipsâ as part of a YG covers project of the song.99 is meant in part as a tribute to the music Epik High grew up with in the 90s. âDonât Hate Meâ is a snotty pop-punk track that turns the TaJinYo situation into a catchy refrain (âEverybody hates me, but you love me and I love youâ) that also thanks the fans who stuck by the group through their hard times.âBorn Haterâ packs a clown carâs worth of features into five minutes of rubbery funk beat: a seasoned veteran (Verbal Jint, widely credited with fixing the way Korean rappers rhyme), a current star (Beenzino of trap kings Illionaire Records), and three new-generation YG idol rappers (Mino of Winner and Bobby and B.I. of iKON). Itâs representative of the eras that Epik Highâs career has spanned, but mostly it shows that haters unite us all.Tablo and DJ Tukutz are both dads now, and Tablo and his daughter Haru had a long stint on a popular variety show featuring celebrity dads looking after their children. If âRunâ is about having to keep running with no purpose in the hopes of finding one, âShoeboxâ gives us what that purpose is: coming home to the people you âsweat 365 daysâ for, who make your hard work worthwhile.Epik High North America Tour Dates:May 28 - San Francisco, The Warfield Theater
May 29 - Los Angeles, Wiltern Theater
May 31 - Vancouver, Vogue Theatre
June 1 - Vancouver, Vogue Theatre
June 2 - Seattle, The Showbox
June 4 - Chicago, House of Blues
June 5 - Dallas, South Side Music Hall
June 7 - Atlanta, Center Stage
June 12 - New York City, Best Buy Theater
June 13 - New York City, Best Buy Theater
June 14 - Toronto, Danforth Music HallMadeleine Lee is Noisey's most epik correspondent. Follow her on Twitter.
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âFlyâ (Swan Songs, 2005)
âFanâ (Remapping the Human Soul, 2007)
âUmbrella (feat. Younha)â (Pieces, Part One, 2008)
âWannabe (feat. Mellow)â ([e], 2009)
âRunâ (Epilogue, 2010)
âTomorrow (feat. Taeyang)â (Feverâs End, 2011)
âDonât Hate Meâ (99, 2012)
âBorn Haterâ (Shoebox, 2014)
âShoebox (feat. MYK)â (Shoebox, 2014)
May 29 - Los Angeles, Wiltern Theater
May 31 - Vancouver, Vogue Theatre
June 1 - Vancouver, Vogue Theatre
June 2 - Seattle, The Showbox
June 4 - Chicago, House of Blues
June 5 - Dallas, South Side Music Hall
June 7 - Atlanta, Center Stage
June 12 - New York City, Best Buy Theater
June 13 - New York City, Best Buy Theater
June 14 - Toronto, Danforth Music HallMadeleine Lee is Noisey's most epik correspondent. Follow her on Twitter.