Epik High

Epik High
Epik High performing in New York City during their 2015 North American Tour From left: Mithra Jin, DJ Tukutz, Tablo
Background information
Origin	Seoul, South Korea
Genres	Alternative hip hop
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Woollim Entertainment (2003–2008, 2010) Map the Soul Inc. (Independent label) (2009–10) YG Entertainment (2012–present)
Associated acts	Dynamic Duo, MYK, Infinite, Park Bom, Dok2, Yankie, Nell, Planet Shiver, Lee Hi, Pe2ny, TBNY, Jay Park
Website	Epik High Website
Members	Tablo Mithra Jin DJ Tukutz

Epik High (Hangul: 에픽하이) is a South Korean alternative hip hop group from Seoul, composed of Tablo, Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz. They are known for having combined genres and different styles of hip hop throughout their career, which has seen the release of eleven studio albums since their debut in 2003, as well as for their coverage of diverse lyrical themes. The group went on hiatus between 2010–2012 whilst two of the members served mandatory military service. Upon their return, YG Entertainment signed Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz on July 25, 2012, Tablo already having released a solo album under the label. They have received international acclaim, winning several music awards in Korea and becoming the second ever Korean act (and first major K-pop act) to play at Coachella.

Epik High formed in 2001 upon frontman Tablo's return to South Korea after being educated in Vancouver and Stanford. With the addition of Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz, the group made their beginnings in the underground hip hop scene in Seoul, performing with other Korean hip hop groups such as CB Mass and as part of the "Movement Crew", one of the largest hip hop crews of the time in South Korea. As the genre was unpopular among mainstream audiences, the group was relatively unknown early on in their career, with critics seeing little market for "lyrically complex music" that did not match the K-pop model of the time. Their first performance was to a small audience at the amusement park Everland in 2002. They released their debut album, Map of the Human Soul, under Woollim Entertainment in 2003, and began to gain success with the release of their second album, High Society (2004).

Swan Songs was intended to be Epik High's final album, following the poor performance of their previous two releases; however, it became a mainstream hit and made them one of the most popular hip hop groups in Korea. The album was a chart success with the title track, "Fly", reaching number one on domestic charts. "Fly" also featured on the soundtracks for FIFA 07 and Pump It Up. Another of the album tracks, "Paris" featuring Loveholics' Jisun, was also a hit in Japan and Korea. The album was repackaged the following year as Black Swan Songs, which included remixes of several tracks.