Saturday, July 13, 2013

More Than Just K-pop - Part VII - Epik High


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:


For links to all the articles in the series so far, check out the list in the original post: http://sunnysmartshoppingkorea.blogspot.kr/2013/06/more-than-just-k-pop.html


No comments:

Post a Comment