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Epik High’s 10th studio album is here

Korea’s most influential Hip Hop trio is set to play Coachella in April

LiFTED | Marcus Aurelius | 15 Feb 2022


Twenty years is a long time to be doing anything. For musicians, 20 years is a few lifetimes of shows, touring, recording, press, and social media. Epik High, who has been Korea’s most influential Hop Hop trio, is nearing 20 years in the game with their 10th album, Epik High Is Here 下 [Part 2]. They are also hitting up Coachella for a show in April along with 28 other dates in the US. Fans are wondering if this is their last hurrah.

In a recent interview with 1883 magazine, one-third of Epik High, Tablo, gives an answer. “I would love to do music forever, but that’s not really up to us anymore, if you think about it. If people stop listening to it or If people stop caring it’s gonna be really hard to continue to do that, so I think that’s one of the reasons why this album sort of sounds like there’s a finale to it. We know that this is going to be the end of a chapter and it’s going to be up to us, and also the audience, to figure out whether or not this will become the start of another chapter.”

While that’s not a clear yes or no answer, Epik High Is Here 下 [Part 2] sure feels like the grand finale. There’s a tinge of melancholy that runs through the album’s 12 tracks, but that loneliness has been what Epik High is known for during the past two decades. ‘BRB’ is a smooth and jazzy number that rumbles instrumentally for 45 seconds before the lyrics come in. ‘I Hated Myself [Tablo’s World]’ goes really deep into the MCs insecurities. Younha drops by for a feature in ‘Gray So Gray’ and adds some buoyant female energy to the middle of the album.

The album’s final track, ‘Champagne,’ starts off with a snippet of their very first show. Then it asks listeners to put some champagne bottles up in the air to celebrate with them. While it may not be the end, we can at least make a toast to the longevity of one of the greatest Asian Hip Hop groups in history, Epik High.

Check out the lyric video for ‘Gray So Gray’ and listen to the full album Epik High Is Here 下 [Part 2] below.