Tablo and Mithra Jin began performing in the underground hip hop scene and were part of "Movement", one of the most prominent hip hop crews of that time and included the likes of Drunken Tiger and CB Mass. They decided to form a duo and add a DJ. A mutual friend introduced them to DJ Tukutz, a turntablist-disc jockey who occasionally played with CB Mass.
As hip hop was not a mainstream genre, they performed in the Hongdae club scene while working part-time jobs to raise the necessary funds to release an album. However, CB Mass member Curbin defrauded them, several other Movement crew members and the other CB Mass members Choiza and Gaeko (who later reformed as Dynamic Duo). In 2003 the trio, under the name Epik High, signed with the newly-established Woollim Entertainment and debuted with the album Map of the Human Soul.
This was followed by High Society in 2004. They released their third album Swan Songs in 2005. It was intended to be their final album, following the poor commercial performance of their previous two releases; however, it unexpectedly 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 and winning their first ever number 1 trophy on a music program. "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. Their fourth album Remapping the Human Soul was released in January 2007. It was a commercial success, despite some of the tracks being banned or censored as "PG19" for its lyrical content.
On October 23, 2017, they released We've Done Something Wonderful, their ninth studio album. YG Entertainment announced on October 2, 2018 that the trio would be leaving the agency after deciding not to renew their contracts. They founded their own agency, OURS Co.
, and manage all their activities and day-to-day operations themselves.
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