When Epik High returned with their ‘Strawberry’ EP back in February, it wasn’t obvious at the time how one lyric would become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Looking back at the hip-hop trio’s year now, though, and “It’s an all-time high / Baby, I’ve been on one” from ‘Catch’ feels like the perfect summation of their 2023.
It’s rare that you find an artist in any genre celebrating their 20th anniversary in music while feeling like they’re still moving forward, not yet stuck in a nostalgia loop of doing victory laps for past glories. But Epik High still feel like they’re continuously growing, still making big, exciting, new strides, still have plenty left to show us, even after two decades of doing just that.
Although 2023 has been a little quieter for the three-piece in terms of music – just one EP and one single – what they have shared hasn’t found them merely resting on the laurels of their previous work. Across the ‘Strawberry’ EP and November’s ‘Screen Time’, they gave us new collaborations, new perspectives and new sounds. ‘God’s Latte’, the final track on ‘Strawberry’, moved them into an atmospheric, reflective space that gently underpinned lyrics that wrestled with ideas of heaven and hell, good and evil, and God. On ‘Screen Time’, they explored loneliness and separation through the smartphones we’re all glued to – a new evolution in Epik High’s knack for big, broad topics feel specific and relatable.
When they haven’t been gifting us new tunes, the trio have been touring the world, lighting up each spot they visit with electrifying performances. They are shows so full of life and energy that it seems like there must have been a mistake made somewhere – that they couldn’t possibly be hosted by artists two decades into their career. For every dynamic concert, the world has responded in kind – with more interest and enthusiasm, with bigger venues, sold-out crowds and invitations to perform in places Epik High have previously never been. At festivals, they’ve raised the bar for other acts on the line-up and, at their own headline gigs, given fans perfect nights to remember.
Epik High’s year is culminating with two big moments on the live side of their story. First, the introduction of their own official lightstick. In their typical irreverent style, it’s shaped like a raised middle finger and forms a playful, tongue-in-cheek way for fans to show their continued allegiance to Epik High’s story. Last weekend, Seoul’s Olympic Handball Gymnasium was lit up by hundreds and thousands of the new item as the group celebrated its 20th anniversary with three concerts that highlighted their standing in the industry.
Taking place at the 6,500-capacity venue, the shows constituted Epik High’s biggest in their home country for years, adding to that feeling that they’re far from done yet. At these three-hour extravaganzas, they commemorated their catalogue so far, pulling out fan favourite hits, deeper cuts, their newest releases and – on one night – an unreleased track. Each show boasted two guest appearances, including legends from across the spectrum of Korean music, like Dynamic Duo, NELL, Psy, ballad singer Sung Si-kyung, Younha and Ha Dong Qn. The stature of the line-up highlights not just the connections they’ve made in the past, but the respect the industry still holds for them – that such artists would be willing to show up to celebrate them.
Although these concerts looked back on 20 years of Epik High, they were far from a full stop on the group’s whole story, but just on one chapter. At the end of each night, Tablo teased the crowds that there was still plenty to look forward to. “Epik High reborn,” he declared of their 2024 on the second night, promising 24 hours later that their fans could look forward to “a lot of new shit” after the turn of the year. The last 12 months might have been an all-time high for Epik High, but it doesn’t look like they’re coming down anytime soon.
