Epik High began as an underground Korean hip-hop group in 2000. Tablo and Mithra Jin met through a mutual friend and found they had similar interests and style of rhyming. Mithra Jin was mostly a poet at the time and part of a disbanded hip-hop group. Tablo was an aspiring hip-hop artist. As a result, they hit it off right away. Together, Mithra Jin and Tablo left for the States. Soon after, DJ Tukutz hooked up with Tablo and joined them.
Their first album, Map of the Human Soul, was produced by a mutual friend and was an underground hit. Unfortunately for Epik High, the producer scammed them and took all the profit. The members of Epik High then had to work various part-time jobs to keep afloat until their next album, High Society. It was met with around the same amount of popularity as Map of the Human Soul. Epik High didn't hit the mainstream K-pop scene until their third album, Swan Songs. Songs such as Paris and Fly dominated the Korean charts for weeks, which brought them a lot of attention. Prior to their third album, Epik High's sound was extremely experimental, especially for a hip-hop group. Soon after, it was re-packaged and Black Swan Songs was released.
Their fourth album, Remapping the Human Soul, was a huge hit when it was released some time later. Its original release date was in October of 2006, but due to problems, was put off until December. The sound of the songs on the album was different when compared to their last three albums. Fan and Love, Love, Love were especially popular. Flow, which was a collaboration with Emi Hinouchi, brought them a fair degree of success in Japan. Currently, Epik High are preparing to release a CD sample in Japan, with offers to remake Fly and Paris. Tablo has also been featured in Anyband, a band created by Samsung and part of the Anycall series, which brought him immense popularity. It is rumored that Talk, Play, Love was written by Tablo himself.
