Maps of Music

High Society (2004)

Where the lyrics of High Society take you, and where it was really made.

Many listeners took this album for Epik High's debut, because it was the record that first brought the trio to the wider public. Its first track was supposed to be the title song, but it was replaced after broadcast review.

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Album story

Overview

• High Society is the second full-length studio album by the Korean hip hop trio Epik High
• Released 22 July 2005, nine months after the group's first album
• The first album in which Epik High worked as composers and producers themselves
• Every song was written and composed by the members
• Contains 18 tracks, and the last one, I Remember (70s Soul Remix), is a bonus track
• Tracks 1, 8 and 17 form a skit sequence split into Good Morning, Good Afternoon and Good Evening
• Guest artists include Kim Yeon-woo, Unknowndjs, TBNY, Kim Jae Suk of WANTED, Clazziquai, Eun Ji Won, Tweak, Dynamic Duo, Asoto Union and Kensie
• Lesson 2 was the original title track but was replaced by Day of Peace

Background

• The group's first full-length album, Map of the Human Soul, drew praise for its literary lyrics and fresh metaphors
• Work on the second album began in 2005
• Before release, the group featured on Mong-song from MC Mong's first full-length album 180 Degree
• In February 2005, Epik High held a two-day solo concert in Daehak-ro
• The group hosted an MTV program titled High Society and appeared on radio and variety shows
• The group contributed Bi-ui Rhapsody, a single featuring Yankie, to the New K-Pop Compilation, and took part in the compilation The New Classik...And You Don't Stop prepared by Lee Hyun-do
• Epik High's wider public recognition came with this album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in 2002 in South Korea, a hip-hop trio of rapper and producer Tablo, rapper and lyricist Mithra Jin, and DJ Tukutz.
• Tablo and Mithra Jin began performing together in the underground hip-hop scene with the Movement crew; DJ Tukutz joined in March 2002.
• Signed with Woollim Entertainment and released their debut album Map of the Human Soul in 2003.

Members

• Tablo: rapper, record producer, songwriter.
• Mithra Jin: rapper and lyricist.
• DJ Tukutz: DJ and beatmaker.

Career

• Swan Songs (2005) became a mainstream hit; its title track "Fly" reached number one on domestic charts.
• Remapping the Human Soul (2007) was censored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism over its lyrics and themes, yet sold well in Korea and Japan.
• Moved to YG Entertainment in 2012 and became the first South Korean act to play at Coachella (2016).
• Left YG in 2018, founded their own agency Ours Co., and released Epik High Is Here in 2021–2022.
• Their 20th-anniversary concerts sold out in December 2023, and their first mixtape Pump came out in 2024.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The title track was first Lesson 2, but the broadcasters' review panels rejected it even after the problematic words were edited, so the title changed to Day of Peace
• Of the 18 tracks, 14 received broadcast-unsuitable ratings from the review process
• After release, most songs on the album were caught in broadcast review and judged unfit for broadcast
• Lesson 2, Lady and Daydream were flagged for their lyrical content
• The title track still became well known and gave the group a public name

Records

• Cumulative sales of the second album, reissued together with the first album, reached about 34,000 copies
• Day of Peace was used as background music for the sitcom Nonstop 5 and became very popular
• At the Hip Hop Player Awards 2004, the first track, Gentleman's Stroll (Good Morning), was ranked number one for best skit of 2004
• At the same awards, Day of Peace was ranked number one for best song of 2004, with Lesson 2 at number two, Although I'm Alone at number ten and Lady at number thirteen
• At the 2nd Korean Music Awards, the album received a nomination in the Best Hip Hop category
• Because High Society made Epik High widely known, some people believe it is the group's debut album

Sources: ko.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The title track of the album was originally Lesson 2, and the song that replaced it after review became the group's best-known single
• Track 10, Paranoia Pt. 3, is the first song of Epik High's Paranoia series, and it is not the third song in the series
• Track 11, November 1, is an indirect tribute to singers Yoo Jae-ha and Kim Hyun-sik, who both died on 1 November, and the title comes from that date
• Track 16, Gossip, disses Kebin, a member of CB Mass, who was involved in the VIP incident
• The album was released with a bonus track, I Remember (70s Soul Remix), featuring Asoto Union and Kensie
• Some listeners treat this album as the group's debut because it was the record that brought them to the wider public

Sources: ko.wikipedia.org

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