Maps of Music

Map the Soul (魂) (2009)

Where the lyrics of Map the Soul (魂) take you, and where it was really made.

The album was sold only through the band's own website, which went down from traffic overload within hours of opening.

Place unknown

Do you know where this album was recorded, or where its cover was shot? Tell us and we will add it to the map.

Map the Soul (魂) is Epik High's book album, released 27 March 2009
Book album: a CD and a book combined as one work
First release under Epik High's own independent label, Map the Soul Inc.
Many tracks were recorded with international fans in mind
Collaborations with Asian American artists Kero One and MYK, who were also labelmates
Lyrics written in both English and Korean
Lead single: Map the Soul (ft. MYK)
The complimentary book, ordered directly from the official site, details the album creation process
The book contains writing and photos by Epik High and MYK
Tablo translated each chapter into Korean and English
Chapters cover the artists, the creative process, studio gear, inspiration, lyric rhyme notes, cover drafts, execution, and communication

Epik High ended their contract with former label Woorim Entertainment in December 2008
They invested their own money to found Map the Soul, with help from Choi Allen Jinwook, a friend of Tablo
The band chose to leave a label they had grown fond of in pursuit of a new challenge
The site mapthesoul.com opened at 3:21 pm on 21 March 2009 so the band could talk with fans directly
The site went down from traffic overload within hours of opening
A music video teaser for Map the Soul was released on 22 March 2009
The album was sold only through the official site at first
Map the Soul World Tour 2009 ran from 26 April to 23 May 2009, starting in Kobe and Tokyo, then Seoul, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, and Seattle
The Map the Soul band included Beatbox DG, Acell, MYK, Kero One, and Epik High

1	Believe	3:37
2	Cipher	1:11
3	Map the Soul	3:52
4	Customer Service (Skit)	2:11
5	Top Gun	3:59
6	Scenario (피해망상 pt.2)	3:45
7	London	2:59
8	Free Music	3:37
9	Map the Soul (Worldwide Version)	4:27
10	8 by 8, Part 2	4:25

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.

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.

Released 27 March 2009 as a book album combining a CD with a book
Sold only through the official site mapthesoul.com, where the complimentary book could be ordered directly
First venture under Epik High's own independent label, Map the Soul Inc.
First single: Map the Soul featuring MYK
Many tracks were recorded with international fans in mind, with collaborations from Asian American artists Kero One and MYK
Lyrics appear in both English and Korean
After release, the album went through content review like Epik High's previous records
On 14 April 2009, Mithra Jin said on his blog that KBS review found 3 of the 10 tracks unsuitable
On 29 May 2009, the Youth Protection Committee designated 8 by 8, Pt. 2 as harmful to minors because of profanity

After the official site closed, the album has been sold in limited quantities through Hiphop Playa
The album's sales channel stayed limited to the artist's own platforms, which made it a book album sold outside ordinary distribution

Tablo wrote 초화상 instead of 초상화 in his verse on the title track, and only noticed three weeks after recording
He re-recorded and corrected the line, then revealed the mistake on the radio show Dreaming with Tablo on 14 March 2009
Believe was flagged for mentioning the review room, and Top Gun was flagged for naming real people, including Park Tae-hwan and Kim Tae-hee
The track Hyung from Epik High's 6th album [e] was originally planned for this album but was not included