South Korean alternative hip-hop trio known as Epik High comprising Tablo, Mithra Jin, and DJ Tukutz was founded in 2001, with the Seoul-based group signed with Woollim Entertainment for their debut studio album, Map of the Human Soul (2003). Following the modest success of High Society (2004), Epik High increased their visibility with Swan Songs (2005) and, more notably, Remapping the Human Soul, which unexpectedly topped the best-selling charts in South Korea, despite being censored by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture over its multiple references to sex crimes, war, religion and education. Pieces, Part One (2008) maintained public interest with a second-place ranking on the charts thanks in part to the hit singles "Fly", "Paris", "Fan" and "Umbrella.” After a decline in fan interest around [e] in 2009, the group made a comeback with the hit "It’s Cold" (« 춥다 ») in 2012 (from the album 99) featuring Lee Hi, which claimed the top spot on the charts in South Korea, selling nearly two million copies. It was release of eighth studio album Showbox in 2014, however, that Epik High found a new fanbase in the United States, after the group invited to perform at SXSW in Austin, Texas and becoming the first South Korean group to perform at the Coachella festival. Returning to the studio, the trio reclaimed the top spot with "Love [Story]" (연애소설;) from 2017 album We’ve Done Something Wonderful and "Lovedrunk" in 2019, featuring Crush. In 2021 and 2022, the trio released two volumes of their project Epik High Is Here, returning in 2023 with the EPs Strawberry, and Screen Time, which charted at number 33 and 31, respectively. On May 30, 2024, Epik High revealed plans to release their initial mixtape, titled Pump, which was released on June 20th. A special Collector's Edition of Pump was released later the year in October.
