South Korea’s most famous hip-hop group, Epik High, has created some of that country’s most influential music over the past two decades. Acclaimed for their clever lyrics – which tackle sociopolitical issues with biting wit and humor – the trio is in their element performing live. On their current world tour promoting their critically-acclaimed mixtape “PUMP,” rapper-songwriter-producer Tablo trades verses with co-lyricist Mithra Jin, while co-producer DJ Tukutz takes a break from laying down beats to show off his b-boy moves.
“At the moment, we’re wrapping up four shows in Australia and heading to the United States and Canada for a 23-city tour,” Tablo said. “I renewed my passport six months ago and it’s already out of pages and I’m scared that I’m not gonna be able to go back home. What I’m trying to say is that we are running full speed on some never-before-seen energy, and this year’s North America tour is gonna feel fresh as hell as a result, even for people who’ve seen our shows before.
So come join us again in the nearest city!” Epik High’s tour includes concerts in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, where they will perform Sept. 11 at the Riviera Theatre ( https://epikhigh.com/#tour ).
Q: Are there any cities on this current tour that are new to you? Tablo: We’ve always taken the risk of adding first- time cities to each tour. It sometimes means deliberately not taking sure bets and performing at smaller venues, but we’ll gladly.