{"id":366766,"date":"2026-10-07T12:04:21","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T12:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/366766\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T12:04:21","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T12:04:21","slug":"epik-high-brings-unfiltered-authenticity-to-new-york-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/366766\/","title":{"rendered":"Epik High brings unfiltered authenticity to New York City"},"content":{"rendered":"

Epik High kicked off their North American tour in New York City last week, meeting fans face-to-face at their K-Town pop-up before bringing their trademark blend of hip-hop, humor and heartfelt honesty to the stage at Terminal 5.<\/p>\n

Since debuting in 2002, the Korean hip-hop trio Tablo, Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz have built a career by being unapologetically themselves. Their music can be deeply introspective one moment and irreverently funny the next, while their YouTube content often showcases exactly who they are: goofy, candid and imperfectly perfect.<\/p>\n

That willingness to embrace who they are, flaws, humor and all, has helped generations of fans feel seen. It also extends to their love of K-pop itself, with the trio often showing that they are fans just as much as they are artists.<\/p>\n

In true Epik High fashion, the group brought that spirit to the start of its Epik High 3.0 Tour, making a surprise appearance on Sept. 29 at their K-Town pop-up inside Grace Street Cafe on 32nd Street and Sixth Avenue.<\/p>\n

Fans got to see the veteran hip-hop trio up close as they spent time with supporters, raffled off two signed T-shirts and gave attendees a sneak peek at the choreography for their new song, \u201cEPIKISM.\u201d<\/p>\n

The last time Epik High performed in New York City was at the KOOM 2025 festival at Duggal Greenhouse in Brooklyn on Oct. 18, 2025, where Angel Kinney, 28, of Manhattan, first saw the group live.<\/p>\n

\"Epik<\/a>Epik High kicked off their North American tour in New York City last week, meeting fans beforehand.Photo by Amanda Moses \"Epik<\/a>Epik High kicked off their North American tour in New York City last week, meeting fans beforehand.Photo by Amanda Moses \"Epik<\/a>Epik High kicked off their North American tour in New York City last week, meeting fans beforehand.Photo by Amanda Moses<\/p>\n

Clutching a copy of Pieces of You, written by Tablo, Kinney said both the book and the group\u2019s music resonated with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I saw them at the KOOM festival last year, I heard the fan song for the first time, and I just loved the energy they brought at the KOOM festival,\u201d Kinney recalled. \u201cEveryone was jumping; they threw water and just made us feel relaxed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Natalie Sanchez, 38, of Woodside, Queens, arrived wearing her new forest-green \u201cEPIKISM\u201d hoodie and spread Epik High photocards across a cafe table as she traded with another fan. Rather than the polished, carefully curated images often associated with K-pop, Sanchez said she loved seeing the trio embrace their sillier side.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love how creative they got compared to the ones I\u2019ve got in the past. Most of the photocards I\u2019ve got are so professional,\u201d Sanchez said. \u201cI love how unapologetically themselves they are in these photos. The most awkward and weird photos. It\u2019s so cute. I love them all.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Sanchez, Epik High\u2019s appeal goes beyond the music. It is the uplifting feeling the group gives her and the ability to share that experience with someone she loves.<\/p>\n

\u201cEpik High for me has a deep, significant meaning because I\u2019ve been a fan of K-pop on and off for years, but Epik High is something I can enjoy with my partner,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Her message to the trio was simple: Don\u2019t change.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t stop being yourselves. I love how authentic you guys are. The most raw and unfiltered versions of yourselves, just keep being, and we as your fans will always follow behind you and always support what you are doing,\u201d Sanchez said.<\/p>\n

That same connection carried into Terminal 5 on Sept. 30, where Epik High officially launched the New York City leg of its North American tour.\n<\/p>\n

\"Epik<\/a>Epik High performs.Photo by Amanda Moses \"Epik<\/a>Epik High performs.Photo by Amanda Moses \"Epik<\/a>Epik High performs.Photo by Amanda Moses<\/p>\n

The trio turned the Manhattan venue into a sweaty, chaotic celebration, jumping into the crowd, tossing water toward fans and urging High Skool, the group\u2019s fandom, to dance along with them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are Epik High, kicking off the 2026 Epik High North America in the greatest city in the world,\u201d Tablo shouted to the crowd.\n<\/p>\n

For VIP ticket holders Mia Li, 28, and Eunice Xu, 27, who held onto the barricade throughout the show, that raw energy and emotional honesty are what keep them coming back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just feel like the songs are so unique,\u201d said Xu, of Brooklyn. \u201cWhat we understand about K-pop or hip-hop songs is very loud, like rock, heavy stuff like that. But if you ever click into Epik High\u2019s song list, you will see they deliver the energy. They deliver a lot of their emotions through very soft, gentle songs.\u201d<\/p>\n

That softer side of the group\u2019s music, Xu said, can be particularly meaningful during difficult moments.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very warming and kind of very healing, especially when you are in a stage of a downturn,\u201d she said. \u201cI feel like Epik High\u2019s songs give you a lot of energy if you really understand them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Li, who traveled from Philadelphia, has listened to Epik High since she was young and credits the group\u2019s music, along with Tablo\u2019s philosophy and life advice, with helping her through school.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really like their philosophy, and I started to like them when I was really little,\u201d Li said. \u201cTheir songs and their shows got me through, and especially Tablo\u2019s philosophy and life advice got me through school and stuff. I think I liked them ever since middle school.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Epik<\/a>Epik High performs.Photo by Amanda Moses \"Epik<\/a>Epik High performs.Photo by Amanda Moses \"Epik<\/a>Epik High performs.Photo by Amanda Moses<\/p>\n

After seeing the group for the third time, Li had one message for the trio: Keep going.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cKeep making music, and let\u2019s see you guys in your 30th anniversary,\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n

For Li and Xu, that enduring connection is a testament to the relationship Epik High has built with its fans. For more than two decades, the trio has remained successful without pretending to have all the answers, embracing the awkwardness, humor, heartbreak and uncertainty that come with simply being human.<\/p>\n

That humanity was on full display when Mithra Jin reluctantly agreed to perform aegyo, a Korean concept of acting playfully or childlike, only to fall backward and cut his hand on the stage. Rather than let the mishap dampen the mood, the group laughed it off, joking that after everything that could have gone wrong during a tour, the seasoned veteran managed to hurt himself doing aegyo.<\/p>\n

It was a perfectly Epik High moment: unpolished, unexpected and completely themselves. And near the end of the Terminal 5 show, Mithra Jin reminded the crowd that the connection between the group and its fans goes both ways.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause in our dark times and our weak moments, you were there for us from far away,\u201d Mithra Jin told the crowd. \u201cWe knew that we had to fight it all and win, and we hope that tonight\u2019s concert and the songs we perform for you. We hope just as you gave us strength, we hope that tonight\u2019s show gave you strength as well, and you can walk out of here a little stronger and a little happier than you were when you walked in.\u201d<\/p>\n

After New York, Epik High continued its North American run with stops in Boston and Toronto. The tour next heads to Chicago for a show at the House of Blues on Oct. 7, followed by Washington, D.C., at the Howard Theatre on Oct. 10.<\/p>\n

Epik High\u2019s North American tour continues through Oct. 29.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Epik High kicked off their North American tour in New York City last week, meeting fans face-to-face at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":366767,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[135738,6037,2538,9,11,10],"class_list":["post-366766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-epik-high","tag-k-pop","tag-music","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=366766"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366766\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/366767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=366766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=366766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=366766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}