Three Members Each Release a Song and Compete

In three lines

• EPIK HIGH's three-track EP 'EPIKASE Song Contest' arrived yesterday, September 4, at 6pm.
• Tukutz, Tablo and Mithra Jin each made one song and compete against each other.
• The contest was staged by 'EPIKASE', the group's own series on their official channel, and the fan vote runs through September 14.

What arrived yesterday

Item	Detail
Artist	EPIK HIGH
Album	EP 'EPIKASE Song Contest' (3 tracks)
Release	September 4, 6pm
Tukutz	'Tukutzism (feat. Crush)' — with GroovyRoom, Crush, 3RACHA
Tablo	'anime (feat. Bang Ye-dam)'
Mithra Jin	'Will I Be Okay (Prod. by NELL)'

How one team splits into three

Each member sought out a different collaborator and made one song. Tukutz went to GroovyRoom and Crush, Tablo to Bang Ye-dam, Mithra Jin to NELL.

It is a contest inside a single team. A group normally pulls in one direction; this project scatters it in three.

Done that way, things normally inaudible become audible. Three people's tastes that had been mixed inside one song come apart. The video above is the live clip for Tukutz's track, first in the album's running order; Tablo's and Mithra Jin's clips are on the same channel.

The final result and the vote still open

In the final episode released September 3, the expert panel placed Tukutz first, Tablo second and Mithra Jin third. The judges were Ha Dong-kyun, Davichi and KiiiKiii.

But the overall winner is decided by adding the public vote, chart performance, live clip views and challenge reach to that score. The fan vote runs until midnight on September 14.

The winner reportedly gets preferential settlement terms and six months as EPIK HIGH's leader. That the prize is authority inside the team says something about the nature of the project.

Two who chose something other than rap

According to the label, Mithra Jin's song is sung rather than rapped, and Tukutz's song is the DJ's first solo rap.

The DJ raps and the rapper sings. Each moved one seat over from the usual place. As Tablo said in the final, 'anime' was inspired by Tablo's wife.

These are choices they would not have made without the contest format. The pretext of competing allowed a seat other than the usual one.

What to check today

Listen to the three songs in track order first. How different three songs from one team turn out is the first thing to check.

Then watch the final episode. Compare the judges' scores with your own ears.

Last, remember September 14. When the vote closes, the leader may change.

That's the last of the numbers. Now, the music.