Song You Need to Know: Epik High, ‘Face ID’ ft. GIRIBOY, Sik-K, JUSTHIS
The track is an incendiary commentary on social media versus face-to-face interactions and serves as the pre-release single of the hip-hop trio’s upcoming LP, ‘Epik High is Here (Part Two)’
Epik High will release their upcoming record 'Strawberry' on February 1st. Photo: Courtesy of EN Management
South Korean hip-hop giants Epik High have returned with a brand new single titled “Face ID.” The track, which dropped on October 26th, is the pre-release single off their upcoming record Epik High is Here (Part Two), the second half of their LP, Epik High is Here (Part One), released in January this year.
“Face ID” features rappers Giriboy, JUSTHIS and Sik-K, all prominent names in Korean hip-hop, who add their own distinct style to the track with their unique tones and verse delivery. Produced by Epik High’s DJ Tukutz and Tablo with Sik-K and Mighty Mike, “Face ID” keeps it simple by beginning with a bass-heavy synth percussion beat–perfect for the rappers to take off on–before melting into slower trap for Sik-K’s vocal hook. It’s a rather brilliant seesaw, switching up the pace to drive in its various points.
Written by Epik High, JUSTHIS, Sik-K and Giriboy, “Face ID” is an incendiary commentary on social media versus face-to-face interactions, a message the hip-hop trio wanted to convey in the wake of COVID-19. Rapper and producer Tablo discussed the track in a behind the scenes clip of the music video, stating, “Ever since COVID, it’s been hard for people to do anything face to face. I wanted to make a song about faces, but not something somber or contemplative… We wanted to give them energy. The message is ‘let’s face each other,’ be it for good or bad reasons.”
The track explores topics like success, criticism, online trolls, ambition and self-confidence. With the title a play on the Face ID feature used to unlock cell phones, Epik High and their collaborators lay out the differences between the virtual world and the real world, pointing out the flaws of the former and ripping apart obsessive behaviour like online trolling. Your Face ID isn’t your online presence, but what you achieve in real life. Giriboy raps, “Good job documenting your jealousy/ Don’t waste your talent, write a novel/ Otherwise, your life is fucked/ I’m on to the next page, on to my epik “high”/ I’m unlocked, just with my face ID.” Rapper Mithra Jin gets even more vicious as he challenges haters, “If you have something to say, pull up/ Look into my eyes and file a complaint/ I’ve never seen anyone raise a fist once we’re face to face/ I raise a hand and they try to shake it.”
The music video is deliciously outrageous, packed with humanoid CGI monsters and aliens, flashing lights and dizzying transitions. The artists meanwhile seem at ease in the chaos, ruling over this surreal landscape with confidence and indifference. DJ Tukutz even treats fans to a dance break, further highlighting Epik High’s confidence in themselves as artists and entertainers. The final verse with all the artists chiming in is the strongest as they declare, “All the fake news/ All the fake IP/ If you got somethin’ to say/ Stop hiding/ And say it to my face.”
While the release date for Epik High is Here (Part 2) is yet to be revealed, the group have announced a series of live concerts, starting with Seoul from December 17th to December 19th and a North American tour which kicks off in March 2022.
Check out the previous ‘Song You Need to Know’ here.
