Remapping the Human Soul is the fourth studio album by South Korean hip hop trio Epik High. It was released through Woollim Entertainment and CJ Music on January 23, 2007, and contains 27 tracks on two CDs. The singles "Fan" and "Love Love Love" were promoted as part of the album.
The album was a commercial success in South Korea, peaking at number one on the monthly RIAK album chart for two consecutive months. It was the 3rd best-selling album of 2007 with over 120,000 copies sold. It went on to win awards such as Album of the Year at the 2007 Mnet Asian Music Awards, Best Album at the 2007 Seoul Music Awards, and Best Hip Hop Album at the 2008 Korean Music Awards.
Background Following the popularity of the single "Fly" from their 2005 album, Swan Songs, Epik High spent a year and a half writing over 200 new songs. The group ultimately recorded 47 of those songs and selected 27 to include on Remapping the Human Soul. Due to the album's controversial subject matter covering topics including sex, religion, and war, the album had its sales age-restricted, and some of its songs were banned from being played on South Korean radio stations.
Composition Part 2 (The Heart), which was produced by Tablo, is influenced by Philip Glass, Billy Corgan, Timbaland. He also has emphasised his interest in rock, jazz, trance, garage, as well as hip hop. Various tracks contain samples of other songs, including "The End Times (Opening)" with "真実の爆弾(Shinjitsu no bakudan)" by King Giddra, "White Night" with "Nothing Can Stop Me" by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr., "Mr. Doctor" with "Hasta Siempre" by Soledad Bravo, "Nocturne (Tablo's Word)" with "Once Upon a Time" by Donna Summer, "중독" with "Flashback" by Dee Dee Sharp, and "Broken Toys" with "Half Forgotten Daydreams" by John Cameron.
Accolades Rolling Stone named "Love Love Love" the 70th greatest song in the history of Korean popular music, writing that "Epik High takes the listener through all the stages of love, from blissful infatuation to a painful breakup. Capturing the chemistry of MCs Tablo and Mithra Jin, while DJ Tukutz backspins a record like it’s 1975, it’s an eternal bop." In 2024, EBS named Remapping the Human Soul one of the 100 best Korean popular music albums since 2004.
+Awards and nominationsOrganizationYearCategoryWorkResult Cyworld Digital Music Awards 2007 Song of the Month – February"Fan" Golden Disc Awards2007 Digital Song Bonsang Album BonsangRemapping the Human Soul Album Daesang Mnet KM Music Festival2007 Song of the Year (Daesang)"Fan" Best Hip-Hop Performance Album of the Year (Daesang)Remapping the Human Soul Seoul Music Awards2008 Best Album Award Korean Music Awards Best Hip Hop Album
+Music program awardsSongProgramDate"Fan"M CountdownFebruary 15, 2007March 1, 2007March 15, 2007InkigayoMarch 4, 2007March 11, 2007
Track listing Track listing and credits adapted from Naver Music, Google Play, and the Korea Music Copyright Association.Remapping the Human Soul credits:
[Note: Input "에픽하이4집" in the "Album Title" field for track list results.]
Charts and sales
Monthly charts Chart (2007) Peakposition South Korean Albums (RIAK) 1
Year-end charts Chart (2007) Position South Korean Albums (RIAK) 3
Sales Region SalesSouth Korea (RIAK) 130,000
References
External links Epik High official website