Tablo apologizes to fans ahead of Epik High's solo competition: "I have no confidence in winning"
Tablo posted a video on Aug 29 conceding defeat before the EPIKASE Gayo-je finals, saying a fellow member has mobilized half the K-pop industry.
Tablo went to Instagram on August 29 to pre-emptively apologize to his supporters. The caption: "이길 자신이 없습니다. I CAN NOT COMPETE WITH A MAD MAN."
The setup is EPIKASE 가요제 (EPIKASE Gayo-je), a 1-on-1-on-1 solo competition running on Epik High's official YouTube channel. All three members — Tablo, Mithra Jin, and Tukutz — have been producing individual solo tracks. Finals are scheduled for next week, with a Thursday event also lined up. Win and you get preferential settlement terms plus a six-month stint as Epik High's leader.
Tablo's gripe: one unnamed member went scorched-earth. "I thought we were just having a fun competition, but I didn't know one of the members was completely a sociopath," he said. That member pulled in Groovyroom, Nell, Crush, Bang Ye-dam, and Stray Kids' Bang Chan. Davichi and Ha Dong-kyun are also among the announced features. The result is something Tablo described as unclear whether it's "a song or an awards ceremony."
The social media war isn't going better. Tablo admitted he thought his SNS game was strong enough to hold ground, but the rival member "just posts anything mindlessly" while Tablo is still worrying about design. Then came the Polaroid photo shoot. The member organized it under the pretense of an overseas fan event. Tablo only realized mid-shoot that the photos were actually prizes for the member's own fan giveaway. "He's crazy. I just can't beat him," Tablo said.
(Epik High debuted in 2003 with their first album Map of the Human Soul. This level of chaos between members is, at minimum, a 20-plus-year tradition.)
Tablo closed with a note to Team Tablo fans: he hopes for a good result next week and asked everyone to meet at Thursday's EPIKASE event.
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