Epik High drop 'EPIKISM' as Tuckutz uses new leader power to reunite all three members on one track
Tuckutz won Epik High's internal song competition by 4 points, claimed a 6-month leadership role, then immediately drafted Tablo and Miseul into a full-group remake.
Epik High released EPIKISM on September 17, the full-group version of Tuckutz's solo competition track 투컷적 사고 (TUKUTZISM), with Tablo, Miseul, and Crush all on board.
How Tuckutz became leader — and what he did with it
The group ran an internal song festival through their official YouTube channel EPIKASE, scoring entries across five categories: expert judging, public voting, overall music source performance, live clip views, and short-form audio performance. Tuckutz topped three of those five — expert judging, public voting, and live clip views — finishing with 82 points total. Tablo won the other two categories (music source and short-form audio) but landed at 78 points, four points back. Miseul placed third at 30 points. The prize: Tuckutz takes the leader seat for six months.
His first move as leader was announcing he'd turn TUKUTZISM into a full Epik High group track, incorporating each member's distinct way of thinking into one song. The catch: he told Tablo and Miseul with very little notice. Their response, on camera: "Tell us in advance. You should give us time to write lyrics."
What EPIKISM actually is
On the EPIKASE competition stage, Tuckutz performed TUKUTZISM with production support from Groovy Room and 3RACHA, and Crush on the feature. EPIKISM expands that lineup. Tablo and Miseul join Tuckutz rapping. Crush returns as a feature again. The song frames the whole thing around Tuckutz having "forced" the other two members to rap using his leader authority, and that bickering dynamic runs through the track's atmosphere—the group's signature move.
In the lead-up to the release, Epik High's official SNS posted childhood photos of all three members plus Crush. Miseul's dol-photo (first birthday portrait) ended up as the EPIKISM album cover artwork. Which is a choice, and very on-brand for a group that has never taken itself too seriously.
Crush's double appearance here—TUKUTZISM and now EPIKISM—makes him the thread connecting the competition era to the group version.
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