Editor's Pick: Epik High Keep Real Hip-Hop Alive On 'Born Hater' Featuring Beenzino, Verbal Jint, B.I Of iKON [VIDEO]

Somewhere along the line, amidst the cash and the cars and the endorsement deals, the DIY directness of just an MC and a DJ, pioneered at Bronx house parties in the 1970s, evaporated from mainstream hip-hop.

One could argue that digital recording and the Autotune atrocities that followed were responsible for dragging rap music down. Or you could say it was copyright law that made sampling a logistical nightmare.

But all of the problems with most contemporary hip-hop could really best be expressed best in one way-we have left the sonic purity of a skilled rapper and a sick beat behind, in favor of tricked out digital smoothing.

Among the few remaining torchbearers for stripped-down rap are the South Korean alternative outfit Epik High. The group's new single "Born Hater" is hip-hop in its most raw form, a nearly five-and-a-half-minute-long throwdown over what is predominantly one beat (with the exception of some spot-on DJ breaks).

Epik High bandmates DJ Tukutz, Tablo and Mitra Jin are joined by a parade of some of Korean hip-hop's heaviest hitters on "Born Hater," including Beenzino, Verbal Jint, Bobby, Mino and B.I of the group iKON, formerly Team B from the reality show "Who Is Next: WIN."

 "Born Hater," which appears on the group's eight album "Shoebox," released earlier this week, includes a beat that offers the MCs nowhere to hide.

The vocal hook, which doesn't enter until after the two-minute mark, is used sparingly and with taste. The rappers are forced to rely on pure skills. The vocal tracks don't sound double-tracked. There's barely even any reverb, just great rapping over a sick beat, just like nature intended.

Though the music video for "Born Hater" has received over 2.5 million YouTube views since being posted to the website on Oct. 18, it seems to be predominantly known for the fact the release was delayed a day out of respect for the victims of a ventilation grate collapse at a 4Minute concert in Seongnam, South Korea that killed 16 attendees and seriously injured 11 others, according to NBC News.

This is a shame. For while the 4Minute incident is a horrible tragedy, "Born Hater" is a song that deserves to be judged for what it is, a powerful hip-hop track that throws a fist in the air for the legacy of the genre.

Check out the music video for Epik High's "Born Hater" featuring Beenzino, Verbal Jint, Bobby, B.I and Mino RIGHT HERE **(Includes explicit English lyrics)**

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