Tablo on school, family, and possibly quitting the biz
More factoids about Tablo, the ever-eloquent lyricist of hip-hop trio Epik High (and of two-person side project Eternal Morning) —
The rapper and songwriter recently appeared on the OBS TV program Watch a Show, Watch a Movie [쇼도 보고 영화도 보고] with his Eternal Morning partner Pe2ny in “The Interview” segment (the episode will air on the 12th). I’m not sure if Tablo’s promoting anything these days or if he’s just on the regular talk-show circuit, but he talked some more about his background, which I find particularly fascinating since he happens to straddle the East-West divide more evenly than any other entertainer, at least on an intellectual level.
I’ve also got major admiration for smarties, which is one of the tags Tablo’s most often pegged with, understandable given his educational background. Speaking of which:
“On the whole, many people think of needing to be smart in order to attend Stanford, but more than smarts, the fact that I wrote a lot since I was young helped in my college admission.”
Family is another topic figuring heavily into many of the interviews he’s given:
“My father may have grown up as an orphan, but he’s accomplished a tremendous amount, and never once forgotten about his family.”
“I borrowed money from my family to pay for my college tuition, and paid for my living expenses by working part-time at a campus coffee shop called CoHo [Coffee House]. After I graduated and started earning money through music, the very first thing I repaid was that school tuition money.”
However, Tablo acknowledges that his Stanford history has sometimes proved a burden as an entertainer, particularly when he’d make the broadcast rounds — “While taping, if I was expressionless or untalkative, I’d be misunderstood as putting on an arrogant air because I went to Stanford.” He continued, “It wasn’t that I hated my school days, but I disliked attending school and even considered dropping out of Stanford. I even filled out the paperwork, but my family held me back, so I stuck it out.”
Furthermore, he had a different career path in mind: “Originally, my dream was to be a film director, so I’d applied to film school and even gotten accepted, but my family stopped me so I wasn’t able to attend.”
Tablo also expressed having harbored thoughts of quitting the entertainment industry — clarifying that he didn’t mean retiring as a musician but as a celebrity, as being a celebrity has exposed his family to lots of talk: “Because of my high profile, my family’s endured more pain than they should have.”
SONG OF THE DAY
Eternal Morning - “Holden Caulfield.” Ahh, Salinger references in hip-hop. [ zShare download ]
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Tags: Epik High, Tablo
*sigh* Be still my heart. My love for Tablo just grows and grows with every new article I read about him. When will he stop breaking the cavity of where my heart use to be for being so honest and smart about everything. I covet thee.
He’s so sweet ^^
i wish him the best of luck with his career. he’s come so far and he still considers
his family’s best interest
Tablo is so talented and cute =p lol his glasses.
i really respect this guy.. he has a crazy intellect & he’s such a gifted musician… & he has an amazing story… he’s been through so much to get to where he is.. i was an english major myself.. also had an interest in film at one point.. not to mention a passion for music.. he’s like my hero! @_@
I’ve always wanted to know what it’d be like to have a conversation w/ Tablo. I find him intriguing in many ways, particularly where he draw inspiration for his artistic expressions.
Did you know that Tablo’s a fan of Russian literature? How many guys will you find who actually takes a liking to that genre as a hobby, and not as an assignment?
Haha, sometimes I just wanna have coffee, sit down, and just talk, talk, talk with him.
Hiii. Sorry, but is it possible you could upload or provide a downloadable link for
애원 by The Name once more for me, please? The thing is, it was on one of your blogs, but it was the wrong song, and I’d really like to download the song to my mp3. Thanks so much!!!!
Oddly enough…I actually like Russian literature. XD And english literature as well. There must be something wrong with me?
But it really is rare, isn’t it? Some people say girls read more. Some say boys read more…But I haven’t found one that shares my love in literature–I mean, they might like a BOOK, but they wouldn’t actually LOVE the genre. Mmm..What’d I give to meet him. He’s such an unconventional person. ~__~ And the way he reacts to fame, and everything, is just so real, and it makes sense. You know he’s not saying it as a stunt. He means it. Wish him luck in all he does!
oh my tablo… hes very talented and interesting character… but i’m kinda of disappointed by some of the things he said… i understand the part about him not truly wanting to study, hey been there done that… but i also think that he should’nt apologize for what he has accomplished in his life… i felt reading this like he was the smart kid in high school that dumbs himself up in order to be loved by the others… i don’t think he should do that, because his intellect and talents are why we really like you for anyayz… don’t dumb yourself up, cuz if your title song is about Catcher in the rye’s troubled character, you definetly aren’t a fool…
*breezy STOP IT!!!*
i love you tablo…
What I like about Tablo is that he’s considerate of his family and does not seek stardom but just expression. All he wants to do is express himself through his music.
y has his family endured pain? i mean the public might know about them and stuff but im just wondering what happened … tablo is humble. he sounds so hard working and mature. i don’t like the big glasses though. but im glad he’s not one of “those” who use their appearances to sell their cds, tablo is actually talented.
awww…i always have a soft spot for tablo in my heart… he’s just so endearing…(if that even makes sense?) I love his dorky image–it fits him so well…and (call me crazy) but I think he looks so much better than a lot of the other normal male celebs who are known as heart-throbs… Tablo is so much more—he’s so deep–albeit too deep a lot of the times… I just wanna give him a free hug and tell him not to be so deep all the time and to get out of his depressed slump…
TABLO! I love you!!
He’s so amazingly talented. I wanna meet this guy.
#11– awww…you don’t like his glasses??? no way– i think they make him look so god damn schmexy and adorable!!! You just can’t help but like him for his style…I love his glasses—especially when he wears them while having his hair tied up into a ponytail–it just looks so good on him…
~Ohh..I really don’t mean to offense…as I commented on their song titled “White” on the other page,which reminds me of the music from a musical group named ENIGMA (probably from Germany)…, when listen to this one it reminds me again from another old track from COOLIO titled Gangster Paradise (it’s an OST from an old movie by Michelle Pfeiffer “Dangerous Mind”)..
The intro part is kind of similar with the reffrain part of Gangster Paradise
Sorry I do not mean to say if they are copying that song or something like that..And don’t want to offense anyone especially Tablo fans..but just want to say my opinion..
If you are curious what the Gangster Paradise sounds like click the below link to listen..This song was probably from the 90s..
http://www.esnips.com/doc/aa2b3ade-c594-49eb-97e2-5e8353a5b549/01-gangsta-paradise
As I say before that I am not an expert in music but I just listen to a lot of music so my opinion on this track might be different from you..
it’s so amazing that, even though he was restrained from his parents so many times (film deal, schooling), tablo still appreciates and does what’s best for them. a lot of people don’t do this for their family. he’s amazing.
out of the musicians now.. tablo is really different.. i like him cause he can speak well and know what he is saying.. he isnt ur typical hiphop muscian as well.. there is depth to his thoughts and such..plus he loves his family.. despite them holding him back though i can understand it as well.. he is a nice guy too from what i can tell.. he will go far definitely.. he will be one to look for.. id be sad if he wasnt showing up as much anymore.. but i can understand the feelings..
wow, from film director to rapper - still not too reassuring for his family huh? LOL
i had the same reaction as breezy. but read it more as tablo trying to come across less threatening to the Envy Bunch. degrees mean so much to many people.
i always wondered how he feels about being a rapper, but having to get on talk shows, game shows, act the fool in drama series just to get his face out there. it seems like extra time away from his music work.