It's 2026 and we are officially OLD | Hey Tablo Ep. 1

[0:00]It's 2026. And apparently, Gangnam Style was 14 years ago. What the- Hey Tablo.

[0:16]All right. Uh, I'm give me give me like 10 seconds, okay? I just need to I just need to You can do this!

[0:34]How was it? Seriously. Oh my God. Why am I nervous doing this? I've done this before. I'm talking all the time. I have no idea why this is why this is making me nervous. Okay, anyways, happy New Year. It's 2026, believe it or not. Time passes pretty fast. It feels like yesterday that Haru was six. She's going to be 16 soon, in May. My daughter, I have a daughter, first of all, which is which is still mind-boggling. And that daughter is going to celebrate her sweet 16 this year. That is- I can't I don't know if I can do this. This This truth has hit me hard. She's going to be 16. It's only a matter of time until she's like, get away from me, Daddy. Daddy, you're standing too close. Daddy, your voice is too loud. You're talking way too much. I can't believe it. 2026. To people like me, born in the 80s, 2026 feels like uh one of those back to the future sci-fi dates. It still feels like a time where like cars are flying and we're on hoverboards. 2026 is unreal to people like me. To people that are, you know, my daughter's age, it just feels like another year. Oh, it's just 2026. Not a big deal. But to me, 2026 is like a is like a sci-fi number. It's not real. And that's the year we're in. That is just crazy. Anyway, this is Hey Tablo, the new podcast from me, Tablo of Epik High. You may know me already. I'm assuming some of you do. Uh, you may be a fan of Epik High's YouTube show, which is Epik Z. Uh, you may be a fan of my music, Epik High and my solo music. Or you may have been a fan of my previous podcast, which was five years ago. It's already been five years. Anyways, uh I started this podcast because not because I have nothing to do or or I need a reason to get out of the house. I started this because I feel like a lot of our English-speaking fans uh need something like this. And they've been asking it for a long time. Uh Tablo, can you do a podcast again? And finally I got around to it. I'm hoping that this podcast can be like an Asian dad that you need. I I have a theory that regardless of where you're from, uh what age you are, where uh you are in life, everyone needs an Asian dad. Only one that doesn't scream at you or compare you to neighbors, kids, or, you know, tell you long stories about how they had to like climb mountains to get get to school. And kids these days are too fragile. And then slap you across the head because you are the only child that has ever been bad at math in this house. Weirdly specific, but Anyways, I feel like this podcast can become that kind of Asian dad. Uh, you can come to me once a week, every week, to just let your mind get off all of your worries and troubles. And at the same time, get some no-bullshit advice uh and sometimes feel like someone's just listening to you. I I want this to feel like a conversation that I have with you and that you have with me once a week. And hopefully, it'll helps you get through that week. As I mentioned at the beginning, Gangnam Style is 14 years old. It was 14 years ago when that whole sensation happened. Can you believe that? I feel like it was like at the most maybe seven years ago, but now it's been 14 years. That's just crazy. Do you all remember? You, listening right now. Do you remember where you were when Gangnam Style dropped? When that video went viral as hell, I remember because I was sitting next to Psy. I was sitting next to the guy who made Gangnam Style, and let me just say, he was just as shocked as anyone else when that song blew up the way it did. Uh, he he was beyond shocked because he was hoping for a number one song on Korean charts. Because he hadn't had a number one in a while, right? And he was very nervous, which was interesting for me to see because he's a homie of mine. He's an older artist, um one that I looked up to and was always a hitmaker. So, it it was strange seeing him nervous. I was like, that should be doable for you. Like, but when it outdid that by like by like tenfold, was like number two on Billboard. He was more shocked. So I remember this moment because I was there, but it's still feels like it was like maybe seven to eight years ago. But it's been 14 freaking years. That's, Oh my God. So my daughter was like one at the time. That is crazy. You know what the importance of Gangnam Style truly was? It's not that, you know, personally for him, you know, it was a great hit. It was a big success. And um, shaped his career after that, right? So it it was a great thing to happen. But for people who just watched this happen, especially from from Korea, I believe that it was a reminder that unexpected strange things still can happen. It it sort of like um, 2002 World Cup. I don't know if any of you will remember. Uh, I'm assuming a lot of you weren't even born then, but in 2002 at the World Cup, Korea beyond all anyone's expectations just dominated and we got to the final four. At a certain point, it almost felt like we were going to actually win this thing. Like we were going to be holding the World Cup in our hands. And it it was an insane time. Because not not only because people were happy or excited, but because behind that happiness and excitement, there was this feeling of wow. Totally unexpected strange things can happen in life. And maybe it can happen in my life too. And I I believe that was the importance of Gangnam Style.

[8:43]It reminded us that sometimes totally unexpected things can happen to people that are underestimated. And these are just two examples, but when we go through life, sometimes just weird things happen, right? Where it's like, oh my God, that's crazy. And I believe these moments are very important. Just just to remind us from time to time that you can have wild dreams. You can have wild aspirations. Uh most of them won't materialize, but once in a blue moon something will. Okay, that got me thinking, uh what else is hella old now? Let me, uh, let me search this. Hold on. Tell me a bunch of things that are old or happened long ago that will make me feel old. Okay, let's see. Oh, you're in for a nostalgia punch. Here's a list of things that will absolutely make you realize how far we've come. The first iPhone came out nearly 20 years ago, 2007. That's 19 years ago. I remember the very first time I saw an iPhone. I was in Tokyo and we were looking for a Chrome Hearts store. By we, I mean, uh this this one guy in my group, uh two cuts. He was like, I want to go to Chrome Hearts. And we were looking for the store, and back in those days, we had these phones that basically, you know, were text- texting devices, right? And you could access internet- the Internet, but it was through such a small screen and such a crappy UI that no one really used it. You know, it was just there. It was just a possibility that no one tapped into. And we're like, how do we find this place? And then this uh friend of ours that was with us, he busts out this metallic device, and he's like, let me check. And I'm like, what the fuck is that? What is that thing you're holding? And he's like, this is the iPhone. They called it the Jesus phone at the time. Because it was like the Savior of phones, apparently, the Messiah of phones. So he was like, it's the iPhone. And he said it in that voice too. He wasn't like, oh, it's the it's the new iPhone. He was like, it's the iPhone. And I was like, oh my God. He opened up an app and it was like a game. It was a toilet paper game. You all remember this, right? You remember this? You, listening right now. You remember this? If you were born then, you know this toilet paper game. The whole point of the game was you just keep tapping down, and it just infinite scroll of toilet paper. I don't know why we loved it so much, but he showed me that, and he's like, see, you can do this. You can make phone calls with this. And I was like, holy, I was like, holy, I was like, so what you're telling me here? It's an iPod that I can call home with?

[12:17]And he's like, yes. I was like, take my money. I was like, when's it coming out in Korea? And once the iPhone was in my hands the next year, I, you know, it's never left my hand. And at times, I wish I I wish I never discovered it. I wish that it was never made. Because I remember a time before phones, before smartphones. And we like actually like met people and and like sat in the park and stuff, like on a bench. Like we talked. We held hands. We hugged. We had kids and stuff.

[13:10]And then the iPhone came out 19 years ago, and everything changed. Anyways, uh I can't believe that it's 19 years. It feels like maybe 13, 14 years. Almost 20 years is crazy. That is just insane. I was a big fan of Steve Jobs, though. A lot of people are probably like, ah, Tablo. What the fuck? I know. I know all the stories, but, you know, people are complicated. I don't have to like or admire 100% of a person, right? There are parts of everyone's life that I admire, and certain parts that I don't, but, you know, you can't really pick and choose. You just pick the good with the bad. Anyways, I was a huge fan of Steve Jobs. It feels crazy. Like, wait, when did when did Steve Jobs pass away? I remember it was like, uh when the iPhone 4S or 5S came out. iPhone 4S. Because people said that the 4S was iPhone 4 Steve. It was right after Steve Jobs passed away. He passed away in 2011, so that's, oh my, wow. That's 15 years ago. Oh, he passed away when the when the original iPad was only a year old. iPhones still had home buttons. Wait, what? Oh my God. iPhones had home buttons. Like clickable, right? It like it made a sound and everything, right? That, no, the fingerprint thing came after. At first, I think it was an it was a literal button. I don't know why ChatGPT is saying this, but and call me maybe hadn't even come out yet. Can you believe this? I asked when did Steve Jobs pass away? And he's like, Steve Jobs passed away on October 5th, 2011. That's almost 15 years ago now. To put that into perspective, the original iPad was only a year old. iPhones still had home buttons, and call me maybe hadn't even come out yet. What the fuck? Okay. I guess you were a fan.

[15:42]Speaking of songs that came out a long time ago. If you're a K-pop fan, this is going to hit you hard. Big Bang's first big hit, the song, "Geojitmal" (Lie), was also 19 years ago. That is crazy. 19 years ago.

[16:02]I didn't even know Big Bang was 19. Big Bang still feels like a group that came out maybe at the most 10 years ago. Because they're still so so fresh, right? So when did Bang Bang Bang come out? Hold on. When did Big Bang's Bang Bang Bang come out? Because kids still listen to this like it's a new song that just dropped like a month ago. And it it sounds that way. Right? It sounds super fresh. It came out 11 years ago. Oh my God. I am old as fuck. Wow, that's crazy. And also, "Born Hater" was 12 years ago, our song. I think this is the one that boggles my mind. Born Hater? Because the music video Seems pretty pretty new. Still relevant. By the way, that "Born Hater" video, Epik High's "Born Hater" video, was the first time that vertical videos were able on YouTube. I know this because when we were shooting the video and the director and I had decided on doing a vertical video, our biggest issue was that we didn't know how people would watch on their computers. So we even had a display onset and we flipped the screen on its side, right? To watch the monitor. And also that's how we assumed people would watch. I'm not kidding. This is how dumb we were. Uh we were like, okay, people, maybe they can just take their take their laptop and just put it on the side and they can watch it in full screen. And we were like, but that's ridiculous. Hopefully, YouTube will implement vertical videos. What's interesting is even on a phone through the YouTube app, you couldn't see vertical videos in vertical. It just played it in landscape with the black on the sides. And then soon after the video came out, at first, it wasn't possible, but soon after it came out, uh YouTube implemented it and there was like an article about how "Born Hater" played a part, and the rest is history. So if you guys enjoy vertical videos, if you enjoy YouTube Shorts or any vertical videos, TikTok, Instagram Reels, you have me to thank. Me and the "Born Hater" director. I feel like I should get something for this.

[18:56]Like, YouTube, come on. I deserve a little something for this. Uh, let's see what else uh happened a long time ago. Oh, TikTok launched a decade ago. Do you remember Vine? You're like, Oh, you were a Vine fan? Vine was basically TikTok. It created like a new form of meme, and I loved it. That was nine years ago since it shut down. Let's see what else uh do you remember the damn Daniel? Damn Daniel, the the meme. That meme is 10 years old. Damn Daniel. Shit, I'm Daniel. Damn Daniel's 10 years old.

[20:01]Damn. You know when memes are straight up older than some humans, you know you're old. Like, you know when the the the memes that you used to love are older than like some elementary school kids? You're old as hell. The Ice Bucket Challenge was 12 years ago. I remember doing this. It's on a rooftop. But that was 11 years ago. Wow. That also feels maybe like five, six years ago. Time passes so fast. Frozen, "Let It Go," came out 12 years ago. No way! Frozen one. It's 12 years ago. Holy shit. Wait. No, it's more than 12 years ago. It's 2013, so 13 years ago. The Avengers assembled for the first time in 2012, so that's 14 years ago. Game of Thrones ended in 2019, so that's seven years ago. What? Wait, 2019 was seven years ago? No! This is the, this is the funniest moment. Yes, Grace.

[21:25]She's like, she's like, wait, wait, wait a minute. After all this discussion, she wasn't as shocked that the iPhone's 19 years old, or that or that Frozen was 12 years ago, or that Damn Daniel was 10 years ago. She's like, wait a minute. She's like, stop the presses. 2019 was seven years ago? Yes, Grace. That's, that's how math works. If it's 2026 now, 2019 was seven years ago.

[22:02]Wow, that is crazy. Despacito was in 2017, so that's nine years ago. You're listening to this right now and either thinking that, oh my God, that's that was 10 years ago, that was 14 years ago. Or you're thinking, that's it? That feels like, I don't know, honestly, I thought that was like 30 years ago. If you're the latter, then you're just super old. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. What the hell was that sound? Uh that came from my body. I'm sorry. Okay. I really sorry. I really sorry, but if you're not shocked by any of this, if if none of this is blowing your mind, and you're like, that sounds about right. That was only 19 years ago. Feels like it was 34 years ago. Then you're you're really fucking old. And I got to say, I'm like right there. I'm like, I'm at the cut line, right? I'm like, almost there now. Hold on, let me take a sip of this unbranded unnamed coffee from this unbranded mug.

[23:17]Just letting um, all the coffee companies out there know. This could be my I'm sorry. What the hell was that sound? Uh that came from my body. I'm sorry. Okay. I really sorry. Did did the mic pick that up? I'm sorry. That's the sound you make. Your body makes when you hit a certain age. You young people don't know. You, listening right now. You're too young to know. This is the sound your body makes at a certain age. Anyways, this coffee could be yours. Your coffee. It could be your coffee in this mug. And it it could be your company's logo on this mug. Ah, this is the first episode, so we don't have any sponsors. We don't have any ads yet because we have to get the numbers first. And then we can we can afford to keep doing this. So please, please share this episode with your friends. Uh, let's see what else uh