Back in November 2021, Tablo hinted that this album was going to be "painfully personal." In several of the songs, Tablo opens up about the cyberbullying incident that happened from 2010 to 2012 when the artist was attacked by an antifan group called TaJinYo that questioned everything about him — from his Canadian citizenship to his diploma from Stanford University — which greatly affected his mental health.
However, this album is also relatable for the fans. In a documentary on the making of "Epik High Is Here," Tablo says he wanted to write about "the story of loss sadness, isolation, and loneliness everybody in the world has experienced." The artist himself breaks it down for us: "If you've ever lost a family member, 'Family Portrait' is for us; if you were raised to love everyone but yourself, 'I Hated Myself' is for us."