European hip hop
Encyclopedia
European hip hop is hip hop music
created by European musicians. Hip hop is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. Due to this success, it has gained worldwide popularity, especially in Europe where many diverse and unique styles of hip hop have been created.
has been an important part of this evolution. In contrast to many other countries, Hip Hop in Danish
has been generally as successful or more so locally than acts in English. Some Danish English language rappers have become more well-known abroad than at home, such as Static and NATiLL, both popular German acts, and Funk Flush and Delireeus, who are well-known elsewhere in Scandinavia
. Prominent Danish-language artists include:
The members of Full Impact Productions (F.I.P.), (Orgi-E, Bai-D, Troo.L.S., L.O.C.
, Rune Rask & U$O),
The members often refer to themselves as F.I.P.G.C. (Full Impact Productions Gangster Click). The (in)famous Danish rap group Suspekt
is made up of F.I.P members Orgi-E, Bai-D & Rune Rask although L.O.C. is a frequent guest, as well as Troo.L.S produces most of the tracks together with Rune Rask.
In 2005, two of the members, Troo.L.S. & Orgi-E came out with an album, Forklædt Som Voksen (Disguised As Adult). The group has not split up, but they have made it clear that they will not make any new albums. However, they often perform together. While Suspekt was/is a group, F.I.P. can be considered a "guild."
[L.O.C] (Liam O'Connor) is the most successful solo-rapper in history of Danish hip hop, with his 60,000 sold albums. His first album, Dominologi, included hits such as "Absinthe" and "Drik Min Hjerne Ud" (Drink My Brain Away). His second album, Inkarneret (Incarnated) was a huge success, with hits as "Undskyld" (Sorry), "Hvem" (Who), and "Pop Det Du Har" (Pop [out] What You've Got). His latest album, Cassiopeia, was released on September 15, 2005 and the song "Frk. Escobar" (Miss Escobar) became a huge hit.
The two famous producers Rune Rask and Troo. L.S. have stood behind most of the hits of F.I.P. members. They have been awarded the title as best producer-team.
In 2006, they produced the song "Gangsta Bop" by Akon
. It will be featured on his second album, "Konvicted
"
, Redrama
, Jimmy Smallz, Tommy Sky) choose to record their rhymes in English, the majority use Finnish
. The first recordings were released in the late 1980s but the real boom of Finnish
hip hop
came in the late 1990s. Since then, the number of crews recording has increased dramatically. The best-selling crew has been Fintelligens with several top 10 albums and singles. The best-selling solo artist has been Pikku G, a 18-year-old boy whose debut album has sold more than 120,000 copies (quadruple platinum album) in Finland. Although these groups have sold well, there is a continuously increasing appreciating for underground or "real" hip hop. Finnish underground hip hop artists, like Julma-Henri, Asa, Puukko-Allu etc. have been selling very well in the last few years.
Iceland
The first major hip hop
crew from Iceland
was Quarashi
, who were a hip-hop group that was marketed in the US as being inspired by the rock hybrid music of Beastie Boys
and Rage Against the Machine
. Quarashi broke up in 2005. Around the same time Quarashi released their first album a lot of rap groups were formed such as Subterranean which are considered to have released Icelandic hiphops biggest classic, Central Magnetizm. Other groups were Team 13 (later became Twisted Minds), Multifunctionals, Bounce Brothers and Hip Hop Elements (later named Kritikal Mazz). They all rapped in English except for one song from Multifunctionals called "Númer 1". They were later followed by performers like XXX Rottweiler (formerly known as 110 Rottweilerhundar) who along with Sesar A had the first all Icelandic hip hop albums published in Iceland (2001). Later (2002) they were followed by a decent amount of rappers following their lead and rapping exclusively in Icelandic. Bæjarins bestu, the freestyle battle champs of Iceland in one unit, Móri
, a gangsta rap
per who uses Icelandic
, Afkvæmi Guðanna (The Offspring of the Gods), Bent og 7Berg (Bent and 7Berg) and, most recently, Hæsta Hendin (The Highest Hand). Icelandic lyrics are usually very direct and aggressive, with battle raps forming a sizeable portion of Icelandic hip hop.
and Belfast
included such performers as Third Eye Surfers, Marxman
, Messiah J. and The Expert, Homebrew and Scary Éire. Despite this, it has never had the same worldwide recognition that British hip hop has seen in recent years.
Currently hip-hop in Ireland is still going strong.
Dublin hosts names such as Messiah J and The Expert (formerly Creative Controle) (winners of the Nokia Best Dance/Electronica/Hip Hop award), DJ Flip (World ITF Champion), and Lisa Dee. Ireland has its own urban music magazine RAP IRELAND, an urban brand that also promote clubs and concerts, and run Dublin-based Blackhouse Studios and the Rap Ireland DJ School.
The early to mid-nineties saw acts like Warlocks, Ellers Det, Captain Anarad and Dream Of Utopia struggle for recognition (to little effect). In the late 1990s and into the beginning of the 21st century, performers like Opaque, Darkside of the Force and Gatas Parlament became prominent. Tungtvann, Apollo, Klovner i Kamp, Spetakkel, Jaa9&OnklP, Karpe Diem and other Norwegian-language hip hop crews, achieved some mainstream popularity after the turn of the millennium.
and the Ice Cold Rockers. Groups that achieved mainstream popularity in the early 1990s include Just D
, Infinite Mass
and The Latin Kings
. In the late 1990s there was a second breakthrough and artists like Petter
, Organism 12, Seron, PST-Q, Öris
, Professor P, Supersci
, Prop Dylan, Trainspotters, Thomas Rusiak
, Timbuktu
, Ken Ring and Looptroop
became well-known. More recent acts worth mentioning are Promoe
, Snook
, Chords
, Ison & Fille, Advance Patrol, Million Stylez
, Lazee
, Roffe Ruff, Fronda, and Adam Tensta
.
scene. Just like in the United States, specifically New York, British Hip Hop emerged graffiti and break dancing. After such work of arts, DJ's started to take over dance clubs and this was the start of the hip hop scene in Britain. More interestingly, unlike American Hip hop, British hop hop artists were of all different ethnicities because different races were not segregated in Britain. As a result, an influx of ideas and music cross cultured making Hip Hop a music of all in Britain. However, hip hop still was not accepted in British society until the make of Gun Shot's tune "No Sell Out" in 1992. As a result, various hip hop artists became popular as well as the hip hop scene.However, due to this influence, many British artists adopted American accents when recording and it wasn't until a few years later that Britain gained the confidence to develop their own style, with "London Bridge" by Newtrament
often cited as the first ever British hip hop tune. Although record labels were starting to take note of the underground scene, radio play and publicity were still a major difficulty in helping the fledgling scene to grow. Instrumental in bringing the scene to the attention of the country at large were DJs like Dave Pearce
and Tim Westwood
, and particularly John Peel
who often championed British hip hop.
However, things did look promising: Hip Hop Connection
—the first major British hip hop magazine—was founded in 1989 and by the early 1990s, the British hip hop scene seemed to be thriving. Not only was there a firm base of rappers in London, but outside of the capital many cities were developing their own distinct scenes. Bristol produced The Wild Bunch (later better known as Massive Attack
), and major groups like the Scratch Perverts
and Smith & Mighty
, and later became the home of trip hop
; Nottingham was the birthplace of the Stereo MCs
. As the scene grew, it became less and less common for British rappers to imitate American accents and British hip hop became much more assured of its own identity.
The birth of black music radio station BBC 1Xtra, in 2002 provided another outlet for hip hop artists, with the genre being a core part of the station's output and the station showcases many UK acts. At the same time British hip hop also blossomed in new directions, with a new style of electronic music
emerging in the early 2000s, influenced heavily by hip hop and UK garage
, dubbed grime
.
Further success followed as The Streets
released their album Original Pirate Material (679 Records, 2002), and became one of the first of the new breed of British hip hop artists to gain respectable sales. This trend continued as Dizzee Rascal
released his debut album, Boy in Da Corner
, to huge critical acclaim. Sway
also came into the public eye after winning a MOBO
award in September 2005 for Best Hip Hop
Act, defeating heavyweight hip hop artists 50 Cent
and The Game
to collect the award. Lady Sovereign achieved mainstream success both in Britain and America in 2005 after signing with Def Jam Recordings
after impressing Jay-Z
, as well as achieving chart success with singles released from her debut album Public Warning
.
The U.K.'s Panjabi MC
created a style integrated with Indian-based music and created the single "Beware of the Boys". Once Jay-Z added a couple of verses, it became a hit in the United States.
Baltic States
The Baltic states saw a noticeable growth in the hip hop community since the start of the 21st century. All three of the nations that comprise the Baltic states, which became independent in 1991 at the collapse of the U.S.S.R, have created a unique Baltic sound, that started from little to no beginnings prior to the independence of the nations. In all three nations the native language; Estonian
, Latvian
, and Lithuanian
, respectably, are the dominant language of Baltic MC's.
Some popular Baltic Hip hop artists are: Lithuanian- G&G Sindikatas
, Legato, Shmekla&viper ,others G-Enka
, Latvian - Roberts Gobziņš
, Gustavo, Ozols, and DJ Critikal.
Czech Republic
Czech hip hop is a hip hop music
al subculture in the Czech Republic
. Its history began after the Velvet Revolution
in 1989. Since that time began the creation of this subculture with lot of bands, clubs and hip hop festivals appearing all around the country.
There are so famous hip hop singers and groups: PSH, Indy a Wich, Prago union, Supercrooo...
Hungary
Hungarian hip hop is gaining more popularity. Some of the former underground bands are in the media for instance: Akkezdet Phiai, Bobakrome, Sub Bass Monster, Mr. Busta, Hősök, Dopeman, Ganxsta Zolee.
Poland
The Polish hip hop scene began in 1990, when American rappers like MC Hammer
("Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em") and Vanilla Ice
("To the Extreme") were popular. The first album by a Polish
performer was "East on the Mic" by PM Cool Lee, which featured two songs in the Polish language
. Lee was from Kielce
, but Warsaw
soon emerged as a center for hip hop
, after KOLOR, a radio station
, began broadcasting Kolor Shock, hosted by Bogna Świątkowska, Paul Jackson, an African American expatriate, Sylvia Opoku from London, and DJ Volt, whose crew, IKHZ, became performing stars in their own right in 1995. Volt also founded the first Polish independent hip hop label, Beat Records
. Though the label didn't last long, it did introduce groups like Trzyha and Molesta.
Croatia
The 1990s were marked by the emergence of Croatian rap music. The Ugly Leaders released the first ever Croatian Hip-Hop album, and gained a strong following in and around Rijeka. In 1991, the Croatian Liberation Front released two widely popular protest singles. The Zagreb rappers Bolesna Braća (also called Sick Rhyme Sayazz) and Tram 11
became particularly popular, and to an extent also the duo Stoka
& Nered.
The Croatian rap gained much from the fact Edo Maajka
signed on to a label in Zagreb. The Zagreb band Elemental
also burst into the scene featuring one of the few Croatian female rappers.
Slovakia
Slovak hip hop is said to have begun in 1988. The hip hop scene was not popular among general public up until the start of new millennia. After 2001 hip hop music started to gain popularity as the quality of rap and music production improved.
The most controversial and prominent slovak rapper and singer Rytmus is among the best selling artists in Slovakia and Czech Republic. With some of his music videos reaching more than million views he is one of the best known musicians in Central Europe. Together with Ego and Anys they formed Kontrafakt
. Other popular groups and artists include H16, Gramo Rokkaz, Moja Reč, Vec, Zverina.
Slovenia
Slovenian hip hop can be traced back to 1978 but all rappers were forgotten or they disappear it's still secret,how it is known there were some illegal album releases.In the mid 80s were marked as the break-through of rap music in Slovenian music. Ali-En released first national rap album, that immediately became a classic, in 1989. The hip hop culture was heavily popularized by skier Jure Košir
who also released an album with his Rap Team. In 1997 Dandrough, a rap duo, released Ko pride Bog ('when God comes'). The next few years there was a small hole in hip hop scene, with only a couple of albums in 2000 Klemen Klemen
released Trnow Stajl, possibly the most influential mainstream album in Slovenian Hip Hop history of south style, at Menart Records. About the same time a first compilation of Slovenian Hip Hop artists was released at Radyoyo: Za narodov Blagor - 5'00" of fame, including various unknown rappers, that were just yet to pop up onto the scene.
In 2001, the first freestyle rap
championship was organized, launching 6pack Čukur, who placed 2nd, into the mainstream stars. The competition became a tradition and it's held every second year since then. The next year rap duo Murat & Jose
released V besedi je moč
becoming again of the ultimate rap albums in Slovenia and Southern Europe. Following championship was said to be the best. It spawned 2 champions, both releasing albums as an awards through Nika Records. N'toko
, an alternative rapper released it the same year as he became champion, 2003, Trkaj
's album followed the next.
Hip hop culture was heavily popularized by then and artists like Samo Boris, Valterap, N'toko
, released some of the most important albums in small history of Slovenian rap music.
2004–2006 were the most productive years, spawning more albums then all years before that together. Though the quality oscillated from album to album, mostly because of the unofficial releases and noting that the demo
scene produced better tracks, some new names like Eyeceeou and Mrigo came up with excellent material, both with newly founded indie labels.
Bulgaria
Bulgaria
during the late '90s saw the formation of the crews "Amnistia", X-team, Sunrise Project, DRS, Nokaut, Sensei, Blackmouth and RBL, Junior MC, La Boss, People From Ghetto, Mechoka, Ka$ino, Rap Nation, 187, Fars, Logopet, Kingsize, SoundTrack, Dinasty, Atila, Ragga One and "Rubber Heads" (Gumeni Glavi) the latter of which included Misho Shamara, Dreben G, Konsa and more. "Rubber Heads"'s label was called R'nB and was very popular. They even had their own clothing line. In 2000 another Bulgarian hip hop label was created and it was called Sniper Records, including famous names like Spens, DJ Stancho, Slim, Shosho and more. A lot of hardcore rap is produced in Bulgaria from bands like Nokaut, Sunrise Project, RBL, X-Team, Almozz Niggaz, Kingsize and many more.
Now, in 2011, the Bulgarian hip hop is on a higher level. Misho Shamara a.k.a. Big Sha, one of the greatest Bulgarian hip hop musicians, made a song with the US legend Snoop Dogg and the Bulgarian pop-star LilAna. After the song with Snoop Dogg, Big Sha worked on a project with DMX, and LilAna have songs with Akon and Flo Rida.
On March 31st 2010, Big Sha and his buddy, DJ Swed Lu, "delivered" The King of Crunk Lil Jon to the Bulgarian fans.
Meanwhile, Sarafa from RAPTON Records recorded songs with The Outlawz, Ja Rule, and Naughty by Nature.
Gerata from LC records
Romania
Romanian hip hop The main theme is politics, based on anti-system protest, and social, underlining the rich-poor gap and the low quality of the new, post-Communist, enriched class. Bucharest
is the main center, since most of other bands/rappers from outside the city would still come there for recording.
Once dominated by BUG Mafia (Bucharest Underground Mafia), the market is currently the fiefdom of Paraziţii
. An important moment in Romanian hip hop history was the support Morometzii gave to Traian Băsescu
and his centrist political alliance during 2004, through the anti-system (in fact against the then-ruling Social Democratic Party
) songs România, trezeşte-te! (English Romania, wake up!) and În luptǎ cu Puterea (English Fighting the Power).
2006 was a great year for Romanian hip hop, especially for the underground scene. Independent labels such as Hades Records and Facem Records finally got out of the box with albums that soon reached stores at a national level. Also a big step in the evolution of Romanian hip hop was the Summer Jam 2006 hip hop
festival that took place in Bucharest. Created and supervised by Hades Records/Hades Events, Summer Jam was the first of its kind and size in Romania, uniting more than 20 artists and bands over 2 days of show, including DJ contests, breakdance shows, streetball
contests and a lot of high quality hip hop. The producers of the show said that much more is to be expected for 2007's edition. Some notable artists include:BUG Mafia, Parazitii
, R.A.C.L.A.
, La Familia and Grasu' XXL. Romanian hip hop artists Parazitii have worked with major names in hip hop,artists like: Raekwon, Shabazz the Disciple, and Dutch rapper Cilvaringz.Gerata
(Мальчи́шник), but the recognition of the rap genre came with the rise of a Moscow team Bad B., with their album "Naletchiki Bad B." being released in 1994.
The first Russian rap artists to have achieved commercial success: Kasta
(Каста), Bad Balance
/Bad.B (Плохой Баланс/Бад Би), Detsl
(Децл), and the Belarus
ian artist Seryoga
(Серега), who combined original rap with the native Russian satiric song genre chastushka which some critics consider a new branch in the rap genre: rap-chastushka. Although most of rap fans believe he does not belong to the Russian rap scene, the musician won the nomination for best Russian rap in 2005 on the RMA (Russian Music Awards).
The same way as in the US, the scene is divided in to "East Side" and "West Side" style, again, where the "West Siders" brag about money cars and girls, the "East Siders" rap about everything else. The most commercial "West Side" style rap produced is Timati
, being the first Russian rapper to work with American producer Scott Storch and American rappers Fat Joe, Snoop Dogg, Xzbit, Busta Rhymes, and Diddy. If you ask any self-respecting hip-hop fan however, any association of Timati to hip-hop may end in violence as there is a strong opinion that his purely commercial style has no place in hip-hop.
The most popular Russian hip-hop artist today is Vasiliy Mikhailovitch Vakulenko under different aliases representing his multiple personalities. Busta (Баста) being his earliest alias is the one with heart, bringing a lot of sincere feelings in the lyrics. Noggano (Ноггано) - his second invention is a character with a lot of references to controlled substances, gang activities presented in a twisted style of a mastermind with a dark sense of humor. N1NT3ND0 (Нинтендо) - his latest is a character taking the vulgarity and gang activities to the max.
Ukraine
Ukrainian hip hop (Ukra-hop) is a major part of the Ukrainian music
scene.
Although some groups, like the crew Tanok Na Maydani Kongo
("The Dance on the Congo Square"), rap in the Ukrainian language
(specifically the Slobozhanshchyna dialect
) and mix hip hop with indigenous Ukrainian
elements, many others do not, preferring instead to rap
in Russian
.
In 2005, Ukraine's entrant in the Eurovision Song Contest
, GreenJolly
's "Together We Are Many", was also the unofficial anthem of the recent Orange Revolution
. Eurovision demanded the lyrics to be changed for the contest (because it did not correspond to contests rules due to political content). Also this song was remade by Polish hip hop
artists.
Albania
Albanian hip-hop is one of the most unknown and most prospective in Europe.In Albania
and Kosovo
. First Group Rapper Are 2DIE4 , who bring to Albania THE HIP HOP. Rap groups such as Rap Energy, T.B.A ,O.T.R, Mc Kresha & Lyrical Soon, Dr.Mic(TDS), Da L.I.G.S, Kaos, Skillz, Ritmi i Rruges, 2DIE4, Etno Engjujt, WNC, 2Po2,EmCee Master Latta,Dakey ,Mad Lion and others have striven to portray the real Albanian attitude of today.
Kosovan & Albanian rappers:Ibi-i the real mc,Unikkatil
, Pancho,Das , Lyrical Son, Dr.Mic TDS, Tingulli 3,Noizy, urbaNRoots, BimmBima are examples of some successful acts. One could also mention hip hop groups like,2High Records Ritmi i Rruges, Baba Records, Gramafon Entertainment,
War between OTR and TBA and has brought numerous conflicts in the world of rap in Albania. For the wonderful music, rap are (West Side Family), their music also comes after that has its Branches 2Die4 such as (FAMILY FROM SOUTH TO NORTH) and group (+355).
-The Kosovo Underground Scene
There aren't many Underground rap and hip-hop groups but there are many solo artists like Ibi-i The Real Mc,Ergen, Elinel, Das, Pancho, Lav'da, NEC, Bimbimma and many others.
As for groups there are "GSS CREW"ZonnaTerrit ( ZNNT ),26 Crew, UFO Click and UrbaNRoots that broke up because of some problems, but recently they made some songs together again, so they just might unite and make an album together.
, but it has nevertheless proven very popular. The majority of Bosnian
and Herzegovinian
rappers are from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
(the Bosnian Muslim / Bosnian Croat dominated half of the country), although more and more are coming out of the Serb Republic
. The vibrant underground scene has coalesced around several major portals on the Internet.
The most famous rapper in Bosnia and Herzegovina is Edo Maajka
and others include Frenkie
, Hamza, Amon Ra, Sove, Dibidus etc. The most popular rap group in Bosnia and Herzegovina is CCC, Disciplinska Komisija
with Edo Maajka as the leader of the group.
Due to the war in 1992–1995 (where many were seeking refuge in other European countries and the United States) many Bosnian and Herzegovinan Hip Hop artists are also spread out all around the world including the United States, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, New Zealand etc.
Most famous rappers that live in the countries mentioned above are Cekic, Kum The Reper, Admalish, Kalil, Joki, Admian, Seik Ba, Prah, RNel, AzRim, Infuzija, SL93, RimaD, Daez,Swifftz,Damme , Nexter,Raport etc. Bosnian hip hop is the most popular in the Balkans and guilty is on the Top of European hip hop. Bosnian hip hop is starting to be very popular in the youth of Bosnia its been featured in films like Summer in the Golden Valley putting Bosnian hip hop on the main stream on the Balkans and on featured films.
(FortiFied Concept) (members: Ρυθμοδαμαστής, DJ Everlast, Πετσούκης, plus many guests) that separated in 2005 and Active Member
. FF.C were formed in 1987, even though their first album was released in 1993, in Vyronas
, Athens
, Greece
by Hip-Hop producer Dimitris Petsoukis (known also as Σκηνοθέτης - Skinothetis, Director), MC Kostas Kourmentalas (known as Ρυθμοδαμαστής - Rithmodamastis, Rythmtamer) and DJ Thomas Pitikakis (known also as DJ Everlast). FF.C was the first Greek Hip-Hop band mad together mad 7 albums. After the release of their last album in 2005, the band split, as Kostas Kourmentalas left FF.C and the musical scene in general. After that, Dimitris Petsoukis and Thomas Pitikakis together with Μυστήριο, Έκπτωτος Άγιος (Mysterio,Mystery), (Ekptotos Agios, Fallen Saint) and Παράξενος (Paraxenos, Stranger) formed the band Αντίξοες Παραγωγές (Antixoes Paragoges, Rough Productions).
Differentiation caused a lot of tension among the Greek hip-hop fans. Between the years of 1995–2000, there was a lot of conflict, relatively speaking. Things escalated from there when the Battle rap era in Greece began with the group ZN (Ζωντανοί Νεκροί – The Living Dead
) that started dissing Active Member and other hip hop
groups. ZN was composed of 5 members Taki Tsan
, Midenistis, Charmanis, Ypochthonios & Katachthonios. They followed the Wu-Tang model and have been accused of biting the Wu-Tang Clan
. They first released an EP
and then a group album
, followed by releasing solo albums. Their one and only album (due to feud
ing) as a group was "O Protos Tomos" (The First Volume) in 1997.
As American hip hop lyrics, as part of the gangsta rap genre, became more widely violent, so did international hip hop lyrics, and Greece was no exception. Rapping about gun
s, drug
s, violence
and sex
became the norm. Hardcore
Greek rap had swept the genre, and commercial hip hop followed suit.
Commercial hip-hop in Greece has become hugely successful, with acts like Imiskoumbria
, Terror X Crew and Goin' Through blazing the trails. Imiskoumbria
and Terror X Crew both were the first to have their records going gold. Goin' Through became a massive success after their last album, La Sagrada Familia
, was granted gold status as of 2006. Goin' Through has also established Greece's big name hip-hop label, Family, where some other acts are signed. The label is a co-venture between the multinational hip hop label Def Jam Recordings
and Universal Music Greece, being among the only foreign artists to have such a deal with Def Jam. Some of the more noted acts of Family are Taraxias, Thirio (Beast), NEVMA, Ominus (who has now left the label to form his own label "Legacy Entertainment" with producers Y-Not & DjDoc) & DJ S.
It should be noted that the group Imiskoumbria
, is widely credited as one of the Greek rap acts that made Greek hip hop a household thing. Before this, Greek hip hop was considered to be a fad or a novelty of sorts. Eisvoleas (Ilias Papanikolos) is another important rapper in Greek Hip-Hop. He was member of Alfa Gama Agnostoi-Gnosti (Unknown-Known). Agnostofovia (Fear of the Unknown) was their debut album.
F.F.C has made some great albums like: "Σκληροί καιροί" (Hard times), "Σ' άλλη διάσταση", "Η απειλή", "Οχυρωμένη αντίληψη", "Υπ' όψιν", "Κλασσικά ηχογραφημένα", "Αντιληψίες συνείδησης" and"18 ΧΡΟΝΙΑ ΟΧYΡΩΜΕΝΟΙ".
Active Member created a new hip-hop genre called low bap. The center of Greek hip hop is in Athens.
Some of the most famous Greek crews are:
•FF.C (Fortified Concept) (1987)
•Active member (1992)
•TXC(Terror X Crew) (1992)
•Imiskoubria (1994)
•ΝΕΒΜΑ (1994)
•Zontanoi Nekroi(ZN) (1997) One of the best hip hop crews.The members are five:Taki Tsan,Charmanis,Midenistis,Ypoxthonios and Kataxthonios.Their first album was"ZN entoles",but the album that made them famous was" O protos tomos".After that,they made"Thamena ksexasmena",an album with unreleased songs from their two first albums and from some solo albums of the members.The first that tried a solo was Taki Tsan with"Rhma gia xrhma"(Rhyme for Money",which is considered as the best Greek hip-hop album ever.Than Midenistis released his solo album"Megalos hroas".Taki Tsan with Charmanis released "To sxoleio"(The school).In 2009, Taki Tsan decided to record his third LP, 'Rima gia Xrima 2009', and began a tour with the same name all around Greece with all the other ZNs and many other rap artists, like Eisvoleas, King Style and DJ the Boy. In 2009 Taki Tsan released his new LP Rima gia Chrima 2.He is planifying to release "Rima gia Chrima"in the end of 2010".Also Ypoxthonios has made two solo albums.The second was released in 2010 and was called"Bromiko mixtape"(Dirty mixtape).
Other groups are:
•Alytoi Grifoi (1997)
•S.M.A. (Street Magic Art) (1998)
•Skoteinh Pleyra (1998)
•Voreia Asteria (1999) Members:Mikros kleftis(Little burglar),Lex,Jamal,Mondi,Zhnon.Boreia asteria or "North stars"started like a grafitti crew in Thessaloniki,but in 1999 they decided to make hip-hop.The crew was created from the fusion of some others crews like"Alytoi Grifoi","Chasma","Anapoda kapela".Their albums are:
•"Xalara" 1999
•"Xalarotera" 2004
•"Ta authentika tis polis" 2010
"Boreia asteria"had made also two mixtapes:
•Squeezy Anks – H.A.S.H. (2007)
•Just odd Beats - Kicks, Hats & Snares(2009)
Some other crews are:
•Orthologistes (1999)
•Alfa Gama (2000)
•Professional Sinnerz (2002)
•Bita Peis (2002)
•Corona Virus (2002)
•Loopology(2003)
•Stixoima (2004)
•Apexeis (2005)
•Flowjob(2006)
•Giants Athens (2006)
•Bong Da City(2007)
•Filiki Etaireia (2007)
•LADOSE(2007)
•RNS (2007)
•ERF(2009)
Some other artists are; Eisvoleas, Sado , Mike Freeze , Sifu Versus ,Phyrosun,Ominus, Monostekis
's Articolo 31
, then and still today produced
by Franco Godi, who had written the soundtrack to the animated TV series Signor Rossi in the 1970s. The European Music Office's report on Music in Europe claimed that, in general, hip hop
from the south of Italy tends to be harder than that from the north. In the early '80s, hip-hop spread to Italy, along side Jamaica
n raggamuffin, especially in centri sociali, alternative centers where several left-wing young people regularly meet. The first star, however, was Jovanotti
, who used rapping
in otherwise traditional Italian pop. Some of his tracks were however pure hip hop, e.g. "Il rap" which sampled Public Enemy
's Chuck D.
Articolo 31
started out as a mainly East Coast rap-inspired hip hop duo, but changed to a more commercial style during their career and eventually evolved into a punk/pop/crossover group. Other important crews and rappers include Pescara
's Lou X, Bologna
's Camelz in Effect with their unforgettable early hit "Slega la Lega", Sangue Misto
with their 1994 album SxM, the political crew 99 Posse
whose music have influences from world music to trip-hop. Gangsta rap
crews include Sa Razza
, La Fossa
from Sardinia
and Flaminio Maphia from Rome. Probably the most famous Italian rappers apart from Articolo 31 are Sottotono from Varese
, Esa a.k.a. El Presidente and his brother Yoshi Torenaga a.k.a. Tormento from Calabria
, Neffa and Kaos One from Napoli, Piotta who represents Rome and became famous through an ironic interpretation of the coatto (The stereotypical Italian boy with an attitude) even if a lot of people find his tracks useless for the extension in the world of Italian hip-hop, Bassi Maestro and his crew Sano Business from Milan
, Duplici, ATPC, Funk Famiglia and Tsu
from Turin
, Inoki
and Joe Cassano representing Bologna
with their crew PMC
(Porzione Massiccia Crew) led before by Joe Cassano and from Inoki after Joe's death (1999) for cocaine overdose and with them the crew Teste Mobili and the group Uomini Di Mare (Fabri Fibra
and Dj Lato). Caparezza
is often referred to as the Italian Eminem because his records sold many copies from 2000 on, Caparezza is not just a rapper because in his music he mixes hip-hop, heavy metal
, reggae
, rock
and techno
. Frankie Hi-NRG is often referred to as the Italian Nas
, since his rhymes are very complex and intellectual. Turi
from Calabria
and Colle Der Fomento from Rome
are considered hardcore rappers by many. Italian hip-hop also has a tradition of political-minded lyrics, e.g. Isola Posse, Onda Rossa, 99 Posse
and Assalti Frontali. Notable italian beatmakers and deejays are Fritz Da Cat, Dj Shocca, Dj Rudy B, Ice One, Big Fish
, Orly Sad, Don Joe, Dj Baro, Dj Inesha and the legendary Dj Double S. A lot of them formed the crew Alien Army with the intention to riunite the best hip-hop deejays in Italy.
There are also some crews rapping in the local dialect
s or languages, e.g. La Famiglia in napoletano; Sa Razza
(partly) in Sardinian
, Carnicats and DLH Posse that raps in Friulian
, as well as in Italian. 99 Posse
also use Italian as well as Neapolitan while La Pooglia Tribe and Sud Sound System
rap in both Italian and dialect from the Puglia region. In the last few years, groups of the 90's not famous as the other ones like Cor Veleno, Brusco, Gli Inquilini and La Squadra from Rome, Club Dogo
and Vacca
from Milan, Co'Sang from Naples or Stokka & Madbuddy from Palermo have emerged in the Italian hip-hop scene.
Currently, one of the notable underground hip hop performers and producers in the Republic of Macedonia is Vladimir Agovski-Ago from Skopje. He became involved in the Macedonian hip-hop scene since childhood as a very young b-boy in 1986. In the following year he formed a juvenile rap act called The Masters of Rap and recorded his first studio track in 1988. In 1991 he joined the band Instant Beat, which performed around the country and made recordings in the Macedonian Radio-Television production, which were never officially released. Later, he formed another group The Most Wanted which in 1995 released the first Macedonian hardcore rap album, called "Judgment Day". After the group disbanded in 1996, he continued to work under the name Temnata strana (The Dark Side) and he founded the first Macedoninan hip-hop label, called "Dolina na senkite" abbreviated "DNS" (Valley of the Shadows) to promote his own works and other upcoming Macedonian hip hop acts as well.
The group Čista okolina was formed in 1989 by joining several previously existing juvenile rap bands, and later it rose to one of the most prominent hip hop acts in the country. Čista okolina released the album "Noviot aspekt na starata škola" (The New Aspect of the Old School) in the spring of 1996. During its existence it also released a song together with the prominent alternative rock group Last Expedition. One of the Čista okolina's former members Vele Solunčev later became a frontman of the mixed-style music group appropriately named Mosaique, because it combined various elements such as hip hop, jazz fusion, alternative rock and ethno-jazz.
One of the most successful hip hop acts in the country is SAF (Sakam Afro Frizura) formed in 1993. It consists of the emcees Smilen Dimitrov and Mitko Gaštarovski aka Pikisipi, as well as the band's backing DJ and turntablist, Goce Trpkov. In 1996 they released their well-known anti-drug abuse theme called Miss Stone. Its title is a pun between the historical person Miss Stone, the US missionary who met Jane Sandanski in Macedonia in the 1900s, and the phrase stoned. As the group became critically acclaimed, in the following year they started a music TV show called Hiphop teza. They released their debut album titled Safizam in 2001 and played a promotional concert with the prominent US hip hop band Das EFX as a support act.
Prominent Macedonian hip hop artists in the 2000s include: Da Džaka Nakot, Legijata, Klan Istok, Edinstvena opcija, Puka kozmetika, Green Out, Speeding Bee, Str2 and many others.
The early 1990s saw the emergence of many Macedonian pop-rap artists influenced by the then-popular MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice. These artists included for example the female solo singer Ena Veko, who released the LP "Bubački i gradski dzverki", and the duo Lastovica which consisted of Robert Sazdov and Vlado Janevski, who later became a solo pop singer and represented Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998. Behind most of these successful pop-rap acts was the prominent Macedonian composer and producer Toše Pop Simonov. The group Nulta Pozitiv was formed in parallel. Gradually they went more and more mainstream and became popular across the country, especially after recording the rap track nicknamed after the famous Macedonian folk song "Otvori go Pendžerčeto" ("Open the Window"). It featured an unconventional refrain for a rap song sang by the notable folk music singer Mirko Mitrevski. They released an album titled Transfuzija. Later emerged another pop-rap artist Kristijan Gabrovski from Prilep nicknamed Risto Bombata after Afrika Bambaataa. He and his backing band became very popular across the country for their mix of rap, pop-rock and pop-folk. In the mid-1990s an offshoot of Nulta Pozitiv was the more harder-sounding group named Attack which released the famous song "Atentatot na Kiro" after the assassination-attempt on the then-President of the Republic of Macedonia Kiro Gligorov in 1995. Later, one of the former Nulta Pozitiv members, Darko Dimitrov rose to a prominent Macedonian composer and producer. Among others, he also worked with the late 1990s/early 2000s pop-rap artists such as Vrčak and Ugro.
One of the first prominent Macedonian rap music festivals was the so called "Rap'n'Roll" fest which was held in the early 1990s in MKC, the Youth Cultural Centre in Skopje, followed by many others. Currently Macedonia hosts many hip hop festivals featuring both domestic and foreign performers. A hip hop clubbing scene also exists.
Macedonian hip hop culture doesn't stop since then. Brothers Aleksandar and Slavcho Koviloski, known by their hip hop political and social activism, and known as a long time members of hip hop groups like Braka Po Krv and Klan Istok, since the year 2005 are holding lectures in Macedonian highschools, universities ana cultural centres. Also, by the year 2008 they have been published three books about hip hop and urban culture, unique on the Balkans.
Macedonian hip hop performers also exists in the ethnic Macedonian diaspora, in countries such as the United States and Australia. The group Curse ov Dialect from Melbourne features the ethnic Macedonian member nicknamed Vulk Makedonski, and often incorporates elements of traditional Macedonian music.[1]
[edit]
variety of hip hop music
, although different because it is mixed with African music from Lusophone
Africa and reggae
. It is often performed by African-Portuguese, descendants from African immigrants that came to Portugal after the independence of the former African colonies. The past 5 years have been productive and names such as Dealema, Mind Da Gap, Greguz du Shabba, Valete, Sam The Kid (rapper & producer), Boss AC, Micro, Matozoo and Bomberjack gathered many followers in the underground subculture. Graffiti artist's names include, among others, Mosaik, Caos, Colman, Uber, Que? and Kayo. Portuguese rapper group 'DaWeasel' has also become significantly popular amongst Portuguese youths both nationally & internationally in establishing Portuguese Hip-Hop.
Serbia
Serbian hip hop started in the early 80's, with the birth of b-boy crews and their battles which have spread over the country in no time. The first sound recording of the Serbian hip hop is the Degout EP by the band named The Master Scratch Band
, which was released through Jugoton
in the year 1984. – 5-tracker presenting b-boy electro-breakbeat tracks with a bit of rapping. In the late 80's, bands such are Budweiser, Green Kool Posse, Who Is The Best and Robin Hood started the first demo scene. The music spread slowly until 1995, when the first significant album was released: Da li imaš pravo? by Gru. This release marked the beginning of the first wave of Serbian hip hop, which reached its peak in 1997–98, when many new groups started to break out from the underground: Voodoo Popeye, Full Moon, Straight Jackin, Sunshine, Bad Copy
, Belgrade Ghetto, CYA, 187. Monteniggers
, from Montenegro
(at the time in a union with Serbia), were another popular rap group. Just as the scene was taking off, the flood of new talent slowed to a trickle, probably due to the economic effects of the Kosovo War
of 1999, which resulted in only a few hip hop albums released in 1999–2001. However, in 2002 the silence was shown to be temporary with the founding of the Bassivity label, which made Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian hip hop widely available in record stores. Their first release, V.I.P. – Ekipa Stigla, was one of the two albums which marked the beginning of the second wave of Serbian hip hop. The other was BSSST...Tišinčina
by the Belgrade group Beogradski Sindikat
. The same group also released the highly controversial political single Govedina
in late 2002, which greatly aided the popularisation of hip hop in Serbia.
Since 2002, Bassivity Music has released many more records and Beogradski Sindikat have followed up their debut with 2005's Svi Zajedno
, having founded their own label, Prohibicija, due to their dissatisfaction with Automatik Records. One of the group's members, Škabo
, has also released several solo albums.
Since 2007 ,the oldest inndependent label in Serbia, Take It Or Leave It records(established 1992), and their sub-label Rap Cartel released almost every rap album during this time.First rap CD published by Rap Cartel was a compilation "Rap Cartel-Pablo je pao vol.1"
Main rap singers known and published by Rap Cartel label are :SHA,Bata Barata ex Shorty,Monogamija,Bitcharke na travi,Bvana iz lagune,Hartmann,J COOK,M.A.X.,Prti Beegee,Day Who,De Niro,VOX and many less known artists.This label also published first licence album from America, CD HAVIKK-Rhymme son(South Central cartel).
, Kortatu
and TDK
tried and recorded some approaches to hip hop music
, but kept most of their hard rock background.
In 1989 Troya Dscs&Rcrs label released the first Spanish hip hop LP: Madrid Hip Hop, a compilation of four bands from the province of Madrid: DNI, Estado Crítico, Sindicato del Crimen and QSC. The record presented two cuts of each band.
Later in 1989, Ariola major label tried a new push to establish some hip hop stars, with a new compilation of Madrilene hip hop music: Rappin Madrid, introduced more soloists and groups, like MC Randy & D.J. Jonco.
Both attempts mostly failed, but helped to establish a viable scene in Madrid
.
Zona Bruta
, the first Spanish hip hop specialised label, was founded in 1994.
(formerly Zaire), Rwanda
, and Burundi
until the early 1960s. Like in France, immigrants
from these countries started to study and live in Belgium.
The Belgian hip hop
scene started in the late 1980s with a U.S.-based techno/hip hop group called Technotronic
. In the group was an emcee named Ya Kid K
from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
who later led the group into international fame with hits like "Pump up the Jam" and "Shake tTat Body". In 1990, she also joined the group Hi-Tek 3 who were heard on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
movie soundtrack
.
However, the first major pop rapper from Belgium was Benny B
, who had a very mainstream and commercial sound. According to the European Music Office's report on Music in Europe, this was the first of many pop acts that helped inspire a backlash and the creation of an underground hip hop scene http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/MIE/Part2_chapter08.shtml.
In the early 1990s the Brussels
' rap crew De Puta Madre started rapping in French and Spanish. They became an underground
success and are still highly respected in the Belgian hip hop scene.
In the late 1990s, Rwanda
n hip hop pioneer J.C. Matata moved to Belgium and created a hip hop/reggae
/zouk
group called ZAMZAM.
Also in the late 1990s in the Walloon south of the country, French speaking/rapping Starflam
was the biggest name in hip hop. In the Flemish
north Dutch speaking/rapping groups like 't Hof van Commerce
, St Andries MC's, ABN were popular and De Feesters (Flemish gangsta rap) rapping in their regional dialect
s.
, Grandmixer DST, Fab 5 Freddy, Mr Freeze and the Rock Steady Crew. Dee Nasty
's Paname City Rappin', released in 1984, was the first French hip hop record.
Similar to Britain, the popularity of French hip hop has increased dramatically over the past decade, with artists such as Assassin
, Lunatic, IAM
or Suprême NTM
all achieving some amount of success in their own country. Other notable artists include Booba
, Sinik
, Diam's
and Rohff
. A select few artists have also gained worldwide popularity, such as Saïan Supa Crew
who appeared on The World According to RZA
– a compilation of worldwide hip hop created by RZA
. One of the most popular French rappers is Senegal
ese-born MC Solaar
, who is known for his complex and poetic lyrics.Currently France is nr 1 on the best hip hop of Europe list.
Traditional music, from immigrants that migrated from Northern Africa, Turkey, Morocco, etc., mixed with the American hip hop scene may have contributed to Germany's hip hop music. The Neue Deutsche Welle band Fehlfarben released a song called, "Militürk," acknowledging and inspired by the presence of Turks in Germany.
Film played a major impact in the beginning of the musical genre. Films such as, Beat Street and Wild Style, formed the first wave of hip hop fans. As a result, German youth began to graffiti and break dance which lead to underground hip hop music and development. In particular, one music group, Advance Chemistry sparked a huge interest in speaking out for the youth of Germany, especially the immigrants. Moreover, more and more people loved the hip hop scene in Germany until it reached its peak in 2001. After that time period of rapping about life in Germany, "New Schoolers" rapped about crime and violence. Till this day, hip hop plays a significant role in Germany's music scene. Germany produced the well-known Optik Army and its frontman Kool Savas
as well as several other rap combos like Aggro Berlin
, Die Fantastischen Vier
, Ersguterjunge
, Fettes Brot
or Amstaff. Several solo artists like Bushido
, Sido
, Fler
, Samy Deluxe
and Azad
.
was the first successful rap-crew in Holland. Osdorp Posse's frontman, who goes by the name Def P, is well-known for his political awareness and social analyses. The song "Origineel Amsterdams" ended up in the top of the charts, a lucrative mainstream-career was just around the corner now. Instead, O.P realized that credibility lasts longer than fame. So they avoided selling out, and remained loyal to a smaller scene.
In 1986, Dutch
rap duo MC Miker G & DJ Sven
(Lucien Witteveen and Sven van Veen) had a top 10 hit across Europe with "Holiday Rap", which sampled Madonna's
"Holiday".
One particularly proficient Dutch-language rapper is Extince
. Other notable acts include Ali B
(who has been featured on other artists' tracks, most significantly with Marco Borsato
on the song "Wat zou je doen?" for the charity War Child
) who achieved solo success with "Leipe mocro flavour". Together with his nephew Yes-R
, he made an international remix of "Ghetto" together with Akon.; the duo Lange Frans & Baas B
with their patriotic but introspective "Het Land Van
"; and Yes-R
but these people have got the biggest hits, but not the best rap skills (wordplay, "flow" which means a rhyme schedule that sounds good together with the beat, originality). Most notable for rap skills in Holland these days is the rap group "Opgezwolle" (rapper Sticky Steez, rapper Phreako Rico and DJ Delic). Rapper Jawat, won the "Grote prijs van Nederland" 2006, and has a very original and unique style. Holland has got a fast growing "underground scene" and rapping in Dutch is very popular.Currently Holland is the nr 2 on the list best hip hop of Europe.
Several Dutch rappers have worked with some of the biggest names in hip hop like: Nas, The Outlawz, Sean Price, Heltah Skeltah, Scram Jones, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Akon, Redman, Method Man, Rza, Gza, Ol Dirty Bastard, LL Cool J, Run DMC, Public Enemy, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Rick Ross, Wu Tang Clan, French rapper Sefyu, Romanian hip hop group Parazitii.
Dutch rapper Cilvaringz is part of Wu Tang Killa Bees,an affiliate group of The Wu Tang Clan.
Salah Edin is the world's best selling rapper in Arabic language, although he mostly raps Dutch. His beats are being produced by Dr. Dre's righthand producer Focus...
.
rappers started rapping in English, but after the bilingual track "Murder by Dialect" by P-27 featuring Black Tiger
, rappers switched to their native Swiss German dialects. Rappers from the French-speaking part (where the traditional dialects died out in most parts) and from the Italian-speaking part (where most people mix dialects and Standard Italian freely) only rap in the standard languages.
The European Music Office's report on Music in Europe claimed that Switzerland's hip hop scene is "particularly innovative and advanced", featuring Unik Records (the first European indie rap label)
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
created by European musicians. Hip hop is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. Due to this success, it has gained worldwide popularity, especially in Europe where many diverse and unique styles of hip hop have been created.
Denmark
In Denmark, Hip Hop has been growing steadily more popular over the last fifteen years and began with Danish language acts such as MC Einar and Rockers by Choice. In the early 1990s, English was the preferred language for underground acts such as Dope Solution, Kidnap and one of the first female and ground breaking artists No Name Requested, who fusioned rap with reggae well before contemporary artists. In the late 1990s Danish language rap was again in demand and the favorite choice of artists because of artists such as Jokeren and his group Den Gale Pose. The Funky Fly record labelRecord label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
has been an important part of this evolution. In contrast to many other countries, Hip Hop in Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
has been generally as successful or more so locally than acts in English. Some Danish English language rappers have become more well-known abroad than at home, such as Static and NATiLL, both popular German acts, and Funk Flush and Delireeus, who are well-known elsewhere in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. Prominent Danish-language artists include:
The members of Full Impact Productions (F.I.P.), (Orgi-E, Bai-D, Troo.L.S., L.O.C.
L.O.C.
Liam O'Connor is a Danish rapper, more commonly known as L.O.C. He is a former member of Alzheimer Klinikken and B.A.N.G.E.R.S...
, Rune Rask & U$O),
The members often refer to themselves as F.I.P.G.C. (Full Impact Productions Gangster Click). The (in)famous Danish rap group Suspekt
Suspekt
Suspekt is a Danish hip hop group. They are known for their dark, intense style, which has sometimes been described as horrorcore. The group consists of rappers Bai-D and Orgi-E , as well as producer Rune Rask. Former member Troo.L.S...
is made up of F.I.P members Orgi-E, Bai-D & Rune Rask although L.O.C. is a frequent guest, as well as Troo.L.S produces most of the tracks together with Rune Rask.
In 2005, two of the members, Troo.L.S. & Orgi-E came out with an album, Forklædt Som Voksen (Disguised As Adult). The group has not split up, but they have made it clear that they will not make any new albums. However, they often perform together. While Suspekt was/is a group, F.I.P. can be considered a "guild."
[L.O.C] (Liam O'Connor) is the most successful solo-rapper in history of Danish hip hop, with his 60,000 sold albums. His first album, Dominologi, included hits such as "Absinthe" and "Drik Min Hjerne Ud" (Drink My Brain Away). His second album, Inkarneret (Incarnated) was a huge success, with hits as "Undskyld" (Sorry), "Hvem" (Who), and "Pop Det Du Har" (Pop [out] What You've Got). His latest album, Cassiopeia, was released on September 15, 2005 and the song "Frk. Escobar" (Miss Escobar) became a huge hit.
The two famous producers Rune Rask and Troo. L.S. have stood behind most of the hits of F.I.P. members. They have been awarded the title as best producer-team.
In 2006, they produced the song "Gangsta Bop" by Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
. It will be featured on his second album, "Konvicted
Konvicted
-Samples:*"Mama Africa" samples Gentleman's "Dem Gone"*"Tired of Runnin'" samples Bobby Bland's " I Don't Want to Be Right"*"Once in a While" samples 3 Dog Night's "I'd Be So Happy"*"Don't Matter" interpolates the melody of R...
"
Finland
Finnish hip hop music is an increasingly robust part of the Finnish music scene. While some rappers based in Finland (Nuera, PalefacePaleface (Finnish musician)
Karri Pekka Matias Miettinen , better known by his stage name Paleface, is a Finnish hip hop musician.- Albums :* The Pale Ontologist * Quarter Past * Studio Tan * Helsinki – Shangri-La...
, Redrama
Redrama
Lasse Mellberg , better known by his stage name Redrama, is a Finland-Swedish rapper. Redrama made a breakthrough in 2003. English occurring Redrama was part of hip-hop group Alien Allies, which also included the Norwegian Paperboys and Madcon...
, Jimmy Smallz, Tommy Sky) choose to record their rhymes in English, the majority use Finnish
Finnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
. The first recordings were released in the late 1980s but the real boom of Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
came in the late 1990s. Since then, the number of crews recording has increased dramatically. The best-selling crew has been Fintelligens with several top 10 albums and singles. The best-selling solo artist has been Pikku G, a 18-year-old boy whose debut album has sold more than 120,000 copies (quadruple platinum album) in Finland. Although these groups have sold well, there is a continuously increasing appreciating for underground or "real" hip hop. Finnish underground hip hop artists, like Julma-Henri, Asa, Puukko-Allu etc. have been selling very well in the last few years.
IcelandIcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
The first major hip hopHip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
crew from Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
was Quarashi
Quarashi
Quarashi was a rap and hip-hop group from Reykjavík, Iceland. It was composed of Hössi Ólafsson , who was the lead vocalist and frontman of the group, Ómar Swarez , rapper and hype man, and Steini a.k.a. Stoney , also rapper and hype man...
, who were a hip-hop group that was marketed in the US as being inspired by the rock hybrid music of Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
and Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
. Quarashi broke up in 2005. Around the same time Quarashi released their first album a lot of rap groups were formed such as Subterranean which are considered to have released Icelandic hiphops biggest classic, Central Magnetizm. Other groups were Team 13 (later became Twisted Minds), Multifunctionals, Bounce Brothers and Hip Hop Elements (later named Kritikal Mazz). They all rapped in English except for one song from Multifunctionals called "Númer 1". They were later followed by performers like XXX Rottweiler (formerly known as 110 Rottweilerhundar) who along with Sesar A had the first all Icelandic hip hop albums published in Iceland (2001). Later (2002) they were followed by a decent amount of rappers following their lead and rapping exclusively in Icelandic. Bæjarins bestu, the freestyle battle champs of Iceland in one unit, Móri
MORI
Ipsos MORI is the second largest market research organisation in the United Kingdom, formed by a merger of Ipsos UK and MORI, two of the Britain's leading survey companies in October 2005...
, a gangsta rap
Gangsta rap
Gangsta Rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths. Lyrics in gangsta rap have varied from accurate reflections to fictionalized accounts. Gangsta is a non-rhotic pronunciation of the word...
per who uses Icelandic
Icelandic language
Icelandic is a North Germanic language, the main language of Iceland. Its closest relative is Faroese.Icelandic is an Indo-European language belonging to the North Germanic or Nordic branch of the Germanic languages. Historically, it was the westernmost of the Indo-European languages prior to the...
, Afkvæmi Guðanna (The Offspring of the Gods), Bent og 7Berg (Bent and 7Berg) and, most recently, Hæsta Hendin (The Highest Hand). Icelandic lyrics are usually very direct and aggressive, with battle raps forming a sizeable portion of Icelandic hip hop.
Ireland
Hip hop culture arrived in Ireland in the 1980s and has enjoyed a steady underground scene ever since. By the early 1990s, the scenes in Dublin, CorkCork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
and Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
included such performers as Third Eye Surfers, Marxman
Marxman
Marxman were a four-piece Marxist hip-hop group with two MCs formed in London in 1989.Their lyrics expounded socialism and an end to economic and social injustice...
, Messiah J. and The Expert, Homebrew and Scary Éire. Despite this, it has never had the same worldwide recognition that British hip hop has seen in recent years.
Currently hip-hop in Ireland is still going strong.
Dublin hosts names such as Messiah J and The Expert (formerly Creative Controle) (winners of the Nokia Best Dance/Electronica/Hip Hop award), DJ Flip (World ITF Champion), and Lisa Dee. Ireland has its own urban music magazine RAP IRELAND, an urban brand that also promote clubs and concerts, and run Dublin-based Blackhouse Studios and the Rap Ireland DJ School.
Norway
Hip hop would spread to all of Scandinavia, including Norway, in the early 1980s. With breakdancing and graffiti art growing increasingly popular, a number of underground hip hop musicians gained fame among the genre's limited fanbase in the late 1980s. These included A-Team (later Bolt Warhead) and Tommy Tee, who also put out a prominent hip hop magazine/fanzine called Fat Cap and a radio show Strictly Hip Hop (later The National Rap Show).The early to mid-nineties saw acts like Warlocks, Ellers Det, Captain Anarad and Dream Of Utopia struggle for recognition (to little effect). In the late 1990s and into the beginning of the 21st century, performers like Opaque, Darkside of the Force and Gatas Parlament became prominent. Tungtvann, Apollo, Klovner i Kamp, Spetakkel, Jaa9&OnklP, Karpe Diem and other Norwegian-language hip hop crews, achieved some mainstream popularity after the turn of the millennium.
Sweden
Swedish hip hop emerged in the first half of the 1980s and crossed into the mainstream a decade later. Some early rappers and crews were Per Cussion, Grandmaster Funk, Quincy Jones IIIQuincy Jones III
Quincy Delightt Jones III is a British-born Swedish/African-American composer, music producer, film producer, and author...
and the Ice Cold Rockers. Groups that achieved mainstream popularity in the early 1990s include Just D
Just D
JustD was a Swedish hip hop trio formed in Stockholm in 1990. The group consisted of Gustave Lund , Wille Crafoord and Peder Ernerot ....
, Infinite Mass
Infinite Mass
Infinite Mass is a Swedish hip hop group that was formed in 1991.In 1992 the group won the talent show Swedish Championship of Rap. The same year, they achieved fame when they participated in the movie Sökarna and released the single "Shoot the Racist" which was later renamed "Area Turns Red"...
and The Latin Kings
The Latin Kings
The Latin Kings, abbreviated TLK, was a Swedish hip hop group from the municipality of Botkyrka in the southern suburbs of Stockholm, Sweden....
. In the late 1990s there was a second breakthrough and artists like Petter
Petter Askergren
Petter Alexis Askergren, , who simply uses his given name Petter as a stage name, is a rap artist from Stockholm, Sweden, rapping in Swedish. He debuted in 1998 with the album Mitt sjätte sinne , which became a success and started the Swedish hip hop boom in the late 1990s and early 2000s...
, Organism 12, Seron, PST-Q, Öris
Oris
Oris is a manufacturer of Swiss luxury wristwatches. The Oris watch factory was founded by Paul Cattin and Georges Christian at Hölstein in 1904...
, Professor P, Supersci
Supersci
Supersci, formerly Superscientifiku, is a Swedish hip hop group, composed of rapper Mr. Noun, rapper/producer Arka, rapper/singer Remedeeh, multi-instrumentalist/producer Erik L and DJ Observe. They hail from Sundsvall, Sweden...
, Prop Dylan, Trainspotters, Thomas Rusiak
Thomas Rusiak
Erik Thomas Rusiak is a Swedish rapper, hip hop producer, musician and singer. Rusiak's father was the rather prominent Polish jazz saxophonist, Alfred Banasiak....
, Timbuktu
Timbuktu (artist)
Jason Michael Robinson Diakité , known under the stage name Timbuktu, is a Swedish rapper and reggae artist. Earlier in the mid-1990s, he started as part of rap Excel before going solo as Timbuktu.-Biography:...
, Ken Ring and Looptroop
Looptroop
Looptroop Rockers is a hip hop group from Västerås, Sweden. The members are rappers Promoe , Supreme , DJ/Producer Embee and CosM.I.C...
became well-known. More recent acts worth mentioning are Promoe
Promoe
Promoe is a Swedish rapper, and member of Swedish hip hop group Looptroop Rockers, formed in Västerås, Sweden, 1992. He released his fourth album in 2009 entitled Kråksången, and later the same year followed up with the mixtape Bondfångeri...
, Snook
Snook (band)
Snook is a Swedish rap group from Stockholm. The group consists of Oskar "Kihlen" Linnros and Daniel "Danne" Adams-Ray. The group often makes fun of traditional rap and tries to renew it. They have released two full length albums and several singles....
, Chords
Chords (artist)
Chords, , born 12 August 1978, in Lund, is a Swedish musician. He is currently signed to Timbuktu's label JuJu Records, together with J-Ro of The Alkaholiks among others...
, Ison & Fille, Advance Patrol, Million Stylez
Million Stylez
Kenshin Iryo , better known by his stage name Million Stylez, is a Swedish dancehall artist.Kenshin Iryo was born on June 1, 1981 in Stockholm, Sweden. He grew up in the Stockholm suburb of Sollentuna, and has been living there for 26 years...
, Lazee
Lazee
Mawuli Kulego is a Swedish rapper from Malmö, Sweden.-Biography:LAZEE was born in Malmö, Sweden, to parents of Ghanaian origin. His passion for music grew from a young age and he was heavily influenced by the musical tastes of his father who was a DJ. He introduced young Lazee to soul, R&B and...
, Roffe Ruff, Fronda, and Adam Tensta
Adam Tensta
Adam Tensta , is a Swedish rapper. His debut album It's a Tensta Thing was a Swedish chart topper, and was awarded the 2008 Swedish Grammis for best Dance/Hip Hop/Soul album....
.
United Kingdom
British hip hop originated in the early 1980s, having been hugely influenced by the New YorkEast Coast hip hop
East Coast hip hop is a regional subgenre of hip hop music that originated in New York City, USA during the 1970s. Hip hop is recognized to have originated and evolved first in the East Coast...
scene. Just like in the United States, specifically New York, British Hip Hop emerged graffiti and break dancing. After such work of arts, DJ's started to take over dance clubs and this was the start of the hip hop scene in Britain. More interestingly, unlike American Hip hop, British hop hop artists were of all different ethnicities because different races were not segregated in Britain. As a result, an influx of ideas and music cross cultured making Hip Hop a music of all in Britain. However, hip hop still was not accepted in British society until the make of Gun Shot's tune "No Sell Out" in 1992. As a result, various hip hop artists became popular as well as the hip hop scene.However, due to this influence, many British artists adopted American accents when recording and it wasn't until a few years later that Britain gained the confidence to develop their own style, with "London Bridge" by Newtrament
Newtrament
Newtrament is a London DJ credited with releasing the first British hip hop record in the UK - London Bridge is Falling Down by Jive Records. He recorded it in 1983, and it was based on the nursery rhyme with a political message that electoral politics were a sham.- External links :**...
often cited as the first ever British hip hop tune. Although record labels were starting to take note of the underground scene, radio play and publicity were still a major difficulty in helping the fledgling scene to grow. Instrumental in bringing the scene to the attention of the country at large were DJs like Dave Pearce
Dave Pearce
Dave Pearce is a British dance DJ and record producer, who has played gigs across the UK and the world, although he is perhaps best known for his work in radio. He currently works for the BBC 6 Music...
and Tim Westwood
Tim Westwood
Timothy Westwood is an English DJ and presenter of radio and television. He also presents the UK version of the MTV show Pimp My Ride...
, and particularly John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
who often championed British hip hop.
However, things did look promising: Hip Hop Connection
Hip Hop Connection
Hip Hop Connection is the longest running monthly periodical devoted entirely to hip hop culture. HHC has earned international recognition and was described by Chuck D as "the best magazine in the world".-History:...
—the first major British hip hop magazine—was founded in 1989 and by the early 1990s, the British hip hop scene seemed to be thriving. Not only was there a firm base of rappers in London, but outside of the capital many cities were developing their own distinct scenes. Bristol produced The Wild Bunch (later better known as Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
), and major groups like the Scratch Perverts
Scratch Perverts
The Scratch Perverts are a collective of turntablist DJs from London, formed in 1996 by Tony Vegas, Prime Cuts and DJ Renegade.-Biography:The Scratch Perverts originally consisted of 4 members; Tony Vegas, Renegade, First Rate and Mr Thing. The Scratch Perverts later expanded to an 8-member...
and Smith & Mighty
Smith & Mighty
Smith & Mighty are a Drum and bass/Trip hop group from Bristol, consisting of Rob Smith and Ray Mighty. Their first releases, in the late 1980s, were breakbeat covers of "Anyone Who Had a Heart" and "Walk on By"...
, and later became the home of trip hop
Trip hop
Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...
; Nottingham was the birthplace of the Stereo MCs
Stereo MCs
Stereo MCs are an English electronic dance group, which formed in Clapham, London in 1985. They are best known worldwide for their 1992 transatlantic Top 20 hit single, "Connected"...
. As the scene grew, it became less and less common for British rappers to imitate American accents and British hip hop became much more assured of its own identity.
The birth of black music radio station BBC 1Xtra, in 2002 provided another outlet for hip hop artists, with the genre being a core part of the station's output and the station showcases many UK acts. At the same time British hip hop also blossomed in new directions, with a new style of electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
emerging in the early 2000s, influenced heavily by hip hop and UK garage
UK garage
UK garage is a genre of electronic dance music originating from the United Kingdom in the early-1990s. UK garage is a descendant of house music which originated in Chicago and New York, United States. UK garage usually features a distinctive syncopated 4/4 percussive rhythm with 'shuffling'...
, dubbed grime
Grime (music)
Grime is a style of music that emerged from Bow, East London, England in the early 2000s, primarily as a development of UK garage, dancehall, and hip hop...
.
Further success followed as The Streets
The Streets
The Streets were a British rap/garage project from Birmingham, United Kingdom, led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Mike Skinner and has included a myriad of other contributors most notably drummer Johnny Drum Machine, vocalist Kevin Mark Trail and the Italian-American beatmaker Leroy.The...
released their album Original Pirate Material (679 Records, 2002), and became one of the first of the new breed of British hip hop artists to gain respectable sales. This trend continued as Dizzee Rascal
Dizzee Rascal
Dylan Kwabena Mills , better known by his stage name Dizzee Rascal, is a Ghanaian British rapper, songwriter and record producer. His music is a blend of garage, hip hop, grime, ragga, pop and electronic music, with eclectic samples and more exotic styles...
released his debut album, Boy in Da Corner
Boy in Da Corner
Boy in da Corner is the debut album of British grime MC Dizzee Rascal, released on 21 July 2003 by XL Recordings in the United Kingdom and Matador Records in the United States...
, to huge critical acclaim. Sway
Sway DaSafo
Derek Andrew Safo is a Ghanaian British musician who uses the stage names Sway DaSafo or Sway. He is signed to Akon's Konvict Muzik record label and he is also a producer, establishing DCypha Productions.-Childhood:...
also came into the public eye after winning a MOBO
Mobo
Mobo can refer to:*Shorthand for the motherboard in computers and other electronic equipment*Shorthand for a mobile [network] operator or MNO *Shorthand for a mobile bohemian, a person who embraces mobile technology...
award in September 2005 for Best Hip Hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
Act, defeating heavyweight hip hop artists 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
and The Game
The Game (rapper)
Jayceon Terrell Taylor , better known by his stage name Game, formerly The Game, is an American rapper and actor. As a member of G-Unit, he rose to fame in 2005 with the success of his debut album, The Documentary, which earned him two Grammy Award nominations...
to collect the award. Lady Sovereign achieved mainstream success both in Britain and America in 2005 after signing with Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
after impressing Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, as well as achieving chart success with singles released from her debut album Public Warning
Public Warning
Public Warning is the title of the debut album from UK hip hop artist Lady Sovereign released on 31 October 2006. The album, a mix of grime and hip hop, was originally due for release in November 2005 but was pushed back after Lady Sovereign was signed by Island Def Jam.In a press release, released...
.
The U.K.'s Panjabi MC
Panjabi MC
Rajinder Singh Rai , better known by his stage name Panjabi MC is a British Indian musician.-Career:...
created a style integrated with Indian-based music and created the single "Beware of the Boys". Once Jay-Z added a couple of verses, it became a hit in the United States.
Baltic StatesBaltic statesThe term Baltic states refers to the Baltic territories which gained independence from the Russian Empire in the wake of World War I: primarily the contiguous trio of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania ; Finland also fell within the scope of the term after initially gaining independence in the 1920s.The...
The Baltic states saw a noticeable growth in the hip hop community since the start of the 21st century. All three of the nations that comprise the Baltic states, which became independent in 1991 at the collapse of the U.S.S.R, have created a unique Baltic sound, that started from little to no beginnings prior to the independence of the nations. In all three nations the native language; EstonianEstonian language
Estonian is the official language of Estonia, spoken by about 1.1 million people in Estonia and tens of thousands in various émigré communities...
, Latvian
Latvian language
Latvian is the official state language of Latvia. It is also sometimes referred to as Lettish. There are about 1.4 million native Latvian speakers in Latvia and about 150,000 abroad. The Latvian language has a relatively large number of non-native speakers, atypical for a small language...
, and Lithuanian
Lithuanian language
Lithuanian is the official state language of Lithuania and is recognized as one of the official languages of the European Union. There are about 2.96 million native Lithuanian speakers in Lithuania and about 170,000 abroad. Lithuanian is a Baltic language, closely related to Latvian, although they...
, respectably, are the dominant language of Baltic MC's.
Some popular Baltic Hip hop artists are: Lithuanian- G&G Sindikatas
G&G Sindikatas
G&G Sindikatas is a Lithuanian hip hop/rap band. They received numerous music awards and went on an international concert tour in 2003, giving concerts in Latvia, Estonia and Poland.-Studio albums:*Tavo sielos vagiz *Gatvės lyga...
, Legato, Shmekla&viper ,others G-Enka
G-Enka
Henry Kõrvits , better known by his stagename G-Enka is an Estonian rapper and record producer.G-Enka started rapping in 1996 along with Revo and DJ Paul Oja, who was G-Enka's schoolmate. Together they started a band called Toe Tag. Their first album The Real Kuhnja Homophobes was released next year...
, Latvian - Roberts Gobziņš
Roberts Gobzinš
Roberts Gobziņš , also known as Eastbam or East Bam is a Latvian musician, DJ, MC, radio personality and parliamentary candidate...
, Gustavo, Ozols, and DJ Critikal.
Czech RepublicCzech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
Czech hip hop is a hip hop musicHip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
al subculture in the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. Its history began after the Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
in 1989. Since that time began the creation of this subculture with lot of bands, clubs and hip hop festivals appearing all around the country.
There are so famous hip hop singers and groups: PSH, Indy a Wich, Prago union, Supercrooo...
HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
Hungarian hip hop is gaining more popularity. Some of the former underground bands are in the media for instance: Akkezdet Phiai, Bobakrome, Sub Bass Monster, Mr. Busta, Hősök, Dopeman, Ganxsta Zolee.PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
The Polish hip hop scene began in 1990, when American rappers like MC HammerMC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell , better known by his stage name MC Hammer , is an American rapper, entertainer, business entrepreneur, dancer and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s...
("Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em") and Vanilla Ice
Vanilla Ice
Robert Matthew Van Winkle , best known by his stage name Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, extreme athlete and home improvement television personality...
("To the Extreme") were popular. The first album by a Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
performer was "East on the Mic" by PM Cool Lee, which featured two songs in the Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
. Lee was from Kielce
Kielce
Kielce ) is a city in central Poland with 204,891 inhabitants . It is also the capital city of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship since 1999, previously in Kielce Voivodeship...
, but Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
soon emerged as a center for hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, after KOLOR, a radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
, began broadcasting Kolor Shock, hosted by Bogna Świątkowska, Paul Jackson, an African American expatriate, Sylvia Opoku from London, and DJ Volt, whose crew, IKHZ, became performing stars in their own right in 1995. Volt also founded the first Polish independent hip hop label, Beat Records
Beat Records
Beat Records was an independent record label started by California night club promoter Stephen Zepeda . Beat Records had record releases by Gary Valentine Lachman , The Furys, and The Plimsouls . It spanned the 1978 to 1980 time period of Los Angeles rock...
. Though the label didn't last long, it did introduce groups like Trzyha and Molesta.
CroatiaCroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
The 1990s were marked by the emergence of Croatian rap music. The Ugly Leaders released the first ever Croatian Hip-Hop album, and gained a strong following in and around Rijeka. In 1991, the Croatian Liberation Front released two widely popular protest singles. The Zagreb rappers Bolesna Braća (also called Sick Rhyme Sayazz) and Tram 11Tram 11
Tram 11 is a Croatian rap group from Zagreb that was one of the first successful rap acts in Croatia.-History:The group was formed formed in 1996 by Nenad Šimun "Target" and Srđan Ćuk "General Woo"...
became particularly popular, and to an extent also the duo Stoka
Stoka
Marin Ivanović, better known by his pseudonym Stoka , is a Croatian rap artist who used to be the half of the duo, Nered & Stoka. He stems from the Zagreb neighborhood of Šalata....
& Nered.
The Croatian rap gained much from the fact Edo Maajka
Edo Maajka
Edin Osmić , better known by his stage name Edo Maajka, is a Bosnian rapper. His stage name literally means "Edo the Mother".-Early life:...
signed on to a label in Zagreb. The Zagreb band Elemental
Elemental (music group)
Elemental is a hip-hop group from Zagreb, Croatia, featuring one of Croatia's few female rappers.-Discography:* Vertigo 2010 * Pod pritiskom 2008 * Male stvari, 2004...
also burst into the scene featuring one of the few Croatian female rappers.
SlovakiaSlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
Slovak hip hop is said to have begun in 1988. The hip hop scene was not popular among general public up until the start of new millennia. After 2001 hip hop music started to gain popularity as the quality of rap and music production improved.The most controversial and prominent slovak rapper and singer Rytmus is among the best selling artists in Slovakia and Czech Republic. With some of his music videos reaching more than million views he is one of the best known musicians in Central Europe. Together with Ego and Anys they formed Kontrafakt
Kontrafakt
Kontrafakt is a Slovak hip hop group originating from Piestany. This group is the very controversial in Slovakia. On their last album, Nate Dogg appeared on one track....
. Other popular groups and artists include H16, Gramo Rokkaz, Moja Reč, Vec, Zverina.
SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
Slovenian hip hop can be traced back to 1978 but all rappers were forgotten or they disappear it's still secret,how it is known there were some illegal album releases.In the mid 80s were marked as the break-through of rap music in Slovenian music. Ali-En released first national rap album, that immediately became a classic, in 1989. The hip hop culture was heavily popularized by skier Jure KoširJure Košir
Jure Košir is a Slovenian former alpine skier.-Career:Košir's first international success was the title of the world junior champion in super G, won in Hemsedal in 1991. Later he focused in technical disciplines, esp. slalom and made quick progress, noticed also by his good friend, Italian...
who also released an album with his Rap Team. In 1997 Dandrough, a rap duo, released Ko pride Bog ('when God comes'). The next few years there was a small hole in hip hop scene, with only a couple of albums in 2000 Klemen Klemen
Klemen Klemen
Klemen Klemen is a Slovenian rap music artist. He started rapping when he was 13, first in English, and later he started writing lyrics in his native language....
released Trnow Stajl, possibly the most influential mainstream album in Slovenian Hip Hop history of south style, at Menart Records. About the same time a first compilation of Slovenian Hip Hop artists was released at Radyoyo: Za narodov Blagor - 5'00" of fame, including various unknown rappers, that were just yet to pop up onto the scene.
In 2001, the first freestyle rap
Freestyle rap
Freestyle rap commonly refers to rap lyrics which are improvised through a acapella or with instrumental beats, i.e. performed with no previously composed lyrics, or "off the top of the head"...
championship was organized, launching 6pack Čukur, who placed 2nd, into the mainstream stars. The competition became a tradition and it's held every second year since then. The next year rap duo Murat & Jose
Murat & Jose
Murat&Jose are a Slovene hip hop duo of writers, producers and MC. They guys were both born in 1978 in Ljubljana, Slovenia where they still live. Together with Nikolovski they were performing some time under the name Nedotakljivi...
released V besedi je moč
V besedi je moc
The album V besedi je moč from 2002 is one of the most influential albums in the Slovenian rap music scene. Some chosen ones have contributed their share: singer of a Slovene rock group Siddharta Tomi M...
becoming again of the ultimate rap albums in Slovenia and Southern Europe. Following championship was said to be the best. It spawned 2 champions, both releasing albums as an awards through Nika Records. N'toko
N'toko
Miha Blažič, better known by his stage name N'toko, is a Slovenian rapper and lead vocalist of Moveknowledgement.He is well known for his socially critical lyrics, which gave him acclaim in the underground Slovenian hip-hop scene...
, an alternative rapper released it the same year as he became champion, 2003, Trkaj
Trkaj
Trkaj is a rapper from Slovenia. He is a student of Theology. He won the Slovenian Freestyle Championship back in 2003 alongside with fellow rapper N'toko....
's album followed the next.
Hip hop culture was heavily popularized by then and artists like Samo Boris, Valterap, N'toko
N'toko
Miha Blažič, better known by his stage name N'toko, is a Slovenian rapper and lead vocalist of Moveknowledgement.He is well known for his socially critical lyrics, which gave him acclaim in the underground Slovenian hip-hop scene...
, released some of the most important albums in small history of Slovenian rap music.
2004–2006 were the most productive years, spawning more albums then all years before that together. Though the quality oscillated from album to album, mostly because of the unofficial releases and noting that the demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
scene produced better tracks, some new names like Eyeceeou and Mrigo came up with excellent material, both with newly founded indie labels.
BulgariaBulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
BulgariaBulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
during the late '90s saw the formation of the crews "Amnistia", X-team, Sunrise Project, DRS, Nokaut, Sensei, Blackmouth and RBL, Junior MC, La Boss, People From Ghetto, Mechoka, Ka$ino, Rap Nation, 187, Fars, Logopet, Kingsize, SoundTrack, Dinasty, Atila, Ragga One and "Rubber Heads" (Gumeni Glavi) the latter of which included Misho Shamara, Dreben G, Konsa and more. "Rubber Heads"'s label was called R'nB and was very popular. They even had their own clothing line. In 2000 another Bulgarian hip hop label was created and it was called Sniper Records, including famous names like Spens, DJ Stancho, Slim, Shosho and more. A lot of hardcore rap is produced in Bulgaria from bands like Nokaut, Sunrise Project, RBL, X-Team, Almozz Niggaz, Kingsize and many more.
Now, in 2011, the Bulgarian hip hop is on a higher level. Misho Shamara a.k.a. Big Sha, one of the greatest Bulgarian hip hop musicians, made a song with the US legend Snoop Dogg and the Bulgarian pop-star LilAna. After the song with Snoop Dogg, Big Sha worked on a project with DMX, and LilAna have songs with Akon and Flo Rida.
On March 31st 2010, Big Sha and his buddy, DJ Swed Lu, "delivered" The King of Crunk Lil Jon to the Bulgarian fans.
Meanwhile, Sarafa from RAPTON Records recorded songs with The Outlawz, Ja Rule, and Naughty by Nature.
Gerata from LC records
RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
Romanian hip hop The main theme is politics, based on anti-system protest, and social, underlining the rich-poor gap and the low quality of the new, post-Communist, enriched class. BucharestBucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
is the main center, since most of other bands/rappers from outside the city would still come there for recording.
Once dominated by BUG Mafia (Bucharest Underground Mafia), the market is currently the fiefdom of Paraziţii
Parazitii
Paraziţii is a Romanian three-man rap and hip hop group founded in 1994. It consists of Cheloo , Ombladon , and FreakaDaDisk .The group is largely known for their dark beats and political humorous lyricism.-History:The group was subject to multiple restrictions by the Romanian National Audiovisual...
. An important moment in Romanian hip hop history was the support Morometzii gave to Traian Băsescu
Traian Basescu
Traian Băsescu is the current President of Romania. After serving as the mayor of Bucharest from June 2000 until December 2004, he was elected president in the Romanian Presidential Elections of 2004 and inaugurated on December 20, 2004...
and his centrist political alliance during 2004, through the anti-system (in fact against the then-ruling Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (Romania)
The Social Democratic Party is the major social-democratic political party in Romania. It was formed in 1992, after the post-communist National Salvation Front broke apart. It adopted its present name after a merger with a minor social-democratic party in 2001. Since its formation, it has always...
) songs România, trezeşte-te! (English Romania, wake up!) and În luptǎ cu Puterea (English Fighting the Power).
2006 was a great year for Romanian hip hop, especially for the underground scene. Independent labels such as Hades Records and Facem Records finally got out of the box with albums that soon reached stores at a national level. Also a big step in the evolution of Romanian hip hop was the Summer Jam 2006 hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
festival that took place in Bucharest. Created and supervised by Hades Records/Hades Events, Summer Jam was the first of its kind and size in Romania, uniting more than 20 artists and bands over 2 days of show, including DJ contests, breakdance shows, streetball
Streetball
Streetball or street basketball is a variation of the sport of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less by way of formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules...
contests and a lot of high quality hip hop. The producers of the show said that much more is to be expected for 2007's edition. Some notable artists include:BUG Mafia, Parazitii
Parazitii
Paraziţii is a Romanian three-man rap and hip hop group founded in 1994. It consists of Cheloo , Ombladon , and FreakaDaDisk .The group is largely known for their dark beats and political humorous lyricism.-History:The group was subject to multiple restrictions by the Romanian National Audiovisual...
, R.A.C.L.A.
R.A.C.L.A.
R.A.C.L.A. was a Romanian hip hop group...
, La Familia and Grasu' XXL. Romanian hip hop artists Parazitii have worked with major names in hip hop,artists like: Raekwon, Shabazz the Disciple, and Dutch rapper Cilvaringz.Gerata
Russia
The first more or less known pioneers of Russian rap was a group called MalchishnikMalchishnik
Malchishnik is a sex rap group from Russia who were the first Russian rap artists to gain mainstream popularity during earlier 1990s.-Formation:...
(Мальчи́шник), but the recognition of the rap genre came with the rise of a Moscow team Bad B., with their album "Naletchiki Bad B." being released in 1994.
The first Russian rap artists to have achieved commercial success: Kasta
Kasta
Kasta is Russian rap band from Rostov-on-Don. Group is led by MC and beatmaker Vlady. Other members include MC's Shim, Hamil and Zmey, as well as DJ Hobot. Although Kasta is notably influenced by New York rap tradition, especially Wu-Tang Clan, they have always written in Russian.- History :Vlady,...
(Каста), Bad Balance
Bad Balance
Bad Balance is a Russian rap group considered to be one of the first rap acts in USSR. The group maintained a devoted underground following during the 1990s.-Formation:...
/Bad.B (Плохой Баланс/Бад Би), Detsl
Detsl
Kirill Aleksandrovich Tolmatskiy , mostly known under his stage name Detsl , is a Russian hip hop artist. He graduated in Switzerland and the British International School in Moscow....
(Децл), and the Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
ian artist Seryoga
Seryoga
Sergey Vasilyevich Parkhomenko is a popular Russian-Belarusian rapper and the owner of "KingRing" record label.-Career:Born in Gomel, Belarus, Seryoga grew up in a tough neighborhood. His music became a unique combination of Russian folk music with modern beats and original lyrics appealing to...
(Серега), who combined original rap with the native Russian satiric song genre chastushka which some critics consider a new branch in the rap genre: rap-chastushka. Although most of rap fans believe he does not belong to the Russian rap scene, the musician won the nomination for best Russian rap in 2005 on the RMA (Russian Music Awards).
The same way as in the US, the scene is divided in to "East Side" and "West Side" style, again, where the "West Siders" brag about money cars and girls, the "East Siders" rap about everything else. The most commercial "West Side" style rap produced is Timati
Timati
Timur Ildarovich Yunusov , better known by his stage name Timati , is an Russian rapper and actor.-Early life:Timur Ildarovich Yunusov was born on August 15, 1983 in Moscow, Soviet Union to an ethnically mixed family of Tatar father Ildar Yunusov and Jewish mother Simona Yunusova , he also has a...
, being the first Russian rapper to work with American producer Scott Storch and American rappers Fat Joe, Snoop Dogg, Xzbit, Busta Rhymes, and Diddy. If you ask any self-respecting hip-hop fan however, any association of Timati to hip-hop may end in violence as there is a strong opinion that his purely commercial style has no place in hip-hop.
The most popular Russian hip-hop artist today is Vasiliy Mikhailovitch Vakulenko under different aliases representing his multiple personalities. Busta (Баста) being his earliest alias is the one with heart, bringing a lot of sincere feelings in the lyrics. Noggano (Ноггано) - his second invention is a character with a lot of references to controlled substances, gang activities presented in a twisted style of a mastermind with a dark sense of humor. N1NT3ND0 (Нинтендо) - his latest is a character taking the vulgarity and gang activities to the max.
UkraineUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
Ukrainian hip hop (Ukra-hop) is a major part of the Ukrainian musicMusic of Ukraine
Ukraine is a multi-ethnic Eastern European state situated north of the Black Sea, previously part of the Soviet Union. Many of its ethnic groups living within Ukraine have their own unique musical traditions and some have developed specific musical traditions in association with the land in which...
scene.
Although some groups, like the crew Tanok Na Maydani Kongo
TNMK
TNMK or Tanok na Maidani Kongo is the most successful Ukrainian hip-hop group . They are notable for clever, yet often tongue-in-cheek lyrics; mixing hip-hop with rock, funk and jazz music and playing real instruments on their albums and live shows, rather than using mere samples and drum...
("The Dance on the Congo Square"), rap in the Ukrainian language
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
(specifically the Slobozhanshchyna dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
) and mix hip hop with indigenous Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
elements, many others do not, preferring instead to rap
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
.
In 2005, Ukraine's entrant in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
, GreenJolly
GreenJolly
GreenJolly is a Ukrainian rap band most widely known for their song, Razom nas bahato, nas ne podolaty, which became the unofficial anthem of the Ukrainian Orange Revolution in 2004.-History:...
's "Together We Are Many", was also the unofficial anthem of the recent Orange Revolution
Orange Revolution
The Orange Revolution was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate aftermath of the run-off vote of the 2004 Ukrainian presidential election which was claimed to be marred by massive corruption, voter...
. Eurovision demanded the lyrics to be changed for the contest (because it did not correspond to contests rules due to political content). Also this song was remade by Polish hip hop
Polish hip hop
The Polish hip hop scene was born in 1980's, when American rappers were very popular.-Summary:The first album by a Polish performer was "East on the Mic" by PM Cool Lee, which featured two songs in Polish...
artists.
AlbaniaAlbaniaAlbania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
/ KosovoKosovoKosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
Albanian hip-hop is one of the most unknown and most prospective in Europe.In AlbaniaAlbania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
and Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. First Group Rapper Are 2DIE4 , who bring to Albania THE HIP HOP. Rap groups such as Rap Energy, T.B.A ,O.T.R, Mc Kresha & Lyrical Soon, Dr.Mic(TDS), Da L.I.G.S, Kaos, Skillz, Ritmi i Rruges, 2DIE4, Etno Engjujt, WNC, 2Po2,EmCee Master Latta,Dakey ,Mad Lion and others have striven to portray the real Albanian attitude of today.
Kosovan & Albanian rappers:Ibi-i the real mc,Unikkatil
Unikkatil
Unikkatil, and also known as Rebel a.k.a Unikkatil, is an Albanian-American entertainer, rapper, and record producer from The Bronx, New York and originally from Pristina, Kosovo. Unikkatil is best known as The Albanian Rap Revolution, the one who changed the face of Albanian-Rap, and as the...
, Pancho,Das , Lyrical Son, Dr.Mic TDS, Tingulli 3,Noizy, urbaNRoots, BimmBima are examples of some successful acts. One could also mention hip hop groups like,2High Records Ritmi i Rruges, Baba Records, Gramafon Entertainment,
- Current successful rappers include Ibi-i the real mc(GSS CREW),UnikkatilUnikkatilUnikkatil, and also known as Rebel a.k.a Unikkatil, is an Albanian-American entertainer, rapper, and record producer from The Bronx, New York and originally from Pristina, Kosovo. Unikkatil is best known as The Albanian Rap Revolution, the one who changed the face of Albanian-Rap, and as the...
,2po2, Tingulli 3-nt MC Kresha,Lyrical Soon ,Gentz, Kaos, Da L.I.G.S. , DJ Blunt, Real 1, DMC, Bimbimma, Ergen, etc. These are Main rappers in Kosovar Albanian hip-hop.
War between OTR and TBA and has brought numerous conflicts in the world of rap in Albania. For the wonderful music, rap are (West Side Family), their music also comes after that has its Branches 2Die4 such as (FAMILY FROM SOUTH TO NORTH) and group (+355).
-The Kosovo Underground Scene
There aren't many Underground rap and hip-hop groups but there are many solo artists like Ibi-i The Real Mc,Ergen, Elinel, Das, Pancho, Lav'da, NEC, Bimbimma and many others.
As for groups there are "GSS CREW"ZonnaTerrit ( ZNNT ),26 Crew, UFO Click and UrbaNRoots that broke up because of some problems, but recently they made some songs together again, so they just might unite and make an album together.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Hip hop is quite a new style of music for Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
, but it has nevertheless proven very popular. The majority of Bosnian
Bosnians
Bosnians are people who reside in, or come from, Bosnia and Herzegovina. By the modern state definition a Bosnian can be anyone who holds citizenship of the state. This includes, but is not limited to, members of the constituent ethnic groups of Bosnia and Herzegovina: Bosniaks, Bosnian Serbs and...
and Herzegovinian
Herzegovinians
The Herzegovinans are the people who hail from the Herzegovina region of Bosnia and Herzegovina.The region which is Herzegovina forms a part of the Dinaric Alps...
rappers are from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the two political entities that compose the sovereign country of Bosnia and Herzegovina . The two entities are delineated by the Inter-Entity Boundary Line...
(the Bosnian Muslim / Bosnian Croat dominated half of the country), although more and more are coming out of the Serb Republic
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
. The vibrant underground scene has coalesced around several major portals on the Internet.
The most famous rapper in Bosnia and Herzegovina is Edo Maajka
Edo Maajka
Edin Osmić , better known by his stage name Edo Maajka, is a Bosnian rapper. His stage name literally means "Edo the Mother".-Early life:...
and others include Frenkie
Frenkie
Adnan Hamidović , better known by his stage name Frenkie, is a Bosnian rapper from Bijeljina, Bosnia. The themes present in his music are often concerned with the political situation in Bosnia, as well as traditional hip-hop subject matter such as battle rapping and pop culture...
, Hamza, Amon Ra, Sove, Dibidus etc. The most popular rap group in Bosnia and Herzegovina is CCC, Disciplinska Komisija
Disciplinska komisija
Disciplinska Komisija is a Bosnian rap group and its most prominent member is Edo Maajka; The other members are Frenkie, HZA and Moonja and their DJ/producer DJ Soul. The group has been called the Bosnian and Herzegovina hip hop supercrew or Tuzla hip hop crew.- Formation :Disciplinska Komisija...
with Edo Maajka as the leader of the group.
Due to the war in 1992–1995 (where many were seeking refuge in other European countries and the United States) many Bosnian and Herzegovinan Hip Hop artists are also spread out all around the world including the United States, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, New Zealand etc.
Most famous rappers that live in the countries mentioned above are Cekic, Kum The Reper, Admalish, Kalil, Joki, Admian, Seik Ba, Prah, RNel, AzRim, Infuzija, SL93, RimaD, Daez,Swifftz,Damme , Nexter,Raport etc. Bosnian hip hop is the most popular in the Balkans and guilty is on the Top of European hip hop. Bosnian hip hop is starting to be very popular in the youth of Bosnia its been featured in films like Summer in the Golden Valley putting Bosnian hip hop on the main stream on the Balkans and on featured films.
Greece
The earliest indications of the localized genre date back to 1987,though native language albums did not appear until the mid-1990's. Some of the most important early hip-hop groups in Greece were Terror-X-Crew (members: Αρτέμης, Ευθύμης, DJ ALX), FFCFF.C
FF.C were a Greek Hip-Hop band founded in 1987.- History :Everything begun in 1986 when Dimitris Petsoukis owned a synthesizer and was experimenting with it. In 1987 he meets Kostas Kourmentalas via breakdancing and sharing their love of hip-hop they formed FFC with DJ Mix Mad...
(FortiFied Concept) (members: Ρυθμοδαμαστής, DJ Everlast, Πετσούκης, plus many guests) that separated in 2005 and Active Member
Active Member
Active Member is a Greek hip-hop/low bap group, founded in 1992 by Michalis Mitakidis ,Nikitas Klint and Dimitris Kritikos .-History:...
. FF.C were formed in 1987, even though their first album was released in 1993, in Vyronas
Vyronas
Vyronas is a suburb in the northeastern part of Athens, Greece. The city is named after George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, the famous English poet and writer, who is a national hero of Greece...
, Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
by Hip-Hop producer Dimitris Petsoukis (known also as Σκηνοθέτης - Skinothetis, Director), MC Kostas Kourmentalas (known as Ρυθμοδαμαστής - Rithmodamastis, Rythmtamer) and DJ Thomas Pitikakis (known also as DJ Everlast). FF.C was the first Greek Hip-Hop band mad together mad 7 albums. After the release of their last album in 2005, the band split, as Kostas Kourmentalas left FF.C and the musical scene in general. After that, Dimitris Petsoukis and Thomas Pitikakis together with Μυστήριο, Έκπτωτος Άγιος (Mysterio,Mystery), (Ekptotos Agios, Fallen Saint) and Παράξενος (Paraxenos, Stranger) formed the band Αντίξοες Παραγωγές (Antixoes Paragoges, Rough Productions).
Differentiation caused a lot of tension among the Greek hip-hop fans. Between the years of 1995–2000, there was a lot of conflict, relatively speaking. Things escalated from there when the Battle rap era in Greece began with the group ZN (Ζωντανοί Νεκροί – The Living Dead
The Living Dead
The Living Dead is the second studio album by Bump of Chicken, first released on March 25, 2000 on High Line Records. It was released again on April 28, 2004 on Toy's Factory.-Track listing:All tracks written by Fujiwara Motoo, except where noted....
) that started dissing Active Member and other hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
groups. ZN was composed of 5 members Taki Tsan
Taki Tsan
Panagiotis Stravalexis , better known by his stage names Tymvorychos, Paidi Thavma and Taki Tsan, is a Greek music producer, tattoo artist and rapper...
, Midenistis, Charmanis, Ypochthonios & Katachthonios. They followed the Wu-Tang model and have been accused of biting the Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
. They first released an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
and then a group album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, followed by releasing solo albums. Their one and only album (due to feud
Feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight between parties—often groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one party perceives itself to have been attacked, insulted or wronged by another...
ing) as a group was "O Protos Tomos" (The First Volume) in 1997.
As American hip hop lyrics, as part of the gangsta rap genre, became more widely violent, so did international hip hop lyrics, and Greece was no exception. Rapping about gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
s, drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
s, violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
and sex
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
became the norm. Hardcore
Hardcore hip hop
Hardcore hip hop, also referred to as hardcore rap, is a sub-genre of hip hop music that developed through the East Coast hip hop scene in the 1980s. Pioneered by such artists as Schoolly D, Spoonie Gee, Boogie Down Productions, and Kool G Rap, it is generally characterized by anger, aggression and...
Greek rap had swept the genre, and commercial hip hop followed suit.
Commercial hip-hop in Greece has become hugely successful, with acts like Imiskoumbria
Imiskoumbria
Imiskoumbria , also known as Imiz is a comedy hip-hop group from Athens, Greece. The group's roster has been the same since its inception in 1996 until 2010, constisting of rapper Dimitris Mentzelos , Mithridatis and DJ Pritanis Imiskoumbria (Greek: Ημισκούμπρια), also known as Imiz is a comedy...
, Terror X Crew and Goin' Through blazing the trails. Imiskoumbria
Imiskoumbria
Imiskoumbria , also known as Imiz is a comedy hip-hop group from Athens, Greece. The group's roster has been the same since its inception in 1996 until 2010, constisting of rapper Dimitris Mentzelos , Mithridatis and DJ Pritanis Imiskoumbria (Greek: Ημισκούμπρια), also known as Imiz is a comedy...
and Terror X Crew both were the first to have their records going gold. Goin' Through became a massive success after their last album, La Sagrada Familia
Sagrada Familia
The ' , commonly known as the Sagrada Família, is a large Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí...
, was granted gold status as of 2006. Goin' Through has also established Greece's big name hip-hop label, Family, where some other acts are signed. The label is a co-venture between the multinational hip hop label Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
and Universal Music Greece, being among the only foreign artists to have such a deal with Def Jam. Some of the more noted acts of Family are Taraxias, Thirio (Beast), NEVMA, Ominus (who has now left the label to form his own label "Legacy Entertainment" with producers Y-Not & DjDoc) & DJ S.
It should be noted that the group Imiskoumbria
Imiskoumbria
Imiskoumbria , also known as Imiz is a comedy hip-hop group from Athens, Greece. The group's roster has been the same since its inception in 1996 until 2010, constisting of rapper Dimitris Mentzelos , Mithridatis and DJ Pritanis Imiskoumbria (Greek: Ημισκούμπρια), also known as Imiz is a comedy...
, is widely credited as one of the Greek rap acts that made Greek hip hop a household thing. Before this, Greek hip hop was considered to be a fad or a novelty of sorts. Eisvoleas (Ilias Papanikolos) is another important rapper in Greek Hip-Hop. He was member of Alfa Gama Agnostoi-Gnosti (Unknown-Known). Agnostofovia (Fear of the Unknown) was their debut album.
F.F.C has made some great albums like: "Σκληροί καιροί" (Hard times), "Σ' άλλη διάσταση", "Η απειλή", "Οχυρωμένη αντίληψη", "Υπ' όψιν", "Κλασσικά ηχογραφημένα", "Αντιληψίες συνείδησης" and"18 ΧΡΟΝΙΑ ΟΧYΡΩΜΕΝΟΙ".
Active Member created a new hip-hop genre called low bap. The center of Greek hip hop is in Athens.
Some of the most famous Greek crews are:
•FF.C (Fortified Concept) (1987)
•Active member (1992)
•TXC(Terror X Crew) (1992)
•Imiskoubria (1994)
•ΝΕΒΜΑ (1994)
•Zontanoi Nekroi(ZN) (1997) One of the best hip hop crews.The members are five:Taki Tsan,Charmanis,Midenistis,Ypoxthonios and Kataxthonios.Their first album was"ZN entoles",but the album that made them famous was" O protos tomos".After that,they made"Thamena ksexasmena",an album with unreleased songs from their two first albums and from some solo albums of the members.The first that tried a solo was Taki Tsan with"Rhma gia xrhma"(Rhyme for Money",which is considered as the best Greek hip-hop album ever.Than Midenistis released his solo album"Megalos hroas".Taki Tsan with Charmanis released "To sxoleio"(The school).In 2009, Taki Tsan decided to record his third LP, 'Rima gia Xrima 2009', and began a tour with the same name all around Greece with all the other ZNs and many other rap artists, like Eisvoleas, King Style and DJ the Boy. In 2009 Taki Tsan released his new LP Rima gia Chrima 2.He is planifying to release "Rima gia Chrima"in the end of 2010".Also Ypoxthonios has made two solo albums.The second was released in 2010 and was called"Bromiko mixtape"(Dirty mixtape).
Other groups are:
•Alytoi Grifoi (1997)
•S.M.A. (Street Magic Art) (1998)
•Skoteinh Pleyra (1998)
•Voreia Asteria (1999) Members:Mikros kleftis(Little burglar),Lex,Jamal,Mondi,Zhnon.Boreia asteria or "North stars"started like a grafitti crew in Thessaloniki,but in 1999 they decided to make hip-hop.The crew was created from the fusion of some others crews like"Alytoi Grifoi","Chasma","Anapoda kapela".Their albums are:
•"Xalara" 1999
•"Xalarotera" 2004
•"Ta authentika tis polis" 2010
"Boreia asteria"had made also two mixtapes:
•Squeezy Anks – H.A.S.H. (2007)
•Just odd Beats - Kicks, Hats & Snares(2009)
Some other crews are:
•Orthologistes (1999)
•Alfa Gama (2000)
•Professional Sinnerz (2002)
•Bita Peis (2002)
•Corona Virus (2002)
•Loopology(2003)
•Stixoima (2004)
•Apexeis (2005)
•Flowjob(2006)
•Giants Athens (2006)
•Bong Da City(2007)
•Filiki Etaireia (2007)
•LADOSE(2007)
•RNS (2007)
•ERF(2009)
Some other artists are; Eisvoleas, Sado , Mike Freeze , Sifu Versus ,Phyrosun,Ominus, Monostekis
Italy
Italian hip hop started in the early 1990s. One of the first hip hop crews to catch the attention of the Italian mainstream was MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
's Articolo 31
Articolo 31
Articolo 31 is a popular band from Milan, Italy, melding hip hop, funk, pop and traditional Italian musical forms. They are one of the most popular Italian rock/hip hop groups.-Band history:...
, then and still today produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Franco Godi, who had written the soundtrack to the animated TV series Signor Rossi in the 1970s. The European Music Office's report on Music in Europe claimed that, in general, hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
from the south of Italy tends to be harder than that from the north. In the early '80s, hip-hop spread to Italy, along side Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n raggamuffin, especially in centri sociali, alternative centers where several left-wing young people regularly meet. The first star, however, was Jovanotti
Jovanotti
Lorenzo Cherubini, better known as Jovanotti, is an Italian singer-songwriter and rapper.The name Jovanotti derives from the plural form of the Italian word giovanotto , i.e. giovanotti. Lorenzo Cherubini originally auditioned a band with the name "I Giovanotti", but the record producer only was...
, who used rapping
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
in otherwise traditional Italian pop. Some of his tracks were however pure hip hop, e.g. "Il rap" which sampled Public Enemy
Public Enemy
Public Enemy is an American hip hop group consisting of Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff and his S1W group, DJ Lord , and Music Director Khari Wynn...
's Chuck D.
Articolo 31
Articolo 31
Articolo 31 is a popular band from Milan, Italy, melding hip hop, funk, pop and traditional Italian musical forms. They are one of the most popular Italian rock/hip hop groups.-Band history:...
started out as a mainly East Coast rap-inspired hip hop duo, but changed to a more commercial style during their career and eventually evolved into a punk/pop/crossover group. Other important crews and rappers include Pescara
Pescara
Pescara is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. As of January 1, 2007 it was the most populated city within Abruzzo at 123,059 residents, 400,000 with the surrounding metropolitan area...
's Lou X, Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
's Camelz in Effect with their unforgettable early hit "Slega la Lega", Sangue Misto
Sangue Misto
Sangue Misto was an Italian band, one of the first groups of Italian hip hop. It was formed in Bologna in the early 1990s. Its members included Neffa and Deda , and DJ Gruff...
with their 1994 album SxM, the political crew 99 Posse
99 Posse
99 Posse is an Italian hip hop/reggae group from Naples. It raps both in Italian and in the local Naples dialect. Most of 99 Posse's songs deal with political or social issues, and the group members are considered left-wing hardliners...
whose music have influences from world music to trip-hop. Gangsta rap
Gangsta rap
Gangsta Rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths. Lyrics in gangsta rap have varied from accurate reflections to fictionalized accounts. Gangsta is a non-rhotic pronunciation of the word...
crews include Sa Razza
Sa Razza
Sa Razza is one of the first hip hop crews from Sardinia, Italy. Their first track "In sa ia" was the first rap track in Sardinian. On their debut album "Wessisla", they merged influences from G funk, Chicano rap and other Latin styles with their Sardinian and Italian rhymes...
, La Fossa
La Fossa
La Fossa is one of the earlier rap groups from Italy and one of the first from the island of Sardinia. They formed in 1996. Unlike fellow Sardinian rap group Sa Razza, La Fossa usually does not rap in Sardinian, and uses primarily Italian lyrics...
from Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
and Flaminio Maphia from Rome. Probably the most famous Italian rappers apart from Articolo 31 are Sottotono from Varese
Varese
Varese is a town and comune in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 55 km north of Milan.It is the capital of the Province of Varese. The hinterland or urban part of the city is called Varesotto.- Geography :...
, Esa a.k.a. El Presidente and his brother Yoshi Torenaga a.k.a. Tormento from Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
, Neffa and Kaos One from Napoli, Piotta who represents Rome and became famous through an ironic interpretation of the coatto (The stereotypical Italian boy with an attitude) even if a lot of people find his tracks useless for the extension in the world of Italian hip-hop, Bassi Maestro and his crew Sano Business from Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Duplici, ATPC, Funk Famiglia and Tsu
TSU
-TSU:* Taiwan Solidarity Union* Tarleton State University* Tartu State University * Tbilisi State University* Texas Southern University* Texas State University -TSU:* Taiwan Solidarity Union* Tarleton State University* Tartu State University (former name of University of Tartu)* Tbilisi State...
from Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
, Inoki
Inoki
iNoki is an iPhone app for migrating Nokia PC Suite backup .NBU file to Apple iPhone.Features=It is the iPhone version of the Noki application which is an explorer for Nokia backup files for Microsoft Windows. The app is targeted as a utility to migrated or import your Nokia phone data to iPhone...
and Joe Cassano representing Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
with their crew PMC
PMC
PMC may refer to:* Private military company, also known as a private military contractor* Persian Music Channel, a satellite TV network* El Tepual Airport , airport of Puerto Montt, Chile...
(Porzione Massiccia Crew) led before by Joe Cassano and from Inoki after Joe's death (1999) for cocaine overdose and with them the crew Teste Mobili and the group Uomini Di Mare (Fabri Fibra
Fabri Fibra
Fabri Fibra is an Italian rapper.- Biography :Tarducci was born in Senigallia, Marche. He became interested in music from a young age; he wrote and performed his first piece when he was 17 years old....
and Dj Lato). Caparezza
Caparezza
Caparezza , pseudonym of Michele Salvemini, born 9 October 1973) is an Italian rapper. Born in Molfetta, Apulia, Caparezza debuted in 1997 at the Sanremo Festival under the name "MikiMix".-Biography and music:...
is often referred to as the Italian Eminem because his records sold many copies from 2000 on, Caparezza is not just a rapper because in his music he mixes hip-hop, heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
. Frankie Hi-NRG is often referred to as the Italian Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
, since his rhymes are very complex and intellectual. Turi
Turi
The Turi or Torai inhabit the Kurram Valley, in Kurram Agency, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan. They speak Pashto and practice the Twelver Shia sect of Islam.-Pre-Imperial history:...
from Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
and Colle Der Fomento from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
are considered hardcore rappers by many. Italian hip-hop also has a tradition of political-minded lyrics, e.g. Isola Posse, Onda Rossa, 99 Posse
99 Posse
99 Posse is an Italian hip hop/reggae group from Naples. It raps both in Italian and in the local Naples dialect. Most of 99 Posse's songs deal with political or social issues, and the group members are considered left-wing hardliners...
and Assalti Frontali. Notable italian beatmakers and deejays are Fritz Da Cat, Dj Shocca, Dj Rudy B, Ice One, Big Fish
Big Fish
Big Fish is a 2003 American fantasy adventure film based on the 1998 novel of the same name by Daniel Wallace. The film was directed by Tim Burton and stars Albert Finney, Ewan McGregor, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange and Marion Cotillard. Finney plays Edward Bloom, a former traveling salesman from...
, Orly Sad, Don Joe, Dj Baro, Dj Inesha and the legendary Dj Double S. A lot of them formed the crew Alien Army with the intention to riunite the best hip-hop deejays in Italy.
There are also some crews rapping in the local dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
s or languages, e.g. La Famiglia in napoletano; Sa Razza
Sa Razza
Sa Razza is one of the first hip hop crews from Sardinia, Italy. Their first track "In sa ia" was the first rap track in Sardinian. On their debut album "Wessisla", they merged influences from G funk, Chicano rap and other Latin styles with their Sardinian and Italian rhymes...
(partly) in Sardinian
Sardinian language
Sardinian is a Romance language spoken and written on most of the island of Sardinia . It is considered the most conservative of the Romance languages in terms of phonology and is noted for its Paleosardinian substratum....
, Carnicats and DLH Posse that raps in Friulian
Friulian language
Friulan , is a Romance language belonging to the Rhaeto-Romance family, spoken in the Friuli region of northeastern Italy. Friulan has around 800,000 speakers, the vast majority of whom also speak Italian...
, as well as in Italian. 99 Posse
99 Posse
99 Posse is an Italian hip hop/reggae group from Naples. It raps both in Italian and in the local Naples dialect. Most of 99 Posse's songs deal with political or social issues, and the group members are considered left-wing hardliners...
also use Italian as well as Neapolitan while La Pooglia Tribe and Sud Sound System
Sud Sound System
Sud Sound System is a dancehall reggae sound system from Salento, Apulia, Italy. The group combines Jamaican rhythms and local culture, like Salentin dialect in their lyrics and dance moves from pizzica and tarantella. They are pioneers of Italian ragga music, a branch of reggae...
rap in both Italian and dialect from the Puglia region. In the last few years, groups of the 90's not famous as the other ones like Cor Veleno, Brusco, Gli Inquilini and La Squadra from Rome, Club Dogo
Club Dogo
Club Dogo is an Italian rap group from Milan that consists of the rappers Guè Pequeno and Jake La Furia, and the beatmaker Don Joe.- Sacre Scuole :...
and Vacca
Vacca
Vacca was a sixth century grammarian who studied and commented on the works of Lucan. Little is known of Vacca other than he wrote Vita Lucani , which is not to be confused with Suetonius' Vita Lucani....
from Milan, Co'Sang from Naples or Stokka & Madbuddy from Palermo have emerged in the Italian hip-hop scene.
Republic of Macedonia
The Macedonian hip hop started in the 1980s in the then Socialist Republic of Macedonia, but experienced considerable growth after the declaration of independence of the Republic of Macedonia. One of the first critically acclaimed acts was the rock band Super Nova from Skopje which utilized rap music elements in some of its songs. The group recorded several rap music tracks for the music production branch of the Macedonian Radio-Television, including Hip-hop blues, Rap, Vero and others, some including pop, rock, funk, reggae or other elements. Part of the songs were in Macedonian language, while some were released in Serbo-Croatian for promotion across the wider former Yugoslav market. One of those songs was the anti-war themed Rapovanje. Its catchy rhyme "Bolje da se rapuje, nego da se ratuje" ("Better to do rapping, than to wage a war") made it very popular across the country in 1989.Currently, one of the notable underground hip hop performers and producers in the Republic of Macedonia is Vladimir Agovski-Ago from Skopje. He became involved in the Macedonian hip-hop scene since childhood as a very young b-boy in 1986. In the following year he formed a juvenile rap act called The Masters of Rap and recorded his first studio track in 1988. In 1991 he joined the band Instant Beat, which performed around the country and made recordings in the Macedonian Radio-Television production, which were never officially released. Later, he formed another group The Most Wanted which in 1995 released the first Macedonian hardcore rap album, called "Judgment Day". After the group disbanded in 1996, he continued to work under the name Temnata strana (The Dark Side) and he founded the first Macedoninan hip-hop label, called "Dolina na senkite" abbreviated "DNS" (Valley of the Shadows) to promote his own works and other upcoming Macedonian hip hop acts as well.
The group Čista okolina was formed in 1989 by joining several previously existing juvenile rap bands, and later it rose to one of the most prominent hip hop acts in the country. Čista okolina released the album "Noviot aspekt na starata škola" (The New Aspect of the Old School) in the spring of 1996. During its existence it also released a song together with the prominent alternative rock group Last Expedition. One of the Čista okolina's former members Vele Solunčev later became a frontman of the mixed-style music group appropriately named Mosaique, because it combined various elements such as hip hop, jazz fusion, alternative rock and ethno-jazz.
One of the most successful hip hop acts in the country is SAF (Sakam Afro Frizura) formed in 1993. It consists of the emcees Smilen Dimitrov and Mitko Gaštarovski aka Pikisipi, as well as the band's backing DJ and turntablist, Goce Trpkov. In 1996 they released their well-known anti-drug abuse theme called Miss Stone. Its title is a pun between the historical person Miss Stone, the US missionary who met Jane Sandanski in Macedonia in the 1900s, and the phrase stoned. As the group became critically acclaimed, in the following year they started a music TV show called Hiphop teza. They released their debut album titled Safizam in 2001 and played a promotional concert with the prominent US hip hop band Das EFX as a support act.
Prominent Macedonian hip hop artists in the 2000s include: Da Džaka Nakot, Legijata, Klan Istok, Edinstvena opcija, Puka kozmetika, Green Out, Speeding Bee, Str2 and many others.
The early 1990s saw the emergence of many Macedonian pop-rap artists influenced by the then-popular MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice. These artists included for example the female solo singer Ena Veko, who released the LP "Bubački i gradski dzverki", and the duo Lastovica which consisted of Robert Sazdov and Vlado Janevski, who later became a solo pop singer and represented Macedonia in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998. Behind most of these successful pop-rap acts was the prominent Macedonian composer and producer Toše Pop Simonov. The group Nulta Pozitiv was formed in parallel. Gradually they went more and more mainstream and became popular across the country, especially after recording the rap track nicknamed after the famous Macedonian folk song "Otvori go Pendžerčeto" ("Open the Window"). It featured an unconventional refrain for a rap song sang by the notable folk music singer Mirko Mitrevski. They released an album titled Transfuzija. Later emerged another pop-rap artist Kristijan Gabrovski from Prilep nicknamed Risto Bombata after Afrika Bambaataa. He and his backing band became very popular across the country for their mix of rap, pop-rock and pop-folk. In the mid-1990s an offshoot of Nulta Pozitiv was the more harder-sounding group named Attack which released the famous song "Atentatot na Kiro" after the assassination-attempt on the then-President of the Republic of Macedonia Kiro Gligorov in 1995. Later, one of the former Nulta Pozitiv members, Darko Dimitrov rose to a prominent Macedonian composer and producer. Among others, he also worked with the late 1990s/early 2000s pop-rap artists such as Vrčak and Ugro.
One of the first prominent Macedonian rap music festivals was the so called "Rap'n'Roll" fest which was held in the early 1990s in MKC, the Youth Cultural Centre in Skopje, followed by many others. Currently Macedonia hosts many hip hop festivals featuring both domestic and foreign performers. A hip hop clubbing scene also exists.
Macedonian hip hop culture doesn't stop since then. Brothers Aleksandar and Slavcho Koviloski, known by their hip hop political and social activism, and known as a long time members of hip hop groups like Braka Po Krv and Klan Istok, since the year 2005 are holding lectures in Macedonian highschools, universities ana cultural centres. Also, by the year 2008 they have been published three books about hip hop and urban culture, unique on the Balkans.
Macedonian hip hop performers also exists in the ethnic Macedonian diaspora, in countries such as the United States and Australia. The group Curse ov Dialect from Melbourne features the ethnic Macedonian member nicknamed Vulk Makedonski, and often incorporates elements of traditional Macedonian music.[1]
[edit]
Portugal
Portuguese hip hop (Hip hop português) mostly known as Hip Hop Tuga is the PortuguesePortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
variety of hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, although different because it is mixed with African music from Lusophone
Lusophone
A Lusophone is someone who speaks the Portuguese language, either as a native, as an additional language, or as a learner. As an adjective, it means "Portuguese-speaking"...
Africa and reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
. It is often performed by African-Portuguese, descendants from African immigrants that came to Portugal after the independence of the former African colonies. The past 5 years have been productive and names such as Dealema, Mind Da Gap, Greguz du Shabba, Valete, Sam The Kid (rapper & producer), Boss AC, Micro, Matozoo and Bomberjack gathered many followers in the underground subculture. Graffiti artist's names include, among others, Mosaik, Caos, Colman, Uber, Que? and Kayo. Portuguese rapper group 'DaWeasel' has also become significantly popular amongst Portuguese youths both nationally & internationally in establishing Portuguese Hip-Hop.
SerbiaSerbiaSerbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
Serbian hip hop started in the early 80's, with the birth of b-boy crews and their battles which have spread over the country in no time. The first sound recording of the Serbian hip hop is the Degout EP by the band named The Master Scratch BandThe Master Scratch Band
The Master Scratch Band are a group considered to have started Serbian hip hop in the early 1980s with their Degout EP, which was released through Jugoton in the year 1984. The release had five electro-breakbeat tracks with rap in English and Serbian...
, which was released through Jugoton
Jugoton
Jugoton was the largest record label and chain record store in the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia based in Zagreb, Socialist Republic of Croatia. After the breakup of Yugoslavia the company continued to work in independent Republic of Croatia under the name Croatia...
in the year 1984. – 5-tracker presenting b-boy electro-breakbeat tracks with a bit of rapping. In the late 80's, bands such are Budweiser, Green Kool Posse, Who Is The Best and Robin Hood started the first demo scene. The music spread slowly until 1995, when the first significant album was released: Da li imaš pravo? by Gru. This release marked the beginning of the first wave of Serbian hip hop, which reached its peak in 1997–98, when many new groups started to break out from the underground: Voodoo Popeye, Full Moon, Straight Jackin, Sunshine, Bad Copy
Bad Copy
Bad Copy are a popular hip-hop group from Belgrade, Serbia known for their humorous lyrics and slang. The members are Ajs Nigrutin , Timbe and Wikluh Sky...
, Belgrade Ghetto, CYA, 187. Monteniggers
Monteniggers
Monteniggers was a hip-hop band from Kotor, Montenegro, then Yugoslavia. Its members were Igor Lazić and Yokel-Vanja, also known under the pseudonyms "Lucky Boy" and "Sky" . The group was formed in the late 1980s, and soon became one of the most popular and successful hip-hop bands in...
, from Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
(at the time in a union with Serbia), were another popular rap group. Just as the scene was taking off, the flood of new talent slowed to a trickle, probably due to the economic effects of the Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
of 1999, which resulted in only a few hip hop albums released in 1999–2001. However, in 2002 the silence was shown to be temporary with the founding of the Bassivity label, which made Serbian, Bosnian and Croatian hip hop widely available in record stores. Their first release, V.I.P. – Ekipa Stigla, was one of the two albums which marked the beginning of the second wave of Serbian hip hop. The other was BSSST...Tišinčina
BSSST...Tišincina
BSSST...Tišinčina! is the title of an album released by the Serbian hip-hop collective Beogradski Sindikat in early 2002...
by the Belgrade group Beogradski Sindikat
Beogradski Sindikat
Beogradski Sindikat is a Serbian hip-hop group from Belgrade formed in 1999. It currently consists of eleven members. They have released three albums,first one highly acclaimed and marked the beginning of second wave of Serbian hip hop.-Group members:* Žobla - MC * Ogi - MC Beogradski Sindikat...
. The same group also released the highly controversial political single Govedina
Govedina
Govedina is a single released in 2002 by the Belgrade hip hop group Beogradski Sindikat. It was the cause of much controversy in Serbia and Montenegro, due to lyrics which displayed a less than positive attitude towards many actors on the political scene....
in late 2002, which greatly aided the popularisation of hip hop in Serbia.
Since 2002, Bassivity Music has released many more records and Beogradski Sindikat have followed up their debut with 2005's Svi Zajedno
Svi Zajedno
Svi zajedno is the second studio album released in 2005 by the Serbian hip-hop collective Beogradski Sindikat...
, having founded their own label, Prohibicija, due to their dissatisfaction with Automatik Records. One of the group's members, Škabo
Škabo
Boško Ćirković better known as Škabo is a rapper, beatmaker and producer from Belgrade, Serbia...
, has also released several solo albums.
Since 2007 ,the oldest inndependent label in Serbia, Take It Or Leave It records(established 1992), and their sub-label Rap Cartel released almost every rap album during this time.First rap CD published by Rap Cartel was a compilation "Rap Cartel-Pablo je pao vol.1"
Main rap singers known and published by Rap Cartel label are :SHA,Bata Barata ex Shorty,Monogamija,Bitcharke na travi,Bvana iz lagune,Hartmann,J COOK,M.A.X.,Prti Beegee,Day Who,De Niro,VOX and many less known artists.This label also published first licence album from America, CD HAVIKK-Rhymme son(South Central cartel).
Spain
Spanish hip hop music began in the late 1980s. Break dance crews used mainly American recordings, while local rappers practised for very small underground audiences. A few rock bands, like Os ResentidosOs Resentidos
Os Resentidos was a Galician rock band founded in the year 1984 by Antón Reixa, Alberto Torrado, and Javier Soto. Javier later left the band, being replaced by Xabier Debesa. Os Resentidos disbanded in 1994....
, Kortatu
Kortatu
Kortatu was a ska punk band from the Basque Country formed in Irun in the summer of 1984.Kortatu was born in the context of the first democracy years in Spain since 1936. They had a big significance for left-wing basque nationalism as precursors of a new wave of music: Basque Radical Rock...
and TDK
TDK
, formerly , is a Japanese company which manufactures electronic materials, electronic components, and recording and data-storage media, and markets them globally. Their motto is "Contribute to culture and industry through creativity"...
tried and recorded some approaches to hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, but kept most of their hard rock background.
In 1989 Troya Dscs&Rcrs label released the first Spanish hip hop LP: Madrid Hip Hop, a compilation of four bands from the province of Madrid: DNI, Estado Crítico, Sindicato del Crimen and QSC. The record presented two cuts of each band.
Later in 1989, Ariola major label tried a new push to establish some hip hop stars, with a new compilation of Madrilene hip hop music: Rappin Madrid, introduced more soloists and groups, like MC Randy & D.J. Jonco.
Both attempts mostly failed, but helped to establish a viable scene in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
Zona Bruta
Zona Bruta
Zona Bruta is a Spanish hip hop record label in Madrid founded in 1996. It’s the first Spanish hip hop specialised label, and the most important...
, the first Spanish hip hop specialised label, was founded in 1994.
Belgium
Belgian hip hop music has a few rappers stemming from Africa. Belgium, like France, controlled African countries like the Democratic Republic of the CongoDemocratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
(formerly Zaire), Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, and Burundi
Burundi
Burundi , officially the Republic of Burundi , is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its capital is Bujumbura...
until the early 1960s. Like in France, immigrants
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
from these countries started to study and live in Belgium.
The Belgian hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
scene started in the late 1980s with a U.S.-based techno/hip hop group called Technotronic
Technotronic
Technotronic is a Belgian studio-based music project formed in 1988 by Jo Bogaert , who had already made his musical mark in the beginning of the 1980s as a part of a cover band and as a solo artist under various New Beat projects, including The Acts of Madmen and Nux Nemo...
. In the group was an emcee named Ya Kid K
Ya Kid K
Ya Kid K. is a Congolese-Belgian hip hop artist. Her sister, Karoline 'Leki' Kamosi, is an R&B singer.-Biography:...
from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
who later led the group into international fame with hits like "Pump up the Jam" and "Shake tTat Body". In 1990, she also joined the group Hi-Tek 3 who were heard on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a fictional team of four teenage anthropomorphic turtles, who were trained by their anthropomorphic rat sensei in the art of ninjutsu and named after four Renaissance artists...
movie soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
.
However, the first major pop rapper from Belgium was Benny B
Benny B
Benny B was the leader of a Belgian hip-hop group of the same name. Their singles "Vous êtes fous!" and "Qu'est-ce qu'on fait maintenant ?" peaked respectively at #3 and #2 in France in 1990. The group enjoyed a rapid success, followed by an equally quick loss of public interest...
, who had a very mainstream and commercial sound. According to the European Music Office's report on Music in Europe, this was the first of many pop acts that helped inspire a backlash and the creation of an underground hip hop scene http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/MIE/Part2_chapter08.shtml.
In the early 1990s the Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
' rap crew De Puta Madre started rapping in French and Spanish. They became an underground
Underground hip hop
Underground hip hop is an umbrella term for hip hop music outside the general commercial canon. It is typically associated with independent artists, signed toindependent labels or no label at all....
success and are still highly respected in the Belgian hip hop scene.
In the late 1990s, Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
n hip hop pioneer J.C. Matata moved to Belgium and created a hip hop/reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
/zouk
Zouk
Zouk is a style of rhythmic music originating from the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe & Martinique. Zouk means "party" or "festival" in the local Antillean Creole of French, although the word originally referred to, and is still used to refer to, a popular dance, based on the Polish dance, the...
group called ZAMZAM.
Also in the late 1990s in the Walloon south of the country, French speaking/rapping Starflam
Starflam
Starflam is a Belgian hip hop group from Liège in the French-speaking southern part of Belgium - Wallonia. The group started out in the early 1990s under the name H-Posse with members DJ Mig One, Fred'alabas, Seg and Balo. A few years later, after Brussels-born Akro and Mista R. joined the group,...
was the biggest name in hip hop. In the Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
north Dutch speaking/rapping groups like 't Hof van Commerce
't Hof van Commerce
't Hof van Commerce is a Belgian hip hop crew from Izegem in the province West Flanders in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. Their name means 'chamber of commerce' in their local dialect...
, St Andries MC's, ABN were popular and De Feesters (Flemish gangsta rap) rapping in their regional dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
s.
France
France has one of the most established hip hop scenes in Europe. By 1982, a number of hip hop radio stations had appeared, including Rapper Dapper Snapper, and the future star DJ Dee Nasty made his first appearance. That same year saw the first major hip hop concert, the New York City Rap Tour, sponsored by Europe 1 and featuring Afrika BambaataaAfrika Bambaataa
Afrika Bambaataa is an American DJ from the South Bronx, New York who was instrumental in the early development of hip hop throughout the 1980s. Afrika Bambaataa is one of the three originators of break-beat deejaying, and is respectfully known as the "Grandfather" and the Amen Ra of Universal...
, Grandmixer DST, Fab 5 Freddy, Mr Freeze and the Rock Steady Crew. Dee Nasty
Dee Nasty
Dee Nasty is a DJ, producer, and Hip-Hop pioneer in Paris, France. Dee Nasty, the Parisian father of Hip Hop, is one of Radio Nova’s original DJs. Dee Nasty is best known for producing France’s first Hip Hop record.- Career :...
's Paname City Rappin', released in 1984, was the first French hip hop record.
Similar to Britain, the popularity of French hip hop has increased dramatically over the past decade, with artists such as Assassin
Assassin (rap crew)
Assassin is a French hardcore rap group formed in the 18th Arrondissement of Paris. The group was formed in 1985 by Rockin' Squat and Solo. Later, Doctor L joined them, as well as DJ Clyde...
, Lunatic, IAM
IAM (band)
IAM is a French hip hop band from Marseille, created in 1989, and composed of Akhenaton , Shurik'n , Khéops , Imhotep , and Kephren . 'IAM' has several meanings, including 'Invasion Arrivée de Mars'...
or Suprême NTM
Suprême NTM
Suprême NTM is a French hip hop group formed in 1989 in the Seine-Saint-Denis département. The group comprises rappers Joey Starr and Kool Shen...
all achieving some amount of success in their own country. Other notable artists include Booba
Booba
Elie Yaffa better known under his stage name Booba, is a French rapper from Paris. He is half Senegalese from his father's side and half French of Moroccan origin from his mother's side...
, Sinik
Sinik
Thomas Idir a.k.a. Sinik is a French-language rap artist. His father is Algerian while his mother is French.His meeting with Diam's at 14 was the turning point of his career...
, Diam's
Diam's
Diam's is a French-language rap artist of French and Greek Cypriot origin. Her family moved to Essonne in 1984....
and Rohff
Rohff
Rohff - « Rimeur Original Hardcore Flow Fluide » is a French rapper from Vitry-sur-Seine, in Val-de-Marne, south of Paris. Rohff was born in Comoros and immigrated to the Parisian suburbs in 1985.A fan of 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., NWA, Game, and others, Rohff began rapping around 1994...
. A select few artists have also gained worldwide popularity, such as Saïan Supa Crew
Saïan Supa Crew
Saïan Supa Crew is a French rap collective composed of three groups: Explicit Samouraï, OFX and Simple Spirit. The name 'Saïan Supa' is a reference to the Super Saiyan from the manga and anime Dragon Ball Z/GT....
who appeared on The World According to RZA
The World According to RZA
The World According to RZA is a compilation album featuring the production of Wu-Tang Clan member RZA that features his tracks for emcees from a variety of European countries...
– a compilation of worldwide hip hop created by RZA
RZA
Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA , is an American Grammy-winning music producer, multi-instrumentalist, author, emcee, and occasional actor, director, and screenwriter. A prominent figure in Hip Hop, RZA is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost...
. One of the most popular French rappers is Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
ese-born MC Solaar
MC Solaar
MC Solaar is a francophone hip hop and rap artist. He is one of the most internationally popular and influential French rappers....
, who is known for his complex and poetic lyrics.Currently France is nr 1 on the best hip hop of Europe list.
Germany
German Hip Hop began as an underground music scene in 1982 when JaJaJa recorded "Katz Rap" in Ata Tak studios in Düsseldorf. American singer and rapper Julie Ashcraft A.K.A. Julie Jigsaw co-founded JaJaJa with German drummer Frank Samba, and Swiss bass player Wietn Wito. "Katz Rap" by JaJaJa (1982, Ata Tak - WR 14) was the first rap song by a female on record in Europe. With the release of "Graffiti Artists International" on JaJaJa's self-titled LP album (1982, Ata Tak - WR16), Julie Jigsaw also became the first rapper to record a song about graffiti in Europe. JaJaJa toured with a large graffiti canvas she spray painted with the band's name and a giant reptile/dragon/dinosaur. JaJaJa's "I Am An Animal" video released in 1983 featured breakdancing youths costumed as dinosaurs.Traditional music, from immigrants that migrated from Northern Africa, Turkey, Morocco, etc., mixed with the American hip hop scene may have contributed to Germany's hip hop music. The Neue Deutsche Welle band Fehlfarben released a song called, "Militürk," acknowledging and inspired by the presence of Turks in Germany.
Film played a major impact in the beginning of the musical genre. Films such as, Beat Street and Wild Style, formed the first wave of hip hop fans. As a result, German youth began to graffiti and break dance which lead to underground hip hop music and development. In particular, one music group, Advance Chemistry sparked a huge interest in speaking out for the youth of Germany, especially the immigrants. Moreover, more and more people loved the hip hop scene in Germany until it reached its peak in 2001. After that time period of rapping about life in Germany, "New Schoolers" rapped about crime and violence. Till this day, hip hop plays a significant role in Germany's music scene. Germany produced the well-known Optik Army and its frontman Kool Savas
Kool Savas
Savas Yurderi also known as Kool Savas , is a German rapper and hip hop artist. Savas is mostly referred to as "King of Rap" or "King of German Rap"."Savaş" is the Turkish word for "war"....
as well as several other rap combos like Aggro Berlin
Aggro Berlin
Aggro Berlin was a German hip-hop independent record label based in Berlin, Germany that existed from 1 January 2001 until 1 April 2009. Three artists; Sido, Tony D and Kitty Kat were signed with the label at the time of its closure....
, Die Fantastischen Vier
Die Fantastischen Vier
Die Fantastischen Vier , also known as Fanta 4, is a German hip hop group from Stuttgart, Germany. The members are Michael Bernd Schmidt alias Smudo, Andreas Rieke alias And.Ypsilon, Thomas Dürr alias Hausmeister Thomas D and Michael 'Michi' Beck alias Dee Jot Hausmarke...
, Ersguterjunge
Ersguterjunge
ersguterjunge is an independent German hip hop label distributed by Sony BMG. It was founded by rappers D-Bo and Bushido in 2004, after he left the indie label Aggro Berlin. Bushido is the managing director.-History:...
, Fettes Brot
Fettes Brot
Fettes Brot is a German hip hop group founded in 1992.Fettes Brot is German for fat bread. "Fett" is a German slang term for "excellent" and brot is slang for "hash". The band took the name from a fan who called them "Fettes Brot" after an early gig, which was probably meant as a compliment, but...
or Amstaff. Several solo artists like Bushido
Bushido (rapper)
Anis Mohamed Youssef Ferchichi, , better known as Bushido, is a German rapper. The word Bushido is Japanese and means "Way of the Warrior". He also uses the pseudonym Sonny Black, based on Dominic Napolitano. As of 2009, he sold more than 1,5 million albums in Germany alone...
, Sido
Sido (rapper)
Paul Hartmut Würdig , better known as Sido, is a German rapper.The name "Sido" is an abbreviation which stands for "superintelligentes Drogenopfer" or "Scheiße in dein Ohr" in earlier times.Würdig distinguishes himself by using provocative and aggressive lyrics...
, Fler
Fler
Patrick Losensky better known as Fler, is a German rapper. He also uses the pseudonym Frank White after the character in King of New York....
, Samy Deluxe
Samy Deluxe
Samy Sorge , commonly known as Samy Deluxe, Wickeda MC or Sam Semillia is a German rapper, and hip hop artist from Hamburg. He is one of Germany's most successful solo rap musicians while also releasing albums as a member of two separate crews, Dynamite Deluxe and ASD...
and Azad
Azad (rapper)
Azad Azadpour is a German rapper of Kurdish descent based in Frankfurt am Main.-Career:After having arrived in Germany from Iran as young as 10, he was into hip hop, rap, beatboxing and graffiti. In 1988 he joined D-Flame , A-Bomb, and Combad in Cold-N-Locco...
.
Netherlands
The Osdorp PosseOsdorp Posse
Osdorp Posse was one of the first rap groups to produce rap music in Dutch language. ‘The Posse’ was formed in 1989 by Def-P , King , IJsblok and Seda...
was the first successful rap-crew in Holland. Osdorp Posse's frontman, who goes by the name Def P, is well-known for his political awareness and social analyses. The song "Origineel Amsterdams" ended up in the top of the charts, a lucrative mainstream-career was just around the corner now. Instead, O.P realized that credibility lasts longer than fame. So they avoided selling out, and remained loyal to a smaller scene.
In 1986, Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
rap duo MC Miker G & DJ Sven
MC Miker G & DJ Sven
MC Miker G & Deejay Sven were a hip hop duo from the Netherlands. The duo consisted of Lucien Witteveen and Sven van Veen...
(Lucien Witteveen and Sven van Veen) had a top 10 hit across Europe with "Holiday Rap", which sampled Madonna's
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
"Holiday".
One particularly proficient Dutch-language rapper is Extince
Extince
Extince is one of the first Dutch language rappers to appear in the Dutch music charts.Extince was born as Peter Kops in Oosterhout, Netherlands...
. Other notable acts include Ali B
Ali B
Ali B is a Dutch rapper of Moroccan descent. He has been noted as the first Moroccan-Dutch star in Dutch pop culture, "perhaps the most popular rapper in the Netherlands", and has performed together with Akon and Dutch artist Marco Borsato.-Personal life:Ali B married his then-manager Breghje,...
(who has been featured on other artists' tracks, most significantly with Marco Borsato
Marco Borsato
Marco Borsato is a Dutch singer. He started performing in Italian before switching to Dutch in 1994. He is married to Leontine Ruiters and has three children.-Biography:...
on the song "Wat zou je doen?" for the charity War Child
War Child (charity)
War Child is a non-governmental organisation founded in the UK 1993, which focuses on providing assistance to children in areas of conflict and post-conflict. They use their film and entertainment background to raise money for aid agencies operating in former Yugoslavia...
) who achieved solo success with "Leipe mocro flavour". Together with his nephew Yes-R
Yes-R
Yesser Roshdy better known by his stage name Yes-R , is Dutch rapper and television presenter of Moroccan-Egyptian origin. Before going solo, he was part of the Dutch hip hop formation D-Men...
, he made an international remix of "Ghetto" together with Akon.; the duo Lange Frans & Baas B
Lange Frans & Baas B
Lange Frans & Baas B was a Dutch hip hop duo. Both Lange Frans as Baas B grew up in Diemen, Netherlands.-1997-2003: Underground music:...
with their patriotic but introspective "Het Land Van
Het land van (song)
"Het land van..." is a Dutch song by Lange Frans & Baas B. The lyrics of this song discuss past and present social and political issues in the Netherlands...
"; and Yes-R
Yes-R
Yesser Roshdy better known by his stage name Yes-R , is Dutch rapper and television presenter of Moroccan-Egyptian origin. Before going solo, he was part of the Dutch hip hop formation D-Men...
but these people have got the biggest hits, but not the best rap skills (wordplay, "flow" which means a rhyme schedule that sounds good together with the beat, originality). Most notable for rap skills in Holland these days is the rap group "Opgezwolle" (rapper Sticky Steez, rapper Phreako Rico and DJ Delic). Rapper Jawat, won the "Grote prijs van Nederland" 2006, and has a very original and unique style. Holland has got a fast growing "underground scene" and rapping in Dutch is very popular.Currently Holland is the nr 2 on the list best hip hop of Europe.
Several Dutch rappers have worked with some of the biggest names in hip hop like: Nas, The Outlawz, Sean Price, Heltah Skeltah, Scram Jones, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Akon, Redman, Method Man, Rza, Gza, Ol Dirty Bastard, LL Cool J, Run DMC, Public Enemy, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Rick Ross, Wu Tang Clan, French rapper Sefyu, Romanian hip hop group Parazitii.
Dutch rapper Cilvaringz is part of Wu Tang Killa Bees,an affiliate group of The Wu Tang Clan.
Salah Edin is the world's best selling rapper in Arabic language, although he mostly raps Dutch. His beats are being produced by Dr. Dre's righthand producer Focus...
Focus...
Bernard "Focus..." Edwards, Jr is a Atlanta-based Grammy Award–winning producer who first rose to fame when signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. Since then he has produced tracks for Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé Knowles, Busta Rhymes, Bishop Lamont, Tony Yayo, Stat Quo,...
.
Switzerland
The Swiss hip hop scene began in the early nineties, much like French, German and Italian rap. Early Swiss GermanSwiss German
Swiss German is any of the Alemannic dialects spoken in Switzerland and in some Alpine communities in Northern Italy. Occasionally, the Alemannic dialects spoken in other countries are grouped together with Swiss German as well, especially the dialects of Liechtenstein and Austrian Vorarlberg...
rappers started rapping in English, but after the bilingual track "Murder by Dialect" by P-27 featuring Black Tiger
Black Tiger (rapper)
Black Tiger, born Urs Baur, is the first rapper to rap in a Swiss German dialect, namely Basel German. Those now legendary rhymes appeared on the track "Murder by Dialect" , by P-27 featuring Black Tiger. According to author Pascale Hofmeier, this decision to rap in a local dialect, or "Mundart",...
, rappers switched to their native Swiss German dialects. Rappers from the French-speaking part (where the traditional dialects died out in most parts) and from the Italian-speaking part (where most people mix dialects and Standard Italian freely) only rap in the standard languages.
The European Music Office's report on Music in Europe claimed that Switzerland's hip hop scene is "particularly innovative and advanced", featuring Unik Records (the first European indie rap label)
External links
- http://www.hiphopmalta.com
- Hip-Hop Radio rasik.de
- europeanhiphop.eu
- GangdoMoinho - HipHop Tuga - Hip Hop Tuga e Crioulo, downloads, videoclips, albuns, mixtapes, entrevistas, concertos, beefs/battles, novidades e desporto online (Sportv)
- HipHop musik