A Finnish rap thread.

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I'm bored, and I remember a few people expressing an interest on Finnish rap, so I decided to start a thread on the subject. I'd assume few people outside these borders have the chance to hear Finnish rap, so the idea of this thread is that, whenever I have the time and feel like it, I'll introduce a particular artist and a particular song. (I'm not sure if anyone'll actually care for this thread, but at least it'a a bit of fun for me.) I know YSI's aren't allowed hear anymore, but the songs in question can be found here, under the title "Finnish rap". Since few of you can understand the lyrics to these tunes, I've tried to pick songs that have other merits besided lyrical ones. So, let's kick this thing off with the first song...

Kapasiteettiyksikkö: "Täysikuu"

The current rap boom in Finland was kickstarted by a duo called Fintelligens back in 1999. Fintelligens is a part of a larger posse called Rähinä, which has it own record label too these days, Rähinä Records. The second best known act in the posse is a trio named Kapasiteettiyksikkö ("Capacity Unit"), which released it's fifth, and apparently last, record on Rähinä this spring. Previously Kapasiteettiyksikkö have been relative second-tiers compared to critically more acclaimed rappers. However, in my opinion the new LP Susijengi ("Wolf Gang") is one of the best, most mature (in a good sense of the word) rap LPs released in this country.

"Täysikuu" ("Full Moon"), the song I chose, is rather idiosyncratic for a rap tune. It samples a song of the same name by Remu Aaltonen, one of Finland's best known rockers, and has a distinctive tango/schlager flavour (in Finland, the two genres are closely related). The lyrics depict the trio of Tasapaino, Ääretön and Uniikki as a hungry wolf pack, dancing beneath the full moon; their chosen theme should also explain the howls and shouts in the background. What makes "Täysikuu" distinctive is its presentation of rap as ballroom dance rather than club grind.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 27 July 2006 17:33 (nineteen years ago)

yes, finish rap for good. wait...

― Sir Dr. Rev. PappaWheelie Jr. II of The Third Kind (PappaWheelie 2), Thursday, 27 July 2006 19:55 (nineteen years ago)

Even the Finns can't escape the curse of the 'Wolf'. Hey, my first rule of post-Pavement indie states that if your band either has that word in its name or in the title of one of its songs/albums, I'm automatically deducting 3.0 points from your Pitchfork score

― Louis Jagger (Haberdager), Thursday, 27 July 2006 19:59 (nineteen years ago)

ahh fuck he's back

― mark grebt (sanskrit), Thursday, 27 July 2006 20:06 (nineteen years ago)

Snook > all Finnish rap

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 27 July 2006 20:07 (nineteen years ago)

Even the Finns can't escape the curse of the 'Wolf'.

Ooooh - more witty insights, Louis, please! That Meg White sure can't drum for shit - got any zingers about that?

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Thursday, 27 July 2006 20:45 (nineteen years ago)

hot dang. thought I was the only one to have picked up on that.

(two can play the sarcasm game. although as the lowest form of wit it's a bit like watching whores exchange venereal diseases in the showers after a long day's work)

― Louis Jagger (Haberdager), Thursday, 27 July 2006 20:55 (nineteen years ago)

I actually thought the same of reading Pitchfork reviews

― Adam J. (In Place of Something Clever), Thursday, 27 July 2006 21:27 (nineteen years ago)

I'm sorry, but this "wolf" thing really doesn't exist with Finnish bands, nor do I think Kapasiteettiyksikkö cares about indie.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Friday, 28 July 2006 03:29 (nineteen years ago)

Anyway, the title is a (rather bad) pun, "Susijengi" = "Wolfgang". In the beginning of the song you can hear Ääretön chanting "Wolfgang Amadeus Susijengi...".

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Friday, 28 July 2006 03:31 (nineteen years ago)

tuomas do you have that "stockholm-helsinki" joint (i think it was fintelligens and petter?) available for gmail or YSI? i lost it and all my other scandinavian rap in the great hard drive "cleanup" of 04-- so any other finnish/swedish/norwegian stuff is appreciated as well

― nervous (cochere), Friday, 28 July 2006 04:38 (nineteen years ago)

Yeah, I have it, though I don't think it's that great. Will put it on the other board as soon as I get home.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Friday, 28 July 2006 05:08 (nineteen years ago)

Okay, "Stockholm-Helsinki" is up.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Friday, 28 July 2006 12:23 (nineteen years ago)

Here's link to the thread itself, since the board seems to be getting spammed.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Friday, 28 July 2006 12:26 (nineteen years ago)

And now the second featured song:

Ruudolf feat. Aksim: "Doupeimmat Jumala seivaa"

Ruudolf was the critically most acclaimed rapper of 2005, especially amongst indie writers, who generally dismiss Finnish rap for being "dumb" or whatever. In my opinion his debut LP Doupeimmat Jumala seivaa ("God Saves the Dopest") does live up to the praise, mostly. Besides his undeniable rapping skills and his good taste for old school beats, Ruudolf gathered some notoriety for his fundamentalist Christian beliefs, which is something that's looked down upon in Finland. Thankfully, his charisma and sense of humour save him from being just a silly fundie. For example, on "Doupeimmat Jumala seivaa", the titular track, he tells how he expresses his joy for life by farting, and how the demons leave his body alongside the fumes. He goes on saying his dad has the same farting skills, so they spend quality family time letting out some gas. The guest rapper on the tune is Aksim, who also produced it.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Friday, 28 July 2006 12:52 (nineteen years ago)

Sounds almost as ludicrious as Australian rap that.

― ESTEBAN BUTTEZ The Unstoppable Troll Machine (ESTEBAN BUTTEZ~!!!), Friday, 28 July 2006 12:53 (nineteen years ago)

thanks a ton

― nervous (cochere), Saturday, 29 July 2006 22:37 (nineteen years ago)

nine months pass...

Revive!

I'm not sure if the YSI board is still up, but thanks to Youtube I can continue this series without worrying about ILX's standing in copyright issues...

Asa: "Vaaranmaa"

Asa was previously known as Avain, and back in 2001 was responsible for the first thoroughly political rap LP done in Finnish. Since then he's changed his MC name and gone from agit-rap to more introspective, poetic approach, even though there's still lot of leftist-green analysis in his music. Last year he released Terveisiä kaaoksesta, which is, quite simply, the best Finnish rap LP ever made. In it he goes through a wide range of subjects, ranging from biodiversity to political history to mental illness. Complementing the variety of issues is a variety of musical influences, some rarely heard in rap, such as gypsy music, old Finnish schlager, and dub. "Vaaranmaa" ("Dangerland"), featuring the singer Joska Lakopoulos, is a song about how the war leaves it's marks on the earth (parts of Lapland, where Asa is originally from, were burned by the Germans during WWII, after Finland broke it's alliance with Germany), and how war heroes and other patriots (such as the Finnish WWII army general Mannerheim, who's today held in high regard, despite the fact that he was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Finnish communists during the Finnish Civil War in 1918) get their statues to mark the landscape, whereas victims of war leave barely any mark at all.

― Tuomas, Sunday, 13 May 2007 15:47 (nineteen years ago)

If anyone still wants these tunes as mp3, just contact me via the ILX webmail.

― Tuomas, Sunday, 13 May 2007 15:56 (nineteen years ago)

five months pass...

I don't know if file sharing is still against ILX rules, but the LP this song is from very clearly states that "distributing this recording without permission is ALLOWED", so I guess I'm not violating any copyrights here.

Iso H feat. Kofi: Keskisormi

Iso H is one of half of the legendary rap duo Fintelligens, and he finally released his first solo LP Lähelle on pitkä matka this summer, after almost five years of wait. "Keskisormi" ("Middle Finger") is pretty much the best song from the album, and features one of the few black Finnish rappers, Kofi. The lyrics are basically just about boasting and giving the middle finger to those who still think Finnish rap is a joke, as well as the government and religious fanatics. But what really makes the song is the beat (by Elastinen, Iso H's band mate from Fintelligens), which I think is one of the best I've heard this year on any rap record, Finnish or foreign.

― Tuomas, Sunday, 21 October 2007 17:04 (eighteen years ago)

http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/102907/finlands-finest-raps.gif

― Dom Passantino, Friday, 2 November 2007 22:51 (eighteen years ago)

lol

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Friday, 2 November 2007 23:02 (eighteen years ago)

four months pass...

Revive! I think I posted this one some ILE thread a while ago, but in case someone missed it, here's what is maybe the best Finnish rap video ever:

Ruudolf feat. Karri Koira - Mr. Universum

― Tuomas, Wednesday, 19 March 2008 21:32 (eighteen years ago)

(two can play the sarcasm game. although as the lowest form of wit it's a bit like watching whores exchange venereal diseases in the showers after a long day's work)

-- Louis Jagger (Haberdager), Thursday, July 27, 2006 9:55 PM (1 year ago)

― jim, Wednesday, 19 March 2008 21:39 (eighteen years ago)

And here's Stig Dogg, probably the best Finnish r'n'b artist around (not that the competition is very tight), with a couple of cool videos:

Stig Dogg feat.DJPP - Stigidilaatio

Stig Dogg - Vadelmasuklaa

― Tuomas, Wednesday, 19 March 2008 21:43 (eighteen years ago)

why is ruudolf wearing ugly american flag zubaz?

― M@tt He1ges0n, Wednesday, 19 March 2008 22:01 (eighteen years ago)

and is he making fun of pizza and/or grilling out?

― M@tt He1ges0n, Wednesday, 19 March 2008 22:05 (eighteen years ago)

I don't really know, what goes on in the video doesn't have much to do with the lyrics.

― Tuomas, Wednesday, 19 March 2008 22:10 (eighteen years ago)

I like Stig Dogg. What a joker.

― chap, Wednesday, 19 March 2008 22:13 (eighteen years ago)

And just to prove we have female rappers too, here's Mariska with "Murha" ("Murder"). The video is a bit boring, but I think the song is quite good:

Mariska - Murha

To be honest though, she's pretty much the only Finnish female rapper of note. Years before becoming a rapper she used to sing in a punk band called Oheisvasara, I still remember them from my youthful anarchist days.

― Tuomas, Wednesday, 19 March 2008 22:16 (eighteen years ago)

(x-post)

Yeah, if it isn't obvious from the videos, Stig Dogg isn't a totally serious artist (though he's not a really parody act either, maybe somewhere half between comedy and earnestness).

― Tuomas, Wednesday, 19 March 2008 22:18 (eighteen years ago)

he's not a really parody act either, maybe somewhere half between comedy and earnestness).

-- Tuomas

― jim, Wednesday, 19 March 2008 22:24 (eighteen years ago)

Has Stig Dogg ever teamed up with Lordi, Jay-Z and Linkin Park style?

― chap, Wednesday, 19 March 2008 22:28 (eighteen years ago)

No, I don't think so.

― Tuomas, Thursday, 20 March 2008 07:20 (eighteen years ago)

two years pass...

I did a mixtape for a friend that's sort of a cross-section of the second wave of Finnish rap in the 00s. I thought I'd share it with you too, in case someone digs this stuff:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/i2yt2h

Here's the tracklist:

1. Fintelligens - Voittamaton
2. MC Taakibörsta - PA 2001 (feat. Didier)
3. Seremoniamestari - Minne skene menee
4. Serkkupojat - Yksäri
5. Liisanpuisto - Toinen Helsinki (Remix)
6. Mariska - Vapauslaulu
7. Memmy Posse - Pohjat
8. Notkea Rotta - Itä meidän
9. Hannibal & Soppa - Aamu ei tuu (feat. Kuningas Pähkinä)
10. Kapasiteettiyksikkö - Maan uumeniin
11. Huge & Mode - Seministit
12. Asa - Vaaranmaa (feat. Joska Lakopoulos)
13. Kemmuru - Oon 2
14. Jontti & Shaka - Kolmatta Linjaa
15. Heikki Kuula - Melankolia
16. Julma-Henri & Syrjäytyneet - Alakannella
17. Huge L - Varmageddon (feat. Pyhimys, Tommishock & Armomurha)
18. Pyhimys & Timo Pieni Huijaus - Solmussa
19. Jontti & Jodarok - Viimeinen valssi
20. Ritarikunta - Takasin kotiin (feat. Hot'n'Totti)

The tracks are roughly in chronological order. The mixtape starts with "Voittamaton" by Fintelligens, the track that brought Finnish rap back into mainstream in autumn 1999 (it had been an underground thing ever since the first wave died in the early 90s), and ends with a track that came out this April (though Ritarikunta is not a new band, they've been around for 10+ years).

― Tuomas, Thursday, 13 May 2010 20:45 (sixteen years ago)

not finnish, but tuomas i thought of you when i did a show w/looptroop rockers and met promoe who i think you mentioned on ilx before...they were very nice ppl and put on a great show

― you better check that sausage before you put it in the rofl (M@tt He1ges0n), Thursday, 13 May 2010 20:47 (sixteen years ago)

Yeah, I think we discussed it in some other thread, Looptroop are probably the most respected Nordic rap act of them all. This tune was an big anthem among local graffiti painters 10 years ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDb5BOage8k&feature=related

― Tuomas, Thursday, 13 May 2010 20:56 (sixteen years ago)

he's a guest on a song by unknown prophets the group i play bass for, this has pix of when he was onstage w/us...i like his verse (last verse) on this song a lot actually

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ibPLIOvxt8&feature=related

― you better check that sausage before you put it in the rofl (M@tt He1ges0n), Thursday, 13 May 2010 21:06 (sixteen years ago)

That's really nice, yeah. Love how he ends his verse!

― Tuomas, Thursday, 13 May 2010 21:18 (sixteen years ago)

Anyway, back to the thread subject, I also wanted to share this, which is maybe the best rap video ever shot in Finland:

http://vimeo.com/8330211

I got lots of love for the video, because it's mostly shot in the Northern Helsinki hoods where I'm originally from, and the first two rappers rap about growing up there. So these are the kind of places and people I grew up with. Erä-Koira, the last guy in the video, has become an odd anti-hero among Finnish teens - not because he's a good rapper (he has sort of an endearingly bad rap style), but because he looks and talks like the type of small-time criminal you meet in poorer Helsinki areas like the North, and he probably is one too.

― Tuomas, Thursday, 13 May 2010 21:35 (sixteen years ago)

one month passes...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He5rbLPB8ng&feature=related

Gotta share this with you, it's probably the Finnish best pop rap tune in years.

― Tuomas, Wednesday, 7 July 2010 13:29 (fifteen years ago)

"the Finnish best" = "the best Finnish"

― Tuomas, Wednesday, 7 July 2010 13:29 (fifteen years ago)

one year passes...

A new finnish rap artist rapping in english:

Gracias - Money
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9DFWp32L6g

Gracias - HKI (aka Helsinki)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOSvp1qBrUw&feature=related

― kokokeho, Saturday, 29 October 2011 15:51 (fourteen years ago)