Romanian hip hop first emerged in 1982, along with the break-dancing movement which became very popular in the 1980s.[1] However, Romanianhip hop was developed in the early 1990s, when American rappers hit the European charts. Most notable Romanian hip hop artists come from Bucharest, Romania's capital and largest city and most notable trap from Craiova and Bucharest. The genre is currently growing in popularity in Europe.[2]
Summary
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was the main precursor of Romanian hip hop. Liberalization made the import of foreign hip hop tapes much easier. An underground market of tape exchanges among teens started flourishing in the early 90s. From just listening to hip hop to making hip hop there was only a small step. The first Romanian hip hop group was Vorbire Directă (Direct Speech) founded in late 1992, their first song being released in 1993 on UniPlus Radio. However, the first hip hop album was released only in 1995 by R.A.C.L.A. and was called Rap-Sodia efectului defectului (Defect Effect Rap-sody).
Names such as Paraziții, B.U.G. Mafia, M&G, Renegații, Da Hood Justice, Delikt, Dublu Sens, Morometzii, Getto Daci and countless others started appearing between 1993 and 1995. Some of these early groups are still active today. The first songs were about politics, the struggle of life in post-communist Romania and crimes. The first hip hop concert in Romania took place on May 14, 1993, at Sala Polivalentă in Bucharest, which included guest performers from France such as Alliance Ethnik, Sléo, Démocrates D and Ragga Sonic.[3]
The divergence between east coast hip hop and west coast hip hop was soon imported into Romania with the creation of the Cartel ("Cartelul") representing the west coast with groups like B.U.G. Mafia, La Familia, Il-Egal, Dana Marijuana, Don Baxter, M&G, and of RANS - "The Cry of National Agony - Syndicate" ("Răcnetul Agoniei Naționale - Sindicat") representing the east coast with groups like R.A.C.L.A., Paraziții, Da Hood Justice, Ghetto Dacii, Delikt. However, this conflict was short-lived, and by the end of the 1990s there was peace among hip hop artists in Romania.
The most notable songs released in this period were "Pantelimonu' Petrece" and "Hoteluri" by B.U.G. Mafia in 1996 and 1997, "A vorbi e ușor" by Parazitii in 1997, "Cei care te calcă pe cap" and "Gara de Nord" by R.A.C.L.A. in 1997 and 1998 respectively.
1998 and 1999 brought a much better sound to Romanian hip-hop due to competing recording studios. Albums such as "De cartier" (Hood-like) by B.U.G. Mafia, "Nicăieri nu-i ca acasă" (There's no place like home) by La Familia and especially "Nici o problemă" (Not a problem) by Paraziții had a far better sound quality then anything previously released.
Since the turn of the millennium, even though they have received only sporadic radio and TV airplay, B.U.G. Mafia and Paraziții have earned a cult status among Romanians, and they are still popular to this day. B.U.G. Mafia were the first Romanian rap group to perform outside Romania, touring in Italy, Spain, Germany and the United Kingdom.
In the late 2000s, besides the commercial success of La Familia member Puya, a new wave of rappers such as Guess Who, Grasu XXL, Spike, Cabron, Maximilian, Tranda, Nane and the groups CTC and Specii rose to prominence, some of them dominating the charts. Some current old-school-inspired groups and artists include Haarp Cord, El Nino, Jianu, Zale, F Charm, Nimeni Altu', Vescan and Phunk B.
In 2015, trap music was popularized in Romania by the group Șatra B.E.N.Z. Despite being criticized for lacking political and social messages and for their unorthodox style, even being compared to manele, their second album O.$.O.D. II (2017) and group member Killa Fonic's mixtape Ramses 1989 (2016) were well received. Șatra B.E.N.Z. and Golani paved the way for YouTube-based artists such as Lino Golden, abi and 5GANG, who were popular through 2018 and 2019 among youngsters. From late 2018 throughout mid-2019, rappers such as Ian, Azteca, Amuly, Oscar and a stylistically changed Nane gained massive popularity, making trap the main musical current of the new generation. After the COVID-19 pandemic, many new artists emerged: Bvcovia, Marko Glass, Albert NBN, MGK666, Aerozen, Tussin, YNY Sebi, Petre Ștefan, Berechet, Călinacho, Șapte, Yakki, Bruja, M.G.L. etc. Besides trap, they have experimented with other styles such as pop, manele, R&B, drill, house and techno.
A documentary about the history of Romanian Hip-Hop under the name From the Shadows / Din Umbre was set to be released in 2015.[4][needs update]
Southern hip hop, also known as Southern rap, South Coast hip hop, or dirty south, is a blanket term for a regional genre of American hip hop music that emerged in the Southern United States, especially in Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Memphis, and Miami—five cities which constitute the "Southern Network" in rap music.
Romania has a multicultural music environment which includes active ethnic music scenes. Traditional Romanian folk music remains popular, and some folk musicians have come to national fame.
B.U.G. Mafia, is a Romanian hip hop group from Pantelimon, Bucharest, widely regarded as one of the seminal acts of gangsta rap in Romania. Founded in 1993 as Black Underground, its original lineup consisted of Vlad "Tataee" Irimia, Dragoș "Caddy" Vlad-Neagu and two other members, D.D. and Mr.Nobody, who, by the end of the year, had already departed from the group. Irimia and Vlad-Neagu, who were still teenage high school students at the time, had been working on amateur solo recordings and had little professional prospects on their own prior to their encounter. The group initially performed as a duo throughout Bucharest at local highschool proms and parties while considering their options for professional careers in music and, following a string of relatively unsuccessful attempts at promoting their music in English, they recruited Alin "Uzzi" Demeter in 1995 and eventually transitioned to writing in Romanian.
Paraziții is a Romanian three-man rap and hip hop group founded in 1994. It is widely regarded as one of the seminal acts of rap in Romania. It consists of Cheloo, Ombladon, and FreakaDaDisk.
Russian hip hop refers to hip hop music recorded in Russia or in the Russian language in former Soviet states such as Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. Hits by Russian rappers are included in the soundtracks of some PC-games and have formed part of several popular internet memes.
Maximilian Herre is a German rapper, singer-songwriter and music producer who rose to fame as a member of the group Freundeskreis. He is also A&R for the record label Nesola, a joint venture with his wife Joy Denalane, among others.
R.A.C.L.A. is a Romanian hip hop group, founded in 1993 in Bucharest by brothers Călin "Rimaru" Ionescu and Daniel "Clonatu'" Ionescu. The group released the first Romanian hip hop album, Rap-Sodia Efectului Defectului, in 1995 on Kromm Studio, an independent record label and quickly became one of first and most critically acclaimed hip hop acts in Romania. Following Clonatu's departure from the group in 1998, the group went through numerous personnel changes, with Rimaru remaining the sole constant member throughout the years. Originally known among its fans as a hardcore and political rap group, they would later gain a larger fan base in their native Romania following their collaboration with pop singer Anda Adam in 1999.
Zale is a hip hop group from Bucharest, Romania.
European hip hop is hip hop music created by European musicians. Hip hop is a Great style of music developed by African American and Caribbean communities 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. This diversity is especially apparent in the forms of hip hop music and culture emanating from settler communities from Europe's former colonies and peripheries.
Samuel Martins Torres Santiago Mira, better known by his stage name Sam the Kid (STK), is a Portuguese rapper and producer from Chelas, in the civil parish of Marvila, Lisbon.
La Familia are a Romanian hip hop group from Sălăjan, Bucharest. Founded in 1997 by Dragoș "Puya" Gărdescu and Tudor Sișu, they have been widely regarded as pioneers of the gangsta rap subgenre in their native Romania.
The MTV Romania Music Awards have been held since 2002 celebrating Romanian music. Recipients of the awards have been Eurovision contestants and some have gone on to represent Romania in the competition. The awards were usually held in June. Since 2008 the show was cancelled. Starting then, it was replaced by the Romanian Music Awards, organized by Music Channel Romania.
De cartier is the fourth studio album by Romanian hip hop group B.U.G. Mafia, released September 20, 1998, by Cat Music in Romania. The album went on to sell over 130,000 copies and, due to some of its violently charged content and the group's acerbic statements on Romania's post communist social situation, De Cartier was the source of much controversy upon its release. The frenzy that resulted from this situation was also the source of a massive discreditation campaign by the Romanian media, who capitalized from the subject by intentionally portraying them in a negative light using false information. The public scrutiny lead to an unprecedented amount of pressure which in turn influenced what the group claims to be their "darkest and most complex work to this day", their following album, "După blocuri". Despite having sold 130,000 copies, group member and producer Tataee had estimated the massive piracy affecting the Romanian music market at the time to have put the real album sales closer to 800,000 albums sold.
Întotdeauna pentru totdeauna is the sixth studio album by Romanian hip hop group B.U.G. Mafia. It was released on October 17, 2000, by Cat Music in Romania. Recording sessions for the album took place in 2000 at the Magic Sound studios in Bucharest, Romania. The album's name is an untranslatable Romanian play on words, basically meaning that the group will always remain unchanged so that they can go into history, thus being remembered forever. B.U.G. Mafia's official website mentions this album as being one of their most underrated, despite its sales being above average.
Vlad Irimia, primarily known by his stage name Tata Vlad, formerly Tataee, is a Romanian record producer, rapper, record executive, and music manager. He is one of the founders of the influential Romanian hip hop trio B.U.G. Mafia, also having produced albums and overseeing the careers of many acclaimed Romanian hip hop artists, such as La Familia, XXL & 10 Grei, Mahsat and JerryCo. As a music producer, he is frequently credited as one of the pioneers and key figures in the architecture of the Romanian version of gangsta rap, a style of music that closely resembles its American counterpart but also includes various local influences derived from balkan music or, more recently, electronica.
Lola Chantrelle Mitchell, better known by her stage name Gangsta Boo, was an American rapper. She rose to prominence as a member of Three 6 Mafia, which she joined at the age of 14. After releasing six albums, she left the group and its record label after the release of her second solo album, Both Worlds *69 (2001), due to financial disputes and issues regarding promotion of the album. She subsequently released several solo albums and became known for collaborating with artists such as Eminem, Run the Jewels, La Chat, Latto, GloRilla, Outkast, Foxy Brown, Tinashe, Lil Jon and Yelawolf.
Jewish hip hop is a genre of hip hop music with thematic, stylistic, or cultural ties to Judaism and its musical traditions.
"Pe Coastă" (Coastin') is a single by Romanian hip hop group B.U.G. Mafia, featuring vocals by Sergiu Ferat. The song is produced by group founder Tataee, mixed by longtime collaborator Cristi Dobrică, and was released as a digital single on YouTube on May 16, 2016.
Confidențial is the debut studio album by the Romanian singer Anda Adam. It was released on 13 October 2005, under Roton records. The album features the successful lead single "Ce ți-aș face (Selecta)", which peaked at number two in the singer's native Romanian Top 100. "Ajutor", "Nai, Nai" and "Ochii Mei" were later released as follow-up singles. As of 2007, the record has sold over 20,000 copies in Romania, resulting in it being certified platinum.
Killa Fonic is a Romanian singer and songwriter, former member of the band Șatra B.E.N.Z. The artist began a solo career and, in 2016, released his first album, Ramses 1989.
↑ Nitzsche, Sina; Grunzweig, Walter (2013). Hip-Hop in Europe: Cultural Identities and Transnational Flows (Transnational and Transatlantic American Studies). LIT Verlag. ISBN978-3643904133.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
