B.U.G. Mafia
Encyclopedia
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, it was among the first Romanian
hip hop acts.
The original line-up consisted of Vlad "Tataee
" Irimia, Dragoş "Caddillac" Vlad-Neagu and two other members, D.D. and Mr.Nobody, who, by late 1993, had left the group. Alin "Uzzi" Demeter joined B.U.G. Mafia in 1995, thus completing the group's first official incarnation.
Active from 1993, the group endured a long-standing controversy due to the explicit nature of their lyrics. Focusing on subjects such as post-communist
Romanian political class, poverty and crime in Romania
's communist-built housing projects or social unrest they were subsequently banned from many mainstream T.V. and radio stations in Romania and even at times prevented from touring, spending a night in jail after their first concert in Drobeta-Turnu Severin
in 1997.
Their debut album, Mafia
, marked the beginning of the new gangsta rap era as the production and the social commentary in their lyrics were revolutionary within the genre. Although largely unknown at the group's inception, members Tataee
, Caddillac and Uzzi would all become gold-selling superstars in Romania
.
in 1993 when Pantelimon
-based producer Vlad "Tataee
" Irimia met Dragoş "Caddillac" Vlad-Neagu in Bucharest
. Tataee
, who was still in high school, had already considered becoming a professional musician and was working on some demo recordings at the time. A Cypress Hill
hat worn by Caddilac was the starting point of a conversation from which the two learned that they had common interests and hobbies, such as writing and performing rap music. As Romania
had just overthrown its communist
regime in a violent revolution
, western goods such as bootleg recording
s of rap albums had started to flood the country in the market liberalization
process that had begun. Irimia and Vlad-Neagu found that they were both fans of N.W.A and Public Enemy, coming to cite influences from the hip hop heavyweights later in their careers.
Joined by a couple of friends who soon left the group, the two started to work on new music and, in early 1994, they recorded their first track at the Uniplus Radio studios in Bucharest. The song was based on one of Tataee
's demos, recorded in mid-1992. Influenced by the N.W.A
1988 single
, it was significantly named "Straight Outta da Hell" and was recorded by Octavian "Dia" Diaconescu with help from electronic music
group Class member and producer Florin "Sensei" Cojocaru, who provided the bassline
. Radio host Adrian "Adi" Niculescu was the first disc jockey
to play the record on the hip hop-themed show he was hosting at the time.
Since hip hop was a fairly new phenomena in Romania in the 1990s, studio time was very limited for independent artists and musicians. Romeo Vănică, keyboardist of the Romanian rock
group Mondial, helped Tataee and Caddilac to produce their music professionally as they started to work on songs for an English language album, tentatively titled Breakin' Da Law, which never came to fruition. In late 1994, Irimia and Vlad-Neagu met Alin "Uzzi" Demeter, who was a member of a group called "Demonii" (The Demons). Demonii were one of the few Romanian hip hop
groups who performed their music in Romanian
at the time and got Tataee and Caddilac interested in promoting and producing music for them. Influenced by Ruthless Records founder and gangsta rap
per Eazy-E
and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
, Uzzi joined the group in early 1995, after he had performed with them at a series of local hip hop concerts in Bucharest. The three came to realize that writing and performing their music in English would have impaired their possibility to get their message across the Romanian music scene so they decided to scrap the work they had done up until 1995 and start from scratch.
in late 1995 and, since music distribution was virtually inexistent in Romania
at the time, the album was only available for a relatively short period of time in Bucharest
, becoming valuable fan memorabilia over time. The album, recorded by Holograf keyboardist and producer Antonio "Tino" Furtună, contained 15 tracks, including collaborations with Pantelimon
-based group M&G, hip hop artist Marijuana and Romanian actress Rona Hartner. Even though their lyrical abilities have refined over the time, the group reflected the rising anger of the urban youth detailing aspects such as urban violence or the rising poverty of the Romanian working class in post-communist
Romania in their debut work. With songs such as "Viață De Borfaș" (Thug Life), "Ucigaș" (Killer) or "Înc-o Cruce-n Cimitir" (Another Cross In The Cemetery) they painted their worldview as inner-city youths.
Despite the album's poor sound quality and virtually inexistent label promotion, it created enough controversy around the group to allow them get signed by Cat Music, one of the largest Romanian record label
s, paving their way to national superstardom. Mafia
is frequentlly quoted among Romanian hip hop
historians as the third hip hop album to be released in Romania
, after R.A.C.L.A.
's Rap-Sodia efectului defectului
(Rap
-sody For The Flaw's Effect) and Paraziţii
's Poezii pentru pereţi
(Poetry For The Walls).
lawyer who had just returned to Romania
and was one of the four associates who owned Cat Music, one of the first professional record labels, which also was the local branch of Sony Records. Braşov, having heard about the impressive success N.W.A had had in the United States
, convinced the other three associates, Emanuel Maxwell, Sorin Golea and Dan Popi to give the group a chance. B.U.G. Mafia were subsequently signed by Cat Music and released their second studio material, the Înc-o zi, înc-o poveste
(Another Day, Another Story) EP
. It sparked the group's first hit single
, "Pantelimonu' Petrece" (Pantelimon
's Having A Party), a feature with young pop singer Iuliana "July" Petrache. Tataee
referenced this moment in a 2009 interview with Radio ZU talk show-host Mihai Morar, mentioning that the song became a hit just after Romania
adopted a new copyright law
, enabling the group to make significant profits, as B.U.G. Mafia were one of the few Romanian groups that received radio airplay in the mid 90s. He also mentioned on his official Twitter
page that Mircea Badea
was the first TV host to have the group on the air in 1996, during the morning show he presented at Tele 7 abc with Teo Trandafir. "Pantelimonu' Petrece" was so successful that the group was actually in talks with the TV station to produce a music video
for the song, but the idea eventually fell through.
One hit single wasn't enough for B.U.G. Mafia and they released their third studio material and second full-length album the same year. Născut şi crescut în Pantelimon
(Born And Raised In Pantelimon
), an homage to the neighbourhood where Tataee
, Uzzi and Caddillac grew up, sparked hit singles "Până când moartea ne va despărţi" (Until Death Do Us Part), which is also Puya's studio debut and "Născut şi crescut în Pantelimon" (Born And Raised In Pantelimon). The album included notable guests such as Don Baxter and DJ Freakadadisk
, members of Romanian
group Morometzii at the time, who would go on to become two of the most notable figures in Romanian hip hop
. It was also the last album B.U.G. Mafia worked with sound engineer Emil "Coco" Coroianu on, as he passed away the following year.
, the group started to get noticed by the romanian media. In early 1997, Tataee
, Caddilac and Uzzi, together with La Familia members Tudor Sisu and Dragos "Puya" Gardescu, were taken into police custody after a concert in Turnu Severin. As Romania
was still a fairly conservative country in the mid-90s, the Romanian penal code forbad the use of profanity
in public places. Refusing to take into account that the violent lyrics were not actually performed in a public place, the Romanian Police
forces arrested the five artists, charging them with outrage against good customs. They were eventually released after 10 hours of giving statements at the police station and district attorney's office in Turnu Severin. The Romanian media brought the case to national fame and, much like the FBI
drawing publicity to N.W.A in the early 90s, the case was the starting point of a media frenzy that would last for over 2 years and bring a lot of unexpected fame for both B.U.G. Mafia and La Familia.
Over the summer, the group continued studio work on its fourth album, IV: Deasupra tuturor
(IV:Above Everybody). Group producer Tataee
had just started collaborating with Eddy "DJ Phantom" Schneider, one of the most well known romanian composers in the 1990s, who helped refine the g-funk
sound the group was trying to achieve at the time. The legal incident that had occurred in February reflected in the album's sales, as it moved an impressive 55,000 units with no music video
or radio single promoting it. It was the first B.U.G. Mafia album to be released on both casette tape and cd.
, "Pentru '98" (For '98) in June 1998. Although commercial sounding and easygoing, the track was met with reluctance by both radio stations and fans alike. A music video
was shot by the then newly formed Atomic TV music channel, but the result was disappointing for the group's members and management and thus the video was never released. An unexpected success came from the single's b-side, a song entitled "N-ai fost acolo" (You weren't there), a viral response to critics claiming that the group's lyrics were pure fiction and had no factual basis whatsoever, became a massive hit during the summer and provided a strong launch pad for the album's release in September 1998. De Cartier
(From The Hood) was B.U.G. Mafia's best selling album, moving over 125,000 copies and catapulting the group to national superstardom. The album's success attracted pop icon Loredana Groza
's interest for a collaboration. The resulting song, "Lumea e a mea" (The world is mine) was released as a single in late 1998 and became an instant hit in Romania. The success prompted the making of a music video
, which was the first Romanian hip hop
video ever made.
B.U.G. Mafia continued to work throughout 1999 and, after the impressive success one of their concerts in Bucharest
had, they were invited by TV host Mihai Tatulici to talk about their work and history in a special edition of his talk show
. The exposure they got reflected in the sales of their sixth studio effort, Dupa blocuri
, which was released in early 2000 by Cat Music. Accompanied by the group's first official music video, the album is often categorized as their darkest work to this day. Influenced by the massive discreditation campaign started by the Romanian media after the success of 1998's De cartier
, the album was very liberal and experimental with production and songwriting techniques for its time in Romanian music. The group's notoriety also prompted some inmates incarcerated at the Rahova
State Penitentiary in Bucharest
to request a B.U.G. Mafia concert. The live performance took place in mid 2000 and is frequently mentioned by Tataee
, Caddilac and Uzzi as a very special and meaningful moment in the group's history.
Întotdeauna pentru totdeauna
(Always Forever) was released in late 2000, making it their second album in the same year. Supported by the "Un 2 şi trei de 0" (A two followed by three zeroes) single, it brought singer-songwriter Vilmos "Villy" Kanalas to national fame, making him one of the most well known B.U.G. Mafia collaborators over time. The album was also known in Romania
for its inclusion of the "Poezie de stradă" (Street Poetry) song which was released as a single in 2001 and had a music video that featured real Romanian Police
officers crashing an organized crime
meeting.
(B.U.G. Mafia presents: Casa) compilation album to introduce the label's new artists to the world. Hip hop
heavyweights M&G and XXL & 10 Grei as well as newcomers Mahsat, Anturaj and Luchian were amongst the label's new signees in 2002. Gangsta rap
pioneers La Familia were also interested in joining Casa Productions but a disagreement with the label's management led to a conflict that took both groups to court a couple of years later. The album sold over 100,000 copies and has remained one of the best-selling compilation album
s released in Romania
. Mahsat were the first act to release their album under Casa Productions in late 2002. A commercial failure, it sold just over 1,000 units and it led to the group's disbanding and the release from their contract in 2004. Aside from Casa Productions, each group member founded his own label for personal projects. Rapper Mihai "JerryCo
" Dumitrescu released his debut album
in 2010 under Tataee
's label, Legend Audio.
for over a year when he decided to join B.U.G. Mafia after a few live appearances with them in 2002. Oncescu quit R.A.C.L.A.
shortly after and became a full time member of B.U.G. Mafia and a staff producer for Casa Productions. Tataee
had stated in various interviews that he had been interested in addding a professional DJ to the group since the early 90s but the few hip hop DJs in Romania were already committed to other projects. Petre "Freakadadisk" Urda, who had collaborated with the group on their 1996 album, Născut şi crescut în Pantelimon
(Born and raised in Pantelimon), had been a full time member of Morometzii before joining Romanian hip hop
pioneers Parazitii
in 1998 and DJ Dox was also working with R.A.C.L.A.
at the time. Oncescu parted ways with the group in 2008 citing creative differences and stated that he remained in good terms with them. However, group producer Tataee
repeatedly mentioned that the break up had not been a friendly one and that he had not maintained any connection to DJ Swamp. Oncescu has since changed his professional name to Nicalai and has pursued a career as an electronic music
artist, releasing his debut album A.E.R. - Asta E Romania (T.I.R. - This Is Romania) in 2009. In a 2011 interview, Oncescu claimed that the reason he parted ways with Mafia was a financial misunderstanding.
(The Goodfellas), the eight studio album
, was a milestone for several firsts in the group's history. It was their first album to be released under the then newly formed Casa Productions label, as well as it was their first album to be recorded at Ines Sound & Video, in Bucharest
, at the time Romania
's most high end recording studio
. Group producer Tataee
employed several new production techniques and this was reflected in the overall sound of the album, as well as in the way it was received by its fans and critics. With 22 tracks, it was B.U.G. Mafia's most lengthy album, also the first in the group's history not to have any female guest performers. The follow-up to Baietii Buni
was only released in 2011 as the group embarked in a 6 year-long journey producing and recording two greatest hits
albums in the first decade of the 21st century.
album that was to take them just under 6 years to complete. Tataee
wanted the group to re-record the vocals for every song that was to be included on the album, while he produced new beats for the updated versions of the tracks. Titled Viata Noastra (Our Life), recording sessions for the album started in 2003 at the Ines Sound and Video studios in Bucharest
and carried on throughout 2004 before being halted so the group could work on the "Băieţi buni
" (Good Guys) soundtrack.
shot by Marius Panduru and directed by Marian Crisan. The album included 14 hit records of the group, all of which had been completely re-recorded and featured an updated sound. As "Pantelimonu' Petrece" (Pantelimon
's Having A Party) had been one of their first signature hit-songs, the record was released as a single in mid-2006, with a music video also directed by Marian Crisan. Pop singer Adriana Vlad was hired to record all the female-vocal parts. The album sold over 40,000 copies and was certified gold in Romania
.
to compose and produce the soundtrack for Andrei Boncea
's procedural drama
, Baieti buni
(Good Guys). The resulting track, "Strazile" (The Streets) was released as a single in 2005 along with a music video directed by Andreea Paduraru and shot by Tudor Lucaciu. The recording sessions interrupted the group's work on their greatest hits album, so its release had to be further delayed until early 2006.
album started in 2005, again at the Ines Sound & Video studios in Bucharest
. The only song that was released from the 2005 sessions was on the Baieti buni
-soundtrack single Strazile (The Streets). The album was initially planned to be released in late 2007 but Ines changed their location, upgrading their recording technology, making group producer Tataee
to insist for a re-do of the whole album in the new studio. Various other obstacles pushed the release even further into late 2009. Viaţa noastră (Vol.2)
(Our Life Vol.2) was B.U.G. Mafia's last release on Cat Music, their home label for over 14 years, as the group went independent from 2010.
mentioned that the group would employ a new approach to music since the Internet
had played a crucial role in the demise of the compact disc
-era in the musical industry.
, 8 studio albums
, one extended play
, one compilation album
and two greatest hits
albums.
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
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...
group from Pantelimon, Bucharest
Pantelimon, Bucharest
Pantelimon is a working-class neighborhood located in south-eastern Bucharest, Romania, in Sector 2. Outside Bucharest, there is an adjacent town named Pantelimon, administered separately....
, widely regarded as one of the seminal acts of 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...
in Romania
Romania
Romania 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...
. Founded in 1993, it was among the first Romanian
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
hip hop acts.
The original line-up consisted of Vlad "Tataee
Tataee
Vlad Irimia , primarily known by his stage name Tataee, is a Romanian record producer, rapper, record executive, and music manager. He is one of the founders and the main producer of the well-known Romanian hip hop trio B.U.G...
" Irimia, Dragoş "Caddillac" Vlad-Neagu and two other members, D.D. and Mr.Nobody, who, by late 1993, had left the group. Alin "Uzzi" Demeter joined B.U.G. Mafia in 1995, thus completing the group's first official incarnation.
Active from 1993, the group endured a long-standing controversy due to the explicit nature of their lyrics. Focusing on subjects such as post-communist
Post-Communism
Post-communism is a name sometimes given to the period of political and economic transformation or "transition" in former Communist states located in parts of Europe and Asia, in which new governments aimed to create free market-oriented capitalist economies with some form of parliamentary...
Romanian political class, poverty and crime in Romania
Romania
Romania 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...
's communist-built housing projects or social unrest they were subsequently banned from many mainstream T.V. and radio stations in Romania and even at times prevented from touring, spending a night in jail after their first concert in Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Drobeta-Turnu Severin is a city in Mehedinţi County, Oltenia, Romania, on the left bank of the Danube, below the Iron Gates.The city administers three villages: Dudaşu Schelei, Gura Văii, and Schela Cladovei...
in 1997.
Their debut album, Mafia
Mafia (B.U.G. Mafia album)
Mafia is the debut studio album by Romanian hip hop group B.U.G. Mafia, released September 20, 1995 on local Bucharest-based label Amma Sound. Production for the album was handled by group member and founder Tataee, with various composers and keyboardists giving co-production. Heavily influenced...
, marked the beginning of the new gangsta rap era as the production and the social commentary in their lyrics were revolutionary within the genre. Although largely unknown at the group's inception, members Tataee
Tataee
Vlad Irimia , primarily known by his stage name Tataee, is a Romanian record producer, rapper, record executive, and music manager. He is one of the founders and the main producer of the well-known Romanian hip hop trio B.U.G...
, Caddillac and Uzzi would all become gold-selling superstars in Romania
Romania
Romania 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...
.
Formation and early years (1991–1995)
The group got a head start in Romanian hip hopRomanian hip hop
Romanian hip hop is the hip hop music style that was developed in Romania around 1992. Most notable Romanian hip hop artists come from Bucharest, Romania's capital and largest city. The genre is currently growing in popularity in Europe...
in 1993 when Pantelimon
Pantelimon, Bucharest
Pantelimon is a working-class neighborhood located in south-eastern Bucharest, Romania, in Sector 2. Outside Bucharest, there is an adjacent town named Pantelimon, administered separately....
-based producer Vlad "Tataee
Tataee
Vlad Irimia , primarily known by his stage name Tataee, is a Romanian record producer, rapper, record executive, and music manager. He is one of the founders and the main producer of the well-known Romanian hip hop trio B.U.G...
" Irimia met Dragoş "Caddillac" Vlad-Neagu in Bucharest
Bucharest
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....
. Tataee
Tataee
Vlad Irimia , primarily known by his stage name Tataee, is a Romanian record producer, rapper, record executive, and music manager. He is one of the founders and the main producer of the well-known Romanian hip hop trio B.U.G...
, who was still in high school, had already considered becoming a professional musician and was working on some demo recordings at the time. A Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. Cypress Hill was the first Latino hip-hop group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, selling over 18 million albums worldwide...
hat worn by Caddilac was the starting point of a conversation from which the two learned that they had common interests and hobbies, such as writing and performing rap music. As Romania
Romania
Romania 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...
had just overthrown its communist
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
regime in a violent revolution
Romanian Revolution of 1989
The Romanian Revolution of 1989 was a series of riots and clashes in December 1989. These were part of the Revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several Warsaw Pact countries...
, western goods such as bootleg recording
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
s of rap albums had started to flood the country in the market liberalization
Free trade
Under a free trade policy, prices emerge from supply and demand, and are the sole determinant of resource allocation. 'Free' trade differs from other forms of trade policy where the allocation of goods and services among trading countries are determined by price strategies that may differ from...
process that had begun. Irimia and Vlad-Neagu found that they were both fans of N.W.A and Public Enemy, coming to cite influences from the hip hop heavyweights later in their careers.
Joined by a couple of friends who soon left the group, the two started to work on new music and, in early 1994, they recorded their first track at the Uniplus Radio studios in Bucharest. The song was based on one of Tataee
Tataee
Vlad Irimia , primarily known by his stage name Tataee, is a Romanian record producer, rapper, record executive, and music manager. He is one of the founders and the main producer of the well-known Romanian hip hop trio B.U.G...
's demos, recorded in mid-1992. Influenced by the N.W.A
1988 single
Straight Outta Compton (song)
"Straight Outta Compton" is the lead single from N.W.A's second album with the same name. It was released in 1988. It also appears on N.W.A's Greatest Hits with an extended mix and The Best of N.W.A. It was voted number 19 on About.com's Top 100 Rap Songs, and is ranked number 6 on VH1's 100...
, it was significantly named "Straight Outta da Hell" and was recorded by Octavian "Dia" Diaconescu with help from 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...
group Class member and producer Florin "Sensei" Cojocaru, who provided the bassline
Bassline
A bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
. Radio host Adrian "Adi" Niculescu was the first disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
to play the record on the hip hop-themed show he was hosting at the time.
Since hip hop was a fairly new phenomena in Romania in the 1990s, studio time was very limited for independent artists and musicians. Romeo Vănică, keyboardist of the Romanian rock
Romanian rock
Romanian rock is a genre of popular music in Romania. It was influenced by changes in Romanian politics to such an extreme, that both the themes and styles of musicians, and the tastes and interests of listeners, changed dramatically with every major event in Romania's internal politics.As a...
group Mondial, helped Tataee and Caddilac to produce their music professionally as they started to work on songs for an English language album, tentatively titled Breakin' Da Law, which never came to fruition. In late 1994, Irimia and Vlad-Neagu met Alin "Uzzi" Demeter, who was a member of a group called "Demonii" (The Demons). Demonii were one of the few Romanian hip hop
Romanian hip hop
Romanian hip hop is the hip hop music style that was developed in Romania around 1992. Most notable Romanian hip hop artists come from Bucharest, Romania's capital and largest city. The genre is currently growing in popularity in Europe...
groups who performed their music in Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
at the time and got Tataee and Caddilac interested in promoting and producing music for them. Influenced by Ruthless Records founder and 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 Eazy-E
Eazy-E
Eric Lynn Wright , better known by his stage name Eazy-E, was an American rapper who performed solo and in the hip hop group N.W.A. Wright was born to Richard and Kathie Wright in Compton, California...
and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is an American Hip-Hop/R'n'B band from Cleveland, Ohio formed in 1991. It originally consisted of rappers Layzie Bone, Flesh-n-Bone, Bizzy Bone, Krayzie Bone, and Wish Bone. Rapper Eazy-E of the group N.W.A signed Bone Thugs-N-Harmony to Ruthless Records in 1994, when Bone...
, Uzzi joined the group in early 1995, after he had performed with them at a series of local hip hop concerts in Bucharest. The three came to realize that writing and performing their music in English would have impaired their possibility to get their message across the Romanian music scene so they decided to scrap the work they had done up until 1995 and start from scratch.
Mafia (1995-1996)
The group released MafiaMafia (B.U.G. Mafia album)
Mafia is the debut studio album by Romanian hip hop group B.U.G. Mafia, released September 20, 1995 on local Bucharest-based label Amma Sound. Production for the album was handled by group member and founder Tataee, with various composers and keyboardists giving co-production. Heavily influenced...
in late 1995 and, since music distribution was virtually inexistent in Romania
Romania
Romania 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...
at the time, the album was only available for a relatively short period of time in Bucharest
Bucharest
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....
, becoming valuable fan memorabilia over time. The album, recorded by Holograf keyboardist and producer Antonio "Tino" Furtună, contained 15 tracks, including collaborations with Pantelimon
Pantelimon, Bucharest
Pantelimon is a working-class neighborhood located in south-eastern Bucharest, Romania, in Sector 2. Outside Bucharest, there is an adjacent town named Pantelimon, administered separately....
-based group M&G, hip hop artist Marijuana and Romanian actress Rona Hartner. Even though their lyrical abilities have refined over the time, the group reflected the rising anger of the urban youth detailing aspects such as urban violence or the rising poverty of the Romanian working class in post-communist
Post-Communism
Post-communism is a name sometimes given to the period of political and economic transformation or "transition" in former Communist states located in parts of Europe and Asia, in which new governments aimed to create free market-oriented capitalist economies with some form of parliamentary...
Romania in their debut work. With songs such as "Viață De Borfaș" (Thug Life), "Ucigaș" (Killer) or "Înc-o Cruce-n Cimitir" (Another Cross In The Cemetery) they painted their worldview as inner-city youths.
Despite the album's poor sound quality and virtually inexistent label promotion, it created enough controversy around the group to allow them get signed by Cat Music, one of the largest Romanian record label
Record 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,...
s, paving their way to national superstardom. Mafia
Mafia (B.U.G. Mafia album)
Mafia is the debut studio album by Romanian hip hop group B.U.G. Mafia, released September 20, 1995 on local Bucharest-based label Amma Sound. Production for the album was handled by group member and founder Tataee, with various composers and keyboardists giving co-production. Heavily influenced...
is frequentlly quoted among Romanian hip hop
Romanian hip hop
Romanian hip hop is the hip hop music style that was developed in Romania around 1992. Most notable Romanian hip hop artists come from Bucharest, Romania's capital and largest city. The genre is currently growing in popularity in Europe...
historians as the third hip hop album to be released in Romania
Romania
Romania 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...
, after R.A.C.L.A.
R.A.C.L.A.
R.A.C.L.A. was a Romanian hip hop group...
's Rap-Sodia efectului defectului
Rap-Sodia efectului defectului
Rap-Sodia efectului defectului is the debut studio album from the hip hop group R.A.C.L.A. and the first Romanian hip hop album.-Track listing:#Intro#"Probleme majore"#"Jungla din stradă"#"Nu mai vrem să răbdați"...
(Rap
Rap
Rap may refer to:*Rapping, performance in which rhyming lyrics are used, with or without musical accompaniment ; while an MC performs spoken verses in time to a beat/ melody**Hip hop subculture**Hip hop music...
-sody For The Flaw's Effect) and 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...
's Poezii pentru pereţi
Poezii pentru pereţi
Poezii pentru pereţi is the first studio album by Romanian rap group Paraziţii.-Track listing:#Intro#"Atac" #"Iubire-n gură" #"Rimă critică"...
(Poetry For The Walls).
Cat Music and national exposure (1996-1997)
After releasing their debut album, controversy surrounded the group regarding recurring use of violent and sexual lyrics and profanity. The situation created a buzz around them that sparked the interest of Alin Braşov, a Romanian AmericanRomanian American
A Romanian American is a citizen of the United States who has significant Romanian heritage. For the 2000 US Census, 367,310 Americans indicated Romanian as their first ancestry, while 462,526 persons declared to have Romanian ancestry...
lawyer who had just returned to Romania
Romania
Romania 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...
and was one of the four associates who owned Cat Music, one of the first professional record labels, which also was the local branch of Sony Records. Braşov, having heard about the impressive success N.W.A had had in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, convinced the other three associates, Emanuel Maxwell, Sorin Golea and Dan Popi to give the group a chance. B.U.G. Mafia were subsequently signed by Cat Music and released their second studio material, the Înc-o zi, înc-o poveste
Înc-o zi, înc-o poveste
Înc-o zi, înc-o poveste is a ten track EP released by B.U.G. Mafia on June 8, 1996. It was their first release after they signed with Cat Music, local branch of Sony Records, on their first real professional record deal. It was released after Mafia and capitalized on their newfound success...
(Another Day, Another Story) 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...
. It sparked the group's first hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
, "Pantelimonu' Petrece" (Pantelimon
Pantelimon, Bucharest
Pantelimon is a working-class neighborhood located in south-eastern Bucharest, Romania, in Sector 2. Outside Bucharest, there is an adjacent town named Pantelimon, administered separately....
's Having A Party), a feature with young pop singer Iuliana "July" Petrache. Tataee
Tataee
Vlad Irimia , primarily known by his stage name Tataee, is a Romanian record producer, rapper, record executive, and music manager. He is one of the founders and the main producer of the well-known Romanian hip hop trio B.U.G...
referenced this moment in a 2009 interview with Radio ZU talk show-host Mihai Morar, mentioning that the song became a hit just after Romania
Romania
Romania 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...
adopted a new copyright law
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
, enabling the group to make significant profits, as B.U.G. Mafia were one of the few Romanian groups that received radio airplay in the mid 90s. He also mentioned on his official Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
page that Mircea Badea
Mircea Badea
Mircea Badea is a Romanian political satirist, television host, media critic, radio personality and occasional actor...
was the first TV host to have the group on the air in 1996, during the morning show he presented at Tele 7 abc with Teo Trandafir. "Pantelimonu' Petrece" was so successful that the group was actually in talks with the TV station to produce a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song, but the idea eventually fell through.
One hit single wasn't enough for B.U.G. Mafia and they released their third studio material and second full-length album the same year. Născut şi crescut în Pantelimon
Nascut si crescut în Pantelimon
Născut şi crescut în Pantelimon is the second studio album by B.U.G. Mafia, released by Cat Music/Media Services in Romania on 29 November 1996...
(Born And Raised In Pantelimon
Pantelimon, Bucharest
Pantelimon is a working-class neighborhood located in south-eastern Bucharest, Romania, in Sector 2. Outside Bucharest, there is an adjacent town named Pantelimon, administered separately....
), an homage to the neighbourhood where Tataee
Tataee
Vlad Irimia , primarily known by his stage name Tataee, is a Romanian record producer, rapper, record executive, and music manager. He is one of the founders and the main producer of the well-known Romanian hip hop trio B.U.G...
, Uzzi and Caddillac grew up, sparked hit singles "Până când moartea ne va despărţi" (Until Death Do Us Part), which is also Puya's studio debut and "Născut şi crescut în Pantelimon" (Born And Raised In Pantelimon). The album included notable guests such as Don Baxter and DJ Freakadadisk
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...
, members of Romanian
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
group Morometzii at the time, who would go on to become two of the most notable figures in Romanian hip hop
Romanian hip hop
Romanian hip hop is the hip hop music style that was developed in Romania around 1992. Most notable Romanian hip hop artists come from Bucharest, Romania's capital and largest city. The genre is currently growing in popularity in Europe...
. It was also the last album B.U.G. Mafia worked with sound engineer Emil "Coco" Coroianu on, as he passed away the following year.
Arrest and IV:Deasupra Tuturor
As Cat Music had grown into a fully professional 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,...
, the group started to get noticed by the romanian media. In early 1997, Tataee
Tataee
Vlad Irimia , primarily known by his stage name Tataee, is a Romanian record producer, rapper, record executive, and music manager. He is one of the founders and the main producer of the well-known Romanian hip hop trio B.U.G...
, Caddilac and Uzzi, together with La Familia members Tudor Sisu and Dragos "Puya" Gardescu, were taken into police custody after a concert in Turnu Severin. As Romania
Romania
Romania 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...
was still a fairly conservative country in the mid-90s, the Romanian penal code forbad the use of profanity
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
in public places. Refusing to take into account that the violent lyrics were not actually performed in a public place, the Romanian Police
Romanian Police
The Romanian Police is the national police force and main civil law enforcement agency in Romania. It is subordinated to the Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform.-Duties:The Romanian Police are responsible for:...
forces arrested the five artists, charging them with outrage against good customs. They were eventually released after 10 hours of giving statements at the police station and district attorney's office in Turnu Severin. The Romanian media brought the case to national fame and, much like the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
drawing publicity to N.W.A in the early 90s, the case was the starting point of a media frenzy that would last for over 2 years and bring a lot of unexpected fame for both B.U.G. Mafia and La Familia.
Over the summer, the group continued studio work on its fourth album, IV: Deasupra tuturor
IV: Deasupra tuturor
IV: Deasupra tuturor is the third studio album by Romanian hip hop group B.U.G. Mafia. It was released on November 10, 1997, by Cat Music in Romania, receiving universal acclaim from the group's fans as the way the tracks sounded was noticeably different from the previous three albums...
(IV:Above Everybody). Group producer Tataee
Tataee
Vlad Irimia , primarily known by his stage name Tataee, is a Romanian record producer, rapper, record executive, and music manager. He is one of the founders and the main producer of the well-known Romanian hip hop trio B.U.G...
had just started collaborating with Eddy "DJ Phantom" Schneider, one of the most well known romanian composers in the 1990s, who helped refine the g-funk
G-funk
G-funk, or Gangsta-funk, is a sub-genre of hip hop music that emerged from Westcoast gangsta rap in the early 1990s. G-funk incorporates multi-layered and melodic synthesizers, slow hypnotic grooves, a deep bass, background female vocals, the extensive sampling of P-funk tunes, and a high-pitched...
sound the group was trying to achieve at the time. The legal incident that had occurred in February reflected in the album's sales, as it moved an impressive 55,000 units with no music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
or radio single promoting it. It was the first B.U.G. Mafia album to be released on both casette tape and cd.
De cartier and national fame
The group released the first single from its fifth studio albumStudio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, "Pentru '98" (For '98) in June 1998. Although commercial sounding and easygoing, the track was met with reluctance by both radio stations and fans alike. A music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was shot by the then newly formed Atomic TV music channel, but the result was disappointing for the group's members and management and thus the video was never released. An unexpected success came from the single's b-side, a song entitled "N-ai fost acolo" (You weren't there), a viral response to critics claiming that the group's lyrics were pure fiction and had no factual basis whatsoever, became a massive hit during the summer and provided a strong launch pad for the album's release in September 1998. De Cartier
De Cartier
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...
(From The Hood) was B.U.G. Mafia's best selling album, moving over 125,000 copies and catapulting the group to national superstardom. The album's success attracted pop icon Loredana Groza
Loredana Groza
Loredana Groza is a Romanian pop singer. Singer, actress, TV hostess and mother, Loredana began her career in the city of Oneşti. She alternated music styles in order to show her wide talents...
's interest for a collaboration. The resulting song, "Lumea e a mea" (The world is mine) was released as a single in late 1998 and became an instant hit in Romania. The success prompted the making of a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, which was the first Romanian hip hop
Romanian hip hop
Romanian hip hop is the hip hop music style that was developed in Romania around 1992. Most notable Romanian hip hop artists come from Bucharest, Romania's capital and largest city. The genre is currently growing in popularity in Europe...
video ever made.
B.U.G. Mafia continued to work throughout 1999 and, after the impressive success one of their concerts in Bucharest
Bucharest
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....
had, they were invited by TV host Mihai Tatulici to talk about their work and history in a special edition of his talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
. The exposure they got reflected in the sales of their sixth studio effort, Dupa blocuri
După blocuri
După blocuri is the fifth studio album by Romanian hip hop group B.U.G. Mafia, released on January 18, 2000, by Cat Music in Romania. Recording sessions for the album took place throughout 1999 at the "Magic Sound" studios in Bucharest. The album features a darker tone than its predecessor, with...
, which was released in early 2000 by Cat Music. Accompanied by the group's first official music video, the album is often categorized as their darkest work to this day. Influenced by the massive discreditation campaign started by the Romanian media after the success of 1998's De cartier
De Cartier
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 was very liberal and experimental with production and songwriting techniques for its time in Romanian music. The group's notoriety also prompted some inmates incarcerated at the Rahova
Rahova
Rahova is a neighbourhood of southwest Bucharest, Romania, situated in Sector 5, west of Dâmboviţa River. It is named after the Bulgarian town Rahovo , site of a battle in the Romanian War of Independence....
State Penitentiary in Bucharest
Bucharest
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....
to request a B.U.G. Mafia concert. The live performance took place in mid 2000 and is frequently mentioned by Tataee
Tataee
Vlad Irimia , primarily known by his stage name Tataee, is a Romanian record producer, rapper, record executive, and music manager. He is one of the founders and the main producer of the well-known Romanian hip hop trio B.U.G...
, Caddilac and Uzzi as a very special and meaningful moment in the group's history.
Întotdeauna pentru totdeauna
Întotdeauna pentru totdeauna
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...
(Always Forever) was released in late 2000, making it their second album in the same year. Supported by the "Un 2 şi trei de 0" (A two followed by three zeroes) single, it brought singer-songwriter Vilmos "Villy" Kanalas to national fame, making him one of the most well known B.U.G. Mafia collaborators over time. The album was also known in Romania
Romania
Romania 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...
for its inclusion of the "Poezie de stradă" (Street Poetry) song which was released as a single in 2001 and had a music video that featured real Romanian Police
Romanian Police
The Romanian Police is the national police force and main civil law enforcement agency in Romania. It is subordinated to the Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform.-Duties:The Romanian Police are responsible for:...
officers crashing an organized crime
Organized crime
Organized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
meeting.
Casa Productions
The group had been interested in founding a record label since the late 1990s so they could obtain more creative control in producing their own music and also sign and develop new artists. The paperwork was finalized in 2001 and the newly formed Casa Productions entered the Romanian music market a year later, when the group released the B.U.G. Mafia prezinta CASAB.U.G. Mafia prezintă CASA
B.U.G. Mafia prezintă CASA is a compilation album by B.U.G. Mafia. It was released in 2002 and was the first release on their then newly established Casa Productions. Featured on the album is a bevy of acts who were among the earliest to sign to Casa Productions, many of whom quickly became...
(B.U.G. Mafia presents: Casa) compilation album to introduce the label's new artists to the world. 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...
heavyweights M&G and XXL & 10 Grei as well as newcomers Mahsat, Anturaj and Luchian were amongst the label's new signees in 2002. 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...
pioneers La Familia were also interested in joining Casa Productions but a disagreement with the label's management led to a conflict that took both groups to court a couple of years later. The album sold over 100,000 copies and has remained one of the best-selling compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
s released in Romania
Romania
Romania 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...
. Mahsat were the first act to release their album under Casa Productions in late 2002. A commercial failure, it sold just over 1,000 units and it led to the group's disbanding and the release from their contract in 2004. Aside from Casa Productions, each group member founded his own label for personal projects. Rapper Mihai "JerryCo
JerryCo
Mihai Dumitrescu , better known by his stage name, JerryCo, is a Romanian rapper from Bucharest, Romania who is signed to Tataee's Legend Audio record label.-Biography:...
" Dumitrescu released his debut album
Orice E Posibil
Orice E Posibil is the debut album by Romanian rapper JerryCo, released April 7, 2010, by Legend Audio in Romania. The first single: "Stai, Eşti În Pericol" , produced by and featuring Tataee and Simona Nae, was released in late 2009 and received heavy airplay in Romania...
in 2010 under Tataee
Tataee
Vlad Irimia , primarily known by his stage name Tataee, is a Romanian record producer, rapper, record executive, and music manager. He is one of the founders and the main producer of the well-known Romanian hip hop trio B.U.G...
's label, Legend Audio.
DJ Swamp (2003-2008)
Nicolae "DJ Swamp" Oncescu had been a full time member of hip hop group R.A.C.L.A.R.A.C.L.A.
R.A.C.L.A. was a Romanian hip hop group...
for over a year when he decided to join B.U.G. Mafia after a few live appearances with them in 2002. Oncescu quit R.A.C.L.A.
R.A.C.L.A.
R.A.C.L.A. was a Romanian hip hop group...
shortly after and became a full time member of B.U.G. Mafia and a staff producer for Casa Productions. Tataee
Tataee
Vlad Irimia , primarily known by his stage name Tataee, is a Romanian record producer, rapper, record executive, and music manager. He is one of the founders and the main producer of the well-known Romanian hip hop trio B.U.G...
had stated in various interviews that he had been interested in addding a professional DJ to the group since the early 90s but the few hip hop DJs in Romania were already committed to other projects. Petre "Freakadadisk" Urda, who had collaborated with the group on their 1996 album, Născut şi crescut în Pantelimon
Nascut si crescut în Pantelimon
Născut şi crescut în Pantelimon is the second studio album by B.U.G. Mafia, released by Cat Music/Media Services in Romania on 29 November 1996...
(Born and raised in Pantelimon), had been a full time member of Morometzii before joining Romanian hip hop
Romanian hip hop
Romanian hip hop is the hip hop music style that was developed in Romania around 1992. Most notable Romanian hip hop artists come from Bucharest, Romania's capital and largest city. The genre is currently growing in popularity in Europe...
pioneers 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...
in 1998 and DJ Dox was also working with R.A.C.L.A.
R.A.C.L.A.
R.A.C.L.A. was a Romanian hip hop group...
at the time. Oncescu parted ways with the group in 2008 citing creative differences and stated that he remained in good terms with them. However, group producer Tataee
Tataee
Vlad Irimia , primarily known by his stage name Tataee, is a Romanian record producer, rapper, record executive, and music manager. He is one of the founders and the main producer of the well-known Romanian hip hop trio B.U.G...
repeatedly mentioned that the break up had not been a friendly one and that he had not maintained any connection to DJ Swamp. Oncescu has since changed his professional name to Nicalai and has pursued a career as an 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...
artist, releasing his debut album A.E.R. - Asta E Romania (T.I.R. - This Is Romania) in 2009. In a 2011 interview, Oncescu claimed that the reason he parted ways with Mafia was a financial misunderstanding.
The Goodfellas (2003)
Băieţii BuniBăieţii Buni
Băieţii Buni is the eighth studio album by Romanian hip hop group B.U.G. Mafia. It was released on December 7, 2003, by Casa Productions/Cat Music in Romania and it was the first studio album to be released by the group on their own imprint, Casa Productions...
(The Goodfellas), the eight studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, was a milestone for several firsts in the group's history. It was their first album to be released under the then newly formed Casa Productions label, as well as it was their first album to be recorded at Ines Sound & Video, in Bucharest
Bucharest
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....
, at the time Romania
Romania
Romania 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...
's most high end recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
. Group producer Tataee
Tataee
Vlad Irimia , primarily known by his stage name Tataee, is a Romanian record producer, rapper, record executive, and music manager. He is one of the founders and the main producer of the well-known Romanian hip hop trio B.U.G...
employed several new production techniques and this was reflected in the overall sound of the album, as well as in the way it was received by its fans and critics. With 22 tracks, it was B.U.G. Mafia's most lengthy album, also the first in the group's history not to have any female guest performers. The follow-up to Baietii Buni
Băieţii Buni
Băieţii Buni is the eighth studio album by Romanian hip hop group B.U.G. Mafia. It was released on December 7, 2003, by Casa Productions/Cat Music in Romania and it was the first studio album to be released by the group on their own imprint, Casa Productions...
was only released in 2011 as the group embarked in a 6 year-long journey producing and recording two greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
albums in the first decade of the 21st century.
Greatest Hits Era (2003-2009)
Starting in late 2003, the group started work on a greatest hitsGreatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album that was to take them just under 6 years to complete. Tataee
Tataee
Vlad Irimia , primarily known by his stage name Tataee, is a Romanian record producer, rapper, record executive, and music manager. He is one of the founders and the main producer of the well-known Romanian hip hop trio B.U.G...
wanted the group to re-record the vocals for every song that was to be included on the album, while he produced new beats for the updated versions of the tracks. Titled Viata Noastra (Our Life), recording sessions for the album started in 2003 at the Ines Sound and Video studios in Bucharest
Bucharest
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....
and carried on throughout 2004 before being halted so the group could work on the "Băieţi buni
Baieti buni
Băieţi buni is a 2005 Romanian 8-episode police drama television miniseries which centers on the efforts of two police inspectors to bring down a far-reaching criminal network....
" (Good Guys) soundtrack.
Our Life Vol.1 (2003-2006)
The album was released in mid-2006 by Cat Music and Casa Productions after multiple delays. The first single was the title track "Viata Noastra" (Our Life). Using a sample from Casa Productions artist Villy's 2002 "O Alta Zi" (Just Another Day) song, it was released in early 2006 along with a music videoshot by Marius Panduru and directed by Marian Crisan. The album included 14 hit records of the group, all of which had been completely re-recorded and featured an updated sound. As "Pantelimonu' Petrece" (Pantelimon
Pantelimon, Bucharest
Pantelimon is a working-class neighborhood located in south-eastern Bucharest, Romania, in Sector 2. Outside Bucharest, there is an adjacent town named Pantelimon, administered separately....
's Having A Party) had been one of their first signature hit-songs, the record was released as a single in mid-2006, with a music video also directed by Marian Crisan. Pop singer Adriana Vlad was hired to record all the female-vocal parts. The album sold over 40,000 copies and was certified gold in Romania
Romania
Romania 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...
.
The Streets and film work (2004-2005)
In 2004, the group was approached by Pro TVPro TV
Launched in December 1995, Pro TV reaches almost 99% of Romania’s 21.5 million people and has 48% of its broadcast schedule comprising locally-produced programs...
to compose and produce the soundtrack for Andrei Boncea
Andrei Boncea
Andrei Boncea is a Romanian film producer, and since 1998 General Director of MediaPro Pictures, one of the leading film and television studios in Eastern Europe....
's procedural drama
Procedural drama
Procedural dramas are television programming series which rely on an episodic format that does not require the viewer to have seen previous episodes. Episodes typically have a self-contained, also referred to as stand-alone, plot that is introduced and resolved within the same episode...
, Baieti buni
Baieti buni
Băieţi buni is a 2005 Romanian 8-episode police drama television miniseries which centers on the efforts of two police inspectors to bring down a far-reaching criminal network....
(Good Guys). The resulting track, "Strazile" (The Streets) was released as a single in 2005 along with a music video directed by Andreea Paduraru and shot by Tudor Lucaciu. The recording sessions interrupted the group's work on their greatest hits album, so its release had to be further delayed until early 2006.
Our Life Vol.2 (2005-2009)
Recording sessions for the second part of the group's greatest hitsGreatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album started in 2005, again at the Ines Sound & Video studios in Bucharest
Bucharest
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....
. The only song that was released from the 2005 sessions was on the Baieti buni
Baieti buni
Băieţi buni is a 2005 Romanian 8-episode police drama television miniseries which centers on the efforts of two police inspectors to bring down a far-reaching criminal network....
-soundtrack single Strazile (The Streets). The album was initially planned to be released in late 2007 but Ines changed their location, upgrading their recording technology, making group producer Tataee
Tataee
Vlad Irimia , primarily known by his stage name Tataee, is a Romanian record producer, rapper, record executive, and music manager. He is one of the founders and the main producer of the well-known Romanian hip hop trio B.U.G...
to insist for a re-do of the whole album in the new studio. Various other obstacles pushed the release even further into late 2009. Viaţa noastră (Vol.2)
Viaţa noastră (Vol.2)
Viaţa noastră is the second greatest hits album by Romanian hip hop group B.U.G. Mafia. It was released on August 11, 2009, by Casa Productions/Cat Music in Romania. The album contains a new track named "Cu Tălpile Arse" and 14 re-recorded versions of older tracks.-Track listing:#"Cu Tălpile...
(Our Life Vol.2) was B.U.G. Mafia's last release on Cat Music, their home label for over 14 years, as the group went independent from 2010.
Internet Era (2009-Present)
A series of notable changes occurred after the release of the second volume of the "Viata Noastra" (Our Life) best-of series. The group left Cat Music, the record company that had catapulted them to superstardom 14 years earlier, which had been their distribution company since they had made the switch to Casa Productions in late 2001. Group producer TataeeTataee
Vlad Irimia , primarily known by his stage name Tataee, is a Romanian record producer, rapper, record executive, and music manager. He is one of the founders and the main producer of the well-known Romanian hip hop trio B.U.G...
mentioned that the group would employ a new approach to music since the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
had played a crucial role in the demise of the compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
-era in the musical industry.
Studio albums
In a career that spans nearly 20 years of activity, the group has released over 20 singlesSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, 8 studio albums
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, one extended play
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...
, one compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
and two greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
albums.
- MafiaMafia (B.U.G. Mafia album)Mafia is the debut studio album by Romanian hip hop group B.U.G. Mafia, released September 20, 1995 on local Bucharest-based label Amma Sound. Production for the album was handled by group member and founder Tataee, with various composers and keyboardists giving co-production. Heavily influenced...
(The Mafia) - 1995 - Născut şi crescut în PantelimonNascut si crescut în PantelimonNăscut şi crescut în Pantelimon is the second studio album by B.U.G. Mafia, released by Cat Music/Media Services in Romania on 29 November 1996...
(Born And Raised In Pantelimon) - 1996 - IV: Deasupra tuturorIV: Deasupra tuturorIV: Deasupra tuturor is the third studio album by Romanian hip hop group B.U.G. Mafia. It was released on November 10, 1997, by Cat Music in Romania, receiving universal acclaim from the group's fans as the way the tracks sounded was noticeably different from the previous three albums...
(IV: Above All) - 1997 - De CartierDe CartierDe cartier is the fourth studio album by Romanian hip hop group B.U.G. Mafia, released September 20, 1998, by Cat Music in Romania...
(From The Hood) - 1998 - După blocuriDupă blocuriDupă blocuri is the fifth studio album by Romanian hip hop group B.U.G. Mafia, released on January 18, 2000, by Cat Music in Romania. Recording sessions for the album took place throughout 1999 at the "Magic Sound" studios in Bucharest. The album features a darker tone than its predecessor, with...
(In The Projects) - 2000 - Întotdeauna pentru totdeaunaÎntotdeauna pentru totdeaunaÎntotdeauna 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...
(Always Forever) - 2000 - Băieţii BuniBăieţii BuniBăieţii Buni is the eighth studio album by Romanian hip hop group B.U.G. Mafia. It was released on December 7, 2003, by Casa Productions/Cat Music in Romania and it was the first studio album to be released by the group on their own imprint, Casa Productions...
(The Goodfellas) - 2003 - Înapoi În ViitorÎnapoi În ViitorÎnapoi În Viitor is the ninth studio album by Romanian hip hop group B.U.G. Mafia, released on September 1, 2011 by Casa Productions in Romania. The album was originally due for a September 2010 release, but was not completed in time...
(Back To The Future) - 2011
Greatest Hits Albums
- Viaţa noastră Vol.1 (Our Life Vol. 1) - 2006
- Viaţa noastră Vol.2 (Our Life Vol. 2) - 2009
- Viaţa noastră (Deluxe Edition)Viaţa noastră (Deluxe Edition)Viaţa noastră is the third and final greatest hits album by Romanian hip hop group B.U.G. Mafia. It was released on September 11, 2009, by Casa Productions/Cat Music in Romania. It included both "Viaţa noastră" albums and a bonus DVD with all the official music videos that the group had released...
(Our Life Deluxe Edition) - 2009
External links
- Official website
- http://ro-ro.facebook.com/bugmafiaOfficial FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
Page] - http://www.twitter.com/bugmafiaOfficial TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
Account] - Unofficial Fan-Site
- Tataee doing Q&A's with the fans