Elastinen (born Kimmo Ilpo Juhani Laiho in 1981) is a Finnish

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 rap musician

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...

 and also known as one of the founders and is the CEO of the Finnish independent rap label Rähinä Records

Rähinä Records

Rähinä Records is the biggest independent rap label in Finland. It was founded 1998 by Elastinen, Iso H, Andu, Tasis, and Uniikki, and started actual business in 2003. The name Rähinä Records is a brand name. The company also has a sublabel Alarm Entertainment to release artists outside the Rähinä...

. Together with his colleague Iso H

Iso H

Iso H , born on January 1979 in Helsinki, is a Finnish rap musician. Together with his colleague Elastinen, he forms the Finnish rap band Fintelligens.-Discography:Fintelligens albums* Renesanssi...

, he forms the Finnish rap crew Fintelligens

Fintelligens

Fintelligens is a hip hop group from Helsinki, Finland. The band is formed of two MCs: Elastinen and Iso H. The band has released three albums and one compilation, all selling more than 150,000 copies. Fintelligens is arguably the most successful hip hop band in Finland.In the early 1990s the...

. He has also released three solo albums.

Biography

Born in Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

, Elastinen began taking guitarlessons when he was seven years old. At the age of 11 he started dancing and has been a member of famous break-dance groups as IMC

IMC

- Organizations :* Independent Music Conference The only music conference in the U.S. specifically for the indie market.* International Marketmakers Combination Also IMC Financial Markets. A global trading firm.* Independent Media Center Also Indymedia or IMC...

 and Savage Feet. Inspired by a hiphop-cassette, given by his elder-brother, "Ela" wrote his first rap-lyrics when he was 15. He joined an anti-racist musical "Colorblind" and met Iso H

Iso H

Iso H , born on January 1979 in Helsinki, is a Finnish rap musician. Together with his colleague Elastinen, he forms the Finnish rap band Fintelligens.-Discography:Fintelligens albums* Renesanssi...

. In summer 1997, Elastinen and Iso H

Iso H

Iso H , born on January 1979 in Helsinki, is a Finnish rap musician. Together with his colleague Elastinen, he forms the Finnish rap band Fintelligens.-Discography:Fintelligens albums* Renesanssi...

 founded Fintelligens

Fintelligens

Fintelligens is a hip hop group from Helsinki, Finland. The band is formed of two MCs: Elastinen and Iso H. The band has released three albums and one compilation, all selling more than 150,000 copies. Fintelligens is arguably the most successful hip hop band in Finland.In the early 1990s the...

. Elastinen was only 18 when they got their first record-deal.

Ela graduated from Sibelius high school (a music school) in 2000. Same year Fintelligens

Fintelligens

Fintelligens is a hip hop group from Helsinki, Finland. The band is formed of two MCs: Elastinen and Iso H. The band has released three albums and one compilation, all selling more than 150,000 copies. Fintelligens is arguably the most successful hip hop band in Finland.In the early 1990s the...

 released debut album "Renesanssi". Renesanssi certified gold and 1/3 of it is produced by Elastinen. In autumn 2001, Elastinen and Iso H

Iso H

Iso H , born on January 1979 in Helsinki, is a Finnish rap musician. Together with his colleague Elastinen, he forms the Finnish rap band Fintelligens.-Discography:Fintelligens albums* Renesanssi...

 released their second album, Tän Tahtiin. It sold also gold and is partly produced by him.

When Elastinen was doing his military service at Santahamina

Santahamina

Santahamina is an island and neighbourhood of Eastern Helsinki, Finland. At present it is a military base housing the Guard Jaeger Regiment, making access restricted...

 in 2002 he used his freetime performing shows with Iso H

Iso H

Iso H , born on January 1979 in Helsinki, is a Finnish rap musician. Together with his colleague Elastinen, he forms the Finnish rap band Fintelligens.-Discography:Fintelligens albums* Renesanssi...

. Fintelligens released third studio album in November. "Kokemusten Summa" sold gold and is entirely produced by Elastinen.

In 2004 Elastinen released his solo debut "Elaksis Kivi". In 2006 he finished his second album "Anna Soida". The first single, the album's title track, was a hit. "Anna Soida" was released in 2006. His third album, "E.L.A.", was released in November 2007, under a year after "Anna Soida". First single from the album, "Ovet Paukkuu", was #1 on NRJ-Finland and had heavy rotation also on Finnish MTV

MTV

MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

 and The Voice

The Voice TV Finland

The Voice is a Finnish music channel that replaced the VIISI television channel in 2004. The Voice has also a closely related radio station which started in the beginning of 2007...

.

Singles

• "Syljen" (2004)
• "Bäkkiin Stadiin" (2004)
• "Anna soida" (2006)
• "Päivä kerrallaan" (2007)
• "Ovet paukkuu" (2007)
• "Häivytään" (2007)

External links

• Royal Artist Club - Official Mobile Blog
• MySpace site
• http://www.rahina.comRecord Label Rähinä Records
  Rähinä Records
  Rähinä Records is the biggest independent rap label in Finland. It was founded 1998 by Elastinen, Iso H, Andu, Tasis, and Uniikki, and started actual business in 2003. The name Rähinä Records is a brand name. The company also has a sublabel Alarm Entertainment to release artists outside the Rähinä...
  
  ]
• [ All music] short biography.

Reference

• Elastinen - Elaksis Kivi 2006. Yleisradio. Viitattu 21.11.2007.
• Elastinen - Anna soida 2006. Meteli.net. Viitattu 21.11.2007.
• Elastinen: E.L.A. 2007. Findance.com. Viitattu 21.11.2007.
• Elastinen - E.L.A. 2007. Yleisradio. Viitattu 21.11.2007.