Just D
Encyclopedia
JustD was a Swedish
hip hop
trio formed in Stockholm
in 1990. The group consisted of Gustave Lund (Gurra G), Wille Crafoord (Doktor C) and Peder Ernerot (Pedda P).
Their contribution to the Swedish hip hop
scene is significant because they were the first successful Swedish language
rap act. Their dominance in the Swedish charts during the early 1990s opened up a new market in the Swedish music scene for artists who wished to record rap music in Swedish. Previously, prior to the success of Just D, Swedish rap artists used English rhymes in a bid to succeed in the international market. Just D showed that local chart success with Swedish rhymes was a lucrative market in and of itself.
JustD were marketed like the early incarnation of the Beastie Boys
and they had the same impact on Sweden's popular music audience. They applied American hip hop rhythm & rhyme to Swedish pop music and their formula made hip hop trendy and palatable to new audiences. JustD's presentation of rap music had a certain irony and some might say parody to it. In contrast to the majority of Swedish hip hop artists in the 1990s, none of the members in JustD had an immigrant
background, which according to some contributed to their marketability to the Swedish public. Their lyrics referred to förortsdjungeln (the suburban jungle) i.e. Swedish immigrant-dominated working-class suburbs. However, like 99% of all Swedes, the members of Just D came from affluent homes, and Wille Crafoord is a member of the archaic Swedish nobility
. However, when the next wave of Swedish language rap music came, Swedish audiences had become ready for the rhymes of The Latin Kings
, Infinite Mass
, Petter
, Blues and Feven.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
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...
trio formed in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
in 1990. The group consisted of Gustave Lund (Gurra G), Wille Crafoord (Doktor C) and Peder Ernerot (Pedda P).
Their contribution to the Swedish hip hop
Swedish hip hop
Emerging in the first half of the 1980s, Swedish hip hop was first heard from the cities of Stockholm and Malmö. In the early days, most rappers in Sweden rapped in English. Funkalics and The Latin Kings, two very different acts united by their innovative use of the Swedish language, debuted a...
scene is significant because they were the first successful Swedish language
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
rap act. Their dominance in the Swedish charts during the early 1990s opened up a new market in the Swedish music scene for artists who wished to record rap music in Swedish. Previously, prior to the success of Just D, Swedish rap artists used English rhymes in a bid to succeed in the international market. Just D showed that local chart success with Swedish rhymes was a lucrative market in and of itself.
JustD were marketed like the early incarnation of the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
and they had the same impact on Sweden's popular music audience. They applied American hip hop rhythm & rhyme to Swedish pop music and their formula made hip hop trendy and palatable to new audiences. JustD's presentation of rap music had a certain irony and some might say parody to it. In contrast to the majority of Swedish hip hop artists in the 1990s, none of the members in JustD had an immigrant
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
background, which according to some contributed to their marketability to the Swedish public. Their lyrics referred to förortsdjungeln (the suburban jungle) i.e. Swedish immigrant-dominated working-class suburbs. However, like 99% of all Swedes, the members of Just D came from affluent homes, and Wille Crafoord is a member of the archaic Swedish nobility
Swedish nobility
The Swedish nobility were historically a legally and/or socially privileged class in Sweden, part of the so-called frälse . Today, the nobility is still very much a part of Swedish society but they do not maintain many of their former privileges...
. However, when the next wave of Swedish language rap music came, Swedish audiences had become ready for the rhymes of The Latin Kings
The Latin Kings
The Latin Kings, abbreviated TLK, was a Swedish hip hop group from the municipality of Botkyrka in the southern suburbs of Stockholm, Sweden....
, Infinite Mass
Infinite Mass
Infinite Mass is a Swedish hip hop group that was formed in 1991.In 1992 the group won the talent show Swedish Championship of Rap. The same year, they achieved fame when they participated in the movie Sökarna and released the single "Shoot the Racist" which was later renamed "Area Turns Red"...
, Petter
Petter Askergren
Petter Alexis Askergren, , who simply uses his given name Petter as a stage name, is a rap artist from Stockholm, Sweden, rapping in Swedish. He debuted in 1998 with the album Mitt sjätte sinne , which became a success and started the Swedish hip hop boom in the late 1990s and early 2000s...
, Blues and Feven.
Discography
- 1 steg bak & 2 steg fram (1990)
- Svenska ord (1991)
- Rock N Roll (1992)
- Tre AmigosTre AmigosTre Amigos is the fourth official album by the Swedish hip hop group Just D, an album released in 1993.The album was produced by Just D and recorded during jam sessions with Wille on guitar, Pedda on bass and Gurra on drums. Samples are still there , but they played a very minor role...
(1993) - Plast (1995)