Romanian hip hop
Encyclopedia
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. Originally, Romanian hip hop was influenced by early American hip hop.
was the main precursor of Romanian hip hop. Liberalization made the import of foreign hip hop tapes much more easier. An underground market of tape exchanges among teens started flourishing in the early 90's. From just listening to hip hop to making hip hop there was only a small step. The first Romanian hip hop band was Vorbire Directă (Direct Speech), 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 Parazitii
(The Parasites), M&G
, Cnf Records, B.U.G. Mafia
, Delikt, Il-egal, Pirats Klan and countless others started appearing between 1993 and 1995. Some of this early groups are still active today. The first songs were about politics, the hardships of life in post-communist Romania and crime.
The first real hip hop concert in Romania was called Rap Attack and was held at "Ion Creanga" theatre in 1995.
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, Marijuana, Don Baxter and the Syndicate ("Sindicatul") representing the east coast with groups like R.A.C.L.A.
, Da Hood Justice, Ghetto Dacii, Delikt. However, this conflict was short lived and by the end of the 90's 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 Parazitii
had a far better sound quality then anything previously released.
The first hip hop music video in Romania was B.U.G. Mafia
's "Lumea e a mea" (The World is mine) in 1998 just before the founding of Romania's first TV music channel. Even with a music channel, the National Council of Audio and Video censored or even banned lots of hip hop music videos, starting with Parazitii
's "Bagabonții 99'".
With the coming of 2000s, more and more underground hip hop groups started producing better materials. Underground labels such as Facem Records and Hades Records got out of the box with high-quality albums that gained a large audience.
The first hip hop festival in Romania was organised in 2006 by Hades Records and it is still held almost yearly.
After 2000, the most important transmission medium for hip hop became the internet.
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...
style that was developed 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...
around 1992. Most notable Romanian hip hop artists come from 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....
, Romania's capital and largest city. The genre is currently growing in popularity in Europe. Originally, Romanian hip hop was influenced by early American hip hop.
History
The Romanian Revolution of 1989Romanian 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...
was the main precursor of Romanian hip hop. Liberalization made the import of foreign hip hop tapes much more easier. An underground market of tape exchanges among teens started flourishing in the early 90's. From just listening to hip hop to making hip hop there was only a small step. The first Romanian hip hop band was Vorbire Directă (Direct Speech), 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
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"...
(Defect Effect Rap-sody).
Names such as 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...
(The Parasites), M&G
M&G
- M&G Investments :M&G is a leading investment manager in the UK and overseas. It is an autonomous business within the Prudential Group, running its own retail and institutional funds operation and functioning as the asset manager for Prudential in Europe...
, Cnf Records, B.U.G. Mafia
B.U.G. Mafia
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...
, Delikt, Il-egal, Pirats Klan and countless others started appearing between 1993 and 1995. Some of this early groups are still active today. The first songs were about politics, the hardships of life in post-communist Romania and crime.
The first real hip hop concert in Romania was called Rap Attack and was held at "Ion Creanga" theatre in 1995.
The divergence between east coast hip hop
East Coast hip hop
East Coast hip hop is a regional subgenre of hip hop music that originated in New York City, USA during the 1970s. Hip hop is recognized to have originated and evolved first in the East Coast...
and west coast hip hop
West Coast hip hop
West Coast hip hop is a hip hop music subgenre that encompasses any artists or music that originates in the westernmost region of the United States, as opposed to East Coast hip hop, based originally in New York alone...
was soon imported into Romania with the creation of the Cartel ("Cartelul") representing the west coast with groups like B.U.G. Mafia
B.U.G. Mafia
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...
, La Familia, Il-Egal, Marijuana, Don Baxter and the Syndicate ("Sindicatul") representing the east coast with groups like R.A.C.L.A.
R.A.C.L.A.
R.A.C.L.A. was a Romanian hip hop group...
, Da Hood Justice, Ghetto Dacii, Delikt. However, this conflict was short lived and by the end of the 90's 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
B.U.G. Mafia
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...
in 1996 and 1997, "A vorbi e ușor" by 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 1997, "Cei care te calcă pe cap" and "Gara de Nord" by R.A.C.L.A.
R.A.C.L.A.
R.A.C.L.A. was a Romanian hip hop group...
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
B.U.G. Mafia
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...
, "Nicăieri nu-i ca acasă" (There's no place like home) by La Familia and especially "Nici o problemă" (Not a problem) by 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...
had a far better sound quality then anything previously released.
The first hip hop music video in Romania was B.U.G. Mafia
B.U.G. Mafia
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...
's "Lumea e a mea" (The World is mine) in 1998 just before the founding of Romania's first TV music channel. Even with a music channel, the National Council of Audio and Video censored or even banned lots of hip hop music videos, starting with 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...
's "Bagabonții 99'".
With the coming of 2000s, more and more underground hip hop groups started producing better materials. Underground labels such as Facem Records and Hades Records got out of the box with high-quality albums that gained a large audience.
The first hip hop festival in Romania was organised in 2006 by Hades Records and it is still held almost yearly.
After 2000, the most important transmission medium for hip hop became the internet.
Themes
Romanian hip hop can be classified into sub-genres depending on lyrical contents. Themes include poverty, politics, inequality, drugs, women, inner troubles, money, the false values of post-communist wealthy Romanians.Mainstream
- ParazitiiParazitiiParaziţii 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...
- B.U.G. MafiaB.U.G. MafiaB.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...
- La Familia
- Grasu XXL
- BitzaBitzaBiță is a Romanian rapper and urban soul musician.He was born in Bucharest, the capital of Romania. His first album was Sevraj in 2004 and...
- Il-Egal
- Codu Penal
- Spike (cântăreț român)
- Guess WhoGuess Who (rapper)Laurenţiu Mocanu , better known by his stage name Guess Who is a Romanian rapper. He began his career as a member of the rap group Anonim along with group members Zekko and Griffo, and later launched a successful solo career in music...
Underground
- C.T.C.C.T.C.C.T.C. is a Romanian hip hop band, founded by VD, Deliric 1, L Doc and DJ Paul....
- Cedry2k
- DOCDOC- Media :* Doc , a 2001-2004 PAX series* Doc , a 1975-1976 CBS sitcom* "D.O.C." , a television episode* Doc Films, a University of Chicago film society* Doc , a 1971 Western film...
- Deliric1
- Nimeni Altu
- Specii
- Kazi Ploae
- Ad Litteram
- Veritasaga
- RakuRakuRaku-yaki is a type of Japanese pottery that is traditionally used in the Japanese tea ceremony, most often in the form of tea bowls...
- CarbonCarbonCarbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
- Deceneu