(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
They were nominated for the Alarm Prize 2004 for best hip hop album and were one of the main names in Norway's biggest hip hop festival, 2xH, last weekend. Johnny Engdal Silseth alias Jaa9 and Pål Tøien alias Onkl P is among Norwegian hip hop's youngest and most brilliant stars, but still does not have a single official record release behind it. Who needs it in 2004?
On their own
After Tungtvann and EMI broke up in 2003, Apollo is the only rapper in Norway with a contract with one of the largest record companies. "Satan's circus" will be released by Universal on Monday, but Apollo has a lot of pressure to deliver in terms of sales to gain renewed confidence.
Paperboys has released two albums on the medium-sized Swedish company Bonnier Amigo, which has also taken over the Tommy Tees Tee Productions label. But otherwise, hip hop Norway is banished to the sidelines. Tungtvann's third and critically acclaimed third album "III: Folket bak nordavind" was released on Monday on Christer Falck's small C + C Records, while Klovner i Kamp is currently without a record company after three albums on his own City Connections. No wonder the rising generation is cutting out sending demos to the big record companies, instead burning and selling their own demos – based in the boys' room?
The hip hop festival 2xH in Trondheim and the comic book festival Raptus in Bergen have two striking similarities. The established industry maintains a low profile both in terms of representation and releases, and leaves the arena to self-released releases from the underground. At Raptus, there has been an abundance of self-financed publications in recent years, from the cheapest A4 booklets from copiers to elaborate prints co-financed by the existence of various municipal, state and private support schemes. And at 2xH, the sales stands are overflowing with home-burned demo records and mixtapes, from both well-known and totally unknown artists. Maybe supported by the municipality, or just as often not. Tungtvann sells their "Welcome to Tungtland" mixtape next to the 13 track deep demo of the Trønder trio 3visemenn. For example.
Dirty Upland
But back to Jaa9 and Onkl P. They belong to the 12-man-strong Lillehammer collective Dirty Oppland, who during the 00's has recorded and distributed an unclear amount of songs via the Internet. Not something they make money from, but as rumors and advertising, the tactics have been unbeatable.
Dirty Oppland quickly became a sought-after concert item, and already in 2002 Jaa9 and Onkl P were released as guest rappers on Tungtvanns' "Refill EP". The same year, Dirty Oppland also released a demo CD, which today is a sought-after collectible. The duo geared up the activity, participated in several mixtapes and compilations, moved to Oslo and became part of the stable of the booking agency Tornado. It put together "Bondegrammatikk – The Mixtape" to gear up the interest a few notches, a collection of original Jaa9 and Onkl P songs and rapping over instrumental versions of recent American hits.
Several Norwegian DJs and rappers Kleen Cut and Andyboy had previously released such mixtapes, but "Bondegrammatikk" was the first to be included by Platekompaniet – and the CD sold 1000 copies in two days, was reviewed in the newspapers and even nominated to the Alarm Prize for best hip hop album in 2003. Not bad for a record that is highly uncertain at all, as it contains a lot of unauthorized samples and cover versions. Jaa9 and Onkl P then also received a symbolic fine from the industry organization TONO as a reward.
But the success of "Bondegrammatikk" is just the tip of the iceberg. With the proliferation of mp3 files on the Internet and the low cost of burning CDs at home, the release of unofficial albums and mixtapes exploded in 2003. Can't get a record deal? No need to shoot, just release your record on your own. It is a confusing market, and only in 2003 did it come out least 25-30 Norwegian records on this gray market. And already in 2004, the Bergen group Freakshow (named 2003's best newcomer at 2xH), Trøndelag 3visemenn, Tungtvann, the clique around Equicez, Bergen resident Teddy Touch and Hajoken & Makaber from Oslo released records in album length on their own. A guy named Jakob Okkenhaug has released three CD mixtapes with eccentric hip hop / electronics under the collective title "Fragments", which has also been included by Platekompaniet, while Dirty Oppland promises "Greatest Hits" album in May. Still without a record deal in his pocket.
