Schonheitsfehler with Rainbow Flava
Duck Squad Records
As hip hop (like jazz, rock and roll, and R&B before it) transcends political and cultural borders, it will begin to represent itself in styles other than those associated with the Northeastern United States, and in languages other than English (or standard American ghetto slang). That is to say, it has already begun doing these things.
In the German-speaking region of Europe (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland), the MTV broadcast is called "MTV Fett," as in "fat." Or more precisely "phat," because the show features an almost-all hip hop format, playing the best of the new and classic hip hop videos, spotlighting local up-and-comers (yes, there IS German-language hip hop, even some by European artists of African descent. Did you think MC Solaar and Les Nubians were the only Black people in Europe?), and featuring in-studio cameos by big name artists. Think "Yo! MTV Raps" at its height around '92. Europe represents hip hop's other big frontier, and even hip hoppers on the Left Coast have recognized it (Jurassic 5 blew up in England long before they got love from New York).
Schonheitsfehler (German for 'blemish') was the first crew in Austria to put down wax (in 1993), representing Vienna in the global rap arena and introducing the talents of DJ Operator Boastab (try "Burstup") and MCs Milo and Peman Paul to the world. Three albums later, they remain at the forefront of a thriving Austrian/German hip hop scene. Never mind Falco (R.I.P.), this is the scene that produced Kruder & Dorfmeister, the high-ranking jazz-funk officers, and Afrodelics, two Austrian MCs of Nigerian descent, the true European heirs to rap's English-speaking African heritage (they're even signed to a major).
Boom Bap is Operator Boastab's brainchild, a twice-yearly hip-hop event he has organized in Vienna since 1996. Rainbow Flava went to Vienna in June 1998 to perform at Boom Bap Fight Back, a pro-gay benefit Boastab organized in protest of Austria's outdated, anti-gay legislation, Article #209. Boastab also conceived of the event as an experiment in bridge-building between the seemingly disparate queer and hip hop communities. After a sold-out show at Vienna's infamous club Flex that went until six in the morning, the experiment proved a success.
last updated:
08/20/01
Similar Artists:
Jurassic 5, A Tribe Called Quest, The Subterraneanz, Rainbow Flava
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