Cast aside all those preconceptions about elves and ethereal folk music, because it turns out hip-hop is big in Iceland. Sure, Sigur Ros still help us sleep every night and yes, Bjork remains the nation’s musical mother, but Iceland’s nation’s children have grown up to explore new musical worlds. First heard through a Nordic filter back in the late ’80s, rap in Reykjavik and further afield has really taken off in the last few years. Naturally, much of said music is in Icelandic and we can’t quite understand what’s being said, but being lost in translation just makes things sound cooler. At this year’s Iceland Airwaves festival, we were lucky enough to host four of the seven beat slangers on the i-D Mix stage and they were brilliant! Get to know our favorite key players from the scene…
Úlfur Úlfur
Úlfur Úlfur won our approval and appreciation with the Brennum Allt music video, which seems to roughly translate as Let’s Burn It All. Featuring pal Kött Grá Pje riding around in a car full of dogs, the visuals follow Arnar and his pony through the city as Helgi gets back to nature.
Reykjavíkurdætur
After we experienced a live performance in which this all-female hip-hop crew wore nude bodysuits, it became clear that the daughters of Reykjavik don’t give a fuck — about conforming, what you think of their bodies, or whether you’re offended by their lyrics regarding the joys of anal sex. The 15-strong squad penned the Icelandic Slut Walk anthem and are pleased to disrupt what they find to be a very male-dominated world. READ our interview with them here.
soundcloud.com/reykjavikurdaetur
Gisli Palmi (+ Glacier Mafia)
Gisli Palmi is Reykjavik’s little trap prince and the Glacier Mafia is his loyal royal court. A crew of rappers, producers, tattoo artists and graphic designers, they took i-D on a night out at Prikið, Reykjavik’s oldest coffee house turned tiny debauched nightclub. It ruled! Does anyone remember hearing that Bam Margera got beaten up by an Icelandic rapper back in June? Yeah, that was Gisli. But according to reports, Bam was hassling female production staff backstage, so we forgive him.
Lord Pusswhip
Apparently a friend started calling him this, and the interesting nickname became a professional moniker. Describing his music as hypnagogic rap/electronica, LP is the handsome longhaired producer responsible for the ambient acid trip sound. At times glitchy and bass-laden, his cuts are favored by the likes of Antwon.
soundcloud.com/mantisfromdamudgang
Emmsjé Gauti
All white everything (save for his icy blue eyes), Emmsjé Gauti called on the rest of the scene to join him in his recent video for Strákarnir, which means ‘the boys’ in English. Starring Sturla Atlas and Gisli Palmi, Emmsjé gets a backie from Úlfur Úlfur’s Arnar and the duo cruise the streets together before heading out for a skate.
GKR
Catchy, chill and beautiful. This Aaron Carter look-alike raps about cereal and loves a bit of color. If Ryan Hemsworth was an Icelandic rapper, he might sound a little something like this.
Sturla Atlas (+ 101 Boys)
“Those fuckboys want attention but I’m cold like it’s snowing.” Made by young but go-to creative brothers, Les Freres Stefson, we can’t get enough of the video for Sturla Atlas’ Snowin’. After his morning smoothie, we follow SA as he takes his hoverboard for a ride in his Motorhead hoodie. Color schemes always on point, he falls for Emmsje Gauti’s little sister Young Karin and gets emotional (but he could totally get her with that yellow car). That shot where he makes it rain is killer, too. His crew, 101 boys, (named after Reykjavik’s central zipcode) have wicked merch and even their own zine.