Fettes Brot Biography
Dubbed "Hamburg's hip-hop dinosaur" by its own members, German trio Fettes Brot is perhaps best likened to the Beastie Boys, sharing with their American counterparts a similar longevity, a comparably eclectic creative sensibility and the same white skin color. Fettes Brot (roughly, "fat bread," and a slang expression meaning "excellent hashish") formed in 1992 following the dissolution of the rap group Poets of Peeze. Alums Dokter Renz (Martin Schrader) and Tobi Tobsen co-founded the new lineup with König Boris (Boris Lauterbach), Schiffmeister (Björn Warns), and Mighty (Tobsen's brother). Said siblings quickly exited the project, and the remaining trio completed work on Fettes Brot's debut EP, Mitschnacker, issued in 1993 on their own Yo Mama label. With their first full-length effort, 1995's Auf Einem Auge Blöd, they scored their first hit with the novelty single "Nordisch by Nature," nevertheless winning kudos for their interwoven rhymes and technical prowess. A year later, "Jein" further established Fettes Brot's commercial credibility, and the trio's sophomore effort, Außen Top Hits, Innen Geschmack, proved a major chart hit. While the 1998 follow-up, Lässt Grüßen, earned the group some criticism from longtime fans who claimed their music now veered too far from its hip-hop roots, the singles "Viele Wege Führen Nach Rom" and "Lieblingslied" proved their biggest chart hits to date. Fettes Brot nevertheless announced an extended hiatus in 1999, issuing the stopgap B-sides and remixes collection Fettes Brot für die Welt a year later. The trio finally resurfaced in 2001 with Demo Tape, notching the hits "Schwule Mädchen" and "The Grosser." "Fast 30," a collaboration with rapper Skunk Funk, also helped renew their credibility among purists. After a 2002 hits compilation, Amnesie, Fettes Brot founded their own eponymous record label but otherwise remained off the radar until releasing 2005's Am Wasser Gebaut, their most successful record to date. An album informed more by soul music than rap, it generated the monster hit "Emanuela." ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Popular Biographies:
Place of skulls Biography: Led by guitarist/vocalist Victor Griffin, a past member of cult favorite doom metal acts Pentagram and Death Row, the Knoxville, TN, trio Place of Skulls formed in early 2000 and is rounded out by...
Helstar Biography: Helstar was one of America's better kept heavy metal secrets throughout the 1980s, composing a string of consummate LPs that earned the band many critical accolades, but somehow failed to sell in...
Wintersun Biography: Following his departure in 2002 from Finnish Viking metal outfit Ensiferum, former Arthemesia vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Jari Mäenpäa started a new project called Wintersun, with...
Snfu Biography: Formed in Edmonton in the early '80s, SNFU has been one of the best and longest living of Canada's indie punk bands. Led by brothers Bret and Marc Bekle, the band debuted in 1984 with ...And No One...
Katatonia Biography: Katatonia are a Swedish death/doom-metal trio led by guitarist Blackheim. The group's second album, Brave Murder Day, featured Opeth vocalist Mikael Akerfeldt and was their first to be released...
Aquasky Biography: Originally from Bournemouth but later transplanted to London, Kieron Bailey, Brent Newitt and Dave Wallace come from a generation of junglists with neither a strict focus on breakbeats nor even a...
Thursday Biography: Soul-baring post-hardcore quartet Thursday formed in New Brunswick, NJ, in 1997. Led by vocalist Geoff Rickly, the band also included guitarists Steve Pedulla and Tom Keeley, bassist Tim Payne, and...
Division of laura lee Biography: Swedish garage punk quartet Division of Laura Lee emerged in the mid- to late '90s, assembled out of spare parts in the Swedish hardcore music underground. Comprised of vocalist/guitarist Per...