Die Fantastischen Vier
Encyclopedia
Die Fantastischen Vier also known as Fanta 4, is a German hip hop
group from Stuttgart
, Germany
. The members are Michael Bernd Schmidt
alias Smudo, Andreas Rieke alias And.Ypsilon, Thomas D
ürr alias Hausmeister (janitor) Thomas D and Michael 'Michi' Beck
alias Dee Jot Hausmarke. They were among the first groups to rap in the German language.
(German spoken-song) as they called it, popular in Germany. Although there were German hip-hop artists prior to them (such as Advanced Chemistry
from Heidelberg
) it was Die Fantastischen Vier who registered the first chart hit with their 1992 single "Die da?!" from the album 4 Gewinnt
, hitting #2 in Germany
and #1 in Austria
and Switzerland
.
After traveling to Los Angeles
in the late 1980s, the group realized the lack of connection between the struggles of "the poor Blacks in the U.S. and middle-class Whites in Germany," and made a conscious effort to move away from the typical and cliché American gangster rap. The group never got involved with US-American
gangsta rap
clichés, reacting with tongue-in-cheek humor to verbal attacks of alleged German gangsta rappers. In the albums following 4 Gewinnt, the band matured and progressed to a more serious and philosophic style.
The band was extremely successful in the 1990s, when they released their hit single Die Da?! (Her?! The One Over There?!) in 1992. It was arguably the first German hip hop hit and also the breakthrough for the Fanta 4.
In addition to the group's works, Thomas D, Hausmarke and Ypsilon also produced successful solo album
s and the four had their own weekly show Die 4. Dimension, named after their third album
, which aired on the German pay TV channel Premiere
in 1993/1994.
At the 1996 Popkomm
in Cologne
, Die Fantastischen Vier announced the establishment of their label, Four Music
. Headquarters were in Stuttgart
, but were later moved to Berlin-Kreuzberg
.
Three years later, the group's 7th album 4:99
was released on their own label, with 4 singles from the album following. After the #2 hit "MfG", three singles were released at the same time, a first in German music business. Each one can be associated with one of the rappers: "Le Smou" (The Smou; Smudo), "Michi Beck in Hell" (Michi Beck) and "Buenos Dias Messias" (Good day, Messiah
; Thomas D).
In late September 2004, Die Fantastischen Vier released the album Viel
, the following tour being their most successful and most visited to date.
In 2005, Fanta 4's first greatest hits
album was published. It includes all singles, as well as several other songs and rare footage from the bands early days, when they were still called "Terminal Team" and rapped in English.
On April 7, 2007, Fornika
was released, preceded by the single "Ernten was wir säen" (Reap what we sow).
Their song "Ernten was wir säen" was released as a download for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
in December 2007 and was recently covered by Oomph!
.
German hip hop
German Hip Hop refers to hip hop music produced in Germany. Elements of American hip hop culture, such as graffiti art and breakdancing, diffused into Western Europe in the early 1980s.-1980–1990:...
group from Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The members are Michael Bernd Schmidt
Smudo
Michael Bernd Schmidt , better known as Smudo, is a writer and rapper in the German hip hop group Die Fantastischen Vier.-Life:...
alias Smudo, Andreas Rieke alias And.Ypsilon, Thomas D
Thomas D
Thomas D. is a rapper in the German hip hop group Die Fantastischen Vier. He frequently works on solo projects.- Life :...
ürr alias Hausmeister (janitor) Thomas D and Michael 'Michi' Beck
Michael Beck (singer)
Michael "Michi" Beck , also known by his pseudonym as the disc jockey Dee Jot Hausmarke is a member of the German hip hop group Die Fantastischen Vier where he acts as DJ and MC...
alias Dee Jot Hausmarke. They were among the first groups to rap in the German language.
History
Towards the end of the 1980s, Rieke and Schmidt formed the "Terminal Team", Dürr and Beck joined in 1989. Under the new name Die Fantastischen Vier (The Fantastic Four), they made German hip hop, or Deutschen SprechgesangSprechgesang
Sprechgesang and Sprechstimme are musical terms used to refer to an expressionist vocal technique between singing and speaking. Though sometimes used interchangeably, sprechgesang is a term directly related to the operatic recitative manner of singing , whereas sprechstimme is...
(German spoken-song) as they called it, popular in Germany. Although there were German hip-hop artists prior to them (such as Advanced Chemistry
Advanced Chemistry
Advanced Chemistry is a German hip hop group from Heidelberg, a scenic city in Baden-Württemberg, South Germany. Advanced Chemistry was founded in 1987 by Toni L, Linguist, Gee-One, DJ Mike MD and MC Torch...
from Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
) it was Die Fantastischen Vier who registered the first chart hit with their 1992 single "Die da?!" from the album 4 Gewinnt
4 Gewinnt
-Production:*Executive Producer: Andreas Rieke*Co-Producers: Klaus Scharff, Andreas "Bär" Läsker*Photo and Cover Art Work: I-D Büro-Singles:-External links:* * ] discography]...
, hitting #2 in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and #1 in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in the late 1980s, the group realized the lack of connection between the struggles of "the poor Blacks in the U.S. and middle-class Whites in Germany," and made a conscious effort to move away from the typical and cliché American gangster rap. The group never got involved with US-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
gangsta rap
Gangsta rap
Gangsta Rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths. Lyrics in gangsta rap have varied from accurate reflections to fictionalized accounts. Gangsta is a non-rhotic pronunciation of the word...
clichés, reacting with tongue-in-cheek humor to verbal attacks of alleged German gangsta rappers. In the albums following 4 Gewinnt, the band matured and progressed to a more serious and philosophic style.
The band was extremely successful in the 1990s, when they released their hit single Die Da?! (Her?! The One Over There?!) in 1992. It was arguably the first German hip hop hit and also the breakthrough for the Fanta 4.
In addition to the group's works, Thomas D, Hausmarke and Ypsilon also produced successful solo album
Solo album
A solo album, in popular music, is an album headlined by a current or former member of a band. A solo album may feature simply one person performing all instruments, but typically features the work of other collaborators; rather, it may be made with different collaborators than the artist is...
s and the four had their own weekly show Die 4. Dimension, named after their third album
Die 4. Dimension
Die 4. Dimension is the third studio album by the German hip hop group Die Fantastischen Vier. It peaked the German charts at position 14, the Austrian at 23, and the Swiss at 27.- Track listing :#"Neues Land" - 2:06#"Die 4...
, which aired on the German pay TV channel Premiere
Premiere (pay television network)
Sky Deutschland AG, branded as Sky, is a German media company which operates the first pay television platform in Germany and Austria, offering several channels of digital content via satellite and cable....
in 1993/1994.
At the 1996 Popkomm
Popkomm
Popkomm is an international trade show for the music and entertainment business, and also integrates a congress and festival. It is held in Berlin but has had entries from at least 55 other countries. Popkomm is organised by Popkomm GmbH, Berlin.- History :...
in Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
, Die Fantastischen Vier announced the establishment of their label, Four Music
Four Music
Four Music is a German record label founded by Die Fantastischen Vier in 1996.It was originally located in Stuttgart, but has moved to Kreuzberg, Berlin.The most popular musicians and groups signed on Four Music are...
. Headquarters were in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, but were later moved to Berlin-Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg, a part of the combined Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Mitte since 2001, is one of the best-known areas of Berlin...
.
Three years later, the group's 7th album 4:99
4:99
"4:99" is an album by German hip hop band Die Fantastischen Vier. It reached number one in the German as well as the Austrian and Swiss charts....
was released on their own label, with 4 singles from the album following. After the #2 hit "MfG", three singles were released at the same time, a first in German music business. Each one can be associated with one of the rappers: "Le Smou" (The Smou; Smudo), "Michi Beck in Hell" (Michi Beck) and "Buenos Dias Messias" (Good day, Messiah
Messiah
A messiah is a redeemer figure expected or foretold in one form or another by a religion. Slightly more widely, a messiah is any redeemer figure. Messianic beliefs or theories generally relate to eschatological improvement of the state of humanity or the world, in other words the World to...
; Thomas D).
In late September 2004, Die Fantastischen Vier released the album Viel
Viel
Viel is the seventh studio album of the German hip hop group Die Fantastischen Vier. It peaked at #2 on the German and Austrian charts and #4 in Switzerland.- Track listing :#"Auf geht's" - 1:05#"Bring it back" - 3:46#"Geboren" - 3:51...
, the following tour being their most successful and most visited to date.
In 2005, Fanta 4's first greatest hits
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
album was published. It includes all singles, as well as several other songs and rare footage from the bands early days, when they were still called "Terminal Team" and rapped in English.
On April 7, 2007, Fornika
Fornika
Fornika is the 2007 album by German hip hop band Die Fantastischen Vier. The name does not refer to the term of fornication. It comes from a strange misspelling of a Pizza-Delivery-Service-Person that delivered Pizza to the Band's Studio...
was released, preceded by the single "Ernten was wir säen" (Reap what we sow).
Their song "Ernten was wir säen" was released as a download for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is a music video game, the third main installment in the Guitar Hero series, and the fourth title overall...
in December 2007 and was recently covered by Oomph!
Oomph!
Oomph! is a German rock band that was formed in Wolfsburg, Germany in 1989. The band is considered to be the original Neue Deutsche Härte musical group. In the 22-year history of the band, there have been no line-up changes.-Early years :...
.
Albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
||
| 1991 | Jetzt geht's ab! Jetzt geht's ab! Jetzt geht's ab! is the debut album of the German hip-hop group Die Fantastischen Vier.Originally released by Sony in 1991, the album was the first to feature exclusively German-language rap. Two members of Die Fantastischen Vier, Smudo and Thomas D, decided to create an album entirely in German... |
22 | - | - |
| 1992 | 4 Gewinnt 4 Gewinnt -Production:*Executive Producer: Andreas Rieke*Co-Producers: Klaus Scharff, Andreas "Bär" Läsker*Photo and Cover Art Work: I-D Büro-Singles:-External links:* * ] discography]... |
3 | 3 | 3 |
| 1993 | Die 4. Dimension Die 4. Dimension Die 4. Dimension is the third studio album by the German hip hop group Die Fantastischen Vier. It peaked the German charts at position 14, the Austrian at 23, and the Swiss at 27.- Track listing :#"Neues Land" - 2:06#"Die 4... |
14 | 23 | 27 |
| 1994 | Megavier | 21 | - | - |
| 1995 | Lauschgift Lauschgift Lauschgift is the fourth studio album of the German hip hop group Die Fantastischen Vier. It peaked the German charts at position 2, the Austrian at 10, and the Swiss at position 5... |
2 | 10 | 5 |
| 1996 | Live und direkt Live und direkt Live und direkt is a double album of the German hip hop group Die Fantastischen Vier consisting of a live part and a studio part. The live part was recorded at three concerts during the Lauschgift-tour with their then backing band disjam, at Huxleys Neue Welt in Berlin on February 19, 1996; at the... |
17 | - | 30 |
| 1999 | 4:99 4:99 "4:99" is an album by German hip hop band Die Fantastischen Vier. It reached number one in the German as well as the Austrian and Swiss charts.... |
1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2000 | MTV Unplugged Unplugged (Die Fantastischen Vier album) MTV Unplugged is part of the MTV Unplugged series and the second live album of German hip hop group Die Fantastischen Vier. The group were the second German-speaking artists to make an appearance on MTV Unplugged, after Herbert Grönemeyer in 1995... |
6 | 7 | 18 |
| 2003 | Live in Stuttgart Live in Stuttgart Live in Stuttgart is a live double album by German hip hop group Die Fantastischen Vier. It was recorded on September 21, 2003 at the Römerkastell in Stuttgart, the last show of the group's Unplugged-tour... |
81 | 50 | - |
| 2004 | Viel Viel Viel is the seventh studio album of the German hip hop group Die Fantastischen Vier. It peaked at #2 on the German and Austrian charts and #4 in Switzerland.- Track listing :#"Auf geht's" - 1:05#"Bring it back" - 3:46#"Geboren" - 3:51... |
2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2005 | Viel live | 46 | - | - |
| Best of 1990-2005 | 26 | 32 | 29 | |
| 2007 | Fornika Fornika Fornika is the 2007 album by German hip hop band Die Fantastischen Vier. The name does not refer to the term of fornication. It comes from a strange misspelling of a Pizza-Delivery-Service-Person that delivered Pizza to the Band's Studio... |
1 | 4 | 2 |
| 2009 | Heimspiel Heimspiel (album) -Disc One:#"Was geht" - 7:02#"Der Picknicker" - 4:40#"Jetzt geht's ab" - 2:17#"S.M.U.D.O. Ich bin halt so" - 2:46#"Auf der Flucht" - 2:31#"Du Arsch" - 2:35#"Neues Land" - 3:13#"Mehr nehmen" - 4:43#"Pipis und Popos" - 4:55#"Sie ist weg" - 4:01-Disc Two:... |
12 | 54 | 64 |
| 2010 | Für Dich Immer Noch Fanta Sie Für Dich Immer Noch Fanta Sie Für Dich Immer Noch Fanta Sie is the 2010 album by German hip hop band Die Fantastischen Vier.-Track listing:#Wie Gladiatoren - 3:44#Dann Mach Doch Mal - 4:11#Gebt Uns Ruhig Die Schuld Für Dich Immer Noch Fanta Sie is the 2010 album by German hip hop band Die Fantastischen Vier.-Track listing:#Wie... |
1 | 2 | 1 |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
||||
| 1991 | "Mikrofonprofessor Mikrofonprofessor "Mikrofonprofessor" [microphone-professor] is a song by the German hip-hop band, Die Fantastischen Vier. It is the first single by "Die Fantastischen Vier"... "1 |
– | – | – | ||
| "Hausmeister Thomas D."2 | – | – | – | |||
| 1992 | "Die da Die da!? "Die Da!?" [The One Over There] is a song by the German Hip Hop Band, Die Fantastischen Vier. It was the third single by "Die Fantastischen Vier".It was released in 1992, from the album "4 Gewinnt".- Tracklist :CD... "3 |
2 | 1 | 1 | ||
| "Frohes Fest Frohes Fest (song) "Frohes Fest" [Merry Christmas] is a subscripted song by the German Hip Hop Band, Die Fantastischen Vier. It is the fourth single by "Die Fantastischen Vier" and was released in 1992.- Tracklist :# Frohes Fest [Merry Christmas]... "4 |
15 | 20 | – | |||
| "Hausmeister Thomas D. '92 Hausmeister Thomas D. '92 "Hausmeister Thomas D. '92" [concierge Thomas D. 1992] is a new print run from the old single Hausmeister Thomas D..The song is from the Hip Hop Band Die Fantastischen Vier.... "2 |
– | – | – | |||
| 1993 | "Saft Saft (song) "Saft" [Juice] is a song by the German Hip Hop Band, Die Fantastischen Vier. It's the sixth single by "Die Fantastischen Vier".It was released in 1992 and from the Album "4 Gewinnt".- Tracklist :CD# Saft... "5 |
19 | – | 38 | ||
| "Lass die Sonne rein Lass die Sonne rein "Lass die Sonne rein" is a song by the German hip-hop band, Die Fantastischen Vier. It is the seventh single by "Die Fantastischen Vier" and was released in 1993 from the album 4 Gewinnt.- Track listing :... "6 |
92 | – | – | |||
| "Zu geil für diese Welt"7 (as Megavier) | 22 | – | 20 | |||
| 1994 | "Tag am Meer"8 | – | – | – | ||
| 1995 | "Sie ist weg"9 | 1 | 16 | 2 | ||
| 1996 | "Populär"10 | 41 | – | 39 | ||
| "Nur in deinem Kopf"11 | 81 | – | – | |||
| "Raus"12 | 56 | – | 38 | |||
| 1997 | "Der Picknicker"13 | 42 | – | – | ||
| 1999 | "MfG MFG MFG can refer to:* Mizuho Financial Group's ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange* MFG.com, an online marketplace serving the global manufacturing community* Message From God, a psychedelic trance project from Israel... "14 |
2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| "Le Smou"15 | 68 | – | – | |||
| "Buenos Dias Messias"16 | 87 | – | – | |||
| "Michi Beck in Hell" | – | – | – | |||
| 2000 | "Tag am Meer (Unplugged)"8 | 67 | – | – | ||
| 2001 | "Sie ist weg (Unplugged)"9 | 81 | 50 | – | ||
| 2004 | "Troy"17 | 9 | 11 | 22 | ||
| "Sommerregen"18 | 44 | 66 | 74 | |||
| "Geboren"19 | 48 | – | 48 | |||
| 2007 | "Ernten was wir säen"20 | 12 | 35 | 25 | ||
| "Einfach sein"21 | 11 | 13 | 22 | |||
| "Ichisichisichisich"22 | 45 | - | - | |||
| 2008 | "Yeah Yeah Yeah" | 86 | - | - | ||
| 2010 | "Gebt uns ruhig die Schuld (den Rest könnt ihr behalten)"23 | 10 | 22 | 10 | ||
| 2010 | "Danke"24 | 36 | - | - | ||
Title translations:
|
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External links
- Official site (German)
- Four Music
- http://www.discogs.com/artist/Die+Fantastischen+VierDiscography at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
] - Fantastischen Vier Music Page