ADDICTED TO HIP-HOP: Romanian hip hop

Romanian hip hop is currently growing in popularity in Romania. The sound is similar to that of Latin Rap and Spanish acts. The main theme is politics, based on anti-system protest, and social, underlining the rich-poor gap and the low quality of the new, post-Communist, enriched class. Bucharest is the main center, since most of other groups/rappers from outside the city would still come there for recording.

Once dominated by B.U.G. Mafia (Bucharest Underground Mafia), the market is currently the fiefdom of La Familia,Bitza, Zale andParaziţii. An important moment in Romanian hip hop history was the support Morometzii gave to Traian Băsescu and his centrist political alliance during 2004, through the anti-system (in fact against the then-ruling Social Democratic Party) songs România, trezeşte-te! ("Romania, wake up!") and În luptă cu Puterea ("Fighting the Power").

2006 was a great year for Romanian hip hop, especially for the underground scene. Independent labels as Hades Records or Facem Records finally got out of the box with albums that soon reached the stores at a national level. Also a big step in the evolution of Romanian hip hop was the Summer Jam 2006 hip hop festival that took place in Bucharest. Created and supervised by Hades Records/Hades Events, Summer Jam was the first of its kind and size in Romania, uniting more than 20 artists and bands over 2 days of show, including DJ contests, breakdance shows, streetball contests and a lot of high quality hip hop. The producers of the show said that much more is to be expected for 2007's edition.

List of performers/bands

1-Q Sapro

Ad Litteram

Aforic (Constanţa)

Anonim (Bucharest)

Anonim is a hip hop band from Bucharest, Romania, with two members (Gues whoo and Zekko). It was created in 1999, but the two members started commercially singing together in 2005 due to age issues (profanity by minors).
The two wanted to start up a band without a specific name, so in the end they settled for Anonim ("Anonymous" in Romanian).
In the winter of 1999 they recorded their first song in Gabi Mitran's studio. By the year 2000 they began singing in Bucharest at high school parties, in bars and clubs.
Eventually they met Paraziţii, who at the time were interested in promoting new hip hop bands. In 2002 they held several concerts around Romania with Paraziţii, and are now on Paraziţii's label, "20CM Records"

BUG Mafia (from Pantelimon neighbourhood of Bucharest)

B.U.G. Mafia ("Bucharest Underground Mafia", originally "Black Underground Mafia") is a Romanian hip hop group from Pantelimon, Bucharest, widely regarded as one of the seminal acts of gangsta rap inRomania. Founded in 1993, it was among the first Romanian hip hop acts.
The original line-up consisted of Vlad "Tataee" Irimia, Dragoş "Caddillac" Vlad-Neagu and two other members, D.D. and Mr.Nobody, who, by late 1993, had left the group. Alin "Uzzi" Demeter joined B.U.G. Mafia in 1995, thus completing the group's first official incarnation.
Active from 1993, the group endured a long-standing controversy due to the explicit nature of their lyrics. Focusing on subjects such as post-communist Romanian political class, poverty and crime in Romania's communist-built housing projects or social unrest they were subsequently banned from many mainstream T.V. and radio stations in Romania and even at times prevented from touring, spending a night in jail after their first concert in Turnu Severin in 1997.
Their debut album, "Mafia", marked the beginning of the new gangsta rap era as the production and the social commentary in their lyrics were revolutionary within the genre. Although largely unknown at the group's inception, members Tataee, Caddillac and Uzzi would all become gold-selling superstars in Romania.