Bart Zeilstra, better known by his stage name Baas B (born 10 April 1982), is a Dutch rapper and singer who was a founding member of Dutch rap formation

D-Men D-Men was a Dutch rap formation established in 1997 under the name D-Men Squad. This was after a freestyle session they held on a basketball court in Diemen-Zuid. The original members of D-Men were rapper Lange Frans, his brother rapper Brutus an ...

and between 1997 and 2009, a member of the Dutch hip hop duo Lange Frans & Baas B both formed with his childhood friend Frans Frederiks better known as

Lange Frans Frans Christiaan Frederiks (born 12 November 1980), known by his stage name Lange Frans, is a Dutch rapper and television presenter. From 1997 to 2004 he was a member of the band D-Men. Between 1997 and 2009 he was part of the Lange Frans & Baas B ...

. After the split-up of the duo, he is working as a solo artist; the duo eventually reformed in 2019.

Career

In D-Men

In 1997, Zeilstra was a founding member of a band alongside rapper siblings

and Brutus Frederiks as he was a childhood friend of the two. After a freestyle session on a

basketball court In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor, with baskets at each end. Indoor basketball courts are almost always made of polished wood, usually maple, with -high rims on each basket. Outdoor sur ...

in Diemen-Zuid, they created hiphop collective D-Men. The English

pronunciation Pronunciation is the way in which a word or a language is spoken. This may refer to generally agreed-upon sequences of sounds used in speaking a given word or language in a specific dialect ("correct pronunciation") or simply the way a particular ...

of "D-Men" is similar to the Dutch

of the name of their home town. As D-Men they released their first single entitled "Zoveel Mensen" ("So Many People"), and in 2001, they won a talent contest that was organised by Stichting Grap ("Joke Foundation") in 2001. In later years, many artists joined D-Men, namely

Brace Brace(s) or bracing may refer to: Medical * Orthopaedic brace, a device used to restrict or assist body movement ** Back brace, a device limiting motion of the spine *** Milwaukee brace, a kind of back brace used in the treatment of spinal cur ...

, Yes-R & Soesi B, Negativ and

DJ MBA A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...

In Lange Frans and Baas B

In 2004, Zeilstra and Frans already in

formed the duo Lange Frans & Baas B and had a successful career for more than 4 years with three albums ''Supervisie'' (2004), ''Het land van'' (2005) and ''Verder'' (2008) and a number of singles the most successful of which were "Moppie", "Zinloos" both in 2004 and "Mee naar Diemen-Zuid" in 2005. After the murder of Theo van Gogh on 2 November 2004 the single "Zinloos" was adapted and some of the lyrics amended to mourn in death. The band split up in March 2009. The duo came under criticism for over-commercialization of his music from

colleague Negativ and from other Dutch rappers Def P and Kimo. They had their last appearance on an edition of the Dutch X Factor where they lost a rap battle against Marcel Machielse & Pim Ottenheim

Solo career

Baas B had a prosperous career as a solo artist. His 2005 single "Stel je voor" featuring rapper Yes-R reached No. 3 in the Dutch Singles Chart, whereas his single "Waar ik sta" featuring Jayh topped the Dutch Singles Chart. He also moved into feature films and made voiceover over the Dutch version of the animated film '' Cars'' taking the voices of Snotrod and DJ while Lange Frans made the voiceovers for Boost and Wingo

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baas B 1982 births Living people Dutch rappers Musicians from Amsterdam