The Bomfunk MC's is a
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
hip hop group that was active between 1998 and 2005, before reuniting in 2018. The group's frontman is the rapper
B.O. Dubb (born Raymond Ebanks, and formerly known as "B.O.W."), and the main producer is Jaakko Salovaara, known as "
JS16
Jaakko Salovaara (born 13 January 1975), better known by his stage name JS16, is a Finnish musician, DJ and record producer. He is best known for his work with Finnish hip hop group Bomfunk MC's, producing their most successful song " Freestyle ...
".
Career
1999–2005
The band's debut release was the 1999 album ''
In Stereo'' (
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...
), which contained the singles "
Freestyler
"Freestyler" is a song by Finnish hip hop group Bomfunk MC's. It was released in Finland on 30 October 1999 as the third single from their debut studio album, '' In Stereo'' (1999), and was released internationally in February 2000. "Freestyler" ...
", "Uprocking Beats", and "
B-Boys & Flygirls
"B-Boys & Flygirls" (also formatted as "B-Boys & Fly Girls") is a song by Finnish hip hop group Bomfunk MC's that was released as the second single from their debut studio album, '' In Stereo''. It was originally released in 1999, becoming a hit ...
", all of which were popular in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. "Uprocking Beats" reached the number one position on the Finnish Dance charts. ''
In Stereo'' sold over 600,000 units.
The album's success led to the release of "Freestyler" in
Scandinavia
Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...
and Germany; by 2000, "Freestyler" was popular throughout Europe, becoming the region's highest-selling single of the year. The single also reached the number one position in Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, and Germany, and was number 2 in the United Kingdom. However, the single led to a minor controversy: the line, "Who the fuck is Alice, is she from Buckingham Palace?", was censored for the UK radio version, and the video featured intensive
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
product placement
Product placement, also known as embedded marketing, is a marketing technique where references to specific brands or products are incorporated into another work, such as a film or television program, with specific promotional intent. Much of th ...
.
The Bomfunk MC's won the 2000 Best Nordic Act award at the
MTV Europe Music Awards
The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an al ...
.
In 2002, the group released their second album ''
Burnin' Sneakers
''Burnin' Sneakers'' is the second studio album by Bomfunk MC's, released in April 1, 2002 through Sony Music Entertainment.
Track listing
Personnel Bomfunk MC's
* Raymond Ebanks (a.k.a. B.O.W. or B.O. Dubb) - vocals
* Ismo Lappalainen (a.k.a. D ...
'', spawning the singles "Super Electric", "Live Your Life", featuring Max'C, and "(Crack it!) Something Goin' On" with
Jessica Folcker
Jessica Elisabeth Angelique Folcker (born 9 July 1975), known professionally as Jessica, is a Swedish singer. Her debut album ''Jessica'' in 1998 used her mononym, whereas follow up album ''Dino'' credited Jessica Folker. Her following albums ''P ...
. This album gained less attention internationally, though it sold well in Finland. "Something Goin' On" reached the German top 10.
In September 2002, DJ Gismo decided to leave the band (shortly afterwards joining the band Stonedeep), and was promptly replaced by Riku Pentti (DJ), Troni Mcburger (synths and programming) and Okke Komulainen (keyboards). After they joined, Bomfunk MC's released a special remix of "Back to Back".
In 2004, their third and last album ''
Reverse Psychology Reverse psychology is a technique involving the assertion of a belief or behavior that is opposite to the one desired, with the expectation that this approach will encourage the subject of the persuasion to do what is actually desired. This techniqu ...
'' was released by
Universal Music
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...
, preceded by the single "No Way in Hell". In the autumn of that year, they released another single from that album, "Hypnotic", featuring Elena Mady. Half of the album was produced by JS16, and the other half by Pentti, Komulainen, and Mäkinen, who called themselves The Skillsters Plus One.
''Reverse Psychology'' and its singles did not garner much attention outside the Nordic countries. Both of the singles reached the German top 100 but did not chart elsewhere in Western Europe. Fan reception was mixed. A lot of fans still saw DJ Gismo as one half of the face of the band, despite DJ Gismo not being involved in the production of the band's music, except for providing scratches; the remixes of Bomfunk tracks carrying his name were produced by the band's producer, JS16.
In 2005, Bomfunk MC's toured New Zealand during university orientation playing dates in Dunedin, Christchurch, Wellington, Hamilton and Auckland in support of their album ''Reverse Psychology''.
2019–present
Many of the band's collaborators dedicated themselves to other musical projects or activities or faded into obscurity. The band's main producer and mentor,
JS16
Jaakko Salovaara (born 13 January 1975), better known by his stage name JS16, is a Finnish musician, DJ and record producer. He is best known for his work with Finnish hip hop group Bomfunk MC's, producing their most successful song " Freestyle ...
, remained musically active as a solo artist; 2007 saw the release of his first solo track in over half a decade, "Rosegarden" (which achieved significant club play). He is also a successful remixer and forms half of the successful dance act
Dallas Superstars.
In the summer of 2019 the band made their comeback with the classic line-up. They played at several festivals, introducing two new tracks, "Can't Runaway" and "Mic Drop". B.O. Dubb and DJ Gismo took part along with their producer JS16 who became an official member of the group.
In February 2019, the video for "
Freestyler
"Freestyler" is a song by Finnish hip hop group Bomfunk MC's. It was released in Finland on 30 October 1999 as the third single from their debut studio album, '' In Stereo'' (1999), and was released internationally in February 2000. "Freestyler" ...
" was reshot as a tribute for the 20th anniversary of its release. The new version features the original band members and re-enacts scenes from the original but with a modern twist. This includes replacing the Sony mini-disk player that controlled the music with a smart phone, changing the main character from male to female, and introducing some modern dance styles. The video was shot in
Belgrade
Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...
,
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...
.
In popular culture
Two of Bomfunk MC's songs have been featured in the
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
racing game ''
Firebugs''. They were "We R Atomic", and "Put Ya Hands Up". Both songs are from the album ''Burnin' Sneakers''.
Members
Current members
*
Raymond Ebanks
Raymond Anthony Ebanks, also known as B.O. Dubb (formerly known as B.O.W.; born 2 January 1970), is a British-born Finnish rapper best known as the frontman of the hip-hop group the Bomfunk MC's.
Early career
Raymond was born in London to ...
(a.k.a. B.O.W. or B.O. Dubb) – MC (1998–2005, 2019–present)
*Ismo Lappalainen (a.k.a. DJ Gismo) – DJ (1998–2002, 2019–present)
*
Jaakko Salovaara (a.k.a. JS16) – producer (2019–present)
Former members
*Ville Mäkinen (a.k.a. Mr Wily) – bass, keyboards, backing vocals (1998–2005)
*Riku Pentti (a.k.a. DJ Infekto) – DJ (2002–2005)
*Okke Komulainen – keyboards (2002–2005)
*Ari Toikka (a.k.a. A.T.) – drums (1998–2005)
Discography
Albums
Singles
Music videos
* "Uprocking Beats" (1999)
* "
B-Boys & Flygirls
"B-Boys & Flygirls" (also formatted as "B-Boys & Fly Girls") is a song by Finnish hip hop group Bomfunk MC's that was released as the second single from their debut studio album, '' In Stereo''. It was originally released in 1999, becoming a hit ...
" (1999)
* "
Freestyler
"Freestyler" is a song by Finnish hip hop group Bomfunk MC's. It was released in Finland on 30 October 1999 as the third single from their debut studio album, '' In Stereo'' (1999), and was released internationally in February 2000. "Freestyler" ...
" (1999)
* "B-Boys & Flygirls Y2K Mix" (2000)
* "Uprocking Beats JS 16 Radio Mix" (2000)
* "Super Electric" (2001)
* "
Live Your Life" (2002)
* "(Crack It!) Something Goin' On" (2002)
* "Back to Back" (2002)
* "No Way in Hell" (2004)
* "Hypnotic" (2005)
* "Freestyler" (2019)
See also
*
List of best-selling music artists in Finland
These are the lists of the music artists that have the highest certified record sales in Finland (and/or sales explicitly confirmed by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland in their database). The lists consist of albums and singles (vinyl, CD, d ...
*
Finnish hip hop
Finnish hip hop or rap ( fi, suomiräp, räp) or (''suomirap, rap'') is a variant of hip hop music from Finland. The rapping (räppääminen) is mainly done in Finnish. Many rappers use Helsinki slang words; general slang and Finnish dialects a ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bomfunk Mcs
Musical groups established in 1997
1997 establishments in Finland
2005 disestablishments in Finland
Musical groups disestablished in 2005
Musical groups reestablished in 2018
Sony Music Publishing artists
Finnish hip hop groups
Electronica music groups
MTV Europe Music Award winners