European Artist Spotlight: Adam Tensta

Next stop, Sweden! Stockholm stand up! This time around I want to introduce someone who is about to blow!!! Give it up for Adam Tensta. Adam Tensta (birth name: Adam Momodou Eriksson Taal) was born in 1983. He grew up as the son of a single mother and an absent, heroin-addicted father in a project in the outskirts of Stockholm called Tensta (where he got his name). Instead of stealing, smoking dope and skipping school, he started listening to artists such as Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Nas and Bob Marley who were inspirations for his first rhymes. He neither drinks alcohol nor takes drugs and sees himself as a role model for the younger generation. Tensta is probably the hottest MC in the Swedish rap game right now.

Tensta made his way from a kid growing up in that rough suburb, to an up coming artist who was already supported on the famous but controversial American blog of Perez Hilton, saying:

“Kanye is gonna love this shit! This fella’s name is Adam Tensta, and he is one of the freshest and illest rappers on the planet. And he’s from Sweden! Though he raps in English. Tensta’s beats are dope as shit and he’s rhyming about things other than the clichés in American hip hop: hoes and cash.”

And for real? He deserves those props!

Adam’s sound is amazing. He really brings the 80s back by delivering an electric sound inspired by house and old school break beats. But not to say that he is just a retro-MC, he really brings something new to the table. Aside from his electric/house-influenced tracks, Tensta has other songs like “Bangin’ On The System”, which is a social critcism banger with a screwed hook. He is the face of the new sound in Sweden’s hip-hop scene and gets love from all over the world, as he has been the opening act for artists such as Busta Rhymes, Rihanna, Akon, Beatnuts, Musiq Soulchild, Flo Rida and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

His debut album It’s A Tensta Thing was released 30 November 2007 by K-Werks Records and won the Swedish Grammy for the Best Hip Hop/Soul Record of the year. It sold 3.8 million units in Europe. The debut single “They Wanna Know” enjoyed heavy rotation on all major radio stations, but his breakthrough came with the second single release “My Cool” which reached number four on the Swedish singles charts.

Check the videos below by Adam Tensta:

My Cool
They Wanna Know
Before U Know It (ft. Sophia Somajo)
Bangin’ On The System
Adam is about to release an updated version of his album It’s A Tensta Thing worldwide, so keep your eyes open! For more and updated information, make sure to check out his MySpace.

• Adam Tensta’s MySpace Page

No matter if you like him or not…SHOW SOME RESPECT.