Cheek

A hugely influential figure in bringing rap to mainstream audiences across Finland, Cheek climbed out of the nation's developing hip-hop scene to achieve multi-platinum sales and multiple awards. During the opening years of the 2000s his relaxed yet steady flow produced Top Ten successes such as "Avaimet Mun Kiesiin," taken from the 2004 major-label release Avaimet Mun Kulmille. Toward the close of that decade he had become a genuine headliner, delivering two albums that reached the summit of the charts: the self-titled Jare Henrik Tiihonen and its 2009 follow-up Jare Henrik Tiihonen 2. His standing continued to climb through the next decade via records such as the triple-platinum Kuka Muu Muka, which gave him the distinction of placing nine tracks simultaneously on the Finnish Singles chart, plus Alpha Omega in 2015 and the joint project Profeetat created with fellow rapper Elastinen. By the time Cheek stepped away from music in 2018, his stature among Finland's leading artists and as a pioneer of local rap was firmly established.

Jare Tiihonen entered the world on December 22, 1981, in Vantaa, Finland. He launched his rap journey in 1998 in the southern city of Lahti, assembling the group Fifth Element in 2000. The next year he issued his first full-length project, Human & Beast, an independently released, self-produced collection performed entirely in English. His second album, 2002's 50/50, split its material between English and Finnish and introduced the promotional single "Huligaani," which received a video treatment. After contributing to Fifth Element's own debut I in 2002, Cheek joined Sony Music and delivered his major-label introduction with Avaimet Mun Kulmille in 2004. Abandoning English-language material thereafter, he secured broad commercial traction as the album entered the Top 20 on the Finnish albums chart. Three strong singles emerged from it, two of them—"Avaimet Mun Kiesiin" and "Raplaulajan Vapaapäivä"—reaching number six on the singles chart while "Avaimet Mun Himaan" climbed to number 16.

The 2005 follow-up Käännän Sivuu matched that level of achievement, again landing inside the Finnish albums Top 20 and yielding the Top Five single "Liiku" featuring Jonna along with the Top 20 track "Nostan Kytkintä." For 2007's Kasvukipuja, Cheek switched from Sony Music to the newly formed Alarm Entertainment imprint under the independent rap label Rähinä Records. The set reached the Top 20 once more and contained the number-one single "Sun täytyy." His second Rähinä Records release, Kuka Sä Oot in 2008, improved on prior results by entering the albums Top Five and generating another chart-topping hit, "Liekeissä."

Building on that foundation, Cheek issued a pair of albums under his birth name. Jare Henrik Tiihonen in 2009 featured guest spots from Sini, Lord Est, and Sami Saari, became his first number-one album, and included the chart-topping single "Jos mä oisin sä." The 2010 sequel Jare Henrik Tiihonen 2, which brought in Illi, Mia, and Osmo Ikonen, also topped the Finnish charts and added another number-one single, "Jippikayjei." Working again with Saari as well as Yasmine Yamajako and Jonne Aaron, Cheek returned in 2012 with Sokka Irti. His seventh studio album marked a third straight number-one placement in Finland, and all five of its singles appeared on the charts, with the Saari-assisted "Kyyneleet" reaching the summit.

Even greater commercial heights arrived with 2013's Kuka Muu Muka. Certified triple platinum at home, the number-one album supplied two chart-topping singles—"Jossu" featuring reggae artist Jukka Poika and "Timantit on Ikuisia"—and, upon release, saw seven additional tracks enter the Finnish Singles chart at once, making Cheek the first performer to occupy nine positions in a single week. He collected five Emma Awards for the project, among them Best Male Soloist. A 2014 deluxe edition containing videos and three new songs reached number three on the albums chart. That same year Cheek made history by filling Helsinki's Olympic Stadium for two consecutive nights.

After those milestones, Cheek paused his recording activity before resurfacing late in 2015 with Alpha Omega. Featuring appearances from Nikke Ankara, Kasmir, and Yamajako, his ninth album topped the charts and delivered the number-one single "Sä Huudat." Its video earned the 2016 Emma Award for Public's Choice—Music Video, while Cheek himself received the Public's Choice—Artist/Band honor. Also in 2016 he joined Ankara, JVG, Elastinen, Kube, and Pete Parkkonen on the single "Me Ollaan Ne, Pt. 2." He and Elastinen subsequently formed the duo Profeetat, whose debut single "Sinuhe" reached number one and whose 2017 album Profeetat Kävi Täällä followed. Cheek issued several solo singles that year, among them the chart-topping "Sinä Ansaitset Kultaa." In November he disclosed plans to retire the next year and released "Enkelit," another number-one hit. Throughout 2018, alongside touring, he collaborated with Lukas Leon on the chart-topping single "XTC" and issued the career-spanning number-one compilation Timantit on ikuisa. A year after his final concert in Lahti, the live album Valot Sammuu: Live, recorded at that farewell show, entered the Top 20 in August 2019.