Gatas Parlament

One of Norway's earliest rap crews to deliver every verse exclusively in Norwegian—preceded by just a single year via Stale Stiil's Yo—Gatas Parlament has anchored the country's political rap tradition from the moment the trio appeared. The collective originated in 1993, later adopting the name Gatas Parlament after a right-wing politician publicly complained following an incident in which the members pelted him with spoiled produce. Its lineup comprises siblings Elling and Aslak Borgersrud together with DJ Don Martin.

Sonically the group occasionally echoes Jurassic 5 through its lighthearted, rapid-fire exchange of verses, while at other moments it adopts a harder edge modeled on Public Enemy. Lyrically the members draw from far-left viewpoints, directing sharp criticism at the Bush administration and at Norway's foreign-policy entanglements. These themes surface both in explicit protest tracks such as "Anti-American Dance" and in Elling Borgersrund's parliamentary candidacy on a Marxist-alliance ticket. The same political stance prompted the launch of a largely tongue-in-cheek site that collected donations toward the assassination of George W. Bush—an initiative that drew notice from the U.S. Embassy in Norway and other observers.

The crew has sustained its dual focus on activism and recordings, joining forces with ska outfit Hopalong Knut in 2007 and issuing the 2008 album Kidsa Har Alltid Rett, which reached the Top Ten.