Jan Delay

Jan Eißfeldt, born in Hamburg in 1976, first rose to prominence as a founding member of the German hip-hop collective Beginner through his trademark lyrical wit and lisping, nasal delivery. He launched Absolute Beginners with fellow members in 1991, and after the group shortened its name to Beginner, it drew notice in 1992 when the early track “K.E.I.N.E.” landed on the compilation Kill the Nation with a Groove; one year later the outfit issued its proper debut EP, Gotting. Following the breakthrough album Flashnizm in 1996, Eißfeldt started his own imprint, Eimsbush, which soon ranked among the foremost labels in German rap.

Beginner reached the German Top Ten for the first time with the 1998 single “Liebes Lied” and landed an opening slot on the Beastie Boys tour, yet Eißfeldt puzzled listeners and reviewers alike by unveiling the initial Jan Delay single the next year—a reggae rendition of Nena’s “Irgendwo, Irgendwie, Irgendwann” that nevertheless found favor. The full-length Searching for the Jan Soul Rebels appeared in 2001. After Beginner reunited for the chart-topping Blast Action Heroes in 2003, Eißfeldt shifted back to solo work, embracing a soulful, funky approach on Mercedes Dance in 2006. Additional Jan Delay releases included two live sets and the popular studio album Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Soul.