Ken Ring

Born in Kenya on January 29, 1979, Ken Ring spent his formative years in Stockholm’s Hässelby district and became one of Swedish rap’s earliest trailblazers. After surfacing on the local mixtape circuit in the closing years of the 1990s, he issued his first proper solo album, Vägen Tillbaka, through EMI in 1999. Further solo projects followed in quick succession: Mitt Hem Blir Ditt Hem arrived in 2000, Mellanspelet in 2002, and both InblicKEN and Det Bortglömda in 2003. That same year he joined forces with Norwegian rap forerunner Tommy Tee on the collaborative LP 2 Legender Utan Penger, which entered Norway’s Top 40 and featured the singles “BB Berättelsen” and “Måste Seja Hei.” Ring’s own catalog continued with Kennelklubben in 2004, RubriKEN in 2005, and Äntligen Hemma in 2007. A decade after his debut he returned with the Universal Music release Hip Hop, whose cover art directly referenced Nas’ landmark 1994 album Illmatic; the project reached the Top Ten on the Swedish albums chart. Throughout the 2010s he sustained a steady flow of albums, singles, and EPs.