Die Fantastischen Vier

Die Fantastischen Vier also known as Fanta 4 is a German hip hop group from Stuttgart, Germany. The members are Michael Bernd Schmidt alias Smudo, Andreas Rieke alias And.Ypsilon, Thomas Dürr alias Hausmeister (janitor) Thomas D and Michael 'Michi' Beck alias Dee Jot Hausmarke.

History

Towards the end of the 1980s, Rieke and Schmidt formed the "Terminal Team", Dürr and Beck joined in 1989. Under the new name Die Fantastischen Vier (The Fantastic Four), they made German hip hop, or Deutschen Sprechgesang (German spoken-song) as they called it, popular in Germany. Although there were artists who concerned themselves with German hip hop prior to them, for example Advanced Chemistry from Heidelberg, it was Die Fantastischen Vier who registered the first chart hit with their 1992 single "Die da?!" from the album 4 Gewinnt, hitting #2 in Germany and #1 in Austria and Switzerland. A music video for "Die da?!" was shot in Leipzig.

Thomas D, Smudo and And.Ypsilon at the IAA

The group never got involved with US-American gangsta rap clichés, reacting sharply to verbal attacks of alleged German gangsta rappers. In the albums following 4 Gewinnt, the band matured and progressed to a more serious and philosophic style. In addition to the group's works, Smudo, Thomas D, Hausmarke and And.Ypsilon also produced successful solo albums and had their own weekly show Die 4. Dimension, named after their third album, which aired on the German pay TV channel Premiere in 1993/1994. At the 1996 Popkomm in Cologne, Die Fantastischen Vier announced the establishment of their label, Four Music. Headquarters were in Stuttgart, but were later moved to Berlin-Kreuzberg. Three years later, the group's 7th album 4:99 was released on their own label, with 4 singles from the album following. After the #2 hit "MfG", three singles were released at the same time, a first in German music business. Each one can be associated with one of the rappers: "Le Smou" (The Smou; Smudo), "Michi Beck in Hell" (Michi Beck) and "Buenos Dias Messias" (Good day, Messiah; Thomas D). In late September 2004, Die Fantastischen Vier released the album Viel, the following tour being their most successful and most visited to date. In 2005, Fanta 4's first greatest hits album was published. It includes all singles, as well as several other songs and rare footage from the bands early days, when they were still called "Terminal Team" and rapped in English.

Dee Jot Hausmarke (Michael Beck)

On April 7 2007, Fornika was released, preceded by the single "Ernten was wir säen" (Reap what we sow). Their song "Ernten Was Wir Säen" was released as a download for Guitar Hero 3 in December 2007.

Discography

Albums

Singles

External links

• Official homepage (German)
• Four Music
• Discography at Discogs
• Fantastischen Vier Music Page