Reykjavík Grapevine - 06.08.2004, Page 26

by Bart Cameron
On August 6th, PoppTíví will broadcast from the Battle of the MCs at Gaukur á Stöng. The favorite
to win goes by the name of Dóri DNA. He won the battle two years ago and is always a finalist,
though he has faltered recently. He is also coming out with a new album in a few months which promises
to change the face and the production value of Icelandic hip hop. And he’s Halldór Laxness’s grandson.
So what does he have to say for him-
self? First of all, how old is he?
Dóri: Write down that I’m 20. I
think it sounds better. All the rap-
pers are in their twenties now.
Grapevine: Done. Where are we
going?
Dóri: We’re going to drive out to get
my CD from my producer. But you
can’t bootleg it. Everybody had the
first Rottweiler CD before it went
on sale.
Grapevine: I don’t think that will
be a problem. But if I wanted to, do
I put it down as Dóri or is there a
band name?
Dóri: NBC-No Bullshit Campaign.
We played with that name once and
it stuck.
“There are only three words in
English that don´t rhyme”
GV: How long have you been on the
scene here?
Dóri: Four years, but I became es-
tablished two years ago when I won
the MC battle 8 Mile style.
GV: And you’ll be involved in the 50
Cent show, right?
Dóri: I’m in the Rottweiler show,
opening, yeah. Their MC is featured
on the NBC album. This record is
the best that Icelandic hip hop has
ever seen. It offers beats and rhymes
that are A Class.
GV: Who are you topping? What’s
the best before you?
Dóri: Forgotten Lores was really
good. The first Rottweiler album
was really good. The Gods’ Off-
spring, their second album is great.
GV: And these are MC’s who rap
only in Icelandic.
Dóri: Yeah. Rottweiler sold 10,000
copies of their first album.
GV: Isn’t it easier to rap in Icelandic
with all the inflections? I mean, the
old poetry is full of thick rhymes.
Dóri: The old poetry, the rímur,
people say that’s like rap. But it’s not
really. It can be really long. Most of
the rímur did not even rhyme. And
the language was hard to understand.
Some of them were six hours long.
GV: Okay. But the language?
Dóri: No. There are only three
words in English that don’t rhyme.
It’s harder in Icelandic. We’ve also
got fewer words.
“It´s not a reference to my
grandfather…”
GV: But you rhyme in Icelandic.
And then there’s your moniker, Dóri
DNA.
Dóri: Everyone thinks it’s a reference
to my grandfather. But it’s not like
that. I want to make it on my own
talents. There was just a call out
at the end of a song, and I said my
name, my crew, which was DNA,
and Mosfellsbær.
GV: That’s where Laxness lived.
Dóri: I live right next to his house.
We have been driving throughout
Reykjavík and pull up at what seems
like a random street corner. There a
strung-out looking young man waves
us down, runs over to the car, and
holds a CD in front of Dóri.
“Ekki bootlegga,” he says, and gives
me a stern look.
Dóri calms him down as the man
looks me over. Finally, he hands the
CD over.
We go through the three songs on
the CD, track by track. The rhyming
is relaxed and skilled, but the pro-
duction may stand out even more.
“Beat makers in Iceland are very
talented - some of them do make it
internationally,” Dóri says. Somehow
this leads into him telling me that he
practices Brazilian Jujitsu.
“See if you can work that into the
article. Brazilian Jujitsu,” he says.
And there it is.
DON
´T B
OOT
LEG
IT:
DÓR
I DN
A P
REP
ARE
S TO
REW
RITE
HIP
HO
P
MUSICand�����
All Over Town, August 6th-7th
GAY PRIDE
The Pride opens at Loftkastalinn Theatre at 21.00
on the 6th. At 24.00 there will be a girls’ ball at
Þjóðleikhúskjallarinn and a boys’ ball at Jón Forseti.
On Saturday, the parade starts at 15.00 at Hlemmur
and goes down Laugarvegur, where the stage pro-
gram begins at 16.15. Gay balls are held at NASA,
Jón Forseti and Nelly´s in the evening.
Café Rósenberg, August 9th
THE ROBIN NOLAN TRIO
The Robin Nolan Trio is a contemporary jazz powerhouse
producing hypnotic rhythms and rippling melodic themes
of Latin, jazz and hot club de France. Their repertoire
features jazz standards from the greatest composers of the
20th century, including Django Reinhardt, Cole Porter,
and Duke Ellington, as well as their original compositions.
George Harrison was a fan, so shouldn’t we be?
Bar 11, August 11th, 22:00
DAYS OF OUR LIVES
Punk Rock band Days of our Lives is playing to-
night. They’ve been around for a year now and play
only their own songs, 12 or in total. Jón Björn plays
bass, Leifur and Egill play guitars, Konni drums and
Andri sings. This is their first gig with a new bass
player. They’ll also be playing outside clothes store
Brim on Culture Night. No Admission.
Laugardalshöll, August 11th
50 CENT & GUNIT
The Mother Fucking PIMP is here with his friends,
money and sponsored footwear. 50 Cent is here on
his “beg for mercy world tour” and backing him up
are among many, Icelandic hip hop bands Quarashi
(who are also big in Japan) and the XXX Rottweiler,
featuring Johnny Nash. Admission is 4500krónur and
tickets will be available at the door.
Grand Rokk, August 12th, 21:00
RÍKIÐ
Rock band Ríkið will be celebrating its one year an-
niversary along with Nintendo rock band Dýrðin, Jan
Mayen and the Icelandic debut of the Foghorns, fea-
turing Hot Bucket II. The band has also decided to
take this opportunity to disband. Ríkið released the
album Seljum Allt (Sell Everything). This was widely
ignored, except by authorities who slapped a huge
sales tax on the mostly unsold pressing. The band
responded by giving the album away at a concert en-
titled Gefum allt (Give Everything). It is still await-
ing a refund from the tax, although this has failed to
appear. Vocalist Valur Gunnarsson is currently the
editor of a reputable local publication, and bassist Jón
Trausti sells ads for said publication. Drummer Óli
drives a truck, and guitarist Árni Hamaríus will soon
be celebrating his first year of unemployment.
The visitor´s KEY to ICELAND
Its saga and scenery
Over 400 colour photographs
A complete ROAD AND REFERENCE
GUIDE
Including the highlands and all
mountain roads
Also Available in Germ
an
as: “Island Atlas”
Iceland is a country of
great and unusual
natural beauty. Every
turn in the road, every
change in the weather
presents a new and
fascinating aspect.
Detailed maps of the entire Icelandic road system
Street maps of towns and villages
Maps of numbered mountain tracks
Map of golf courses
Classified list of advertisers
Index of 3,000 place names
Information on accommodation, petrol stations, etc.
And much, much more
Available in bookstores and petrol stations around Iceland
For more info call Stöng Publishing House – Tel.: + 354 554 77 00
NIGHTLIFE
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