Reykjavík Grapevine - Oct 2021, Page 18

KÓPÓ! Brin!in!
The Flow And
The Fest
Herra Hnetusmjör’s here to break down his reality
and brin! the party
Words: Desirai Thompson Photos: Hör"ur Sveinsson
The landscape of Icelandic rap has
been ever-evolving since the first
fully Icelandic language rap albums
dropped in 2001. W hile English-
language hip hop existed in Iceland
before this point, the linguistic shift
provided a crucial turning point
which continues to inf luence the
country’s rap offerings today. The
Grapevine spoke with Árni Páll Árna-
son, better known as the pre-eminent
Herra Hnetusmjör, about his style,
his history in the scene and his up-
coming family-friendly show.
Reclaiming A Name For
Himself
"I thought there was something
sweet about using my old name,"
Herra Hnetusmjör says with a
laugh, referring to the sarcastic
rap duo he was a part of at 11-years
old. "We didn’t listen to any Icelan-
dic rap at the time, I thought it was
horrible. We only listened to what
was going on in the United States."
Nearly a decade and a half later,
Herra Hnetusmjör’s name is omni-
present in Icelandic rap—a genre,
he says, which had finally started
coming into its own by the time he
burst onto the scene in 2014. With
names like Úlfur Úlfur, Gísli Pálmi
and Emmsjé Gauti on the tracks,
"more and more people were do-
ing cool, diverse shit," he says. That
same year, Herra Hnetusmjör re-
leased the single ‘Elías’ and he’s
been maintaining his spot at the
helm of Icelandic rap ever since.
Influence, Not Imitation
Known for pairing his swift,
omnivorous flow with relatively
light-hearted content and nearly
unparalleled technical skill, Her-
ra Hnetusmjör puts himself in a
league of his own. "I’m that guy
you call when you want to have a
party,” he remarks. This is where
his international influence from
renowned artists like Rick Ross,
Yo Gotti, 2 Chainz and T-Pain
becomes apparent. "When I was
younger, the hottest shit around
was Snoop Dogg and Akon,” he
reminisces. “I think the music in
2008 was the best music that’s ever
been made."
For his part, Herra Hnetusmjör
commands the mic without a wisp
of hesitation. This level of melodic
conviction can only be achieved by
someone undoubtedly destined to
fill the space they occupy. Evolv-
ing your style while remaining
true to your distinct sound may
seem like a challenge to some, but
for Herra Hnetusmjör it’s what’s
made him an unstoppable force—
and elevated his name to a staple
in Icelandic hip hop as much as its
namesake spread is a staple in pan-
tries around the world.
"In the past few years, rap has
gravitated more towards pop and I
think that’s cool. Some people say
because I'm so popular now, I’m not
a rapper anymore, but I really don't
care. I just do whatever I'm feel-
ing at the time,” Herra Hnetusmjör
says. “I just rap about my reality.
I’ve never, ever rapped about being
a gangster. I just rap about my city,
Kópavogur, and the money I make
from rapping. I try to keep it from
being melodramatic." He goes on,
"I’m just a dad with another baby
on the way."
Approachable
Entertainment
On October 30th, Herra Hne-
tusmjör is putting on a double-
header concert at Háskólabíó. The
opening concert at 17:00 will be
accessible to the whole family. He
shares, "I’ve gotten many, many
e-mails from parents who want to
bring their kids to my concerts and
it hasn’t been available until now."
A more party-focused concert will
take place at 20:00, perfect for the
fans looking for the usual Herra
Hnetusmjör live experience.
"A lot of my concerts so far have
been at Gamla Bíó, which is a re-
ally nice place, but it’s a real party
venue. It's a mosh pit venue. So it’s
perfect for 18 to 25-year-olds or so,
but there's a whole demographic
beneath that and over that who
don't really want to go into a mosh
pit and get beer thrown on them,"
he chuckles. "I haven't really given
them an opportunity to come see
me in a full concert before."
Tickets for both of Herra Hnetusmjör’s
performances at Háskólabíó on Octo-
ber 30th are available now at tix.is
18The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 10— 2021
8.990 kr.
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“I’m that guy
you call when
you want to
have a party.”
gpv.is/music
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