Notkea Rotta is a
Finnish rap group consisting of members Notkea Rotta, Rautaperse (Komisario Jyrkkä), Rohtori Laine and
Meno-Anu. The group mixes humour and comedy in their brand of
hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
, crafting original (and largely fictional) rap saga of the
underground culture
Underground culture, or simply underground, is a term to describe various alternative cultures which either consider themselves different from the mainstream of society and culture, or are considered so by others. The word "underground" is used ...
in the east side of
Helsinki
Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
. Notkea Rotta heavily parodies - or pays tribute to -
American gangsta rap
Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture, values, and experiences of urban gangs and street hustlers, frequently discussing unpleasant realities of the world in general th ...
.
Notkea Rotta released their debut single "Pohinää" with Karelia Records.
Their lyrical subject matter mostly deals with common Finnish street drugs (especially amphetamine), sex and the occasional clashes with the police. The group raps exclusively in
Finnish, using a lot of Helsinki slang vocabulary, making it rather difficult for non-speakers to understand the lyrics.
While the group had a band on stage at live acts for a longer time, on the last album the band was also in the studio for the recording of the 2007 album "Kontula - Koh Phangan All Night Long". The band is called "Liekehtivät Torsionit" (Flaming Torsions) and consists of musicians better known from bands like
Barathrum,
Ensiferum
Ensiferum (Latin: , n adj., meaning "sword bearing") is a Finnish folk metal band from Helsinki. The members of the band label themselves as "melodic folk metal".
History Formation, demos and ''Ensiferum'' (1995−2002)
''Ensiferum'' was foun ...
,
L.A.M.F. and
Defuse.
Members
*Notkea Rotta (literally "Supple Rat")
*Rautaperse (literally "Iron Arse") / Komisario Jyrkkä (literally "Inspector Steep")
*Meno Anu (literally "Speedy-Anu") (real name
Maria Järvenhelmi)
*Rohtori Laine
;Liekehtivät Torsionit
The rhythm section of the band is called Liekehtivät Torsionit.
*Pannu Hanhi (
Janne Parviainen
Janne Parviainen (born 1973) is a Finnish Heavy metal music, heavy metal drummer who plays in the bands Sinergy, Barathrum and Ensiferum. He is a former member of Waltari and Zwanziger.
Parviainen joined Barathrum in 2000 and Sinergy and Ensif ...
) – drums
*Putsi T (Tero Karjalainen) – bass
*Rane Raitsikka (Harri Jäntti) – guitar
*Pajulaakso (Jyrki Pajunen) - producer
Discography
Albums
*2002: ''Panokset piippuun, pöhinät pönttöön''
*2005: ''Itä Meidän''
*2007: ''Kontula - Koh Phangan All Night Long''
*2012: ''Notkea Rotta''
;Notkea Rotta - solo
*2010: ''Notkea maa''
;Rohtori Laine - solo
*TBA: ''Salkku ja mulkku''
EPs
*2004: ''Kaupungin vauhdissa EP''
Singles
*2001: "Pöhinää CDS"
External links
Notkea Rotta (in Finnish)
Finnish musical groups
{{Finland-band-stub