Rap doesn’t really make sense to people if they don’t understand what the lyrics are about. So we usually don’t write much about Swedish speaking rappers because not many of our readers understand a word of Swedish. But we’ve been curious about Abidaz for so long that when we got hold of his latest video (which is a two-for-one kind of deal) and he told me that he’s planning on making an English version of his solo-debut, In & Ut – which has pretty much sold gold in Sweden before it’s even been released – we figured that we’ll introduce him to you guys.
Abidaz used to be one half of Chapee N Chess and his voice can be found as a “featuring” on more Swedish rap-songs than anyone else I’ve heard of in the genre. Above is the video for his two tracks "Benägen" and "Kvalitet & Kvantitet," filmed by Emil N Nylander, who's been making a butt-load of videos for Swedish rappers Kartellen.
We sat down with Abidaz to speak about himself, and his video:
VICE: Why are you releasing two videos in one video?
Abidaz: I had loads of good material, and because "Kvalitet & Kvantitet" is more of an up-tempo track than “Benägen” is. And I wanted to release a deep tune as well. I want to do things in a different way from how others do stuff. When I saw the videos and listened to the tracks, three things came to my mind: drugs, pimps and your children, which in a way are pretty paradoxical. What is your relationship with drugs?
I messed around with drugs when I was younger. It ruined me a little bit. That's not the case now though. "Benägen" is about a time when I did drugs and disappeared from the important stuff, like my family. So small fragments of that are embedded in the lyrics. But the actual video has nothing to do with the track. The point is for it to play tricks on the mind. The video is only supposed to represent rich and miserable while the track is about my daughter and my grandmother. It's like a good-bye to my grandmother and a welcome to my daughter. Oh, OK. I get the pimp references now, too.
Yeah. It's not like I live in a castle or anything. I like to do things differently. I don't do the same music as other Swedish rappers. I don't make Swedish hip-hop – it's rap. It might be for that reason you are so incredibly hyped. How does that feel?
It feels good. I'm expecting that. Don't you feel pressured?
No, I mean I've been doing this for 20 years. Yeah, but I read a quote in which you said, "I won't release this album before all of Sweden knows that I'm about to release an album." Did it take 20 years for people to be ready for you?
[Laughs] No, I want the hype cause I deserve the hype. One verse by me on a track distinguishes itself from everything else around. People know it and I hear it, too. I would probably not have made this if there were loads of other brilliant rappers around. But now I'm at a stage when I can handle this. I'll keep the number one position with pride. I like the hype. People who haven't been hyped should be. I think it's about time.
Abidaz. Photo by Hedvig JenningTell me about Can "Stress" Canatan, your producer.
It's a childhood friend. We grew up in the same place. When Josh and I were doing our stuff with Chapee N Chess, Stress did his own stuff. We skipped school together, went to his place and had food and listened to music. We did the usual stuff you do when you grow up together. He has really made it now. He's signed with Roc nation in the States. So it's going really well for him. I think it's going very well for all of us now, in all areas. Is it frustrating that really great beats by Stress might be given to other rappers than you?
Yeah. It's already like that so I tell him not to play those tracks out loud so I can hear them. But I've been given beats back from the Americans, too. And in Sweden, he only works with Kartellen, and me so it’s cool. I mean I have great beats on my record, so I'm satisfied. You used to rap in English but this album is in Swedish. Why the shift?
In Sweden, nothing happened in English for about 15 years.Why do you think that is?
I don't know. But as soon as I rapped a verse in Swedish, people were like, "Wow, what's this? Amazing!" I've made a hundred verses in English that are a thousand times better than some of the stuff in Swedish. But I guess Swedish is closer to people here. Swedish hip-hop has become a big thing in Sweden for some reason. Would you like to make an English version of this album?
I'm going to do that for sure. Really? When can we expect that to be released?
In maximum one year. Sweet. Tell me more about your album.
It's called In & Ut. A lot of the tracks are about my life out and around. Not out as in going out clubbing, but about my life in different areas in Sweden, and out in the hoods. It's about my family and friends, relationships and friendships. It isn’t about the society pushing you down and that kind of stuff. It's mostly focused on my friends and my life. I think of it as a really deep record. Do you find it difficult to listen to tracks that are meaningful or important to you?
Yeah, definitely. "Benägen" is a track I never listen to. It's extremely heavy and difficult for me. So how does it work when you perform with it?
I don't and I will probably never do that either. Maybe at some point when I've managed to deal with everything that has happened in the past. But right now I can't even listen to it. I would probably cry, and not a word would come out. I could barely record it. What happened?
I had to record it in stages. I had to write it in stages, too. I recorded the two first verses about a year before the last one because when I wrote the two first verses the awful stuff in my life hadn't happened yet. At that point I wanted to make it up to my family and do something good for us. But by the time I got to the last verse, it was too late.Shit, man. Do you want to tell me what happened?
No way!Fair enough.Abidaz's debut album, In & Ut, is set to be released in October.More rappers we like:Talking About Life with Ghostface KillahThe 39-Year-Old Battle RapperWATCH – VICE EATS - Action Bronson
Abidaz: I had loads of good material, and because "Kvalitet & Kvantitet" is more of an up-tempo track than “Benägen” is. And I wanted to release a deep tune as well. I want to do things in a different way from how others do stuff. When I saw the videos and listened to the tracks, three things came to my mind: drugs, pimps and your children, which in a way are pretty paradoxical. What is your relationship with drugs?
I messed around with drugs when I was younger. It ruined me a little bit. That's not the case now though. "Benägen" is about a time when I did drugs and disappeared from the important stuff, like my family. So small fragments of that are embedded in the lyrics. But the actual video has nothing to do with the track. The point is for it to play tricks on the mind. The video is only supposed to represent rich and miserable while the track is about my daughter and my grandmother. It's like a good-bye to my grandmother and a welcome to my daughter. Oh, OK. I get the pimp references now, too.
Yeah. It's not like I live in a castle or anything. I like to do things differently. I don't do the same music as other Swedish rappers. I don't make Swedish hip-hop – it's rap. It might be for that reason you are so incredibly hyped. How does that feel?
It feels good. I'm expecting that. Don't you feel pressured?
No, I mean I've been doing this for 20 years. Yeah, but I read a quote in which you said, "I won't release this album before all of Sweden knows that I'm about to release an album." Did it take 20 years for people to be ready for you?
[Laughs] No, I want the hype cause I deserve the hype. One verse by me on a track distinguishes itself from everything else around. People know it and I hear it, too. I would probably not have made this if there were loads of other brilliant rappers around. But now I'm at a stage when I can handle this. I'll keep the number one position with pride. I like the hype. People who haven't been hyped should be. I think it's about time.
Annons
It's a childhood friend. We grew up in the same place. When Josh and I were doing our stuff with Chapee N Chess, Stress did his own stuff. We skipped school together, went to his place and had food and listened to music. We did the usual stuff you do when you grow up together. He has really made it now. He's signed with Roc nation in the States. So it's going really well for him. I think it's going very well for all of us now, in all areas. Is it frustrating that really great beats by Stress might be given to other rappers than you?
Yeah. It's already like that so I tell him not to play those tracks out loud so I can hear them. But I've been given beats back from the Americans, too. And in Sweden, he only works with Kartellen, and me so it’s cool. I mean I have great beats on my record, so I'm satisfied. You used to rap in English but this album is in Swedish. Why the shift?
In Sweden, nothing happened in English for about 15 years.Why do you think that is?
I don't know. But as soon as I rapped a verse in Swedish, people were like, "Wow, what's this? Amazing!" I've made a hundred verses in English that are a thousand times better than some of the stuff in Swedish. But I guess Swedish is closer to people here. Swedish hip-hop has become a big thing in Sweden for some reason. Would you like to make an English version of this album?
I'm going to do that for sure. Really? When can we expect that to be released?
In maximum one year. Sweet. Tell me more about your album.
It's called In & Ut. A lot of the tracks are about my life out and around. Not out as in going out clubbing, but about my life in different areas in Sweden, and out in the hoods. It's about my family and friends, relationships and friendships. It isn’t about the society pushing you down and that kind of stuff. It's mostly focused on my friends and my life. I think of it as a really deep record. Do you find it difficult to listen to tracks that are meaningful or important to you?
Yeah, definitely. "Benägen" is a track I never listen to. It's extremely heavy and difficult for me. So how does it work when you perform with it?
I don't and I will probably never do that either. Maybe at some point when I've managed to deal with everything that has happened in the past. But right now I can't even listen to it. I would probably cry, and not a word would come out. I could barely record it. What happened?
I had to record it in stages. I had to write it in stages, too. I recorded the two first verses about a year before the last one because when I wrote the two first verses the awful stuff in my life hadn't happened yet. At that point I wanted to make it up to my family and do something good for us. But by the time I got to the last verse, it was too late.
Annons
No way!Fair enough.Abidaz's debut album, In & Ut, is set to be released in October.More rappers we like:Talking About Life with Ghostface KillahThe 39-Year-Old Battle RapperWATCH – VICE EATS - Action Bronson