Side Brok

Side Brok is a rap group from Hovdebygda, Norway. Rumours state that the band made their debut in 1999 as support for a Polish stripper who visited Ørsta (this is probably just rumours) and their debut EP, Side Brok, was released in 2002. Side Brok were pioneers in terms of normalizing norwegian language in rap after many years where english was the norm and norwegian was considered ill-fitting for anything other than novelty-rap. They helped achieve this alongside contemporaries such as Tungtvann and Dirty Oppland by embracing regional quirks in terms of culture and dialect -- thus shifting the focus of their craft from the US to the norwegian countryside. Side Brok originate from the same village as the inventor of nynorsk, Ivar Aasen. Nynorsk is one of the two branches of written norwegian language, deviced as an antidote to the erosion of the original norwegian during the period when Norway was under danish rule. The parallel with Side Brok's influence on the norwegian hip hop scene is hard to come around. The band was awarded "Årets Urørt" (Music award given to Norway's best up-and-coming artists) in 2004 and have released three full length albums. The band name, Side Brok, is norwegian dialect for "sagging pants". The members of Side Brok are Sjef R and his alter ego Thorstein Hyl III, Skatebård, Sirkelsag, Tore B, Odd G and Tunk. Web-page: www.sidebrok.no .