Quarashi

Quarashi is a rap group from Reykjavik, Iceland. It is comprised of Tiny (real name Egill Olafur Thorarensen), who is considered by some to be the lead rapper for the group, Omar Swarez (Omar Örn Hauksson), who serves as a rapper and hypeman, and Steini a.k.a. Stoney (Steinar Orri Fjeldsted), who also serves as rapper and hypeman. The fourth member of the group is Sölvi Blöndal, who serves as their producer, keyboardist, percussionist, and drummer. For live shows, Quarashi is joined by a guitarist (Smári Tarfur), a bassist (Gaukur Úlfarsson), and a DJ (DJ Magic).

The group has a loyal following, drawing big crowds in their native Iceland. Each of their records (Switchstance, Quarashi, Xeneizes, Kristnihald undir jökli, Jinx, Guerilla Disco) have sold well in their home country. Quarashi is a rap group, but they combine elements of rock, techno, and funk into their songs, lending an air of unpredictability in their music. Comparisons to Rage Against The Machine, Eminem, and The Beastie Boys are often heard when discussing Quarashi, but the group has their own unique style that distungishes them from other famous rap/rock groups. Their influences range from Public Enemy (Blöndal says that P.E.'s Fear Of A Black Planet is what inspired him to make music) to Pink Floyd, and that can be heard in their songs.

Pre Quarashi Days

Before Quarashi, Sölvi and Omar (who were childhood friends) played in several different bands, while Steini was a famous skater and graffiti artist around Reykjavik. Blöndal, feeling a need to produce different kinds of music besides industrial rock, quit his band at the time, 2001, and began making rap music.

At around the same time, Sölvi met Steini at a skate park while he was doing community service for drunk driving and disorderly conduct. The two hit it off, and Sölvi and Stoney started creating music together. Soon, Sölvi invited fellow former 2001 band member Hössi Olaffson (the two had met when they both went to the University Of Iceland at the same time) to join his group.

Originally, Hössi would sing, while Steini would rap (similar to bands such as Linkin Park and 311), but when Sölvi heard Hössi rap, he decided that his musical group would have two rappers. All that was left was a name. Sölvi, Hössi, and Steini decided upon Quarashi, meaning "supernatural", which was Steini's nickname as a skater, and was spray-painted all over Reykjavik. Quarashi was also the last name of the prophet Muhammad, the creator of the Islam religion. And so, in 1996, in a garage in a house in Reykjavik, Iceland, Quarashi was born.

Quarashi Become Stars In Their Home Country- 1996–1999

Quarashi quickly went to work on creating music. On November 29, 1996, they released their first record, an EP called Switchstance, which was released under Sölvi's own record label, Lax Records. Richard Oddur Hauksson was credited as being a member of Quarashi (as the DJ), but he would soon leave the group. Only 500 copies were made of the 5 song disc, but all 500 copies were sold in a week. The EP topped the Icelandic album charts, driven by the popular title track. Today, it is rare to find a copy of Switchstance, which is now considered a collector's item. Quarashi was the first rap act to find major success in Iceland, so the demand for the group was high. The Q boys quickly went back to the studio at Bergstaðarstræti, Nýjasta tækni og vísindi to continue recording new music that would make up their first album.

A year later, on October 13, 1997, Quarashi released their self titled debut album(dubbed "The Egg Album" by fans, due to the fact that an egg appears on the album cover). The album was an immediate smash, topping the Icelandic album charts thanks to it's collection of catchy rap songs such as "Thunderball", "Catch 22", "Mr. Amber Shades", "Herra Jinx", "Superwoman", "Lone Rangers", and "Framogtilbaka". Unlike Switchstance, Steini and Hössi traded verses on most of the songs, whereas Stoney rapped more on Switchstance than Hössi. 6,000 copies of "The Egg Album" were made, and all 6,000 copies were soon sold, making the album go gold in Iceland. Like Switchstance, it is rare to find a copy of Quarashi, but the album is found on eBay every once in a while. Quarashi were now stars in their homeland, becoming one of Iceland's hottest musical acts, performing sold-out shows all over the small nation. Their mix of catchy rap songs fused with rock, funk, and techno, accompanied by the smooth, but sometimes silly and nonsensical, rhymes from Hössi and Stoney garnered love from both fans and critics alike. Quarashi toured all over Iceland to support the album, and then took a brief hiatus from making music.

On October 25, 1999, Quarashi returned with their second album, Xeneizes (named after the name given to Brazalian soccer fans). Xeneizes picked up where Quarashi left off, giving fans more catchy rap songs fused with rock, funk, and techno, accompanied by the sometimes serious, sometimes silly lyrical stylings (and singing talents) of Hössi and Steini. The album also featured special appearances by Icelandic rappers Cypher (on the song "Mayday"), and Quarashi's good friend Omar Swarez (on the songs "Punk" and "Stick 'Em Up"), who was not an official member of Quarashi yet, but he had rapped on some of their songs in the past. The album was another hit for Quarashi, topping the Icelandic album charts due to such catchy tunes as "Surreal Rhyme", "Jivin' About", "Brasilian Mongo", "Model Citizen", "Tambourine Cut", "Show Me What You Can", and "Xeneizes". Several United Kingdom record labels began showing interest in Quarashi, but the group turned down all offers. 6,000 copies were made of Xeneizes, and once again, all sold out, making Xeneizes the second Quarashi album to go gold in Iceland.

Quarashi Comes To America- 2000–2002

Quarashi had never specifically ventured to find a record label in the U.S., and were content with their success in Iceland. But by the time Xeneizes was released, American record labels had started paying attention to the group. In the meantime, Omar Swarez officially became the fourth member of Quarashi, becoming the third rapper in the group.

After hearing the Xeneizes album, specifically, the song "Stick 'Em Up" (which, according to Sölvi, sounded like something Limp Bizkit would do), EMI Music Resources contacted Quarashi to perform at the Airwaves Music Festival hosted by EMI in conjunction with Flugleiðir in New York City in the fall of 1999. The group performed two shows to rave reviews. The EMI emissary met with Quarashi, and the group went into a studio to record six songs (four with vocals), with the EMI emissary watching them.

In February 2000, Quarashi began negotiations with record labels, wrote some new songs, and performed shows for record executives. During one of those shows, an amplifier blew up, which added to the appeal of Quarashi in the record executives eyes. On April 27, 2000, it was announced that Quarashi had signed a deal with EMI Music Resources, a deal which gave the group creative control.

Finally, on August 31, 2000, Sölvi Blöndal, Hössi Olafsson, Steini a.k.a. Stoney, and Omar Swarez, otherwise known as Quarashi, announced that they had signed with Sony Music Entertainment Incorporated under the Columbia Records label and Time Bomb Recordings. The deal was to last for 6 albums, the first of which would be produced in collaboration with Cypress Hill DJ, DJ Muggs, and Brendan O' Brien, who was the recording director for the Red Hot Chili Peppers breakthrough hit album, Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magik. Quarashi moved to what they called a "crackhouse" in New York City to make their third album.

During the recording of their third album, Sölvi Blöndal and Hössi Olafsson produced the soundtrack for the Halldór Laxness play, Kristnihald undir jökli, which was directed by Bergur Þór Ingólfsson, and ran in the Borgarleikhús in the winter of 2001. The album, released on September 22, 2001, was filled with original music made by Sölvi and Hössi, and was released under the Quarashi name. Only 500 copies of Kristnihald undir jökli were made, but most of the copies were sold, and today, the album is a rarity. The album fused traditional Icelandic music with rap, rock, and funk, similar to most Quarashi songs. Also, during the winter of 2001, Quarashi held a concert with the Icelandic Symphony and the band Botnleðja in the Háskólabíó, which is notable for being the first time that an Icelandic rap act performed a live concert with the Icelandic Symphony.

Quarashi's first single from their American debut album, "Stick 'Em Up", was released in February 2002 to much fanfare. The music video, which was a parody of the film, Snatch, was on heavy rotation on MTV2, and there was much hype for the album, which was named Jinx.

Finally, in April 2002, Jinx was released in America to mixed reviews. Some critics loved the group's eclectic mix of rap, rock, funk, and techno. While others saw the group as ripoffs of other, more successful rap/rock acts like the Beastie Boys and Rage Against The Machine. Despite "Stick 'Em Up" recieving heavy rotation on rock radio stations, MTV, and MTV2, and despite praise from several critics, Jinx debuted at Number 104 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, and never cracked the Top 10.

Quarashi encountered some problems during their time at Columbia Records. For one, complications in their contract delayed the release of Jinx. Originally scheduled for release in January 2001, the album was pushed to February 2002, and then to April 2002, before finally being released.

Another problem Quarashi encountered was that they were marketed as a rap/rock band by Columbia Records, when they were actually a rap group that used rock and punk guitar riffs, funk samples and techno beats in their songs. In a market cluttered with rap/rock bands such as 311, Linkin Park, and Limp Bizkit, Quarashi was seen as nothing more but a carbon copy, designed to cash in on the popularity of the rap/rock genre, a genre that was very successful in American mainstream music at the time, and as a result, the group faltered in America.

Still, despite not becoming the very popular and massively successful group that they are in Iceland, Quarashi did find some success in the United States. They were apart of ad campaigns for MTV2 and Levi's Jeans. The singles from Jinx, "Stick 'Em Up" and "Mr. Jinx", have been used as background music in several movie trailers and T.V. shows such as 2 Fast, 2 Furious, Alias, Smallville and commercials for the NBA On TNT. "Tarfur" and "Baseline" appeared in several Playstation 2 video games, like Frequency, while "Mr. Jinx" was apart of the soundtrack for the bestselling video game Madden 2003. The music video for "Mr. Jinx" was in heavy rotation on MTV, MTV2, and Much Music, and was voted as the "MTV Viewers Choice Pick" for one week back in September 2002. "Stick 'Em Up" was nominated for a 2002 MTV Video Music Award. And perhaps most importantly, Quarashi was a part of the Vans Warped Tour in the summer of 2002. The Vans Warped Tour is a concert/festival tour that showcases mainstream rock acts, so it was considered a big deal for Quarashi to be apart of the 2002 edition of the traveling festival/show that went all over the U.S. Jinx included such fan favorite tracks as "Transparent Parents", "Weirdo", "Fuck You Puto", "Copycat", and "Malone Lives". Hössi and Omar traded verses the most in Jinx, while Stoney played hypeman, and rapped on "Tarfur", "Transparent Parents", and "Xeneizes".

After the Vans Warped Tour ended, Quarashi began a tour of Japan, where they had better luck in getting fans and finding success. Japan is only second to Iceland in terms of Quarashi fans, with the Jinx album being a huge hit in "The Land Of The Rising Sun". The Q boys then traveled to Europe, South America, Africa, and then Australia, but were only moderately successful on those continents.

After spending the entire summer and fall of 2002 touring the world, Quarashi took a break to relax back in Reykjavik. In the end, Jinx ended up selling more than 300,000 copies in America. While this was considered a success by the boys of Quarashi, it was looked at as a huge disappointment by Sony, due to most albums in the Billboard Top 10 selling millions of copies. Because of this, rumours started circulating that Quarashi was going to be dropped from Columbia Records/Time Bomb Recordings. At the same time, Hössi Olafsson was growing tired of being a member of an internationally touring musical act, and let it be known to his fellow Quarashi members that he was thinking of leaving. He also claimed that he was forgetting how to speak Icelandic due to being away from Iceland for two years.

Bye, Bye Hössi- 2003

And so, right before Christmas 2002, Hössi Olafsson, one of the founding members of Quarashi, bid farewell to the group to enroll back into the University Of Iceland in order to learn the Icelandic language all over again, and to get away from the music industry in order to lead a normal life. Quarashi officially made the announcement on their official messageboard on January 3, 2003. It was a shock to fans that Olafsson, who was only 25 years old at the time, would leave the group just after they released an album in America, which is the biggest entertainment market in the world. However, they soon accepted the reality that the lovable Hössi, who was considered by some to be the lead vocalist of Quarashi, was gone, and was most likely never to return. Nonetheless, Sölvi vowed that Quarashi wouldn't end, and that they would find a new rapper to replace Hössi. Hössi is still at the University Of Iceland as a member of the Class Of 2006, and has appeared in a few Icelandic comedies, and written several articles for Icelandic newspapers since he left Quarashi.

The now 3 members of Quarashi disappeared under the radar for the first half of 2003, as they searched for a new rapper. During this time, the rumours about Quarashi's future at Columbia Records/Time Bomb Recordings came true as Columbia Records dropped Quarashi from the label due to the disappointing sales of Jinx. Quarashi popped up again in May 2003 with a brand new song, "Mess It Up", which featured Steini trading verses with underground Icelandic rapper, good friend, and member of the Icelandic rap group, O.N.E., Opee (real name Ólafur Páll). The song was released in Iceland only, and was a hit, winning the Icelandic equivalent of the Grammy for Song Of The Year and Video Of The Year for 2003. Rumours circulated that Opee would be the newest member of Quarashi, but Opee turned down the spot, saying he wanted to concentrate on O.N.E. He did one more song with Quarashi, "Orð Morð" featuring legendary Icelandic musician Jóhann G. Jóhannsson, and performed with them at Menningarnótt (Culture Night) in Reykjavík in August 2003, before going back to O.N.E.

Quarashi disappeared again in the summer of 2003, as they continued their search for a replacement for Hössi. Then in the fall of 2003, Sölvi heard a song called "Straight Execution" from an underground rapper from Iceland. The moment Blöndal heard this song, he knew he had found the newest member of Quarashi. Blöndal had seen this rapper before, as he had a been a judge in a freestyle competition which this rapper had competed in. Sölvi had been impressed when he heard this rapper freestyle in the competition, and he was impressed when he heard this song. So, Sölvi called the rapper on the phone, and told him he was to be the newest member of Quarashi. His name is Egill Olafur Thorarensen, but he raps under the name Tiny.

Hello Tiny- 2003–2004

In December 2003, Quarashi opened their online blog, which would serve as their official website. On the site, they announced that Tiny was the newest member of Quarashi. Tiny is a short 20-year-old who bears a resemblance in both voice and appearance to Eminem, and dresses and acts like a thug which immediately distinguished him from Hössi's "nerdy" persona. There was mixed reaction to the announcement. Some fans refused to accept a Quarashi without Hössi. While others welcomed Tiny with open arms, and were ready for Quarashi's new sound. The Q boys went back to work, rehearsing and writing songs in their Reykjavik studio, with a goal to release an album by the end of 2004. Anticipation was running high, as Quarashi fans all over the world wondered if the white rap group from Iceland could still bring the goods with a new rapper on board.

The fans didn't have to wait long, however, because in March 2004, on their website, Quarashi released the song and video for "Race City", the first song recorded with Tiny in the group. Many thought that the song would be released as the first single from Quarashi's new album, but the song was later taken off the album when Sölvi decided that "Race City" didn't reflect the new direction Quarashi was taking. Now, it is considered by fans to be a song made to introduce Tiny to the world. The song had the type of sound fans had come to expect from Quarashi, and the video featured the typical over-the-top antics that most Quarashi videos have, except that Tiny and his Eminem sounding voice were what was heard the most and not Hössi and his Zach De La Rocha sounding voice. Most Quarashi fans loved the song and video, and some were now ready to accept Tiny thanks to "Race City".

In April 2004, Quarashi began recording their next album, their first one with Tiny, and their sixth record overall, which was under the working title of "Payback". In June, they released the first single off their new album on their website, "Stun Gun". The song showed the new direction Quarashi was heading into, as it featured a harder, more hip-hop oriented sound, and gangsta rap vibe. The song also showed the difference between Tiny and Hössi when it came to lyrics as Tiny's harsh, mean-spirited rhymes were a lot different than Hössi's relativity calm and silly rhymes that were filled with pop culture references.

Once again, the change in direction was met with mixed reviews. Some fans feared that the more hip-hop oriented sound would make Quarashi sound like other mainstream rappers, and therefore, take away their appeal. Other fans loved the change, feeling that after doing four CDs in seven years which had similar sounds, a similar style, and similar lyrics, that it was time for Quarashi to head in a new direction. Whether fans liked the changes or not, one thing they all agreed on was the fact that Steini should have appeared on the album. Steini had chosen not to participate on the new Quarashi album in order to concentrate on his solo career. Stoney told the fans that even though he didn't participate on the album, and was working on a solo album, that he was still a member of Quarashi. Steini's album is due out sometime in 2005–2006.

Guerilla Disco- 2004-Present

In October 2004, Quarashi released their fifth album and sixth record overall, Guerilla Disco. It was released only in Iceland under the Skífan/Dennis Records label. The album was met with mostly positive reviews, as fans embraced the new sound and style. Tiny rapped the most on Guerilla Disco, with Omar playing hypeman on some songs, and trading verses with Tiny on others. Infact, there were some songs on the album where Omar would play hypeman and trade verses with Tiny at the same time. Tiny's rhymes impressed fans greatly. Some of the songs on the album were about experiences from Tiny's own life. For example "Stars", which is about losing a friend, which is what happened to Tiny before he joined Quarashi. Tiny used to live with his manager, and he was going to make a solo album with him, but when Tiny joined Quarashi, he had to say good bye to his manager, and their friendship soon vanished. Tiny's stories, which were told through his rapping, (a style similar to some Beastie Boys songs on the License To Ill and Paul's Boutique albums) struck a chord with the fans, and while some fans weren't ready to fully accept Tiny just yet, they could admit that he was a talented rapper.

Guerilla Disco was another hit album for Quarashi in Iceland. 6,000 copies of Guerilla Disco were made, and all 6,000 were sold in 10 days. The success of Guerilla Disco proved to Quarashi that the fans were okay with the more hip-hop oriented sound, gangsta rap vibe, and more meaningful lyrics with a little bit of a Quarashi "edge" added in. Other tracks on the first album with Tiny onboard included "Pro", "Brass Knuckles", and "Dead Man Walking".

Quarashi had returned to touring earlier in the year, as a way to have the fans warm up to Tiny, and as a way to promote Guerilla Disco. The group performed at an Iceland awards show (which was Tiny's first live performance with the group), in January 2004, and then travelled to Japan once again to perform at the Supersonic show in Tokyo that February.

In November 2004, Quarashi teamed up with the Icelandic comedy group, 70 Minutes, to make a song and music video called "Crazy Bastard". The video was a parody of several pop, rap, and rock acts like Britney Spears, and featured the members of 70 Minutes rapping with Omar and Tiny playing hypemen. The song and video became a fan favorite, and when more copies of Guerilla Disco were made, "Crazy Bastard" was added as a bonus track on the CD. In January 2005, it was announced on the official Quarashi website that Quarashi had inked a deal with Sony Japan to release Guerilla Disco in "The Land Of The Rising Sun". On March 3, 2005, Quarashi released Guerilla Disco in Japan. The album became a huge hit, on the strength of the single "Payback", as Quarashi's giant fanbase in Japan came out in droves to purchase the album. The album has reached #2 on the Japan Top 40 chart. Quarashi is in negotiations with American record labels, as Sölvi, Omar, Tiny, and Steini say that they want to release Guerilla Disco in the U.S. and in other countries, so that way, Quarashi fans all over the world can have Guerilla Disco.

Band Members

As of 2005, Quarashi consists of:

Egill Olafur Thorarensen a.k.a. Tiny born January 17, 1984 Omar Örn Hauksson a.k.a. Omar Swarez born January 28, 1975 Steinar Orri Fjeldsted a.k.a. Steini a.k.a. Stoney born July 7, 1976 and Sölvi Blöndal born January 3, 1975 Hössi Olafsson founded the group with Sölvi and Steini in 1996, and was one of the rappers in the group, until he left Quarashi in December 2002.

Frequent contributors to the band include: -DJ Magic (DJ) -DJ Dice (DJ) -Richard Oddur Hauksson (DJ) -Smári Tarfur (Guitarist) -Gaukur Úlfarsson (Bassist)

Discography

External Links

• Quarashi's Official Website & Blog
• Quarashi's Columbia Records/Time Bomb Recordings Website
• The Quarashi Vibe (Fansite)