Die Fantastischen Vier – Populär

In 1987 two childhood buddies, Michael Bernd Schmidt (aka Smudo) and Andreas Rieke (aka And.Ypsilon), founded the “Terminal Team.” Under the influence of hip-hop pioneers like Run DMC, the Beastie Boys and Public Enemy, the “Terminal Team” was intent on bringing the new sound to Germany. They changed their name to Die Fantastischen Vier (or Fanta4, as in “The Fantastic Four”) when in 1989 the band was joined by Michael Beck (Dee Jot Hausmarke) and Thomas Dürr (Hausmeister Thomas D.). They immediately decided to start rhyming in their mother tongue. Fanta4 played in youth centers in and around Stuttgart when hardly anybody in Germany knew what rapping and hip-hop were all about.

In 1992 their breakout single “Die Da?!” (That Woman over There?!) became the first hip-hop song to make it to the top of the German charts. It still is one of the best selling hip-hop cuts ever.

In 1996 Fanta4 founded their own company “Four Music”, one of the most innovative labels for hip-hop, Soul and electronic music in Germany. Exciting live shows and a steady stream of singles have kept the band in the German charts. Each band member has been experimenting with solo careers but they’ve always come back together for common projects as Germany’s beloved Fanta4.