Album of the week, week 1: Adam Tensta - It's A Tensta Thing

Tracklist
1. It's A Tensta Thing (2:18)
2. Bangin' On The System (4:14)
3. My Cool (3:47)
4. Walk With Me (3:52)
5. Dopeboy (3:08)
6. See U Watchin' (4:06)
7. Do The Right Thing (2:58)
8. They Wanna Know (3:54)
9. I'm Sayin' (4:10)
10. 80's Baby (3:03)
11. S.T.O.L.D. (1:03)
12. Incredible (4:18)
13. Before You Know It (3:04)
14. Same Face (3:05)

Maybe it was good that a boy named Adam was born into the Stockholm suburb of Tensta. Otherwise there hadn't been an Adam Tensta and definitely no It's A Tensta Thing album to stir and freshing things up in the Swedish hiphop culture. And that would have been a big shame since it sincerely needs it. With this album Adam Tensta has risen to become one of the biggest and most brightly shining hiphop stars. Swedish hiphop has been alive since Just D and The Latin Kings gave birth to it. But since then it hasn't moved much. Until now when Adam Tensta is inducing a fresh sound and ideas, though he's rapping in English.

Tensta's hiphop is much more than just hiphop. He connects the dots between the past and the present in admirable productions.

Soul and R'n'B creates a cool, laidback feeling on tracks like Do The Right Thing, the N.E.R.D.-oozing See U Watchin' (featuring Nitti Gritti) and the two Isay collaborations I'm Sayin' and Incredible. The 80's has also got it share of representation, most evident in 80's Baby and Before You Know It.

The other 80's factor is that Tensta's hiphop is equally rooted in classical, uncompromising, raw hiphop and the colourful electro-funk of the early 80's. On It's A Tensta Thing the best of both worlds are joined in a wonderful symbiosis. Lead single and one of my two favourite tracks, My Cool, became a huge hit in Sweden and is the best example of this with it's electropop attitude.

The two first tracks of the album, It's A Tensta Thing and Bangin' On The System are the two most obvious pure hiphop tracks pimped into colourful electro bangers. My other favourite track is the nicks'n'notches generous They Wanna Know, sounding as if co-produced by Para One, Surkin and/or Ed Banger's Mr Oizo. On Dopeboy we can not just hear additional rapping by Eboi, we can also hear cheesy eurotrance/techno synths, actually showing Tensta's sense of adding smart elements to complement a slightly dramatic hiphop sound.

Tensta's English rapping is flawless and fly, he raps confidently with smart and funny points about suburb life. He blends the hiphop with house, trance, soul, R'n'B and most importantly: electro, into a cool and fresh sound. For Sweden this is the well-needed modern version of Planet Rock that came later than we were able to mantain the patience for the genre.

Adam Tensta - They Wanna Know (ysi)