Gatas Parlament

Gatas Parlament (the parliament of the street) is a Norwegian rap group. It consists of the brothers Aslak and Elling, together with the DJ/Producer/rapper Don Martin. Gatas Parlament has got a left-ish political orientation which they voice both in their music and through political activism. Gatas Parlament were the first Norwegian rappers to rap in Norwegian. The pioneers of Norwegian Rap, such as Warlocks or A-Team, rapped in English. Gatas Parlament started out in 1993, taking the name Kveldens Høydepunkt (Highlight of the Night). Don Martin did not take to the name, and it was therefore changed. Later, they attended a public speech by Carl I. Hagen, the chairman of the right-wing party Fremskrittspartiet, where they threw eggs and rotten fruit at Hagen. This caused Hagen to comment that gatens parlament ruled the country, and the three rappers stuck with the name (the riksmål-wording of gaten was dropped for gata, more fitting for their sociolect). The band caused controversy in Norway with their video "Antiamerikansk Dans" (Anti American Dance) together with the Swedish rap artist Promoe. In addition, their website killhim.nu ("Kill him Now"), which put a bounty on the assassination of George W. Bush, caused the American embassy in Norway to react, and the website was subsequently shut down.