URO

Formed in Oslo, between the Grønland and Uranienborg districts, URO is part of the early Norwegian rap scene in the mid-1990s. The group brings together Lars 'Lasarus' Mørch Finborud, Sigurd 'Ragnarock/Lex Lutor/Samfunnsfagslærer' Holvik and, until 2003, Haakon 'Daffy' Fjørtoft. Their distinctive trait lies in a rap often described as 'Viking rap', blending the heritage of 1990s alternative hip-hop with lyrics inspired as much by Nordic mythology, the skalds, Odin or Valhalla as by urban themes, graffiti and politics. After the demo UROkkelig in 1997, URO appeared in 1999 on the Rhymers Bench compilation with the track 'Sjekk', then released the Snakker så du skjønner EP in 2000. The group then released the album Sirkus URO in 2001, surrounded by several guests from the Norwegian hip-hop scene. URO extended this journey with the EP Uroelementer in 2001, Frank Schwindel presents URO in 2003, Frank Schwindel svindler URO in a highly swindle-like fashion in 2004 and Nok et rap-band fra Oslo in 2005. Anchored in Oslo's independent scene, URO also toured Norway in the early 2000s, in a register where humor, subversion and the mother tongue play a central role.