Greek hip hop

Music of Greece
General topics
Genres
Specific forms
Media and performance
Music awards
Music charts
Music festivals
Music media
Nationalistic and patriotic songs
National anthem "Hymn to Liberty"
Regional music
Related areas Cyprus, Pontus, Constantinople, South Italy
Regional styles

Greek Hip Hop (Greek: Ελληνικό χιπ χοπ, pronounced [eliniˈko çip xop]), is the chief genre of rap music in Greece. The earliest indications of the localized genre date back to 1987 with the group FF.C, though native language albums did not appear until the mid-1990s. The first hip hop album was Diamartiria (protest) in 1993 of Active Member along with "Skliroi kairoi" by FF.C. Then FF.C followed with Simeia ton kairon, and TXC (now Artemis/Efthimis) with their single Terror X Crew in 1995.

Gangsta rap came to Greece in 1997 with the group Zontanoi Nekroi (Living Dead). In 2000 the group Alfa Gama released the first hardcore CD named Agnostofovia (fear of the unknown). Imiskoubria and Going Through made Greek hiphop famous in the mainstream Greek audience. Goin' Through changed their way of music from hip hop to a kind of R&B or Pop music. The political issues and the society also invaded to this type of music. Terror X Crew introduced a new style of rapping with their CD's "I Polis Ealo" (1997) and "Essetai Imar" (2001). This albums are ethnocentric and for the first time the Greek nationalism is involved to the hip-hop music. For this, the then president of the Hellenic Front, Makis Voridis awards them as "they try to wake up the Greek nation".

Nowadays Greek Hip Hop covers a broad spectrum, all the way from hardcore hip hop to urban pop, and has managed to transform from an underground musical genre to one that tops the charts in Greece. Some of the artists that top the charts are Tus, Imiskoumbria, Zontanoi Nekroi, Taki Tsan, Phyrosun and more.