Madcon

The Nordic countries aren't known as a hotbed of hip-hop, but Tshawe Baqwa and Yosef Wolde-Mariam have been changing minds since joining forces in 1992 to form Madcon - short for Mad Conspiracy. First coming to prominence in their native Norway, the duo released their first single God Forgive Me in 2000 and scored a breakthrough when they were featured on Paperboys' Top 10 single Barcelona in 2002, eventually signing to the same label as the group. The pair released their debut album in 2004, It's All A Madcon, establishing them as leading (and to honest, there weren't many) rap performers in Norway. The album contained a number of hit singles, including Doo-Wop and Infidelity. Their second album So Dark The Con Of Man was released in 2007 and coincided with increasing exposure on television to widen their appeal; including their own show, The Voice Of Madcon. But it wasn't until they covered a Franki Valli and the Four Seasons tune, Beggin', that they scored international success, eventually winning a World Music Award for their troubles. Their third studio album, An InCONvenient Truth, arrived in 2009 as the group looked to increase their exposure beyond Europe to the US and Australia.