In the mid-1980s, Rieke and Schmidt formed the Terminal Team, which Dürr and Beck joined in 1989. Under the new name Die Fantastischen Vier they made German hip hop, or Deutschen Sprechgesang (German spoken-song) as they called it, popular in Germany. Although there were German hip-hop artists prior to them (such as Advanced Chemistry from Heidelberg), it was Die Fantastischen Vier who registered the first chart hit with their 1992 single "Die da?!" (Her?!) from the album 4 gewinnt, hitting No. 2 in Germany and No. 1 in Austria and Switzerland.
After traveling to Los Angeles in the late 1980s, the group realized the lack of connection between the struggles of "the poor blacks in the United States and middle-class whites in Germany", and made a conscious effort to move away from the typical and cliché American gangsta rap. The group never got involved with gangsta rap clichés, reacting with tongue-in-cheek humor to verbal attacks of alleged German 'gangsta rappers'. In the albums following 4 gewinnt, the band matured and progressed to a more serious and philosophic style.
In addition to the group's works, Thomas D, Hausmarke, and Ypsilon also produced successful solo albums and the four had their own weekly show Die 4. Dimension, named after their third album, which aired on the German pay TV channel Premiere in 1993 and 1994. At the 1996 Popkomm in Cologne, Die Fantastischen Vier announced the establishment of their label, Four Music. Headquarters were in Stuttgart, but were later moved to Berlin-Kreuzberg.
Three years later, the group's seventh album 4:99 was released on their own label, with four singles from the album following. After the No. 2 hit "MfG", three singles were released at the same time, a first in German music business. Each one can be associated with one of the rappers: "Le Smou" (Smudo), "Michi Beck in Hell" (Michi Beck), and "Buenos Dias Messias" (Thomas D).
In late September 2004, the group released the album Viel, the following tour being their most successful and best-attended to date.
In 2005, Fanta 4's first greatest-hits album, Best of 1990-2005, was published. It includes all singles, as well as several other songs and rare footage from the group's early days, when they were still called Terminal Team and rapped in English.
On 7 April 2007, the number-one album Fornika was released, preceded by the single "Ernten was wir säen" (Reap what we sow). The song was released as a download for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock in December 2007 and was covered by rock band Oomph! in 2009.
Die Fantastischen Vier are also the German voices of the Penguins (Michael Beck as Skipper, Thomas D. as Kowalski, Andreas Rieke as Rico and Michael Bernd Schmidt as Private) in the Madagascar film series.
In 2010, Für dich immer noch Fanta Sie peaked again at number one of the German charts. The 2014 release of the album Rekord marked the 25th anniversary of the band. It also topped the charts in Germany. In 2018, the single "Zusammen", featuring Clueso, from the album Captain Fantastic, was chosen as the official song for the 2018 FIFA World Cup by German public broadcaster Das Erste.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Die_Fantastischen_Vier
Studio albums
Jetzt geht’s ab (1991)
4 gewinnt (1992)
Die 4. Dimension (1993)
Lauschgift (1995)
4:99 (1999)
Viel (2004)
Fornika (2007)
Für dich immer noch Fanta Sie (2010)
Rekord (2014)
Captain Fantastic (2018)
Lauschgift
Die Fantastischen Vier Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Kronberger, Rauschgiftinzernat
Was wollen sie von mir?
Führen Sie sie ab, los
Augenblick mal, was soll das heißen?
Da haben Sie Ihre Revanche
Überall ist Lauschgift, hier ist überall Lauschgift, in allen Ecken
of the world (verse 1)
In the beginning of the song, we hear a dialogue between a police officer and someone who is being accused of something. The first line, "Ha! Da sind sie Leutnant!" is a derogatory statement towards the police officer, translated to "Ha! There you are Lieutenant!". The person being accused, Kronberger, is associated with Rauschgiftinzernat, which roughly translates to "drug institute", suggesting that he is involved in illegal drug activities. The dialogue then proceeds with the officer ordering for Kronberger to be taken away, but he questions the reasoning behind it, arguing that it is a revenge plot against him.
The chorus of the song then comes in with the repeated phrase "Überall ist Lauschgift, hier ist überall Lauschgift, in allen Ecken der Welt" which translates to "Everywhere is bugging, here is bugging everywhere, in all corners of the world." This highlights a theme of surveillance and the presence of eavesdropping surveillance in our lives, in every corner of the world. The song then continues with verses discussing the paranoia and anxiety that comes with the realization that we are being surveilled, even in private places like the bedroom. The song ultimately suggests that everyone is a victim of surveillance, and it is a universal problem that affects us all.
Line by Line Meaning
Ha! Da sind sie Leutnant!
Oh! There they are, Lieutenant!
Kronberger, Rauschgiftinzernat
Kronberger, drug investigation department
Was wollen sie von mir?
What do you want from me?
Führen Sie sie ab, los
Take them away, let's go
Augenblick mal, was soll das heißen?
Wait a minute, what does that mean?
Da haben Sie Ihre Revanche
There's your revenge
Überall ist Lauschgift, hier ist überall Lauschgift, in allen Ecken
Bugging devices are everywhere, it's all around us, in every corner
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Andreas Rieke, Michael Beck, Michael B Schmidt, Thomas Duerr
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind