One of the group’s trademarks was the experimentation with Dutch lyrics, which resulted the (back then) four piece in being the first ever crew in The Netherlands to release a complete demo in their native language. This turned out to be the start of a new genre they still call ‘Nederhop’ to this day, a term consisting of the words “Nederlandse” (Dutch) and “Hip-Hop”.
The start of Osdorp Posse can be tracked back as far as 1986, when Def P (real name Pascal Griffioen) made his debut on the Dutch hip-hop scene with the group Funky Fresh Force, consisting of him and DJ Dov, who would later become a famous House DJ under the pseudonym DJ The Prophet.
In 1988 Griffioen started experimenting with Dutch lyrics as a joke (translating American rap lyrics from groups such as N.W.A.), and a creative exercise (writing a couple of ‘real’ songs). His nephew Marco (later on taking on the nickname IJsblock – a literal translation of N.W.A.’s infamous Ice Cube) joined in the musical tomfoolery, as they recorded raps on instrumental tracks from their record collection, using nothing but a tape deck and a microphone.
It wasn’t until Marco and Pascal met Robin (now known as Seda) and Arthur (King) that they got down to writing real material that they found suitable for recording. Even though their musical playground that they had by then labelled Osdorp Posse (named after the Amsterdam neighbourhood Osdorp, where they all lived) consisted of a large group of friends with a continuously changing line-up, the core of the Posse was the four guys, and would remain so until twelve years later. With a lot of the co-rappers leaving the group with no interest in taking Osdorp Posse to a next level, the group recorded an infamous demo as a fourpiece. The nameless cassette – which quickly became known as ‘De Rode Demo’ (The Red Demo) – was handed out to friends, and travelled the country, taking the underground alternative music scene by storm through the tape trading circuit.
One of the many people who got hands on De Rode Demo was Saskia Sleger, the owner of the underground dancelabel DJAX. Recognizing the originality as well as the obvious talent, Sleger decided to contact the group and offer them a contract. Hardly believing what just happened to them, the young rappers immediately signed with DJAX, without reading the fine print. Def P later described this move in the band’s biography ‘Tien Jaar OP’ as impulsive and a bit naïve, but it turned out to be a good thing: the start of legendary career.
Now having to actually release cds instead of fooling around with a tapedeck, Pascal, Marco, Robin and Arthur franticly started writing out the material that they had come with before heading to a local studio in 1992, recording the first ever ‘Nederhop’ cd: the poorly produced yet explosive, hardcore and edgy twenty three song classic ‘Osdorp Stijl’ (Osdorp Style).
With an official release in stores, the group started on a journey that moved their live-shows away from the squat- and fret houses, onto the ‘ real’ alternative music scene. The album was an instant underground classic, which not only spawned an entire generation of Dutch Hip-hop acts at the time, but also quickly finding a following within a diverse group of alternative music fans such as punkers, metalheads, rockers and many alike.
The following two releases were plagued by the same production problems as their infamous debut, but through their sheer determination, explosive live shows and hardcore, relentless lyrical attitude became underground hits nevertheless. It wasn’t until they were asked to play the warm-up show at the biggest festival in the Netherlands, Pinkpop, that they got recognition from a larger audience. Their fourth cd entitled ‘Afslag Osdorp’ (Osdorp Exit), was released soon after the legendary festival appearance, and was the groups largest commercial success to that date. Riding the wave of word-to-mouth advertising following Pinkpop and their years on end of touring and self promoting (being ignored by mainstream media and critics), Afslag Osdorp sold thousands of copies; an achievement that was until then unthinkable for a Dutch rap act.
Later that year, with their popularity growing to a new height, Osdorp Posse played one of the most legendary and afterwards most talked about performances on the Dutch alternative music scene at the Lowlands Festival. Something that was euphemistically called a programming mistake, the group was set to play the smallest tent (Charlie) in the afternoon. Even though the Amsterdam crew warned the festival organisation about the possible consequences, the foursome’s advice to move their show to a bigger tent fell was ignored, resulting in half the festival attendees trying to fit in the small, claustrophobic space in anticipation of what was then one of the biggest things in Dutch music: Osdorp Posse. After the first couple of notes were played, the frantic crowd started to mosh, pogo and crowdsurf with such an enthusiasm that they nearly destroyed the entire tent. Def P later explained he had no idea how dangerous the situation was, that eventually led to an early ending of the gig when the crowd rushed to the stage, crushing the structure. No one got seriously hurt, yet everyone had witnessed and taken part in a legendary festival moment, talked about to this day.
In 1996 the group received the prestigious ‘ Pop Prijs’ (Pop Prize), as a recognition of their pioneering role in the Dutch hip-hop scene. That year also marked another legendary festival performance; the Dynamo Open Air festival – at that time the most important Heavy Metal event in the world – playing as the first and only hip-hop crew ever in front of more then a 100.000 longhaired metalheads, a large portion of whom were stoned Germans (enjoying the music all the same). The following year, ‘ Osdorp’ returned to Pinkpop, this time playing not once but twice: first on the small stage, returning on the final day at the main stage in front of 60.000 people.
After the commercial and artistic successes of albums such as ‘Briljant, Hard en Geslepen’ (Brilliant, Hard and Polished) – recorded with death metal band Nembrionic, and the chart success ‘Geendagsvlieg’ (literally: No day fly, as a play on words to the term ‘one day fly’, emphasizing their timelessness) the Posse left their long time label Djax to start up their own label called RAMP Records (consisting of the first letters in their names: Robin, Arthur, Marco, Pascal). In 2000, the group’s first release on their own turf called ‘ Kernramp’ (Nuclear Disaster) became their biggest commercial success, and remains so to this day. For the first time in their 12 year long career, Osdorp Posse even landed on the Dutch TOP 40 charts with their single ‘ Origineel Amsterdams’, which eventually ploughed into the top 10.
The release of their eighth album also marked the first change in line-up the group had seen since the early demo days: DJ ‘Deegmeester’ Daan – who already joined the band on stage for quite a while – became the fifth member of Osdorp Posse. That year they returned to Lowlands Festival as a five-piece, this time on a bigger stage. Once again controversy was part of the group’s performance, with Def P openly protesting against the nationwide crowd surf ban (as a result to the Roskilde tragedy earlier that year).
Around that time the music industry started crashing down. With programmes such as Napster and Kazaa providing fans with free – yet illegal – music, Osdorp Posse’s new label had a hard time lifting off. Every release after ‘ Kernramp’, such as ‘ Tegenstrijd” (meaning both Counter Battle, and Contradiction in Dutch) and Hollandse Hardcore Hip-Hop Helden all saw decreasing sales figures. At the same time, the genre the group created – Nederhop – had become a mainstream phenomena with acts such as Extince, Def Rhymz, and new school artists and groups like Raymster and Opgezwolle taking over the Dutch hiphop scene. Osdorp Posse, never being a favourite of the mainstream media – could only witness their own decline.
Around 2004, the group had plummeted back into the underground scene, once again playing the smaller venues. The groups hardcore following had eye for their later releases with bands such as Laberinto and Blind Justice, but stayed true to their heroes all the same.
Near the end of 2008, the group has announced to call it quits. After a release party of their final effort entitled ‘2 Decennia’ (Two Decades), Osdorp Posse embarked on a farewell tour, taking them to all the places they played, rocked the mike at, and witnessed their fanatic following go crazy to their hardcore style of performing.
The group’s swansong took place on their own turf, in the Amsterdam club De Melkweg in September of 2009, leaving a legacy that can not be ignored or forgotten: the invention and perfection of Nederhop.
Actuele liefdaderheid
Osdorp Posse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
En de straf is als een mug voor een olifant
Hoor maar altijd die paardenschijt
van Ogij zijt uwe normen en waarden kwijt!¹
Moet je deze gare tijd voor de aardigheid
alle narigheid zien door liefdaderheid!
Net als op Vlijmscherp waar ik deze rijm werp
behandel en bewandel ik dit terrein scherp
Iemand pakt een overvaller en wordt kritisch berecht
als dat iets te hard gaat, je iets te hard slaat
en het gerecht slechts onterrecht verward praat
Men is boos, gekweld, maar verkoos het geld
En nou kaatst de bal terug als zinloos geweld
De dader had mazzel, jammer voor het slachtoffer
Ons recht is krom, dus maak zelf straf roffer!
Want ons rechtssysteem doet aan: LIEFDADERHEID!
Helpt niemand nog iemand? Nou niet in mijn straat
Omdat de dader vrij gaat waar je bij staat
Ze trappen je lam voor de vreugd als je deugd
En zeggen dan: OJa, ik had een moeilijke jeugd¹
Het volk wordt hoe langer hoe banger en tammer
Zien ze iemand in gevaar? Doorlopen maar, jammer!
Geef je daders vrij spel, dan wordt de straat een hel
En de cellen zijn hier net een vijf sterrenhotel!
En kosten bakken met poen, is dat nou fatsoen?
Wie hier gerechtigheid wil, die moet het zelf maar doen!
Dus als iemand jou op straat van je poen beroofd
Wat doe je er aan? Schiet Om door z¹n hoofd!
En als iemand je zuster heeft aangerand
Wat doe je er aan? Steek Om in de brand!
En als je iemand thuis bij een inbraak betrapt
Steek een staak door z¹n hart en je wraak is hard!
The opening lines of Osdorp Posse's 'Liefdaderheid' describe the frustration of seeing the headlines of newspapers filled with murder and tragedy, only to watch as the legal justice system fails to deliver effective punishments for the perpetrators. The metaphor of a mosquito bite for an elephant suggests that penalties for such crimes are insignificant in comparison to the magnitude of the events themselves. The song presents the concept of 'liefdaderheid,' which translates as 'love criminality.' This is an idea whereby a wrongdoer is given a lenient punishment due to excess sympathy and attempts at understanding their emotional state behind the act. The song argues that the idea is damaging to the justice system as it allows perpetrators to continue carrying out harmful actions while facing minimal consequences.
The lyrics advocate the individual's right to take justice into their own hands and reject the flawed justice system. The singer of the song expresses anger and frustration at the public perception of criminals receiving light punishments due to seemingly sympathetic reasoning for their actions. The theme suggests that the general population feels let down by the legal system's lack of accountability and its inability to provide closure for victims of violent acts. The singer urges the listener to embrace self-retribution by taking the law into their own hands, suggesting violence as a means of retribution.
Line by Line Meaning
Moord en brand staat in de krant
There are news of murders and other crimes in the newspapers
En de straf is als een mug voor een olifant
The punishment for these crimes is very light and insufficient
Hoor maar altijd die paardenschijt van Ogij zijt uwe normen en waarden kwijt!
People talk too much about how society has lost its morals and values
Moet je deze gare tijd voor de aardigheid alle narigheid zien door liefdaderheid!
In these troubled times, it's important to approach everything with love and kindness
Net als op Vlijmscherp waar ik deze rijm werp behandel en bewandel ik dit terrein scherp
Just like in my previous song, I address these issues directly and unapologetically
Want het lijkt nu niet echt, dat juridisch gevecht Iemand pakt een overvaller en wordt kritisch berecht
The justice system doesn't seem to work, as someone who catches a criminal gets punished too harshly
als dat iets te hard gaat, je iets te hard slaat en het gerecht slechts onterecht verward praat
If the punishment is too severe, people might resort to violent measures and the justice system is confused
Men is boos, gekweld, maar verkoos het geld En nou kaatst de bal terug als zinloos geweld
People are angry and frustrated, but they prioritize money over justice, which leads to senseless violence
De dader had mazzel, jammer voor het slachtoffer Ons recht is krom, dus maak zelf straf roffer!
The criminal got lucky and the victim suffered, so it's up to individuals to take justice into their own hands
Want ons rechtssysteem doet aan: LIEFDADERHEID!
The justice system is too lenient on criminals, which leads to more crime
Helpt niemand nog iemand? Nou niet in mijn straat Omdat de dader vrij gaat waar je bij staat
No one helps each other anymore because criminals get away with their crimes openly
Ze trappen je lam voor de vreugd als je deugd En zeggen dan: OJa, ik had een moeilijke jeugd
Criminals take pleasure in harming good-natured people and use their troubled past as an excuse
Het volk wordt hoe langer hoe banger en tammer Zien ze iemand in gevaar? Doorlopen maar, jammer!
People are becoming more and more scared and indifferent, and they don't help those in need
Geef je daders vrij spel, dan wordt de straat een hel En de cellen zijn hier net een vijf sterrenhotel!
If criminals are allowed to do whatever they want, the streets become dangerous and the prisons are too comfortable
En kosten bakken met poen, is dat nou fatsoen? Wie hier gerechtigheid wil, die moet het zelf maar doen!
Is it really ethical to spend so much money on lavish prisons? People should take justice into their own hands if they want it done right
Dus als iemand jou op straat van je poen beroofd Wat doe je er aan? Schiet Om door z’n hoofd!
If someone robs you on the street, just shoot them in the head
En als iemand je zuster heeft aangerand Wat doe je er aan? Steek Om in de brand!
If someone sexually assaults your sister, burn them alive
En als je iemand thuis bij een inbraak betrapt Steek een staak door z’n hart en je wraak is hard!
If you catch someone breaking into your home, kill them by impaling them through the heart
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Def P, Seda
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind