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.
Braakwater
Osdorp Posse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Not real. It's not about money and all the records
or succes or the desires that you have, you know,
it's about using the music to breakthrough, wasn't it?
I donno, we lost something here man.
X weet je wel, wik wik wack!
X weet je wel, bullshit!
Hallo, zet die kutradio uit, weer die Peter in de ether,
die commerciele meeeter klinkt voor geen meter
meer en ik zweer voor mijn eigen eer,
dat ik me verre van die commerciele shit afkeer.
Want de Vanilla Ice van Nederland is opgestaan
en is met slappe nederhop in de top gaan staan.
En dan noemt die flop zich de top van de nederhop -- pop pop --
zeg het nog eens en het kost je je kop.
Want voor de tijd dat ik vier vette albums dropte,
had jij alleen een milkshake-rap die flopte.
Dus ga nou maar weer radiocommercials inrappen,
want de echte Nederlandse meester kan je niet neppen.
Jij deed altijd alles Engels vanaf het begin,
en nou is Nederhop in, en jij springt er midden in.
Met je brave ABN klaar voor de top 40,
heel slim zakenmannetje maar erg smerig.
X weet je wel.. Basta, zeg versjes voor de massa.
Wack Wack Wack!
X weet je wel.. Bullshit! Zeker wel, ja toch?
Ik voel me net een kwakzalver.
Fuck you bitch!
Zeg versjes voor de massa, maak kassa.
Eat shit..
We maakten samen Turbotaal want ik dacht "altijd man"
maar effe later had ik daar al grote spijt van.
Want we hadden die shit nog niet afgemixt,
of je had de Buma-Stemra papieren al gefixt.
Nou geen vriendendienst, okee geen probleem,
maar wat je ons toen flikte was echt extreem.
Jouw gezeik om je geld begon daarna heel vlug,
je eiste zelfs meer als ons, achter onze rug.
Je wou een vet percentage voor je perciflage,
met je nederhoprage-shit soft als page.
Meeloper, rapstroper, rotte grote geldhoper,
wacker dan de Hammer want die doet het proper -- en doper --
Dus ga de rapscene maar naaien,
want je pluggers zullen paaien om je shit te draaien.
Met je spraakwater, spraakwater fucking braakwater,
hier komt de spraakmaker en de echte smaakmaker.
Ik voel me net een kwakzalver, zeker wel,
zeg versjes voor de massa.
X weet je wel, bullshit, zeker wel, ja toch?
X weet je wel, eat shit, basta!
Nu allemaal uit volle borst:
braakwater tot je kotst, bitch !
Ok nu het Villa 65 hoofdstuk,
de Dutch Masters zijn OK, maar Villa geeft geen fuck,
of fucking cent om onbekend raptalent,
want je blijft onbekend als je geen vent bent,
die zwaar teert op de New York rapstijl.
Ondertussen maak ik jullie Osdorp rapgeil
Maar dat zal je nooit toegeven, maar wacht even
dan zal ik jullie teven de waarheid geven.
Vroeger vonden jullie Nederlandse rap niet goed,
maar hoe kan het dan dat nou iedereen 't doet?
Hypocriete dwazen, wie lacht er nou het laatste?
X ik zou je nog niet eens in een hondehok plaatsen.
En ik zeg je nou beslist wat je misschien niet wist:
Commerciele neprappers worden zwaar gedist.
Nog een goeie van de tip top 10 misschien,
laat je gezicht maar niet meer zien in de hardcore-scene.
Radio-nicht je bent zo zoet als honing,
haal je onderdanenpik uit de reet van de koning.
Want je loopt altijd te slijmen bij je radiovrienden,
dus een uitgekiende dis is wat jij verdiende.
En iedereen die down met jou is kan 'em krijgen,
want ik kan mijn eigen ergenis niet meer verzwijgen.
Ongeduldig heb ik radio 3 veelvuldig beschuldigd,
en nu blijkt mijn gelijk dus huldig
de hardcore, fuck de radio.. oh heerlijk,
mij draaien ze toch niet want ik ben te eerlijk.
Ze zaten er met z'n allen op te wachten,
dat een halve zachte Nederhop zou verkrachten.
Maar ik lachte, en nu knal ik de champagne,
die commotie was voor ons een promotiecampagne.
Want de Nederlandse rap zal jij nu overal horen,
en jij hebt daarvoor je laatste eer verloren.
Ik zou je eigenlijk moeten bedanken,
want met jou vergeleken zijn we dope als de kanker.
"Are you that funky, dirty, moneyhungry (scanless) stuckup, hairpiece
contact wearing bitch.. Yip you probably are."
BITCH !!! Zeker wel.. ja toch
The song "Braakwater" by Osdorp Posse is a scathing critique of the Dutch hip-hop scene and its sellout to commercialism. The lyrics express frustration with the way that money and success have taken precedence over using the music to break through to something deeper and more meaningful. The song opens with a challenge to those who have lost their way in the music industry and are no longer creating from a place of authenticity.
The lyrics then move on to a criticism of a particular artist, who is accused of jumping on the bandwagon of Dutch hip-hop at a time when it is popular, after previously only creating music in English. This artist is called out for being a "meeloper" or follower, and for being motivated solely by money and commercial success rather than artistic integrity. The artists also criticize the industry as a whole for being hypocritical and disingenuous towards the underground alternative hip-hop scene.
The song uses colorful language and angry rhetoric to make its point, but there is a deeper message within the lyrics about the importance of creating from a place of authenticity and staying true to one's artistic vision, no matter the cost.
Line by Line Meaning
Y'know what you're saying to millions of people?
You are aware of the impact and influence of your words on millions of people, right?
Not real. It's not about money and all the records
It's not authentic. It's not about achieving financial success or breaking records.
or succes or the desires that you have, you know,
It's not about personal success or fulfilling your desires, you know,
it's about using the music to breakthrough, wasn't it?
It's about using the power of music to make a significant impact and break barriers, right?
I donno, we lost something here man.
I don't know, but we've lost something important here, man.
X weet je wel, wik wik wack!
Sorry, but what you're saying is nonsensical and unimpressive.
X weet je wel, bullshit!
Sorry, but what you're saying is complete nonsense!
Zeker wel, ja toch, zeker wel!
No doubt about it, right? Absolutely!
Hallo, zet die kutradio uit, weer die Peter in de ether,
Hey, turn off that shitty radio, Peter is on the air again,
die commerciele meeeter klinkt voor geen meter
that commercial crap sounds terrible
meer en ik zweer voor mijn eigen eer,
I swear on my own honor
dat ik me verre van die commerciele shit afkeer.
that I distance myself from that commercial bullshit.
Want de Vanilla Ice van Nederland is opgestaan
Because the Vanilla Ice of the Netherlands has risen
en is met slappe nederhop in de top gaan staan.
and has reached the top with weak Dutch hip-hop.
En dan noemt die flop zich de top van de nederhop -- pop pop --
And then that failure calls himself the top of Dutch hip-hop -- pop pop --
zeg het nog eens en het kost je je kop.
say it again and it will cost you your life.
Want voor de tijd dat ik vier vette albums dropte,
Because before I released four great albums,
had jij alleen een milkshake-rap die flopte.
you only had a milkshake-rap that flopped.
Dus ga nou maar weer radiocommercials inrappen,
So go back to rapping radio commercials,
want de echte Nederlandse meester kan je niet neppen.
because you can't fake the real Dutch master.
Jij deed altijd alles Engels vanaf het begin,
You always did everything in English from the beginning,
en nou is Nederhop in, en jij springt er midden in.
and now Dutch hip-hop is popular, and you're jumping in the middle of it.
Met je brave ABN klaar voor de top 40,
With your proper Dutch ready for the top 40,
heel slim zakenmannetje maar erg smerig.
very clever businessman, but very dirty.
X weet je wel.. Basta, zeg versjes voor de massa.
Sorry, but what you're saying is pointless. Just say rhymes for the masses.
Wack Wack Wack!
Unimpressive, unimpressive, unimpressive!
X weet je wel.. Bullshit! Zeker wel, ja toch?
Sorry, but what you're saying is complete nonsense! Absolutely, right?
Ik voel me net een kwakzalver.
I feel like a fraud.
Fuck you bitch!
Fuck you, bitch!
Zeg versjes voor de massa, maak kassa.
Just say rhymes for the masses, make money.
Eat shit..
Go eat shit..
We maakten samen Turbotaal want ik dacht "altijd man"
We created Turbotaal together because I thought it would always be great,
maar effe later had ik daar al grote spijt van.
but later on I regretted it deeply.
Want we hadden die shit nog niet afgemixt,
Because we hadn't finished mixing that shit yet,
of je had de Buma-Stemra papieren al gefixt.
and you had already sorted out the Buma-Stemra paperwork.
Nou geen vriendendienst, okee geen probleem,
Well, no more favoritism, okay, no problem,
maar wat je ons toen flikte was echt extreem.
but what you did to us back then was really extreme.
Jouw gezeik om je geld begon daarna heel vlug,
Your whining about your money started very quickly after that,
je eiste zelfs meer als ons, achter onze rug.
you even demanded more than us, behind our backs.
Je wou een vet percentage voor je perciflage,
You wanted a big percentage for your parody,
met je nederhoprage-shit soft als page.
with your Dutch hip-hop nonsense, as soft as a page.
Meeloper, rapstroper, rotte grote geldhoper,
Follower, rap trapper, rotten big money grubber,
wacker dan de Hammer want die doet het proper -- en doper --
weaker than Hammer because he does it right -- and fresher --
Dus ga de rapscene maar naaien,
So go fuck with the rap scene,
want je pluggers zullen paaien om je shit te draaien.
because your promoters will manipulate to play your shit.
Met je spraakwater, spraakwater fucking braakwater,
With your talkative nonsense, talkative nonsense fucking vomit,
hier komt de spraakmaker en de echte smaakmaker.
here comes the suave talker and the real tastemaker.
Ik voel me net een kwakzalver, zeker wel,
I feel like a fraud, definitely,
zeg versjes voor de massa.
just say rhymes for the masses.
X weet je wel, bullshit, zeker wel, ja toch?
Sorry, but what you're saying is complete nonsense! Absolutely, right?
X weet je wel, eat shit, basta!
Sorry, but what you're saying is complete nonsense! Go eat shit, enough!
Nu allemaal uit volle borst:
Now everyone sing with all your heart:
braakwater tot je kotst, bitch !
vomit until you puke, bitch!
Ok nu het Villa 65 hoofdstuk,
Okay, now the Villa 65 chapter,
de Dutch Masters zijn OK, maar Villa geeft geen fuck,
the Dutch Masters are okay, but Villa doesn't give a fuck,
of fucking cent om onbekend raptalent,
or a fucking penny for unknown rap talent,
want je blijft onbekend als je geen vent bent,
because you will remain unknown if you're not a real man,
die zwaar teert op de New York rapstijl.
who heavily relies on the New York rap style.
Ondertussen maak ik jullie Osdorp rapgeil
In the meantime, I'm making you all Osdorp rap-crazy
Maar dat zal je nooit toegeven, maar wacht even
But you will never admit that, but wait a minute
dan zal ik jullie teven de waarheid geven.
then I will give you bitches the truth.
Vroeger vonden jullie Nederlandse rap niet goed,
In the past, you didn't like Dutch rap,
maar hoe kan het dan dat nou iedereen 't doet?
but how is it possible that everyone is doing it now?
Hypocriete dwazen, wie lacht er nou het laatste?
Hypocritical fools, who's laughing in the end?
X ik zou je nog niet eens in een hondehok plaatsen.
X, I wouldn't even put you in a dog kennel.
En ik zeg je nou beslist wat je misschien niet wist:
And now I'll tell you for sure what you might not know:
Commerciele neprappers worden zwaar gedist.
Commercial fake rappers are heavily dissed.
Nog een goeie van de tip top 10 misschien,
Another good one from the tip top 10, maybe,
laat je gezicht maar niet meer zien in de hardcore-scene.
don't show your face again in the hardcore scene.
Radio-nicht je bent zo zoet als honing,
Radio fag, you're as sweet as honey,
haal je onderdanenpik uit de reet van de koning.
get your royal-ass-loving dick out of the king's ass.
Want je loopt altijd te slijmen bij je radiovrienden,
Because you're always sucking up to your radio friends,
dus een uitgekiende dis is wat jij verdiende.
so a well-thought-out diss is what you deserve.
En iedereen die down met jou is kan 'em krijgen,
And anyone who's down with you can get it too,
want ik kan mijn eigen ergenis niet meer verzwijgen.
because I can no longer hide my own annoyance.
Ongeduldig heb ik radio 3 veelvuldig beschuldigd,
Impatiently, I have accused radio 3 many times,
en nu blijkt mijn gelijk dus huldig
and now my correctness is being celebrated
de hardcore, fuck de radio.. oh heerlijk,
the hardcore, fuck the radio.. oh, delightful,
mij draaien ze toch niet want ik ben te eerlijk.
they won't play me anyway because I'm too honest.
Ze zaten er met z'n allen op te wachten,
They were all waiting for it,
dat een halve zachte Nederhop zou verkrachten.
that a soft Dutch hip-hop would be raped.
Maar ik lachte, en nu knal ik de champagne,
But I laughed, and now I'm popping the champagne,
die commotie was voor ons een promotiecampagne.
that controversy was a promotional campaign for us.
Want de Nederlandse rap zal jij nu overal horen,
Because you will now hear Dutch rap everywhere,
en jij hebt daarvoor je laatste eer verloren.
and you have lost your last bit of dignity for it.
Ik zou je eigenlijk moeten bedanken,
I should actually thank you,
want met jou vergeleken zijn we dope als de kanker.
because compared to you, we are dope like cancer.
"Are you that funky, dirty, moneyhungry (scanless) stuckup, hairpiece
"Are you that funky, dirty, money-hungry (scanless) stuck-up, hairpiece
contact wearing bitch.. Yip you probably are."
wearing bitch.. Yes, you probably are."
BITCH !!! Zeker wel.. ja toch
BITCH!!! Definitely.. right?
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind