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.
Rust En Ruimte
Osdorp Posse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Als er iets is waar ik echt niet bij wil horen dan is dat het wel!
Al die verdorven wezens.
We hebben geen respect voor de natuur en onze levens
We vreten, zuipen, roken onze lichamen verrot
Alles in onze omgeving wordt vervuild of gaat kapot
Wij zijn het enige soort wat zo zichzelf uitroeit
De hele aarde wordt verknoeit omdat het niemand wat boeit
En we vinden onszelf toch zo intelligent!
We willen allemaal een auto en een huis en veel poen
En het milieu enzo, 'ja, wat kunnen wij daar nou aan doen?!'
De balans tussen de mens en de natuur is ontwricht,
En we sluiten ons af voor het totaalgezicht
Dus wat zeur ik nou? er is toch niets aan de hand?
Maar ik zie een afgrond en wij staan aan de rand!
Ik heb ruimte nodig! dat is wat ik je zeg!
Ik heb ruimte nodig! en ik wil hier weg!
Ik heb ruimte nodig! dus laat me gaan!
Ik heb ruimte nodig! en ik wil hier vandaan!
Ik wil rust en ruimte, ruimte en rust
Jin staat in brand en yang is uitgeblust!
Ik wil rust en ruimte, ruimte en rust
De natuur en de mens zijn uit elkaar gerukt!
Mensen zijn gevaarlijk, dom en laf
Onbedaarlijk, irritant, stom en maf
Egoïstisch, bot en principeloos
En simplistisch, zot en karakterloos
We zijn onverantwoordelijk en onbetrouwbaar
Dieren zijn uitmoordlijk en land bebouwbaar
Ons leven draait alleen maar om ons gerief
Maar uiteindelijk zijn we onze eigen dief
En we blijven ons maar vermenigvuldigen
Om na een oorlog de schuldigen te huldigen
En ik wordt er onpasselijk en misselijk van
Overal waar ik kijk zie ik mensen man!
Ik zie mensen, mensen als vieze kakkerlakken!
Je wilt ze wel vertrappen, maar ze blijven zo plakken!
Ze komen met teveel en ze komen te snel
Met z'n allen op een enkele reis naar de hel!
Ik heb ruimte nodig! dat is wat ik je zeg!
Ik heb ruimte nodig! en ik wil hier weg!
Ik heb ruimte nodig! dus laat me gaan!
Ik heb ruimte nodig! en ik wil hier vandaan!
Ik wil rust en ruimte, ruimte en rust
Ying staat in brand en yang is uitgeblust!
Ik wil rust en ruimte, ruimte en rust
De natuur en de mens zijn uit elkaar gerukt!
The lyrics of Osdorp Posse's song "Rust En Ruimte" (Rest and Space) speak about the singer's discontentment with human beings and their disregard for nature and life. He questions why he was born as a human being and not something else, as he feels he does not belong to a species that harms the environment and itself. He highlights the fact that humans indulge in unhealthy activities like smoking, drinking, and eating, and pollute everything around them, leading to the destruction of the planet. The singer also criticizes the selfish and greedy nature of human beings, their lack of respect for each other and the environment, and their tendency to ignore the imbalances between nature and human-made objects.
Despite acknowledging the problems that exist in human society, the singer feels trapped and unable to do anything about it. He desires peace and space, where he can find solace from the chaos and irreverence of human society. He wishes to escape and disconnect from modern civilization, as he feels that humanity is on the brink of self-destruction, and there is nothing he can do to prevent it.
The song's lyrics are a commentary on the problems that plague our society and the dangers of not taking care of the environment. The singer's desire for peace and space is an essential aspect of our world; we all desire a place where we can escape from the concerns of society and feel at peace. The song eloquently expresses the frustration of people who are aware of the problems that exist in the world but feel powerless to do anything about it.
Line by Line Meaning
Waarom ben ik toch in hemelsnaam als mens geboren?
The singer questions the reason why they were born as a human being and expresses their discontent with it.
Als er iets is waar ik echt niet bij wil horen dan is dat het wel!
The singer expresses their strong desire to not be a part of the human race.
Al die verdorven wezens.
The singer views humans as corrupt and depraved beings.
We hebben geen respect voor de natuur en onze levens
The artist believes that humans lack respect for nature and their own lives.
We vreten, zuipen, roken onze lichamen verrot
The artist criticizes humans for engaging in self-destructive behaviors such as overeating, excessive drinking, and smoking.
Alles in onze omgeving wordt vervuild of gaat kapot
The singer observes that everything in our environment gets polluted or destroyed as a result of human activity.
Wij zijn het enige soort wat zo zichzelf uitroeit
The singer points out that humans are the only species that is causing its own extinction.
De hele aarde wordt verknoeit omdat het niemand wat boeit
The artist laments that the entire planet is being ruined because no one seems to care enough to do anything about it.
Iedereen is egoïstisch, gunt een ander geen cent
The artist believes that everyone is selfish and unwilling to share with others.
En we vinden onszelf toch zo intelligent!
The artist finds it ironic that people consider themselves intelligent despite their destructive behaviors.
We willen allemaal een auto en een huis en veel poen
The singer observes that humans are obsessed with acquiring material possessions such as cars, houses, and money.
En het milieu enzo, 'ja, wat kunnen wij daar nou aan doen?!'
The artist notes that people often use the excuse of their inability to do anything to justify their ignorance and inaction towards environmental issues.
De balans tussen de mens en de natuur is ontwricht,
The singer believes that the balance between humans and nature is disrupted.
En we sluiten ons af voor het totaalgezicht
The singer sees humans as disconnected from the bigger picture of the world around them.
Dus wat zeur ik nou? er is toch niets aan de hand?
The singer questions their own complaints, wondering if there is any point in speaking out against the current state of things.
Maar ik zie een afgrond en wij staan aan de rand!
Despite their doubts, the artist sees the world as standing on the brink of disaster.
Ik heb ruimte nodig! dat is wat ik je zeg!
The artist expresses their need for space, both physically and mentally.
Ik wil rust en ruimte, ruimte en rust
The singer desires both peace and freedom from their surroundings.
Jin staat in brand en yang is uitgeblust!
The singer uses the Chinese philosophies of Yin and Yang to describe the state of the world as imbalanced and chaotic.
Mensen zijn gevaarlijk, dom en laf
The artist harshly characterizes humans as dangerous, stupid, and cowardly.
Onbedaarlijk, irritant, stom en maf
The artist continues to list negative adjectives to describe humans.
Egoïstisch, bot en principeloos
The artist adds to their negative description of humans, accusing them of being selfish and lacking morals.
En simplistisch, zot en karakterloos
The singer believes that humans are simple-minded, crazy, and devoid of personality.
We zijn onverantwoordelijk en onbetrouwbaar
The artist thinks that humans behave in irresponsible and untrustworthy ways.
Dieren zijn uitmoordlijk en land bebouwbaar
The singer notes the human tendencies to exterminate animals and use up natural resources for their own gain.
Ons leven draait alleen maar om ons gerief
The singer believes that human life revolves solely around their own convenience and comfort.
Maar uiteindelijk zijn we onze eigen dief
The singer warns that in the end, humans are the ones who will suffer the consequences of their actions.
En we blijven ons maar vermenigvuldigen
The artist observes that humans continue to reproduce at an alarming rate.
Om na een oorlog de schuldigen te huldigen
The artist predicts that after a war, the blame for its cause will be placed on certain individuals or groups.
En ik wordt er onpasselijk en misselijk van
The singer expresses their disgust and nausea at the current state of the world.
Overal waar ik kijk zie ik mensen man!
The singer sees humans everywhere they look.
Ik zie mensen, mensen als vieze kakkerlakken!
The artist dehumanizes humans, comparing them to disgusting insects.
Je wilt ze wel vertrappen, maar ze blijven zo plakken!
The artist expresses their frustration at the inability to rid themselves of the presence of humans.
Ze komen met teveel en ze komen te snel
The artist believes that humans are multiplying too quickly and causing problems as a result.
Met z'n allen op een enkele reis naar de hel!
The singer views humanity as riding together on a path towards disaster.
Contributed by William J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.