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.
Willem de hardcore koning
Osdorp Posse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hoe harder de maatregelen moeten worden.
De nu volgende tekst wordt vandaag nog als te extreem beschouwd,
Maar hoelang duurt het nu nog voor de hele bevolking zo denkt?
Er moet nog heel wat gebeuren voor ik rustig slaap,
En daarom zeg ik alle dingen recht voor z′n raap.
Dus aan de kant met de softie regering,
Geachte landgenoten, vanaf vandaag staat jullie nieuwe
Koning, Koning Willem, aan het roer. En hier volgt
Zijn eerste troonrede. Nederland, wees voorbereid voor
Willem, de Hardcore Koning.
Onderdanen stil′m, want hier spreekt Willem,
Heb je een probleem, kom maar op ik kill'm
Als geen ander, want ik ben een roffe Alexander,
Die alles nu verandert voor elke Nederlander.
Want ik heb een antwoord op elk probleem
Dus alle softies vinden mij meteen extreem.
Ze zeggen je moet luisteren maar ik hoor ze
En in deze maatschappij is geen plaats meer voor ze.
Dit is geen tijd voor woorden maar daden,
Dus een aantal mensen zullen in het bloed gaan baden.
Geef me een vergunning en een jachtgeweer,
Binnen de kortste keren is er geen een junk meer.
Justitie, lik mijn koninklijke reet, jo!
Ik vaag die gezwellen voorgoed uit de metro.
Voor de feministen nu een nieuwsbericht:
Vanaf nu hebben alleen nog jullie maar dienstplicht.
En in het kader van gezond verstand
Verdwijnen alle kerken en moskeen uit het land.
En alle housers die te veel XTC slikken,
Zal ik met een boog uit het ziekenfonds kicken.
Want wij betalen niet voor zulke mafkezen,
Om later hun zieke slappe lichaam te genezen.
Alle snobistische bontjasteven
Moeten voor straf hun eigen huid afgeven.
Ik laat jullie villen, voor slechts een paar centen,
Ter wille van het redden van brandwond-patieten.
Hoge heren die het milieu verpesten,
Moeten met de blote handen het riool uitmesten.
En alle inbrekers bij de mensen thuis,
Verliezen als boete hun eigen huis.
Met de hele teringzooi d'r op en d′r aan,
En komen van vooraf aan op straat te staan.
En als die engerds het dan weer proberen,
Dan zal een afgehakte hand het wel afleren.
Bespaar me je gelul over mensenrechten,
Want jullie vechten meer voor de rechten van de slechten.
Zelden hoor je iemand over alle slachtoffers,
En daarom maak ik simpelweg de straffen wat roffer.
Fok dat gelul over cellentekort,
Het wordt tijd dat de doodstraf weer gewoon wordt.
En vind je dit allemaal shockerende shit,
Wacht maar tot je in de elektrische stoel zit.
Want maatregelen neem ik niet voor ded helft,
En jij bent degene die het onderspit delft
Het lijkt misschien simpel, of erg zwart-wit,
Maar koning pikt geen criminele shit.
Dus voor behoud van je lijf en woning:
Buig moederneukers, voor jullie nieuwe koning!
En oh ja, mijn moeder heeft besloten dat alle rokers
De kanker kunnen krijgen. Kijk maar op je pakkie, PUNK!
Uit van hier!
The first verse of Osdorp Posse's "Willem de Hardcore Koning" sets the tone, warning listeners that the lyrics to follow may be considered extreme, but asks how long it will be until the entire population shares this same thinking. The lyrics go on to describe a new king, King Willem, who will bring hardcore measures to the country. He is portrayed as a gritty, tough-minded ruler who will eradicate the problems facing society. From junkies to feminists and environmental polluters, they all are on his hit list.
The overall message of the song can be interpreted as a call for stricter measures to deal with societal problems. The use of extreme language and imagery may be seen as intentionally shocking to provoke thought and reaction. The song highlights the frustration felt by some towards the perceived inadequacy of current approaches to tackling societal problems and the desire for a more decisive, tougher response.
Line by Line Meaning
Waarschuwing: Hoe harder onze samenleving wordt,
Warning: As our society becomes ever more ruthless,
Hoe harder de maatregelen moeten worden.
correspondingly more ruthless measures must be taken.
De nu volgende tekst wordt vandaag nog als te extreem beschouwd,
The following text is still considered too extreme by most today,
Maar hoelang duurt het nu nog voor de hele bevolking zo denkt?
but how long until the rest of the population thinks the same?
Er moet nog heel wat gebeuren voor ik rustig slaap,
There is much that needs to happen before I can sleep soundly,
En daarom zeg ik alle dingen recht voor z′n raap.
and that's why I say things as bluntly as possible.
Dus aan de kant met de softie regering,
So move over, softie government,
De troon en de macht en we zetten d'r een beer in.
we're bringing in a bear to take the throne and reign with power.
Geachte landgenoten, vanaf vandaag staat jullie nieuwe
Dear citizens, from this day forward your new
Koning, Koning Willem, aan het roer. En hier volgt
king, King Willem, is in charge. And here follows
Zijn eerste troonrede. Nederland, wees voorbereid voor
his first royal address. Netherlands, be prepared for
Willem, de Hardcore Koning.
Willem, the Hardcore King.
Onderdanen stil′m, want hier spreekt Willem,
Subject silence, for here speaks Willem,
Heb je een probleem, kom maar op ik kill'm
If you have a problem, come at me and I'll kill it
Als geen ander, want ik ben een roffe Alexander,
Like no one else, because I'm a rough Alexander,
Die alles nu verandert voor elke Nederlander.
who now changes everything for every Dutchman.
Want ik heb een antwoord op elk probleem
Because I have a solution to every problem,
Dus alle softies vinden mij meteen extreem.
So all the weaklings find me extremely radical.
Ze zeggen je moet luisteren maar ik hoor ze
They say you should listen, but I don't hear them
En in deze maatschappij is geen plaats meer voor ze.
And in this society there is no place for them anymore.
Dit is geen tijd voor woorden maar daden,
This is not the time for words, but for actions,
Dus een aantal mensen zullen in het bloed gaan baden.
So a number of people will bathe in blood.
Geef me een vergunning en een jachtgeweer,
Give me a permit and a hunting rifle,
Binnen de kortste keren is er geen een junk meer.
and in no time there won't be a single junkie left.
Justitie, lik mijn koninklijke reet, jo!
Justice, lick my royal ass, yo!
Ik vaag die gezwellen voorgoed uit de metro.
I'll sweep those tumors out of the subway once and for all.
Voor de feministen nu een nieuwsbericht:
Now a news flash for the feminists:
Vanaf nu hebben alleen nog jullie maar dienstplicht.
From now on, only you have military service obligation.
En in het kader van gezond verstand
And in the name of common sense,
Verdwijnen alle kerken en moskeen uit het land.
all churches and mosques will disappear from the land.
En alle housers die te veel XTC slikken,
And all the house music lovers who take too much XTC,
Zal ik met een boog uit het ziekenfonds kicken.
I'll kick out of the health insurance with a bow.
Want wij betalen niet voor zulke mafkezen,
Because we're not paying for such crazies,
Om later hun zieke slappe lichaam te genezen.
to later heal their sick, weak bodies.
Alle snobistische bontjasteven
All snobbish fur-coat wearers
Moeten voor straf hun eigen huid afgeven.
must atone by surrendering their own skin.
Ik laat jullie villen, voor slechts een paar centen,
I'll make you into fur for just a few cents,
Ter wille van het redden van brandwond-patieten.
to save burn victims.
Hoge heren die het milieu verpesten,
High-ranking men who ruin the environment,
Moeten met de blote handen het riool uitmesten.
must clean up the sewage system with their bare hands.
En alle inbrekers bij de mensen thuis,
And all the burglars in people's homes,
Verliezen als boete hun eigen huis.
will lose their own homes as a penalty.
Met de hele teringzooi d'r op en d′r aan,
With everything they own and all their belongings,
En komen van vooraf aan op straat te staan.
and end up on the streets from scratch.
En als die engerds het dan weer proberen,
And if those creeps try it again,
Dan zal een afgehakte hand het wel afleren.
then a severed hand will teach them a lesson.
Bespaar me je gelul over mensenrechten,
Spare me your talk about human rights,
Want jullie vechten meer voor de rechten van de slechten.
because you fight more for the rights of the wicked.
Zelden hoor je iemand over alle slachtoffers,
Rarely do you hear someone speak about all the victims,
En daarom maak ik simpelweg de straffen wat roffer.
and that's why I simply make the punishments rougher.
Fok dat gelul over cellentekort,
Fuck the talk about prison overcrowding,
Het wordt tijd dat de doodstraf weer gewoon wordt.
It's time to make the death penalty normal again.
En vind je dit allemaal shockerende shit,
And if you find all of this shocking shit,
Wacht maar tot je in de elektrische stoel zit.
just wait until you sit in the electric chair.
Want maatregelen neem ik niet voor ded helft,
Because I don't take measures by halves,
En jij bent degene die het onderspit delft
and you're the one who's going to lose out.
Het lijkt misschien simpel, of erg zwart-wit,
It may seem simple, or very black and white,
Maar koning pikt geen criminele shit.
but the king won't stand for criminal shit.
Dus voor behoud van je lijf en woning:
So to protect your body and home:
Buig moederneukers, voor jullie nieuwe koning!
Bow down, motherfuckers, to your new king!
En oh ja, mijn moeder heeft besloten dat alle rokers
And oh yeah, my mother has decided that all smokers
De kanker kunnen krijgen. Kijk maar op je pakkie, PUNK!
can get cancer. Just look at your package, punk!
Uit van hier!
Get out of here!
Writer(s): Pascal Griffioen, Robin Bezuijen
Contributed by Mason D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
GeeBeeBlitz
Heerlijk om te horen !! Def P vanavond live gezien in Nijmegen VijverOrkest!
UnknownEvent
Focking lekker in eens weer.
tubeanosh
vet deze oldskool doet me denken aan me echte jonge jaren
Michplay
Ik wou echt dat willem dit vandaag had gezegt :P
47Teka
Haha ik moest er ook gelijk aan denken.
danielcv1994
Geef me een vergunning en een jachtgeweer, binnen de kortste keer is er geen een swag rapper meer
Kees Mathieu wissink
willem alexander vond dit een mooi lied is op nationale ts gfeweest je weet wel openbare npo1 npo2 npo3 maar npo4 vast niet want das een klassiek radio kanaal in de ethet van de uitzendimg dan natuurlijk digitaal verbetert over al in nederland onder nap en boven nap minder ruis door de radio
Jens Houben
Biotech is Godzilla - Sepultura
UnknownEvent
hehehe
Kees Mathieu wissink
willem ruis denk