Huginn plays those weirdly special easy-going autotune hip-hop jams that kind of work in every situation. It’s actually kind of eerie. Anyway, he just dropped his newest track ‘Geimfarar’ in late February, which you can check out on all streaming services. We sat down with him to talk about some of his favourite Icelandic tracks.
Trúbrot – Án þín
This song is one of my all-time favourites. It’s been a part of my life ever since I remember and I love everything about it—the lyrics, the melody and the story behind it. I’ve actually tried doing my own version of it many times, but I’ve just never done it justice. I’ll keep trying! (Eivør’s cover of it, though, is amazing.)
Hjaltalín – Þú komst við hjartað í mér
Legendary. It brings up nostalgia. This song impacted me a lot when I was a “heartbroken” teenager and probably affected the type of music I wanted to make in the future. The pure emotions and honesty in it just speak to me.
Friðrik Dór – Hlið við hlið
Friðrik Dór is the goat, in my opinion. He’s got hits on hits on hits. I think young people are still discovering this song today and I think that will continue. I lived in Denmark when “Hlið við hlið” was released and it blew my mind. I couldn’t get enough and soon even my Danish friends got onto Frikki. I think Friðrik plays a big part in my vibe. It was a huge win for me when we released our song “Einn Tveir” together. A timeless song.
Valdimar – Yfir borgina
“Yfir borgina” is just the perfect song. I was 16 when this song was released, I think, and I’ve listened to it ever since. It can make me feel sad, hopeful, thankful and more. To be honest, I don’t even understand everything he’s saying with his fancy Icelandic, but I wholeheartedly agree with him. I love you Valdimar.
Quarashi – Stun gun
I didn’t know about Quarashi until 2006-7, while I lived in Denmark, but I just remember thinking how cool it was that they were from Iceland. When I started listening to them, I could finally show my friends Icelandic rappers in English and brag about it at school and that did a lot for me. The attitude in this track is very Eminem-like, who was my hero then. If I walked into the classroom with this in my ear, I would feel like I was the man. I might have been the only one that felt it, but it counts! And the song still rocks today.
Huginn. Photo by Art Bicnick.
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