Named after an abbreviation of “Mad Conspiracy”, Madcon released their debut single “God Forgive Me” in 2000 on Virgin Records. It wasn’t however until 2002, where the duo featured on the rap duo The Paperboys’ Top 10 hit single “Barcelona”, that Madcon had their first taste of commercial success. The duo subsequently signed with the Paperboys’ label Bonnier Amigo through which they issued their debut full-length “It’s All a Madcon” in 2004. Earning critical acclaim and a Norwegian Grammy, the record catapulted the duo to success, aided by the hit singles “Doo-Wop” and “Infidelity”. Now one of Norway’s most established rap acts, Wode-Mariam and Baqwa became popular TV personalities on the Nordic show “The Voice”, greatly increasing the band's exposure.
Following Baqwa’s appearance and ultimate victory on the Norweigian equivalent of “Strictly Come Dancing”, Madcon issued their sophomore album “So Dark The Con Of Man” in December 2007. Peaking at No. 3 on the Norwegian Albums Chart, and No. 11 on the French, the record proved to be Madcon’s most successful to date. Featured on the album was the international smash hit cover single “Beggin’”, originally performed by Four Seasons. Topping the charts in France, Portugal, Norway, and Russia; where previous releases expanded their exposure nationally, the single introduced Madcon to an international audience.
Madcon’s third full-length, 2009’s “Inconvenient Truth” was the first to have extensive international distribution and peaked at No. 8 on the Norwegian Albums Chart. Two years later the duo issued their fourth full-length “Contraband”, which peaked at No. 2 making it their highest-charting album to date. The album’s lead single “Glow” became a smash hit, being certified 10x platinum status in Norway, and later became the background music for the 2010 Eurovision Flashmob Dance. Subsequent singles included the No. 1 “Freaky Like Me”, “Outrun the Sun” featuring Maad*Moiselle, and “Helluva Nite” featuring Ludacris. The full-length “Contakt” arrived in 2012 peaking at No. 4, followed by the 2013 studio album “Icon”.
Unquestionably the kings of Norwegian hip hop - a thriving scene, I’m sure you’ll agree - Madcon are also a great example of good things coming to those who wait; whilst they’ve always been a huge draw in their homeland, they didn’t achieve genuine worldwide success until their track ‘Beggin’’ - a reworked version of the song by The Four Seasons - was a chart smash in 2008, topping the rankings across Europe, thanks in no small part to its high-profile usage in an Adidas advertising campaign. Since then, they’ve continued to record and tour, and remain one of the most successful acts in the history of Norwegian music. A slew of European festival appearances last year saw the duo flanked by dancers onstage as they ran through sets that spanned their entire career; unsurprisingly, ‘Beggin’ was afforded major prominence, with the pair demanding that the crowd ump for the final chorus. With a turntablist dropping the beats behind them, Tshawe Baqwa and Yosef Wolde-Mariam would make frequent trips into the crowd, interacting with their fans first hand. They haven’t played the UK in a while, though, despite appearing on the first season of The Voice - that might change, though, when their new record is ready to go.