View source for Madcon

{{Short description|South African-Ethiopian-Norwegian hip hop duo}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{refimprove|date=April 2009}}
{{tone|date=May 2009}}
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{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Madcon
| image = Madcon 02.jpg
| caption = Wolde-Mariam (left) and Baqwa in May 2010
| background = group_or_band
| origin = [[Oslo]], Norway
| genre = {{flatlist|
* [[Electropop]]
* [[dance-pop]]
* [[Hip hop music|hip hop]]
* [[Eurodance]]
}}
| instruments = {{flatlist|
* [[Singing]]
* [[rapping]]
}}
| years_active = 1992–present
| label = {{flatlist|
* Cosmos
* [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
* [[Sony Music|Sony]]
* Nasty Kutt
* Bonnier Amigo Music Norway AS
* [[RCA Records|RCA]]
* [[Republic Records#Universal Republic Records: 2006–12|Universal Republic]]
* [[Warner Music Group|Warner]]
* [[Just Music|Just]]
}}
| website = [http://madconlive.com/ Madcon official website]
| current_members =
* Yosef Wolde-Mariam
* Tshawe Baqwa
}}
'''Madcon''' is a [[Norway|Norwegian]] musical duo formed in 1992 by '''Yosef Wolde-Mariam''' and '''Tshawe Baqwa'''. They have released eight albums as of 2018, and became known for their 2007 cover of the 1967 song "[[Beggin'#Madcon version|Beggin']]" by [[The Four Seasons (band)|The Four Seasons]]. They took their name from the phrase "mad conspiracy".<ref>{{Cite web |date=13 August 2008 |title=Madcon: 'Beggin' |url=https://www.digitalspy.com/music/single-reviews/a122364/madcon-beggin/}}</ref>
==Members==
===Yosef Wolde-Mariam===
Yosef Wolde-Mariam (born August 4, 1978) is an [[Ethiopia]]n-Norwegian TV presenter and rapper. His parents were from Ethiopia and [[Eritrea]].
Wolde-Mariam grew up in [[Grefsen]], Norway with his mother, moving many times, living in [[Røyken]], [[Grønland, Oslo|Grønland]], [[Grünerløkka]], and [[Bekkelaget]].
In 2012, he was a mentor on the Norwegian version of ''[[The Voice (TV series)|The Voice]]'', known as ''[[The Voice – Norges beste stemme|The Voice: Norges beste stemme]]'', broadcast on the "[[TV 2 (Norway)|TV 2]]" Norwegian television channel.<ref>[http://www.kjendis.no/2012/03/15/kjendis/god_torsdag/madcon/the_voice/tv_og_medier/20692729/ Kjendis.no Yosef takker kona Ammina] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151202062553/http://www.kjendis.no/2012/03/15/kjendis/god_torsdag/madcon/the_voice/tv_og_medier/20692729/|date=2015-12-02}} {{in lang|no}}</ref><ref name="aftenposten2">[http://www.aftenposten.no/kultur/musikk/--Na-handler-det-om-oss-6315883.html ''Aftenposten'': Nå handler det om oss!] {{in lang|no}}</ref>
===Tshawe Baqwa===
Tshawe Baqwa (born January 6, 1980, in [[Saarbrücken]], [[West Germany]]) is a [[South Africa]]n-German-Norwegian rapper and TV presenter.<ref name="aftenposten3">[http://www.aftenposten.no/kultur/musikk/--Na-handler-det-om-oss-6315883.html ''Aftenposten'': Nå handler det om oss!] {{in lang|no}}</ref>
In 1994, Baqwa moved to South Africa with his parents when he was 14 years old, in the wake of the [[1994 South African general election|country's first democratic general election]], eventually going back to Norway for a musical career.
In 2007, Baqwa took part and won the third season of the Norwegian dance contest ''[[Skal vi danse?]]'' (lit. "Shall we dance?"), broadcast on "TV 2" Norwegian TV channel: although the judges ultimately favored finalist [[Mona Grudt]], Baqwa won by public vote. He also performed as a voice-over artist in the 2011 film ''[[Rio (2011 film)|Rio]]'', playing the character Nico.
==Career==
Madcon released their first single, "God Forgive Me", in 2000 for [[Virgin Records]], but their first commercial breakthrough came with the hit single "Barcelona" in 2002, which they issued with long-time collaborators [[Paperboys (group)|Paperboys]] on the "Bonnier Amigo" record label, a division of [[Cosmos Music Group]], headquartered in [[Stockholm]], [[Sweden]].
In 2004, the duo released their first official album, ''It's All a Madcon'', through AA-Recordings/Bonnier Amigo label, for which they won a Norwegian Grammy and several other awards.
In 2005, Madcon became a TV personality on the Nordic music channel "The Voice" while working on their music in the studio{{citation needed|date=June 2012}}. The show "The Voice of Madcon", a behind-the-scenes look at the duo, was a great success for both Madcon and the network.
In the autumn of 2007, Baqwa was invited to take part in the popular TV talent show ''[[Skal vi danse?]]'', the Norwegian version of ''[[Strictly Come Dancing]]'', eventually winning that year's series, the third season of the TV program{{citation needed|date=June 2012}}. Their second album, ''So Dark, The Con of Man'', was released on December 3, 2007: in the United Kingdom, it reached number 137 on the album charts, and in Norway was certified gold in 3 hours and platinum in 3 days. The LP featured the soul singer [[Noora Noor]] and their friends "Paperboys" on two songs{{citation needed|date=June 2012}}.
In 2007, the duo released a cover version of the 1967 song "[[Beggin']]" by [[The Four Seasons (band)|The Four Seasons]], earning the group several #1 chart positions in France, Portugal, Norway, and Russia and a global position of #2 on the European [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] chart. This version of the song reached also gold sales in the United States. In addition, they achieved 9× platinum in Norway and were No. 1 on the official Norwegian sales charts for 12 weeks, making "Beggin'" one of the biggest hits of all time in Norway. This cover of the song was created by ''3Elementz'' (now [[Element (production team)|ELEMENT]]), who also produced the eponymous single of the album, "So Dark, The Con of Man".
Madcon led the World Music Awards on November 10, 2008, and won the World's Best Selling Norwegian Artist Award. After several negotiations, their label Bonnier Amigo signed a licensing agreement with [[Sony BMG]] for Central Europe, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, with [[Universal Republic]] in the U.S., with [[Warner Music]] in Spain, and with [[Just Music]] in South Africa. Madcon has also hosted the Norwegian version of ''[[Don't Forget the Lyrics!]]'', ''Kan du Teksten?'', on the Norwegian television channel "[[TV 2 (Norway)|TV 2]]".
The duo's third album, ''Inconvenient Truth'', was released all over Europe in early-to-mid 2009 and was also produced by "ELEMENT"; the group also saw other major releases, including in the U.S., Japan, and Australia.
Madcon performed their song "Glow" as the background of the "Eurovision 2010 Flashmob Dance", broadcast in the [[Eurovision Song Contest 2010]] interval act. The single became one of the biggest hits of all time in Norway, reaching more than 10× platinum status in Norway and the same certification in Germany; also this recording was produced by ELEMENT.<ref>{{cite web |title=ELEMENT |url=http://www.elementmusicworld.com |access-date=April 26, 2015}}</ref> They reached platinum status also with their 2010 hit single "[[Freaky Like Me]]", featuring [[Ameerah (singer)|Ameerah]] and produced by Dutch musician '''DreamRoc'a''', also known as '''Sha Arjang Shishegar''' or [[Tjeerd Oosterhuis|TJ Oosterhuis]]; "Freaky Like Me" is the group's third biggest international hit.
In 2011, the duo was awarded the International Band of the Year during the "ESKA Music Awards 2011" in [[Poland]].<ref>{{cite web |date=May 29, 2011 |title=Alexis Jordan received the first prize |url=http://www.ema.eska.pl/ |access-date=May 29, 2011}}</ref>
In 2012, Madcon was referred to as "moccha men" during the ceremony of [[Spellemannsprisen]], a Norwegian award for musicians; the comment was apparently made as an inoffensive joke, but was perceived as racist at some level. They wrote on "SoMe" the next day that the case had now been settled and closed.<ref>https://www.nettavisen.no/livsstil/spellemann-skandalene-overraskende-klining-rasismeanklager-og-nakensjokk/s/5-95-457377. [[Nettavisen]].no</ref> In 2012, Wolde-Mariam was a mentor on the Norwegian version of ''[[The Voice (TV series)|The Voice]]'', known as ''[[The Voice – Norges beste stemme|The Voice: Norges beste stemme]]'', a TV program also broadcast on TV 2.
In 2015, Madcon released the song ''[[Don't Worry (Madcon song)|Don't Worry]]'' featuring [[Ray Dalton]].
===Films and television series featuring Madcon's cover of "Beggin'"===
Madcon's cover of the song "Beggin'" was also used in the movies ''Step Up 3'', ''Street Dance 3D'', ''Just Go With It'', and the theatrical trailer for ''Bad Teacher''. It was sung by Philip Phillips on ''American Idol'' in 2012 and by Bill Downs and Max Milner in the battle rounds of ''[[The Voice UK]]'' series 1.<ref>{{cite web |date=April 21, 2012 |title=Bill Downs Vs Max Milner: Battle Performance |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00rb9rb |access-date=April 26, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://thevogue.com/artists/madcon/ | title=Madcon – the Vogue }}</ref>
In 2021, Madcon appeared on the Norwegian [[television series]] ''[[Exit (Norwegian TV series)|Exit]]'' during the 7th episode of the second season, portraying a musical duo invited to play at an open-air party. They are heard performing, among other songs, their cover of "Beggin'".
==Musical styles==
[[File:Madcon Eska Music Awards 2011 by Piotr Drabik.jpg|thumbnail|Madcon at Eska Music Awards 2011]]
Madcon describes their musical style as a retro-urban mix with influences from [[Soul music|soul]], [[funk]], and [[hip hop]], with additional elements from [[African music|African]], [[Latin music (genre)|Latin]], and [[reggae]] music.<ref>[https://www.myspace.com/madcon "Madcon Official Myspace page"] Retrieved on 31 October 2010</ref>
==Discography==
{{Main|Madcon discography}}
* ''It's All a Madcon'' (2004)
* ''[[So Dark the Con of Man]]'' (2007)
* ''[[An InCONvenient Truth]]'' (2008)
* ''[[Contraband (Madcon album)|Contraband]]'' (2010)
* ''[[Contakt]]'' (2012)
* ''[[Icon (Madcon album)|Icon]]'' (2013)
* ''Contakt Vol. 2'' (2018)
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
{{commons category|Madcon}}
* [http://www.madconlive.com/ Official site]
* [https://www.discogs.com/artist/Madcon Discogs page]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111022014906/http://www.dailymusicguide.com/Reviews/review-21072008-2026.aspx Daily Music Guide "Beggin'" review]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111023133901/http://www.dailymusicguide.com/Reviews/madcon-liar-single-review-sony-bmg-bonnier-21012009-0122.aspx Liar (single) review]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RK6W-kBk5LA Glow (Their single performed during the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest) ]
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{{Succession box|
| before=[[Fuerzabruta]]
| title=[[Eurovision Song Contest]]<br>Final interval act
| years=[[Eurovision Song Contest 2010|2010]]
| after=[[Jan Delay]]
}}
{{S-end}}
{{Madcon}}
{{World Music Award for Best Selling Scandinavian Artist}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Norwegian hip hop groups]]
[[Category:Norwegian synthpop groups]]
[[Category:Norwegian electronic music groups]]
[[Category:Norwegian dance music groups]]
[[Category:Norwegian pop music groups]]
[[Category:World Music Awards winners]]
[[Category:Spellemannprisen winners]]
[[Category:Bonnier Amigo Music Group artists]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1992]]
[[Category:1992 establishments in Norway]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Oslo]]
[[Category:Hip hop duos]]
[[Category:Norwegian musical duos]]