Lange Frans and Baas B, alias Frans Frederiks and Bart Zeilstra, are back on top of the Dutch charts with their second number one single âHet Land Vanâ¦â (The Country ofâ¦). The conscious hip-hop duoâs uncompromising approach and commitment to topical material, is borne out once more with their latest offering.
The duo started out as friends in their home town of Diemen in the Netherlands, but went on to form a rap outfit of the same name (or at least pronunciation), D-Men. Their first single, âZoveel Mensenâ (So Many People) came out in 1999, but it was after winning a talent hunt (not incidentally Dutch Idol!) that they began to receive recognition from public and critics alike.
Transforming themselves into Lange Frans & Baas B, they had a huge hit with âMoppie”, (Babe) in 2004 and ended the year with their first number one, âZinloosâ, (Senseless). The song struck a chord with the Dutch public at the time through addressing the epidemic of acts of senseless violence that were sweeping the country. With the murder of Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, a descendant of the great painter, at the hands of an outraged Muslim fundamentalist in an Amsterdam park, Lange Frans and Baas B decided to adjust the lyrics to âZenloosâ, in order to deal more directly with the issues raised by the killing.
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