Feven

When domestic hip-hop had its commercial breakthrough in Sweden in the mid-'90s, much thanks to Petter, the scene was totally dominated by men. When the search for the big female star eventually got underway, many expected Feven to take that place. Born in Eritrea, she had come to Sweden at the age of four, together with her parents. In high school, she formed the band Shenaniganz together with MCs Nougie, Blues, and Nappy. Feven was also involved in the groups Doughnut$$ and Greenhouse FX, but it was after living in New York for half a year that her career started to gain speed. Returning home, she was the first female MC to be signed by Petter to Bananrepubliken, the leading Swedish hip-hop label. She was also the only female artist featured on the influential collection Sidewalk Headliners. In 2000, Feven released the single "Dom Tio Budorden," which became a big radio hit, and later the same year, the debut album Hela Vägen Ut to mixed reviews. © Lars Lovén /TiVo