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Frenkie

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Frenkie
Frenkie, Bosnian rapper in a navy jacket, standing before a colorful blurred background.
Frenkie, influential Bosnian hip-hop artist
Background information
Birth nameAdnan Hamidović
Also known asFrenk the Tenk, Frenkoza, Frenkzilla, Charlie, Frenkie Veličanstveni
Born (1982-05-31) 31 May 1982 (age 42)
Bijeljina, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
GenresHip hop
OccupationRapper
Years active1997–present
LabelsFMJAM, Menart, Hayat Production, Universal Music

Adnan Hamidović (born May 31, 1982), better known by his stage name, Frenkie, is a Bosnian rapper[1] from Tuzla. His music often addresses the political situation in Bosnia,[2] and also encompasses traditional hip-hop themes such as rap battles and pop culture. As of 2022, he has released seven full-length albums: "Odličan CD" (2005), "Povratak Cigana" (2007), "Protuotrov" (2009), "Troyanac" (2012), "Putanja" (2016, recorded in Berlin), "Egzil" (2017, recorded in Tokyo), "20/20" (2019, recorded in Los Angeles), and "Stari Frenkie" (2021). He has also released extended plays "Pokreni se" (2008), "DNA" (2015, with Billain), and a Bosnian-only album, "DOSTA" (2006).[3]

Frenkie is a member of the crew Disciplinska Komisija, which includes Edo Maajka, HZA, Kiing Mire and Dj Soul. As of 2016, he performs with his producer Indigo and the Sarajevo-based rapper Kontra.

Personal life and career

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Early life

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Adnan Hamidović was born on May 31, 1982, in Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina where he lived until 1992, when the Bosnian War began. After escaping the war, he and his family settled in Nürnberg, Germany until 1998. While in Germany, he discovered hip-hop culture, diving into both rap and graffiti. Influenced heavily by German hip-hop, he began writing lyrics in German, a stylistic imprint that remained with him throughout his career. Upon returning to post-war Bosnia in 1998, he moved to Tuzla, where he continued his work in graffiti art — becoming one of the pioneers of hip-hop-inspired street art in the country’s post-conflict landscape.

Early career

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In 1999, he worked with the founders of FMJam from Radio Kameleon, DJ Soul and Erol, as part of the group Prljavi Anđeli (Dirty Angels). The group released their first hip-hop demo singles during this period.

Later that year, Disciplinska Komisija (DK) was formed. The original lineup consisted of Edo Maajka, Frenkie, Hamaz, Mire, Koma, and DJ Soul. Edo Maajka released his debut album "Slušaj Mater" and embarked on a tour, with Frenkie participating in some performances. Frenkie also contributed to two tracks on Edo Maajka's second studio album, ."No Sikiriki".

Recent activity

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Frenkie's first album, "Odličan CD", was released in 2005 and included the singles "Bruce Lee Rap" with Baby Dooks and "Raise" with Defence. Frenkie's second album, "DOSTA!", featuring his beat maker King Mire from Brčko, was released in June 2006 and was dedicated to the movement of the same name. Singles from the album include:

  • "Rat Savezu," dedicated to the Bosnian Soccer Fans "BHFANATICOS" in their fight against the Bosnian Football Federation; Frenkie released a video clip for this song.
  • In 2007, radio station 202 was fined 5,000 euros by the Bosnian organization RAK for Frenkie's single "Mr. Policeman," a song about corrupt police forces. [citation needed] He also released a video for "Mr Policeman." After the fine, Frenkie released a song in response to RAK on FMJam called "Massiv", which criticizes and mocks the institution.

The title track of his album, "Povratak Cigana" (2007), was released as its first single on FMJam's website and features Hamza, Frenkie's longtime friend. [citation needed]

In addition to his solo work, Frenkie has been featured on many Disciplinska Komisija songs such as "America 2" and "Ustaj", and on Edo Maajka's albums on "Ozezi", "Ne-Mo-Zes" and "Stvoren Za Rep".

In the summer of 2008, Frenkie's song 'Soundtrack' (from the album Odličan CD) was used in the 2008 Marvel Studios film The Incredible Hulk. The song appeared in a cab driving scene featuring Edward Norton and Liv Tyler. [4]

Frenkie recorded a song with Masta Ace called "Živili." It was released on Frenkie's 2009 album Protuotrov.

Frenkie is part of the Diversidad crew. "Diversidad: A Unique European Urban Experience" has a collective album featuring twenty rappers, beat-makers and DJs, including Frenkie. [5]

To mark the 10th anniversary of his debut album, Frenkie released the compilation album "Reexperience," which featured his greatest hits as well as new and remixed songs.

In September 2016, Frenkie, Kontra and producer Indigo released a collaborative album entitled "Putanja." The album was recorded in Red Bull Studios in Berlin and entirely produced by Indigo. [citation needed]

On September 10, 2019, Frenkie presented his new book "Koraci (Steps)" at a public forum in the reading rooms of City Library of Zenica, as part of the fourth dokuMfest (a Bosnian festival of documentaries).[6] He also released a book called "Lack-Made in Bosnia," which documents his graffiti career.[7]

On November 8, 2019, Frenkie announced a new album entitled "20/20" (made in collaboration with Kontra and Indigo in Los Angeles based Red Bull Music Studios / Red Bull Camp Stewart);[8][9] it was released on December 20, 2019[10] and marked the 20th anniversary of FMJam crew's existence.[8] "20/20" features 12 songs, videos, and a short documentary, and is the third joint project between Kontra, Indigo, and Frenkie, following Berlin and Tokyo.[9] James Musshorn mastered the album, and Henry D'Ambrosio was the studio engineer.[9] Recording finished on October 1, 2019. [11] The crew departed for the United States on September 8, 2019 from Spain, where they held their first concert in Lloret de Mar.[12] This day was described as the beginning of the new album project.[13]

Discography

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Year Title Label Certification Singles
2005 Odličan CD Menart/Fmjam Platinum "Raise", "Bruce Lee Rap"
2006 DOSTA! Menart/Fmjam N/A "Mr. Policeman", "Rat savezu"
2007 Povratak Cigana Menart/Fmjam 2× Platinum "Povratak cigana", "Ja ne znam", "Prepoznaj"
2008 Pokreni se Menart/Fmjam N/A "Pokreni se"
2009 Protuotrov Menart/Fmjam Platinum "Tebi", "Haj to"
2010 Featuring mixtape Menart/Fmjam N/A N/A
2011 Diversidad - The Experience Album N/A N/A N/A
2012 Troyanac N/A N/A N/A
2014 #DNA N/A N/A N/A
2015 Reexperience N/A N/A N/A
2015 Putanja N/A N/A N/A
2017 Egzil N/A N/A N/A
2019 20/20 Red Bull Camp Stewart N/A N/A

Filmography

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Documentaries

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  • Who the Fuck is Frenkie (released with his album Protuotrov, 2009)
  • Soul Train (released 2015)

References

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  1. ^ "Balkan rappers speak out on peace and justice". Reuters. 24 November 2006. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
  2. ^ "Bosnians say 'enough' to politics". BBC News. 4 June 2006. Retrieved 4 November 2009.
  3. ^ "Frenkie Discography page". Discography. 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  4. ^ The Incredible Hulk (2008) - Soundtracks - IMDb. Retrieved 2025-04-09 – via www.imdb.com.
  5. ^ Jost, Matt (2025-04-08). "Diversidad :: The Experience Album – RapReviews". Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  6. ^ "Dokumfest 2019 u znaku Zenica Bluesa, Orgazma, Kreslina i Indexa -". September 3, 2019. Archived from the original on 2022-04-01.
  7. ^ "Fm Jam predstavlja: Nova graffiti knjiga "Lack – Made in Bosnia" – FMJAM.com". www.fmjam.com. Archived from the original on 2024-09-11. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  8. ^ a b "Kako je Fm Jam od "kućne varijante" stigao do studija u Los Angelesu". www.klix.ba.
  9. ^ a b c "Frenkie, Kontra i Indigo podijelili utiske nakon snimanja albuma u Los Angelesu". www.klix.ba.
  10. ^ Frenkieofficial's status on Facebook
  11. ^ Frenkieofficial's status on Facebook
  12. ^ "Facebook Homepage". Facebook.
  13. ^ redbull.com
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