Jan Delay

by Jason Ankeny Jan Delay was the reggae alias of Jan Eißfeldt, a founding member of the German hip-hop collective Beginner, famous for his signature lyrical wit and lisping, nasal voice. Born in Hamburg in 1976, Eißfeldt co-founded Absolute Beginners in 1991. Later renamed Beginner, the group first earned notoriety in 1992 when its "K.E.I.N.E." appeared on the Kill the Nation with a Groove mix, followed a year later by their first proper EP, Gotting. In the wake of 1996's breakthrough Flashnizm, Eißfeldt founded his own label, Eimsbush, which quickly emerged as one of the premier imprints in German rap; with 1998's "Liebes Lied," Beginner scored their first German Top Ten hit, solidifying their growing renown by supporting the Beastie Boys on tour. Eißfeldt nevertheless confounded fans and critics alike when he issued the first Jan Delay single in 1999. A reggae cover of the Nena smash "Irgendwo, Irgendwie, Irgendwann," the record was nevertheless well received and a full-length LP, Searching for the Jan Soul Rebels, followed two years later. After reuniting with Beginner for 2003's chart-topping Blast Action Heroes, Eißfeldt resumed his solo pursuits, issuing the second Jan Delay LP, Mercedes Dance, in 2006.