What brought you into rap?
My big brother got into it [rap] in the early 90’s, listening to The Notorious and acts like Mobb Deep, Nas and Wu-Tang. I couldn’t help but getting pulled in to it since it was spinning in the speakers 24/7. I first got infatuated with a song off of OGC’s Da Storm called No Fear. From that point there was no turning back; I was hooked. It was the honesty of it all, it didn’t sound like anything I’d heard before.

What’s it take to be an emcee from your town?
Well, I don’t view myself as just an MC, but I think it takes here what it does in any other city around the world. Hip-hop is a big youth culture that’s been around for as long as I can remember. So being an MC takes knowledge, style and delivery, maybe here even more so than in the States. For us Europeans it’s an uphill battle every time we say that we’re into hip-hop music. In a way we’re always considered the second best, but that’s about to change.

Describe your rapping style?
I am personal and depictive of what I experience in my surroundings. I always try to spit shit I know people can relate to, there are some things that are just universal for listeners across the world. Everybody wants their music to leave an indentation of some kind. I just try to deliver that special feeling.

Who do you look up to?
I admire people in my immediate surroundings that actually make a difference in my life daily. Real people: my mom, my brother and the rest of my family. Even though relationships aren’t always what they are painted up to be, I learn new things every day. In everything from arguing with my older brother to being on the road with people I don’t know. Regular people are my heroes.

How is hip-hop changing?
Hip-hop was born an ever-changing genre so predicting in which way the sound will go next is pretty much impossible. What I do know is that the whole industry is turning upside-down. The major labels don’t have the same power that they used to. You can have millions of listeners on MySpace or YouTube without having a single track on the radio. This causes a whole new predicament for the majors, but puts the artist in the power position. Often even in an executive position; calling their own shots so to speak.

Where is it going?
It’s going in whatever direction the artists want to take it. Personally, I don’t see any restrictions in the creative process. The taboo of not being an absolutist is dissolving by the minute. This paves way for more artistic freedom. I would have to be Nostradamus to predict where it’s going, the only thing I could possibly know is in which direction Adam Tensta is taking it. My style of music is called Bloc-Pop if you feel the need to put it in a category, but most of the times I just let the music speak for it self instead of telling people what it’s called and what they are supposed to be feeling. “To fit in or not fit in?” that is the question. I don’t really believe in fitting in. I believe in being myself. The reason I want to listen to Kanye West, for example is that I know I’ll get honesty, served straight up. If music ain’t personal I don’t see any reason why I should listen to it. I strive to leave you with the feeling that I couldn’t have mustered to put any more heart into that one track when it fades and stops in your iPod.

What would you rather be – lyrics or a beat?
Ahh…that’s a hard pick. Either can make my day. Both can be so very instant, but also slowly grow on you. Lyrics are powerful, much like beats but since my first love was poetry, I would have to stick with that. Painting feelings with words, I would be a lyric.

What was the goal of your last project and did you attain it?
For 2009 we set out to create a platform for European artists to exhibit their songs and ideas. The blog is called www.mybestfriendismygrind.com and has been running for about two months now. Through continuous work and attainment of contacts and material the blog, has grown to be one of Scandinavia’s largest forum for exclusive music. Not just hip-hop, but also dance music. Mybestfriendismygrind.com will continue to launch artists from this side of the Atlantic and will be an instrumental part of the music scene here in Europe.

What’s the biggest challenge you currently face as an artist?
To find the right people who can understand my vision and help maximize the momentum we’re possessing right now. Being a self-made artist on an independent label raises important questions. Having taken it this far, should we continue being independent or marry with a major? Everybody is promising gold and green forests, trying to convince us to go with them. The challenge is making the right pick.

What’s your strongest selling point?
My strongest selling point, I think is my sound. Some people call it hipster hip-hop, but we call it Bloc-Pop. It’s a hopped up electro and house influenced sound. My live performance rocks. I also think the fact that I was raised in Tensta, Stockholm gives me an edge. I’ve haven’t been shot nine times, but I can tell you what I see when I walk through the projects.

What/who are your influences?
Musically I would have to say Bob Marley, hands down. I grew up listening to that. Even before I understood what he was actually trying to convey. That Johnny Was and Rat Race type of feeling, you know what I mean? Other than that, there’s a long list of artists that have struck that same chord – Deadprez, Outkast and Lupe, to name a few. But also artists like The Prodigy, Kraftwerk and Radiohead. I play videogames, a lot of videogames: Nintendo 8-bit, Supernintento, Nintendo 64, Gamecube, PS3 and of course, Nintendo DS, for the times on the road.

What do you, specifically as an artist, offer hip-hop?
It’s hard viewing yourself with an outsider’s perspective. I can only be me so I guess that’s what I offer. In the studio or on the road, I give it my all, if that’s what you are looking for in an artist you will get value for the time put in. I don’t stand on stage trying to NOT break a sweat, every time I’m up there it might-as-well be the last time, so I make it worth your while.

Tensta is planning on coming stateside very soon and signing with a label so keep an eye and an ear out. For more information on Adam, visit his page HERE.