May 17 is Norway’s National Day (Syttende mai), and it’s a good time to introduce two of the country’s treasures—and a new export. Meet HC and Subaru, the 22-year-old rappers known as Bygdetrapen.
The duo are creating a hypnotic new style within the trap and SoundCloud scene by adding a bit of country flavor. Not country and western, but rooted in a place where Vikings, not cowboys, once roamed.
HC in Norwegian nature.
Photo: Courtesy of Elias Ciaran Hein / @eliasciaran
Bygdetrapen means “rural trap.” HC and Subaru live in Bø, an agricultural town about two hours southwest of Oslo, in Norway’s Telemark region, where skiing is said to have started. “It’s kind of like the Kentucky of Norway,” Subaru says on a Zoom call. In that area, where the main attractions include a water park, auto body shops, and wooden churches, there’s a local youth car culture. Known as råning or rægging, it involves cruising in a circle for hours while blasting music and partying. But the most unique thing about Telemark is the local dialect, which is said to keep elements of Old Norse. Subaru describes it as “a heavy, deep, rumbly accent” and “the least cool accent ever.”
Subaru in the woods.
Photo: Courtesy of Elias Ciaran Hein / @eliasciaran
Bygdetrapen loved the idea of using that sound in a genre so tied to city life. “We thought it would be cool to make this kind of hard hip-hop in this weird dialect that doesn’t really have anything to do with hip-hop at all,” Subaru explains.
HC, who is soft-spoken in regular conversation, brings that dialect to life with a sharp, commanding delivery—part drill sergeant, part machine. But it’s worth noting that Bygdetrapen don’t use autotune; they prefer the raw, rough edges of their own voices. “My father has always spoken the dialect,” HC says. “When I found my voice and how I wanted to rap, I imagined myself rapping the way my dad speaks.” Subaru’s sound, on the other hand, is warmer and softer. “You could say my voice is more boyish or less masculine, maybe. For Norwegian people, I have a kind of childish tone.”
The duo, friends since sixth grade, have been making music together for about three years (they also have solo projects). They started gaining attention in January with the release of “Arctic Cat.” The song and its relentless, driving beat were inspired by a visit to a gas station in a remote town, where Arctic Cat T-shirts were for sale. (Arctic Cat is a popular snowmobile brand.) “It sparked memories for us,” Subaru says.
Blinding talent: Subaru and HC.
Photo: Courtesy of Benjamin Vik / @benni_vik
Just as Bygdetrapen use the local sound, they’ve also adapted the local style. “We use a lot of neon reflectors and camouflage because we’re from places where people normally wear that,” Subaru explains. “We really want to push that because it’s the opposite of what’s cool in hip-hop.” The duo favor Swedish brands Blåkläder and Biltema, and they like shopping at cheap-workwear.com. They’ve also started covering their faces with balaclavas and ski goggles.
But even behind masks, Bygdetrapen are quickly gaining fame. They released Mixtape, their first album, on the first Monday in May. Subaru is its main producer, though five other talents, including Swedes Gud (Carl-Mikael Göran Berlander) and Woesum (Arthur Carl Nyquist), also contributed. “They’re doing something new that I’ve never heard before,” Woesum says. “I’m a big fan of their production and the direction they’re taking their music. I think they can go a long way, and when they asked me to work with them, it felt like a no-brainer.”
The album has a distinctly masculine energy, with a broad soundscape that evokes different moods.The songs explore different scenes and emotions. “Vreimsida” has a folk-like, carnival atmosphere, while the bell-like sounds in “Ettan Lus” sparkle like snow. That brightness contrasts with the wild, carnivalesque energy of “Kobra,” which feels like a carousel spinning out of control. Even though it wasn’t originally planned as an album, the tracks fit together like a sonic puzzle. “I think the album is very direct—there are no breaks,” Subaru says. “Most of the songs don’t have an intro. It’s kind of like, cut the crap.”
Last weekend, at the invitation of Suieverse—a group that organizes underground trap hip-hop events—HC and Subaru played their first show at the Munch Museum in Oslo. About 500 people showed up. “We chose Bygdetrapen because they bring something to the scene that no one has ever seen before,” said Suie Le, one of the collective’s three founders. “They rap in their dialect, about their culture and where they’re from, doing their own thing and sticking to it… People all over the world are listening to their songs, even in Norwegian. Listeners don’t even need to understand the words to know this is legendary.”
Bygdetrapen performing at the Munch Museum in Oslo. It was their first concert. They’ll be playing in Stockholm in June and at the Balestrand, Bergtatt, Jeløya, and Bygdalarm festivals in Norway this summer.
Photo: Courtesy of Suie Le / @suiele
Wearing their signature reflective gear, the duo performed on a stage dominated by a life-size inflatable Toyota Hiace. (“A Toyota Hiace is much cooler than a Porsche—it’s something real from the countryside, a car you can actually use for work,” Le explained in an email.)
Subaru
Photo: Courtesy of Benjamin Vik / @benni_vik
HC
Photo: Courtesy of Benjamin Vik / @benni_vik
HC
Photo: Courtesy of Benjamin Vik / @benni_vik
HC and Subaru
Photo: Courtesy of Benjamin Vik / @benni_vik
In a world flattened by digital technology and globalization, HC and Subaru insist on keeping things personal and hyper-local. They name songs after friends and weave inside jokes into their lyrics. “Our stuff is really only meant to be understood by a few hundred people who know the area we’re from,” Subaru notes. “Most people in Norway don’t know what we’re talking about because we reference a lot of small towns and people from our area. We rap about our experience as citizens of this small, rural place.”
“The whole goal,” he continues, is to “just make something that doesn’t exist. I think it’s hard to do something new. You have to be willing to maybe sound stupid or whatever. You have to…”
“Just don’t really give a fuck,” HC jumps in. “Be completely free and forget that there are any rules. Do whatever you think is cool and fun.”
Bygdetrapen released their debut album, Mixtape, on the first Monday in May.
Photo: Courtesy of Elias Ciaran Hein / @eliasciaran
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about the rap duo Bygdetrapen and their hit song Forget Oil written in a natural conversational tone
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 Who is Bygdetrapen
They are a Norwegian rap duo from a rural area They became famous for their funny catchy songs about life outside the big city
2 What is the song Forget Oil about
Its a satirical song that jokes about Norways obsession with oil The duo basically says Forget oil lets just have fun eat brown cheese and party in the countryside instead
3 Why is the song so popular
Its incredibly catchy has a hilarious music video and it makes fun of a serious topic in a way that everyone can laugh at It became a viral hit across Norway
4 Is Forget Oil a serious political statement
No not really Its a comedy song While it touches on the debate about Norways future without oil the main point is to be entertaining and overthetop not to offer a political solution
5 Why are they being called a national treasure
Norwegians love selfdeprecating humor Bygdetrapen perfectly captures the spirit of the Norwegian countryside and makes fun of city stereotypes The song became a shared joyful national moment so people jokingly gave them that title
Advanced Deeper Questions
6 What does Bygdetrapen mean literally and why is the name important
It translates to The Countryside Trap Trap refers to the music genre but it also implies being trapped in the boring countryside The name perfectly sets up their image rural kids making modern urbanstyle music
7 How does Forget Oil play on Norwegian stereotypes
It heavily features brown cheese snow scooters and exaggerated rural life The lyrics contrast the highstakes world of oil trading with simple lowstakes country pleasures mocking both the city elite and the rural hick image