Markoolio

by Margaret Reges
In a way, Markoolio is sort of like Sweden's version of Biz Markie. Born in Finland in 1965, Marko "Markoolio" Lehtsolo built his music career on a string of Swedish-language comedy rap hits dealing with hard-hitting topics like parties, girls, and beer consumption. His debut album, Sticker Hart, came out in 1998 and yielded several charting singles, including "Vi Drar Till Fjallen" and "Bira Laten," an ode to beer. Five more albums and numerous television appearances followed over the course of the next decade. Released in 2007, Varsta Plattan featured the hit single "Varsta Schlagern," a comedic duet with Swedish pop star and Melodifestivalen veteran Linda Bengtzing. The album peaked in the Swedish Top Ten that summer.