Die Fantastischen Vier

Die Fantastischen Vier, also known as Fanta 4, are a German hip-hop group from Stuttgart, formed by rappers Smudo, Thomas D and Michi Beck alongside producer And. Ypsilon, with roots going back to an earlier project called Terminal Team in the mid-1980s. They emerged in the early 1990s as the first commercially successful German-language rap act, at a time when hip-hop in Germany was still largely sung in English.

Their breakthrough single «Die da!?!» became a defining moment for German-language hip-hop, proving that rap could work in German and reach a mainstream audience. Songs like «MfG (Mit freundlichen Grüßen)», «Sie ist weg», «Tunnel», «Troy» and «Zusammen» further cemented their sound, which blends playful, tongue-in-cheek wordplay with polished pop-rap production, occasionally crossing into rock textures.

Over more than a decade of studio albums, Die Fantastischen Vier have sold millions of records and remained one of the most consistently visible acts in German popular music, influencing generations of German-speaking rappers while keeping their original lineup intact since 1989.