Cheek

A massively successful artist who helped popularize rap in Finland, Cheek rose from his country's burgeoning hip-hop underground to award-winning, multi-platinum success. In the early 2000s, his laid-back yet insistent delivery led to Top Ten hits like "Avaimet Mun Kiesiin" from 2004's major-label debut album Avaimet Mun Kulmille. By the end of the decade, he had established himself as a true star with a pair of chart-topping albums, 2009's Jare Henrik Tiihonen and Jare Henrik Tiihonen 2. His popularity only grew in the 2010s with albums including 2013's triple-platinum Kuka Muu Muka -- which made him the first artist to have nine songs on the Finnish Singles chart in the same week -- and 2015's Alpha Omega as well as projects like Profeetat, his collaboration with fellow rapper Elastinen. When Cheek retired in 2018, his place as one of Finland's most popular artists and a rap innovator was secure.