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.

Born Jare Tiihonen on December 22, 1981, in Vantaa, Finland, Cheek began his rap career in 1998 in the southern city of Lahti, where he formed the group Fifth Element in 2000. The following year he released his full-length debut album, Human & Beast, a self-produced English-language effort released independently. His follow-up album, 2002's 50/50, was a half-English, half-Finnish effort that included his first promotional single, "Huligaani," for which a video was filmed. A couple years later, after collaborating with Fifth Element for their 2002 debut album I, Cheek signed with Sony Music and made his major-label album debut with 2004's Avaimet Mun Kulmille. Without any further forays into English-language rapping, Cheek obtained mainstream success: Avaimet Mun Kulmille broke into the Top 20 of the Finnish albums chart. The album spawned a trio of major hit singles, two of which ("Avaimet Mun Kiesiin," "Raplaulajan Vapaapäivä") peaked at number six on the Finnish singles chart, with another ("Avaimet Mun Himaan") peaking at number 16.

Cheek's next album, 2005's Käännän Sivuu, was similarly successful. Once again cracking the Top 20 of the Finnish album chart, it spawned the Top Five hit single "Liiku" featuring Jonna, plus the Top 20 hit "Nostan Kytkintä." For his next album, 2007's Kasvukipuja, Cheek moved from Sony Music to Alarm Entertainment, a newly established division of the Finnish independent rap label Rähinä Records. Another Top 20 hit, the album featured the number one single "Sun täytyy." His second album in association with Rähinä Records, 2008's Kuka Sä Oot, found even greater success, reaching the Top Five of the albums chart and spawning another chart-topping smash hit in "Liekeissä."

Cheek built on this momentum with a pair of albums titled after his birth name. 2009's Jare Henrik Tiihonen featured collaborations with artists including Sini, Lord Est, and Sami Saari. It became his first number one album and featured the chart-topping single "Jos mä oisin sä." Arriving in 2010, Jare Henrik Tiihonen 2, which included cameos by Illi, Mia, and Osmo Ikonen, also hit the number one spot on the Finnish charts and boasted another number one single, "Jippikayjei." Working with contributors including Saari, Yasmine Yamajako, and Jonne Aaron, Cheek returned in 2012 with Sokka Irti. Not only did his seventh full-length become his third consecutive number one in Finland, all five of its singles charted, with the Saari collaboration "Kyyneleet" reaching the top of the chart.

Cheek managed to find even greater levels of success with his next full-length, 2013's Kuka Muu Muka. Certified triple platinum in Finland, the chart-topping album boasted two number one singles ("Jossu," which featured reggae artist Jukka Poika, and "Timantit on Ikuisia"). When the album was released, seven more tracks from it appeared on the Finnish Singles Chart, making Cheek the first artist to have nine charting songs in a single week. The rapper won five Emma Awards for his work on Kuka Muu Muka, including Best Male Soloist. In 2014, a deluxe edition of the album featuring videos and three more songs appeared and reached number three on the Finnish Albums chart. That year, Cheek also made history by selling out Helsinki's Olympic Stadium for a pair of dates at the venue.

Following these landmark accomplishments, Cheek took some time off from music, returning in late 2015 with Alpha Omega. Including features from Nikke Ankara, Kasmir, and Yamajako, Cheek's ninth album was another chart-topper and included the number one single "Sä Huudat." The video for that single won the 2016 Emma Award for Public's Choice -- Music Video, while Cheek won the Public's Choice -- Artist/Band award. That year, the rapper teamed with Ankara, JVG, Elastinen, Kube, and Pete Parkkonen on the single "Me Ollaan Ne, Pt. 2." Cheek and Elastinen then formed the duo Profeetat, debuting with the number one single "Sinuhe" and releasing the 2017 album Profeetat Kävi Täällä. Cheek also issued several solo singles in 2017, including the number one "Sinä Ansaitset Kultaa." That November, he announced he would retire from music the following year and released the single "Enkelit," which also reached the top of the Finnish charts. Along with touring, in 2018 Cheek teamed up with Lukas Leon for the chart-topping single "XTC" and released the number one compilation Timantit on ikuisa, a career-spanning collection of his hits. A year after Cheek played his final show in Lahti, August 2019's Top 20 live album Valot Sammuu: Live documented his farewell concert. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi