Jan Delay

Jan Delay
Jan Delay at Chiemsee Reggae Summer 2013
Background information
Birth name	Jan Phillip Eißfeldt
Also known as	Eißfeldt, Eizi Eiz, Boba Ffett (among others)
Born	(1976-08-25) August 25, 1976 (age 40)
Origin	Hamburg, Germany
Genres	German hip hop, reggae, funk
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1991–present
Labels	Vertigo Berlin
Associated acts	Beginner La Boom Sam Ragga Band
Website	www.jandelay.de

Jan Delay (born Jan Phillip Eißfeldt; 25 August 1976) is a German singer, songwriter, and producer whose stylistic range includes mainly hip hop, reggae, dub and funk. An accomplished solo artist, he became known to the public as a member of the German bands Absolute Beginner and La Boom. He performed with his group 'Disko No.1' at the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Delay was born in Hamburg on August 25, 1976. He attended the bilingual Helene-Lange-Gymnasium from 1986 to 1995. In the 1990s, he became known as one third of the pioneering German hip hop group Beginner. His stage name is a reference to Young Deenay, a pop music act in the 90s: the delay/echo is an important effect in reggae and dancehall music.

Jan Delay's most significant trademark is his somewhat nasal voice. He also frequently changes his stage name depending on his current music style, mood, and collaboration partners. Bald, he often wears a hat and sunglasses.

In 1997, Jan Delay founded his own record label Eimsbush together with partners from the Hamburg hip-hop scene. The label's main goal was to support and guide fresh underground talents and pave their way into the music business without having them "selling out" to the major labels. The label was initiated by the German hip hop scene while it was going through a boom phase in the mid and late 90s, which led to "every Horst [jerk] being allowed to rap if only he can hold up a mic" (Jan Delay, MTV Germany, 2007). As a result, real talent stepped back for fear of being seen as sellouts by the underground hip-hop scene.