Emerging in the first half of the 1980s, Swedish hip hop originated in the cities of Stockholm and Malmö. Early on, most rappers in Sweden performed in English. Funkalics and The Latin Kings, two very different acts united by their innovative use of the Swedish language, debuted a decade later and paved the way for a second, and bigger, breakthrough for Swedish hip hop. Today, some of the most popular rappers use Swedish, often in different accents.

David Christopher Daniel Wahlgren, better known by the stage name Papa Dee, is a Swedish rapper. His most commercially successful track is his version of the Cat Stevens song "The First Cut Is the Deepest".