Tungtvann consists of MC Jørg-1 and DJ/producer Poppa-Lars, and is a north-Norwegian rap group who pioneered flowing in Norwegian. Jørg-1 had earlier fronted a hip-hop project called Tailormade. The duo formed in Bodø, Nordland, Norway and debuted in 1999 with the EP "Reinspikka hip-hop", which consisted of three tracks and caused major label EMI to gain interest. The following year, the group released "Nord og ned" on this label. The LP's sound was close to classical 90s hip-hop such as Black Moon and Gang Starr.