Marco Bliggensdorfer, better known to European rap audiences as Bligg, first emerged in the late '90s as half of the popular hip-hop duo Bligg 'n' Lexx. After a string of successful albums, Bliggensdorfer wasted no time in reappearing as a solo artist, releasing his debut solo record, Normal, in 2001. Bligg's most significant success came the following year with the mixtape-style project Okey Dokey, Vol. 1, which featured some of the German language's best-known rap artists. In the face of rapid growth and stylistic development, German-language rap artists and fans alike continue to look to Bligg as one of the genre's trendsetters and founding fathers. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez