Linda-Maria Raninen (née Roine),Riiali, Marianne: Kostofantasia auttoi selviytymään kiusaamisesta, Helsingin Sanomat 28 October 2022, pp. A20-A21. Accessed on 27 October 2022. known as Mercedes or Mercedes BentsoKajander-Ruuth, Sanna: Mitä pimeydessä tapahtuu, Ilta-Sanomat 16 September 2022. Accessed on 27 October 2022. (born 1993 in Helsinki, FinlandMercedes Bentso, romanit.fi. Accessed on 27 July 2014.) is a Finnish rapper. Her lyrics deal with substance dependence, violence and discrimination.
Career Raninen became interested in rap music at the age of 15 after listening to Steen1's lyrics, seeing Steen1 as her greatest inspirer. In 2011 the rap artist Pyhimys listened to Raninen at the youth activity centre Happi in Helsinki and asked her to cooperate with him. Raninen dropped out of gymnasium because of Steen1's contact, decided to rid herself of her former circle of friends and started concentrating on creating music. One of her appearances was on a music video by the rap collective GG Caravan.Näytän teille vielä, Helsingin Sanomat 4 April 2013. Accessed on 27 July 2014.
In December 2012 Raninen's first single and video Personal Raineri was published on YouTube, gaining over 20 thousand views in a couple of weeks.Auvinen, Suvi: Ketä sä oot Mercedes Bentso?, Tulva #1/2013. Accessed on 27 July 2014. In spring 2013 she appeared on the second season of Fort Boyard Suomi on Nelonen in the rapper team, along with Pyhimys, Voli and Jari-Pekka Hietsila.He ovat mukana uudessa seikkailusarjassa: Timmejä mimmejä ja suosikkipoliiseja, Iltalehti 6 February 2013. Accessed on 27 July 2014. Raninen's first album Ei koskaan enää was produced by Steen1 and it was published in April 2017.
As well as music, Raninen is interested in acting, and in 2012 she played in the play Jumala on suuri by Veijo Baltzar in the Temppeliaukio Church.Mercedes Bentsolla on monta intohimoa, Helsingin Uutiset 17 September 2013. Accessed on 27 July 2014. After Baltzar was arrested for severe human trafficking and sexual abuse, Raininen made a statement in December 2019 that after the theatre project she had been sexually abused by Baltzar.HS: Räppäri Mercedes Bentso kertoo olleensa yksi kulttuurineuvos Veijo Baltzarin uhreista, Ilta-Sanomat 7 December 2019. Accessed on 7 December 2019. Raninen had written a song called Clare Quilty about the matter in March 2019. The video of the song, published in November 2019, tells a pretty straight story about the cult Baltzar had created.Sundqvist, Janne: Ensimmäinen Veijo Baltzarin uhreista astui julkisuuteen, YLE 7 December 2019. Accessed on 8 December 2019.
The document film about Raninen's life was premiered at the Helsinki International Film Festival in September 2018.Mercedes Bentson tarina kertoo siitä Helsingistä, jolta yritämme ummistaa silmämme, Rumba. Accessed on 28 September 2018.
Private life Raninen is a Romani on her father's side,Kuuntele: Jippu kohtaa sielunsiskonsa Mercedes Bentson, Radio Dei 4 September 2019. Accessed on 9 September 2019. and she also comes from a Kosovo Albanian and Karelian evacuee background.Puustinen, Viljami: Tyttö, joka leikki tulella, Iso numero. Accessed on 10 January 2016. She comes from East Helsinki where she grew up as a child of a single mother.Pälviä, Panu: Tunnetko jo Mustan Barbaarin? Todelliset nuorisoidolit tulevat nyt Itä-Helsingistä, Me Naiset 15 December 2013. Accessed on 9 November 2018. She has spoken openly about the bullying and domestic abuse she had suffered and about her own drug use. In magazine interviews, she has said she had mostly used Subutex, as well as amphetamine, ecstasy and benzodiazepine, the latter being the inspiration for her artist name Mercedes Bentso.Nurmi, Juha: Piriteininä elänyt räppäri Mercedes Bentso: Näin hankin rahat huumeisiin!, Seiska 30 December 2015. Accessed on 28 September 2018.
As a child, Raninen did not have many friends. She dropped out of gymnasium on her first year, when she met her Subutex-addicted boyfriend, who later assaulted her.
Raninen's spouse is the former lifetime prisoner Janne Raninen.Elinkautista istuvasta Jannesta tuli isä vankeuden aikana – "Lapset kärsivät meidän vanhempien tyhmyyksistä", MTV Uutiset 19 October 2016. Accessed on 2 February 2018.
Societal influence Raninen was a member of the Left Youth, supported Li Andersson in the 2014 European Parliament election and appeared on her electoral campaigns.Räppäri mukana eurovaalikampanjassa: "Melkein kuin olisi ehdokkaana itse", Kansan Uutiset 14 February 2014. Accessed on 27 July 2014. She later announced she had resigned from the Left Youth and the Left Alliance on her Facebook page in September 2015. According to the announcement, there was no drama involved in the resignation, instead it was a result of a long premeditation process. According to Raninen, one of the reasons for her resignation was a differing opinion about feminism. Raninen has made an appearance in the "Ihan tavallisia asioita" project initiated by President of Finland Sauli Niinistö, which is intended to attract attention to social exclusion of youths, and she has also appeared on the A-talk discussion program on Yleisradio.Syrjäytettyjen ääni, Tiedonantaja 7 October 2013. Accessed on 27 July 2014.A-studio: Talk — Mikä tekee nuoresta syrjäytyneen?, YLE TV1 13 September 2013. Accessed on 27 July 2014. The Helsinki Societal Academy presented the Societal Knowledge award to Raninen in 2013.Rap-artisti Mercedes Bentso on Yhteiskunnallisen tietoisuuden herättäjä 2013, Helsinki Societal Academy 28 November 2013. Accessed on 27 July 2014.
Discography Albums Ei koskaan enää (2017) Joka ikinen yö (2019)
Singles ”Verikosto” (2015)Verikosto, Beatport. ”Murhaaja” (2016) ”Tuutulaulu” (2017)
Videos "Personal Raineri" (2012)Mercedes Bentso: Personal raineri, YouTube. "Munaton mies" (2015)Mercedes Bentso: Munaton mies, YouTube. "Muutoksen tuulet" (2015)Elinkautinen feat. Mercedes Bentso: Muutoksen tuulet, YouTube. ”Verikosto” (2015)Mercedes Bentso: Verikosto, YouTube. ”Tytöt ei osaa räppää, piste!” (2015)Rauhatäti Tytöt ei osaa räppää, piste! Feat. MC Pyhä Lehmä & Mercedes Bentso, YouTube. "Murhaaja" (2016) "Tuutulaulu" (2017) "Viimeinen koulupäivä" (2018) "Clare Quilty" (2019)
As a featured artist Artist Song Album Other featured artists Year Elinkautinen "Muutoksen tuulet" Taistelutahto 2015 Rauhatäti "Tytöt ei osaa räppää, piste!" Tytöt ei osaa räppää, piste! MC Pyhä Lehmä 2015
Bibliography Venla Pystynen, Linda-Maria Roine, Mercedes Bentso – ei koira muttei mieskään, Johnny Kniga, 2019 Linda-Maria Roine, Mercedes Bentso – Totuus ja tunnustus, Johnny Kniga, 2020 Alviina Alametsä, Linda-Maria Roine, Koulumustelmat: kiusaaminen on väkivaltaa. Helsinki: Johnny Kniga 2022
References
External links Ei koskaan enää – rap-artisti Mercedes Bentson rehellinen tarina, YLE Areena.