The term German hip hop denotes hip hop music produced in Germany. Elements of American hip hop culture, such as graffiti art and breakdancing, diffused into Western Europe in the early 1980s. The first German hip hop artists emerged in the mid-1980s as part of an underground music scene. Early underground artists included Cora E. and Advanced Chemistry. It was not until the early 1990s that German hip hop entered the mainstream, as groups like Die Fantastischen Vier and the Rödelheim Hartreim Projekt gained popularity. Though some dismiss Die Fantastischen Vier as "pop rappers," it was their music that made hip hop accessible to a broader German audience. Forms of German-language music include Neue Deutsche Welle (NDW), Krautrock, Hamburger Schule, Volksmusik, German hip hop, Schlager and multiple varieties of folk music. ... The electronic music of Germany consists of a number of genres that are popular around the world today. ... Although German rock music (Deutschrock) didnt come into its own until the late 1960s, it spawned many innovative and influential bands spanning genres such as krautrock, New Wave, punk, and industrial. ... Krautrock is a generic name for the experimental music that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s. ... Bavaria has been part of the Alpine New Wave of folk music alongside Switzerland and Austria. ... Cabaret is a form of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue — a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting around the tables (often dining or drinking) watching the performance. ... Volksmusik is a style of traditional music, usually, though not always, with a singer or singers (duets being particularly common), which is highly popular (mainly with older people) in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. ... Schlager (German Schlager, literally something that hits or, more loosely translated, a hit) is a style of popular music that is prevalent in northern Europe, in particular Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Latvia and Lithuania, but also to a lesser extent in France, Belgium and the Netherlands. ... A chorale was originally a hymn of the Lutheran church sung by the entire congregation. ... Mozarts German singspiel The Magic Flute (1791) stands at the head of a German opera tradition that was developed in the 19th century by Beethoven, Weber, Heinrich Marschner and Wagner. ... Adoration, by Peter Paul Rubens. ... The Classical period in Western music occurred from about 1730 through 1820, despite considerable overlap at both ends with preceding and following periods, as is true for all musical eras. ... The era of Romantic music is defined as the period of European classical music that runs roughly from the early 1800s to the first decade of the 20th century, as well as music written according to the norms and styles of that period. ... Lied (plural Lieder) is a German word, literally meaning song; among English speakers, however, it is used primarily as a term for European classical music songs, also known as art songs. ... Oom-pah is an onomatopoeic name for a type of Germanic music typically involving brass instruments. ... The Schuhplattler is a traditional folk dance from Bavaria and Austria. ... Yodeling (or Yodelling) is a form of singing that involves rapidly switching from the chest voice to the head voice making a high-low-high-low sound. ... Media Control GfK International is an enterprise which represents recording industry in Germany. ... A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. ... A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that is evoking and eulogizing the history, traditions and struggles of its people, recognized either by a nations government as the official national song, or by convention through use by the people. ... Das Lied der Deutschen (The Song of the Germans, also known as Das Deutschlandlied, The Song of Germany) has been used wholly or partially as the national anthem of Germany since 1922. ... Denmark is a Nordic country that has long been a center of cultural innovation. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... It has been suggested that Hip hop be merged into this article or section. ... Graffiti (strictly, as singular, graffito, from the Italian — graffiti being the plural) are images or letters applied without permission to publicly viewable surfaces such as walls or bridges. ... A breakdancer performing a one-handed freeze (also known as a pike) in the streets of Paris. ... Underground music is music which has developed a cult following, independent of commercial success. ... Advanced Chemistry are a German hip hop pioneers from Heidelberg. ... Bold textDie Fantastischen Vier also known as Fanta4 is a German hip hop group from Stuttgart. ... The Rödelheim Hartreim Project (Rödelheim Hard-Rhyme Project), for short RHP, was a mid-nineties German rap group from Rödelheim, a part of Frankfurt. ... Pop rap (sometimes referred to as hip pop) is the name given to a style of hip hop that has a strong pop music influences. ...

Throughout the 1990s, hip hop groups established local followings, some of them, such as Sabrina Setlur, achieving national prominence. However, it was the rappers of the "Hamburg scene" who in 2000 led the ascent of hip hop up the German charts. Prominent Hamburg-based groups included Fettes Brot, Absolute Beginner, Dynamite Deluxe, and Fünf Sterne Deluxe. Sabrina Setlur (born January 10, 1974 in Frankfurt) is a German rapper. ... Location Coordinates Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DE6 First Mayor Ole von Beust (CDU) Governing party CDU Votes in Bundesrat 3 (from 69) Basic statistics Area  755 km² (292 sq mi) Population 1,754,317 (11/2006)[1]  - Density 2,324 /km² (6,018... Fettes Brot is a German hip hop group founded in 1992. ... Beginner (formerly Absolute Beginner - note that Beginner is the German plural) is the name of a German rap group from Hamburg, consisting of Jan Eißfeldt, Denyo and DJ Mad Band history The group was founded as Absolute Beginners in 1991, initially with six members: Jan, Denyo, Mardin, DJ Burn... Dynamite Deluxe was a German hip hop group hailing from Hamburg, consisting of the MC Samy Deluxe, producer Tropf and producer/DJ Dynamite (alias Joni Rewind). ... Fünf Sterne Deluxe (Five Stars Deluxe) was a German-language hip-hop band from Hamburg, Germany, founded in mid-1997, consisting of the rappers Das Bo (Mirko Bogojevic) and Tobi Tobsen (Tobias Schmidt), the graphic designer Marcnesium (Marc Clausen), and the disc jockey DJ Coolmann (Mario Cullmann). ...

German hip hop, like much European hip hop, is often derided in the United States. RZA of the Wu-Tang Clan said in 2003 that German hip hop was 10 years behind American hip hop. RZA (IPA pronounciation: //) (born Robert Diggs, July 5, 1969 in Brownsville, Brooklyn, New York, USA) is an American hip hop producer, rapper and actor. ... The Wu-Tang Clan is a New York-based rap group, consisting of nine American rappers. ...

History

1980–1990

Commercialization of American rap and hip hop began in the early 1980s. It soon percolated into Germany through recordings, cinema, and the American soldiers stationed there. Through such films as Wild Style and Beat Street, German youths developed a taste for breakdancing, spraypainting, and freestyling, thus beginning hip hop's first wave of popularity. GLS United was perhaps the first German hip hop group, releasing the first German-language hip hop song "Rappers Deutsch" in 1980. RAP may mean: the IATA airport code for Rapid City Regional Airport Rassemblement pour lalternative progressiste, a Québecois political party. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Wild Style (disambiguation). ... Beat Street (1984) was the second mainstream hip hop dramatic feature film, following Breakin. It was set in New York City during the rise of the popularity hip hop culture in the early 1980s. ... Tagging is a term used in a number of contexts for different purposes, mostly referring to adding a tag of some form. ... The word freestyle is used to describe a sport or other activity where the participant is free to choose a style at will. ...

After this initial wave of popularity, hip hop fans were few and far between. Identifying themselves by their unique clothing, they sought each other out and organized hip hop jams. These parties, hosted at youth centers or at individuals' houses, attracted regional and sometimes national attendance. Early jams were the locus of a nascent German hip hop culture, at which sprayers, breakers, rappers, and DJs convened and exchanged ideas.

Part of the genre's attraction was its foreign origin. Many hip hop fans viewed contemporary German songs, such as those of the Schlager and Neue Deutsche Welle genres, as trite and unoriginal. For this reason, rappers at early jams rapped only in English, and to American beats.

Torch, a member of the Heidelberg-based group Advanced Chemistry, was perhaps the first artist to freestyle in German at a jam. Advanced Chemistry had previously freestyled in English, but they had (unlike other groups) addressed the audience in German between songs. At one jam, Torch, without the prior knowledge of the group, spontaneously began rapping in German. The audience was enthusiastic, not only because they could better understand the rap, but also because they felt more directly addressed. From then on, Torch rapped increasingly in German, writing his first German rhyme in 1988. Advanced Chemistry are a German hip hop pioneers from Heidelberg. ...

After the reunification of Germany in 1990, many Germans saw a growing wave of racism. This became a major theme of German hip hop, partially because many hip hop artists were children of immigrants. German reunification (German: ) took place on October 3, 1990, when the areas of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR, in English commonly called East Germany) were incorporated into the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG, in English commonly called West Germany). The start of this reunification process is commonly referred to...

1990–1995

In the early 1990s, hip hop established itself in the mainstream, and many new rappers emerged on the scene. One such band was Die Fantastischen Vier, four rappers from Stuttgart, whose optimistic sound has brought them fame both in Germany and abroad. They released their first LP Jetzt geht's ab in 1991. Unlike earlier German hip hop groups, Die Fantastischen Vier never played in underground jams, and they did not invoke American "Gangsta Rap" themes. The group was therefore not taken seriously at first. In 1992, however, their single Die Da?! hit the top of the charts. Many in the hip hop community were aghast, because the band had barely no connection to the jam scene, rapped in German about lighthearted topics, and released their music through Sony/Columbia. The latter asset was particularly controversial, as Hip hop culture, both in Germany and the United States, had developed with a distinctly anticommercial edge. By 1992, however, anticommercialism no longer predominated in the American hip hop, and it has since lessened in Germany. Bold textDie Fantastischen Vier also known as Fanta4 is a German hip hop group from Stuttgart. ... City Center seen from Weinsteige Road Solitude Palace The 1956 TV Tower U.S. Army Kelley Barracks Stuttgart (IPA: []) is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

No new Deutschrap (German-language rap) albums made the charts from 1992 until 1995. Underground rap continued to develop, splitting into two the Neue Schule and Alte Schule ("new school" and "old school"). The members of the Alte Schule – many of whom had rapped in the early jams – accused the Neue Schule of not taking hip hop seriously. The Alte Schule, (derived from a groundbreaking compilation record of that name from the independend MZEE-Records Label) which included Cora E., the Stieber Twins, and Advanced Chemistry, had a more political focus that the Neue Schule did not share. One example of politically charged Alte Schule hip hop is Advanced Chemistry's 1992 Deutschrap 12inch Fremd im eigenen Land, (also MZEE-Records) which concerned widespread racism and the plight of disadvantaged immigrants. Another example is the Absolute Beginner song K.E.I.N.E. which criticized the police for being everywhere but where they were needed. Beginner (formerly Absolute Beginner - note that Beginner is the German plural) is the name of a German rap group from Hamburg, consisting of Jan Eißfeldt, Denyo and DJ Mad Band history The group was founded as Absolute Beginners in 1991, initially with six members: Jan, Denyo, Mardin, DJ Burn...

In contrast, the Neue Schule, which included the Fantastischen Vier, Fettes Brot, and Der Tobi und das Bo, sought mainly to produce fun, accessible music. They rapped about less weighty topics, injecting a liberal dose of humor and irony into their songs. Fettes Brot is a German hip hop group founded in 1992. ...

Despite criticism of the Neue Schule, it arguably paved the road for wider acceptance of the Alte Schule. Nonetheless, members of the latter continue to regard the former with disdain.

1995–2000

The years from 1995 to 2000 were a golden age for German hip hop, as the demand surged, and the market was flooded with new records. Hip hop scenes formed in larger German cities, most notably Hamburg, Stuttgart, and Berlin. Location Coordinates Time zone CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2) Administration Country NUTS Region DE6 First Mayor Ole von Beust (CDU) Governing party CDU Votes in Bundesrat 3 (from 69) Basic statistics Area  755 km² (292 sq mi) Population 1,754,317 (11/2006)[1]  - Density 2,324 /km² (6,018... City Center seen from Weinsteige Road Solitude Palace The 1956 TV Tower U.S. Army Kelley Barracks Stuttgart (IPA: []) is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ...

Among the bevy of new Hip Hop releases, new styles emerged that were not easily classifiable as Alte Schule ("oldschool") or Neue Schule ("newschool"). These included Bambule by Absolute Beginner (1998), Fenster zum Hof by the Stieber Twins (1997), Quadratur des Kreises by Freundeskreis (1997), and later Deluxe Soundsystem by Dynamite Deluxe (2000). Beginner (formerly Absolute Beginner - note that Beginner is the German plural) is the name of a German rap group from Hamburg, consisting of Jan Eißfeldt, Denyo and DJ Mad Band history The group was founded as Absolute Beginners in 1991, initially with six members: Jan, Denyo, Mardin, DJ Burn... The Stieber Twins are a duo from Heidelberg, Germany, consisting of the brothers Martin (Marshall Mar, a. ... Freundeskreis also known as FK is a German hip hop group from Stuttgart, whose songs are in German and Esperanto but also in English. ... Dynamite Deluxe was a German hip hop group hailing from Hamburg, consisting of the MC Samy Deluxe, producer Tropf and producer/DJ Dynamite (alias Joni Rewind). ...

Battle Rap and Battlefreestylen emerged as a popular hip hop genre. These were based on the freestyle battles that had long been popular in the United States, in which rappers competed in self-aggrandizement and hyperbolic mockery. Though battle rap was at first strictly a performance art, German hip hop CDs soon included battle rap tracks, many of them directed at unspecified or imaginary foes. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Another genre of hip hop was Polit Rap, which sought to expose social problems both in and outside of Germany. This often blended with Gangsta Rap, which narrated the exploits of thugs in a largely imagined urban ghetto, modelled on inner-city US neighborhoods such as Compton and South Bronx. Many took a dismissive attitude toward German Gangsta Rap, as the sort of ghettos it concerned were a pure fiction in Germany. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Nickname: Location in the state of California County Los Angeles County Government  - Mayor Eric Perrodin Area  - City 26. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ...

2000 to present

The late 1990s saw a dramatic increase in both rappers and fans, the music itself underwent little innovation. The boom ended around 2001, as the rate of new releases sank. The underground scene has once again become a dominant force in German hip hop culture, as it had been in the 1980s. Young aspiring rappers compose beats and texts in their homes, often sharing them over the Internet.

Battle rap has become more popular, led by explicit rappers like Kool Savas and Azad. Rap on political and social themes has continued with groups like Freundeskreis, Advanced Chemistry, Samy Deluxe and Curse. Kool Savas (formerly King Kool Savas (KKS), Juks or Jux) (born February 10, 1975 in Aachen) is a German rapper of Turkish descent. ... Azad is a fictional game played in the Empire of Azad in the book The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks. ... Freundeskreis also known as FK is a German hip hop group from Stuttgart, whose songs are in German and Esperanto but also in English. ... Advanced Chemistry are a German hip hop pioneers from Heidelberg. ... Samuel Sorge (born December 19, 1977 in Hamburg), commonly known as Samy Deluxe, and in the past also as Sam Semilia, Wickeda MC and Big Baus of the Nauf, is a German hip hop artist and producer from Hamburg. ... Curse (born on September 6, 1978 as Michael S. Kurth) is a German rapper from Minden. ...

Several bands have emerged under the Aggro Berlin label. The new "Berlin scene" has a harder, more serious sound than the more established "Hamburg scene." Sido's debut album in 2001 was hailed by many critics as the first real German hip hop album, as it seriously addressed social problems in the violent, anti-authoritarian, and often sexist style that has typified US Hip Hop. Aggro Berlin is an independent German hip-hop record label. ... Sido is the stage name of the Berlin rapper Paul Würdig (born November 30, 1980),an artist whose work is released by the German record label, Aggro Berlin. ...

The Frankfurt-based rapper Azad has ascended into the top 10 with his album Der Bozz. Immigrants like Azad have become increasingly dominant in the German hip hop scene. For other uses, see Frankfurt (disambiguation). ... Azad (born Azad Azadpour) is a German rapper. ...

Currently the most successful rappers in Germany include Bushido, Sido, Samy Deluxe, Kool Savas, and Azad. The "beef," a form of highly publicized, extended rivalry between rappers, has become a prominent feature of German hip hop, as it was several years earlier in the United States. Azad, for example, once accused Sido of insulting his mother, for which, after considerable media fanfare, Sido apologized on TV. Press photo Bushido (September 28, 1978 in Bonn, Germany), born Anis Mohamed Youssef Ferchichi, is a German rapper whose style is strongly influenced by American Gangsta rap. ... SIDO is also an acronym for Small Industries Development Organization in Tanzania. ... Samuel Sorge (born December 19, 1977 in Hamburg), commonly known as Samy Deluxe, and in the past also as Sam Semilia, Wickeda MC and Big Baus of the Nauf, is a German hip hop artist and producer from Hamburg. ... Kool Savas (formerly King Kool Savas (KKS), Juks or Jux) (born February 10, 1975 in Aachen) is a German rapper of Turkish descent. ...

See also

• List of German hip hop musicians

Hip hop musicians : By nationality : German 4000 Advanced Chemistry, multicultural pioneers from Heidelberg who maintained a political and strictly underground stance. ...

Further reading

• Sascha Verlan, Arbeitstexte für den Unterricht. Stuttgart: Reclam, 2000 (Extended Edition 2003)
• Sascha Verlan, Hannes Loh: 20 Jahre HipHop in Deutschland.

Hannibal Verlag, 2000

• Hannes Loh, Murat Güngör, Fear of a Kanak Planet, Hannibal Verlag, 2002
• David Toop, Rap Attack, Hannibal Verlag, 2000

External links

• MZEE.com - biggest website on hip hop in the German speaking internet. News, shop, forums, calendar etc.
• Hiphop.de - German hip hop online magazine and community with a lot of hip hop & rap music blogs and podcasts.
• Rap.de - German hip hop online magazine and community with a famous forum.
• GermanRhymes.de - German hip hop online magazine with News, Interviews, Reviews, Events etc.
  
• Hiphop.eu European hip hop online magazine and community with News, Reviews, Events, ...