At least once a year, the larger feuilletons declare German hip-hop dead. And at least once a year the feuilleton celebrates what is currently the strongest music genre, as if it had never been declared dead. After the “sleazy children” of Berlin street rap (Aggro Berlin, Bushido), came the “alternatives” (Marteria, Casper), then the renaissance of street rap with people like the arrest warrant. In 2022, OG Keemo’s second record “Mann bites the dog” gave cause for celebration. And even if one can almost always accuse the feuilleton when it comes to current influences, often several years late – the hymns of praise are correct in the case of the Mainzer. OG Keemo not only brings street rap to a very high lyrical level, but presents his album like a kind of movie.
But it’s more than that, especially in times of fast life, it doesn’t seem natural that an artist goes to work with such attention to detail. Musically, of course, the record does not fit into the mainstream. It is perhaps the best piece of contemporary history when it comes to the eternal ambivalence between “staying on the road” and “turning your back on the road”. Karim Joel Martin, that’s OG Keemo’s real name, has made the jump from crime and the dreary blocks with his music: Despite this, this past is a part of him, but there are companions who don’t understand his change. However, these people are still his friends.
In terms of sound, OG’s producer Funkvater Frank digs between Sade and 50 Cent, between jazz and grime, between the golden 90s and newer trap sounds. Thus, the inconsistency in content is also given a suitable soundscape. For many outsiders, German hip-hop may always be dead. “Man Bites Dog” is the best example that with all the commercial moves the genre has seen in recent years, there is still room for versatility. And that this versatility can also be successful: This album stayed at number 2 in the charts for a total of eight weeks, and each of the songs recorded several million streams. If these should be measured values at all with this grandiose art.
Our annual charts were compiled by the music critics of the “Freie Presse”. All reviews at » www.freiepresse.de/alben22
Our annual charts were put together by the music critics of the “Freie Presse”. You can find all previous placements HERE.
www.freiepresse.de/alben22