Hip-hop has proven to be one of music's most customizable and popular genres around the world, with both beats and bars that reflect the unique characteristics of an artist's background. In this series, we'll follow the genre around the world, showcasing how hip-hop has been brought to life in different regions, countries, and cultures.
In Germany, the summer of 2019 will go down in history as the tipping point for hip-hop. The genre (called Deutschrap at home) has been going strong since the early '90s, but the past two years have seen it rise sharply to become a chart-dominating force, laying claim to no fewer than half of this past summer's top 10 hits.
That newfound cultural currency isn't limited to the charts: Spotify's dedicated German hip-hop playlist Modus Mio has more than 1 million followers. A two-city live version of Modus Mio last year showcased the enthusiasm and camaraderie of today's rising German rappers, with Nura (who released her colorful, confident debut solo album this year) memorably stage diving during pop-savvy headliner RIN's set. She then collaborated onstage with both Jamaica-influenced MC Trettmann and rapper, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Bausa, whose slinky 2017 single Was du Liebe nennst stayed atop the German singles charts for eight straight weeks.
A second Modus Mio Live will come to Dortmund on December 14, assembling six of the top artists from the playlist: cloud-rap breakout Ufo361 (who has nearly 4 million monthly listeners), quicksilver female MC Juju, unflappable Deutschrap veteran Summer Cem, new-school gangsta rapper Azet, polished chart mainstay Apache 207, and the hard-bitten yet charismatic Kalim. The variety captured in that cross-section alone shows the healthy range of German hip-hop today.
The playlist's success has also spawned a podcast, Vor der Mio, in which journalist and broadcaster Salwa Houmsi interviews some of Modus Mio's most popular artists in the places where they grew up. Houmsi, a half-German, half-Syrian activist who also DJs, has interviewed Juju in Berlin-Neuk lln, Summer Cem in M nchengladbach, and the street rapper Olexesh in Kiev (among others) since launching the podcast in July.
The podcast's premise is no accident: the different cities and specific neighborhoods where rappers came up are every bit as important to them as the wider cultural heritage of their families. Each urban district or regional town has its own vivid identity within German culture, and the bonds of friendship formed in those early days often stay strong across a lifetime.
Case in point: R sselsheim, in the country's southwest, is a six-hour drive from Berlin yet provides a continuing source of inspiration to proud native MERO, who broke through with short social media videos before topping the German and Austrian charts with his 2018 debut single Baller los. It's always affected me a lot, he says of his home city and, specifically, its Digger Busch district. All [the] people I am on tour with today are from there. We grew up together as a family.
For Kalim, who raps often about daily life in his native patch of Hamburg, the creative impact of one's longtime surroundings can't be overstated. My city influences my music very much, he says, citing his home district as a great source of inspiration for his lyrics. If I had grown up just one district [away], my music would not be the same today.
When RIN, who headlined the first Modus Mio Live last year, was asked about the rap scene in his home city of Stuttgart in a 2017 interview, he said that the town's lack of an existing scene left him and his collaborators to build their own from scratch. So even the would-be musical absences of a given place can have an empowering effect on a young or future rapper coming of age there.
That strong bond between rappers and where they come from also resonates with Germany's large crop of artists of international origins. Turkish by heritage, MERO scored a hit this year with Olabilir, a track with Turkish and German lyrics. Likewise, Summer Cem's 2018 track Tamam Tamam brandishes a few Turkish words in the hook.
Other artists with migrant backgrounds include German rapper Capital Bra, who pays homage to his Russian roots during the hook of the 2018 track Berlin lebt. There's also Eno, a rapper of Kurdish descent, who calls back to his heritage musically on 2018's Cane Cane, while Farid Bang musically embraces his Moroccan and Spanish heritage on this year's Maghreb Gang.
The German hip-hop sound that evolved over the last two years is a unique movement led by artists with [a migrant] background-similar to movements in Italy, the Netherlands, [and] France, says Head of Music for Germany, Switzerland and Austria, Maik Pallasch. It's great to see the rise of all these artists, and particularly the spotlight put on the cultural variety in our society.
Despite being from all over the world, most of today's young German rappers perform primarily in German. All the most-streamed hip-hop artists in Germany are rapping/singing in German, says Maik. It's easier to explain yourself in your own language and transport what you mean and feel in your lyrics. From there, they usually mix in their local dialect with choice slang terms to create songs that are bouncy melting pots for the ears.
The desire for these artists to both honor their roots and find inspiration in their current whereabouts makes sense. After all, from its birth in New York City's Bronx four decades ago to its current mainstream clout in Germany, hip-hop has always hinged on rappers communicating who they are and where they're from. Kalim underscores that idea by likening his work to long-lasting images, emphasizing that his creative evolution-like tha
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
03/03/2026
For many, finding time or headspace to pick up a book can feel out of reach, but...
03/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Realtek demonstrate first test solution for Bluetooth LE Hi...
03/03/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
03/03/2026
Luxembourg, 2 March 2026 -- SES S.A. fully consolidates Intelsat from 17 July 2025 and announces financial results for the year ended 31 December 2025
FY25 Pe...
03/03/2026
RT is proud to support a rich and diverse programme of arts and cultural events taking place across Ireland throughout March 2026. This month brings a remarkab...
03/03/2026
03 Mar 2026
VEON and MeetKai Expand Collaboration to Explore Sovereign AI Infra...
03/03/2026
Tuesday 3 March 2026
Sky releases official trailer for The Miniature Wife, a Sk...
03/03/2026
Tuesday 3 March 2026
Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac land first ever live commentary ...
03/03/2026
Tuesday 3 March 2026
The Dyers' Caravan Park reopens for a second season after a hit launch on Sky
The Dyers' Caravan Park
JPEG (510KB)
Sky books a ...
03/03/2026
Harmonic's cOS Virtualized Broadband Platform Simplifies Network Operations, Lowers Hardware Dependency and Enables Seamless DOCSIS and Fiber Growth SAN JO...
03/03/2026
Comscore to Announce Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial ResultsRESTON, VA, March 3, 2026 Comscore, Inc. (Nasdaq: SCOR), a trusted partner for plannin...
03/03/2026
Self-taught on iMovie, Hanagami transitioned to Final Cut Pro in 2009, discovering that professional tools could give him full creative control over how his wor...
03/03/2026
RT Media Sales has announced Spry Finance has renewed it's sponsorship of M...
02/03/2026
Rohde & Schwarz demonstrates FR1-FR3 carrier aggregation, advancing 6G readiness Rohde & Schwarz and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. have reached another pivotal ...
02/03/2026
aconnic AG (ISIN: DE000A0LBKW6), Munich, and Arqit Quantum Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQQ, A...
02/03/2026
Luxembourg, February 26, 2026 - SES and Africa Mobile Network (AMN) have expande...
02/03/2026
Monday 2 March 2026
Saturday Night Live UK announces writing team
L-R: Jonno Johnson; Charlie Skelton; Celya AB; Omar Badawy; Gr inne Maguire; Laura Claxton; ...
27/02/2026
Since its inception, Gorillaz has been known for blending art with genre-bending...
27/02/2026
This week, Spotify introduced Audiobook Charts for the U.S. and U.K. The charts make it easy to discover your next favorite book by showing what's popular a...
27/02/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Viasat to collaborate on NB-NTN IoT test plan for connectivi...
27/02/2026
In media technology, big features often steal the spotlight - AI integrations, cloud transformations, automation frameworks. But for the people who use these to...
27/02/2026
Digital Asset Management systems sit at the heart of most marcoms operations. They centralise content, organise it, and make it discoverable. Integrated with th...
27/02/2026
The AI Wild West comes to NAB 2026 and Blue Lucy is bringing the Sheriff
The AI Wild West is here, and media organisations are feeling the heat. On Booth W23...
27/02/2026
A deeply personal, uncompromising portrait of the legendary punk rock iconFriday...
27/02/2026
One of Ireland's favourite lifestyle shows Home of the Year, returns for its 12th series and will be proudly sponsored by SIRO. The brand-new series will ai...
27/02/2026
Our Farm: A GIY Story lands on RT One and RT Player from March 3
From walled garden to community farm, new six-part series captures the unfiltered realities...
27/02/2026
Note: English version included below the Irish language version.
Seachtain na Gaeilge 2026 ar RT
A Ghaeilge mo cheol th '
T feachtas athnuaite i n...
26/02/2026
Rohde & Schwarz awarded contract by Israel Airports Authority for QPS201 securit...
26/02/2026
Rohde & Schwarz highlights its unique CMX500 one-box tester tailored for NTN tes...
26/02/2026
Rohde & Schwarz high-efficiency transmitter powers next-gen broadcast services i...
26/02/2026
Rohde & Schwarz highlights its comprehensive embedded systems test solutions at ...
26/02/2026
Rohde & Schwarz to showcase spectrum security and network efficiency solutions a...
26/02/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and Broadcom showcase first Wi-Fi 8 RF signaling tests, paving w...
26/02/2026
Rohde & Schwarz advances AI-RAN testing using digital twins with NVIDIA Rohde & Schwarz, in collaboration with NVIDIA, continues to drive AI-RAN innovation fo...
26/02/2026
Rohde & Schwarz and LITEON demonstrate high throughput 5G femtocell testing with...
26/02/2026
The agreement ensures Europe's satellite-based augmentation continues enhanc...
26/02/2026
There were two big wins for RT KIDS shows at the 17th Kidscreen Awards in San Diego this week with Maddie Triggs and BeddyByes both taking home gongs.
The K...
26/02/2026
26 Feb 2026
VEON to Release FY25 Earnings Update on March 13, 2026 Dubai and New York, February 26, 2026 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital operator ...
26/02/2026
What can I watch on UKTV and stream on U this week?
This week's highlights include new episodes of Will and Ralf Should Know Better, The Marlow Murder Club...
26/02/2026
Thursday 26 February 2026
Sky partners with STARZ on high-impact boxing drama F...
26/02/2026
Thursday 26 February 2026
An Open Letter to Our Fellow Leaders in Global Media
From:
Tim Davie, BBC Director-General
Jon Slade, CEO, Financial Times
Anna B...
26/02/2026
Wuppertal February 26, 2026
Teatro alla Scala Elevates Backstage Communication with Riedel's BoleroRiedel Communications today announced that Fondazione T...
26/02/2026
RT has confirmed that it has today received payment from the GAA for its 50% share of GAAGO.
RT confirmed in February 2025 that it had agreed in principle wi...
26/02/2026
RT Statement regarding the broadcast of Republic of Ireland vs Israel Nations League fixture
If the match goes ahead and that is a decision for the FAI as ...
Hip-hop has proven to be one of music's most customizable and popular genres around the world, with both beats and bars that reflect the unique characteristics of an artist's background. In this series, we'll follow the genre around the world, showcasing how hip-hop has been brought to life in different regions, countries, and cultures.
