Bower Reference Bower2011 Güngör and Loh Reference Güngör and Loh2002). In the early 1980s, there was a first wave or ‘school’ of rap artists (such as Advanced Chemistry) that explicitly addressed their own migrant backgrounds, as well as a number of counterparts in the field of racist rap (cf. Today, rap is one of the most successful musical genres in Germany, ranging from popular styles to hardcore or gangsta rap, and hip-hop is still one of the dominant youth cultures. 55–69 Verlan and Loh Reference Verlan and Loh2006 Pennay Reference Pennay and Mitchell2001). Güler Saied Reference Güler Saied2012, pp. on the one hand, and fun rap acts such as Die Fantastischen Vier (Fantastic Four) on the other (cf. In the 1980s, hip-hop culture hit Germany with early adaptations by conscious rap artists such as Advanced Chemistry and Cora E. Finally, these findings will be discussed on the basis of theories of appropriation and authenticity. After that, findings from a qualitative analysis of media products and fan forums will be used to identify specific stagings as well as the perception of virtuosity connected to this artist.
Concepts of international hip-hop studies and the theory of ‘acoustic capital’ will both be applied in a case study of the German gangsta rap artist Kollegah, who became one of the biggest selling acts in the history of Germany's rap and music business in the new millennium. This will serve to illustrate some of the key concepts that are essential for this paper's own approach. This paper will first provide a very brief introductory overview of the history of German rap and then take a look at some of the essential theoretical frameworks that are to be found among international scholars. It is quite striking that their strategies focus mainly on the use of social media, merchandise and live concerts, rather than on traditional promotional activities that prioritised radio and music television. Within the German rap scene there were – and still are – quite a few record labels, such as Aggro Berlin, Chimperator and Selfmade Records, that signed on, professionalised and marketed some of the most well known and successful rap artists since the beginning of the twenty-first century (such as B-Tight, Bushido, Massiv, Baba Saad and Sido). Unsurprisingly, it was the independent artists and their small record labels who quickly took advantage of the new strategies for value creation available within this setting. Just like global developments on mainstream markets, most of the traditional music businesses in Germany were strongly affected by digitalisation. Kollegah is viewed as representing a successful strategy of cultural appropriation and the use of different types of capital within the network of music business in its post-digital era. The article is finally able to illustrate that this artist makes great use of a (typically German?) flavour of virtuosity and that he can draw from a very unique set of capital. By adding a cursory qualitative media analysis of both Internet fan forums and print and television artefacts about Kollegah, very contradictory reactions can be depicted. This is followed by a closer look at two Kollegah productions, focusing on his rhyming and signifying skills.
The case study is divided into three parts: the first involves a deconstruction of both his artistic persona and his strategies of appropriating hip-hop cultures. It then focuses on a case study of a German gangsta rapper called Kollegah, who became one of Germany's most commercially successful artists of the past few years. The article begins with a short history of German gangsta rap, followed by an overview of central theories and key concepts in hip-hop studies.
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