AGGRO BERLIN R.I.P.
Friday, April 24th, 2009
German rap label Aggro Berlin filed for bankruptcy last week. After years of representing the rough, rugged and raw of Berlin´s streets, Germanys notorious battle ship of rap is sinking, putting the final nail into the coffin what was once called “Deutscher Rap”. Founded in 2001 as an independent label, Aggro soon became a major force in the German rap game, with artists like Sido (wearing a MF Doom inspired mask) and Fler causing major debates in German media with their explicit sexist and violent raps. Mocking U.S. west coast rap culture in looks and attitude and mixing it with German street talk, Aggro became mythologised as the German equivalent to Death Row Records – minus the killings. The commercial success of Aggro was huge in the label´s lifetime, but artistically the label never could reach beyond its role as a platform for institutionalised provocation. I always thought the music of Aggro wasnt very special, yet some of the beats they released had a special kind of dopeness. And some of the rhymes by Aggro artists were so absurd, they were worth a good laugh. They will be missed.
For their last compilation, “Aggro Ansage 8″ (”Aggro Shout Out Nr.8″), Aggro requested permission to license the instrumental of Seiji´s “Tudo Mundo”, which we released on Funk Mundial #4. The deal didnt worked out. So as a musical obituary we give you today the unreleased Aggro / Man Recordings collab:
