Azad (rapper)
Encyclopedia
Azad Azadpour is a German
rapper of Kurdish descent
based in Frankfurt am Main.
from Iran
as young as 10, he was into hip hop, rap, beatboxing and graffiti. In 1988 he joined D-Flame
(Daniel Kretschmer), A-Bomb, and Combad in Cold-N-Locco. The band was renamed Asiatic Warriors
in 1990 and mixed songs in German, English, Persian and Kurdish and achieved great fame through signing with Ruff'n'Raw Label and the EP Told Ya!. Internal differences between the band members resulted in the Asiatic Warriors breaking up.
In 1999, Azad signed as a solo artist with Pelham Power Productions. He became a sensation on the hip hop scene winning "Da Swing DJ Battle". Single "Napalm" followed by his solo album Leben completely produced by Azad and follow up album Faust des Nordwestens firmly established him as a successful artist and a cult figure.
In 2004, Azad founded his own production company "Bozz Music", the urban music wing of Universal Music
. Azad formed the group Warheit with Sezai, Lunafrow, Jeyz, Chaker. Soon a huge rivalry erupted between Azad and Bozz Music label on the one side and Aggro Berlin
label on the other. This put Azad even more in the spotlight as the rivalry escalated.
Azad released his third studio album Der Bozz in 2004 reaching the German Albums Top 10 by far outselling his first 2 albums. However the watchdog body BPjM
slammed the album as too violent and a "danger to youth".
Oddly enough, Azad's biggest commercial success was a joint effort with German rapper Kool Savas
in One released on BMG and hitting the Top 5 in German Albums Chart. Game Over his fourth album reached #8. He has released further albums but with relative success (Blockschrift in 2007, Azphalt Inferno and Assassin both in 2009)
He is also known for his collaborations with various artists like Seryoga
, a successful Belorussian rapper.
His German #1 hit single is "Prison Break Anthem (Ich glaub' an dich)
", featuring Adel Tawil
of Ich + Ich
. It is a German language theme song for the hugely popular American
television series Prison Break
broadcast with German voice over on RTL
. His hit single "All 4 One" with Kool Savas
remains his second best-selling single having reached #4 in the German Singles Chart.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
rapper of Kurdish descent
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
based in Frankfurt am Main.
Career
After having arrived in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
from Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
as young as 10, he was into hip hop, rap, beatboxing and graffiti. In 1988 he joined D-Flame
D-Flame
Daniel Kretschmer, better known by his stage-name D-Flame, is a German hip hop and reggae musician. He was also previously part of the hip hop formation Asiatic Warriors.-Albums:* 2000 - Basstard...
(Daniel Kretschmer), A-Bomb, and Combad in Cold-N-Locco. The band was renamed Asiatic Warriors
Asiatic Warriors
Asiatic Warriors, originally named Cold-N-Loco, were a multilingual hardcore rap crew from Frankfurt, Germany.Cold-N-Loco was composed of D-Flame , A-Bomb and Combad. They invited the Kurdish-Iranian hip hop artist Azad to join the band and it was renamed Asian Warriors...
in 1990 and mixed songs in German, English, Persian and Kurdish and achieved great fame through signing with Ruff'n'Raw Label and the EP Told Ya!. Internal differences between the band members resulted in the Asiatic Warriors breaking up.
In 1999, Azad signed as a solo artist with Pelham Power Productions. He became a sensation on the hip hop scene winning "Da Swing DJ Battle". Single "Napalm" followed by his solo album Leben completely produced by Azad and follow up album Faust des Nordwestens firmly established him as a successful artist and a cult figure.
In 2004, Azad founded his own production company "Bozz Music", the urban music wing of Universal Music
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
. Azad formed the group Warheit with Sezai, Lunafrow, Jeyz, Chaker. Soon a huge rivalry erupted between Azad and Bozz Music label on the one side and Aggro Berlin
Aggro Berlin
Aggro Berlin was a German hip-hop independent record label based in Berlin, Germany that existed from 1 January 2001 until 1 April 2009. Three artists; Sido, Tony D and Kitty Kat were signed with the label at the time of its closure....
label on the other. This put Azad even more in the spotlight as the rivalry escalated.
Azad released his third studio album Der Bozz in 2004 reaching the German Albums Top 10 by far outselling his first 2 albums. However the watchdog body BPjM
Bundesprüfstelle für jugendgefährdende Medien
The Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons is an upper-level German federal agency subordinate to the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. It is responsible for examining media works allegedly harmful to young people and entering these onto an...
slammed the album as too violent and a "danger to youth".
Oddly enough, Azad's biggest commercial success was a joint effort with German rapper Kool Savas
Kool Savas
Savas Yurderi also known as Kool Savas , is a German rapper and hip hop artist. Savas is mostly referred to as "King of Rap" or "King of German Rap"."Savaş" is the Turkish word for "war"....
in One released on BMG and hitting the Top 5 in German Albums Chart. Game Over his fourth album reached #8. He has released further albums but with relative success (Blockschrift in 2007, Azphalt Inferno and Assassin both in 2009)
He is also known for his collaborations with various artists like Seryoga
Seryoga
Sergey Vasilyevich Parkhomenko is a popular Russian-Belarusian rapper and the owner of "KingRing" record label.-Career:Born in Gomel, Belarus, Seryoga grew up in a tough neighborhood. His music became a unique combination of Russian folk music with modern beats and original lyrics appealing to...
, a successful Belorussian rapper.
His German #1 hit single is "Prison Break Anthem (Ich glaub' an dich)
Prison Break Anthem (Ich glaub' an dich)
"Prison Break Anthem " is a hit song by German hip-hop artist Azad and Adel Tawil, singer of Ich + Ich. It was released as the first single of Azad's album Blockschrift. It is the German title song of the American television series Prison Break.- Background :The song showed the vastly different...
", featuring Adel Tawil
Adel Tawil
Adel Tawil , is a German singer part of the popular German pop duo Ich + Ich, after being part earlier of the German boy band The Boyz.-Family background:...
of Ich + Ich
Ich + Ich
Ich + Ich , also pronounced "Ich und Ich", is the name of a musical project by the German musicians Annette Humpe and Adel Tawil. They met in a Berlin recording studio in 2002 when Tawil sang on a production that Humpe had written...
. It is a German language theme song for the hugely popular American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television series Prison Break
Prison Break
Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...
broadcast with German voice over on RTL
RTL Group
RTL Group is Europe's largest TV, radio and production company, and is majority-owned by German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. It has 45 television and 32 radio stations in 11 countries...
. His hit single "All 4 One" with Kool Savas
Kool Savas
Savas Yurderi also known as Kool Savas , is a German rapper and hip hop artist. Savas is mostly referred to as "King of Rap" or "King of German Rap"."Savaş" is the Turkish word for "war"....
remains his second best-selling single having reached #4 in the German Singles Chart.
Albums
| Year | Title | Chart Position | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
AT Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
CH Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
||
| 2001 | Leben | 46 | – | – |
| 2003 | Faust des Nordwestens | 24 | – | – |
| 2004 | Der Bozz | 10 | – | 66 |
| 2005 | One (with Kool Savas Kool Savas Savas Yurderi also known as Kool Savas , is a German rapper and hip hop artist. Savas is mostly referred to as "King of Rap" or "King of German Rap"."Savaş" is the Turkish word for "war".... ) |
5 | 32 | 33 |
| 2006 | Game Over | 8 | 48 | 28 |
| 2007 | Blockschrift | 37 | 59 | 39 |
| 2009 | Azphalt Inferno | 24 | 55 | 29 |
| 2009 | Assassin | 31 | 52 | 27 |
| 2010 | Azphalt Inferno II | 18 | ||
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Position | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
AT Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
CH | |||
| 2001 | Napalm | – | – | – | Leben |
| Gegen den Strom | – | – | – | ||
| Leben | – | – | – | ||
| 2003 | A | 65 | – | – | Faust des Nordwestens |
| Faust des Nordwestens | – | – | – | ||
| Mein Licht | – | – | – | ||
| 2004 | Phoenix | 65 | – | – | Der Bozz Der Bozz Der Bozz is the third album by German rapper Azad and also the first release for his label Bozz-Music. The album was released on July 5, 2004... |
| Kopf hoch (feat. Jonesmann Jonesmann Samson Jones, better known as Jonesmann, is a German rapper. He was born in Frankfurt to an African American father and a German mother. He was signed to Azad's label Bozz Music and Sony BMG. Now he is signed to his own label 'Echte Musik'.-Biography:... ) |
57 | – | – | ||
| 2005 | Signal (J-Luv feat. Azad) | 52 | – | – | |
| Locked Up (Akon Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first... feat. Azad & Styles P.) |
15 | – | – | Trouble (Akon) | |
| Monstershit (with Kool Savas Kool Savas Savas Yurderi also known as Kool Savas , is a German rapper and hip hop artist. Savas is mostly referred to as "King of Rap" or "King of German Rap"."Savaş" is the Turkish word for "war".... ) |
29 | – | – | One | |
| All 4 One (with Kool Savas Kool Savas Savas Yurderi also known as Kool Savas , is a German rapper and hip hop artist. Savas is mostly referred to as "King of Rap" or "King of German Rap"."Savaş" is the Turkish word for "war".... ) |
4 | 24 | 85 | ||
| 2006 | Guck My Man (with Kool Savas Kool Savas Savas Yurderi also known as Kool Savas , is a German rapper and hip hop artist. Savas is mostly referred to as "King of Rap" or "King of German Rap"."Savaş" is the Turkish word for "war".... ) |
27 | – | – | |
| Alarm | 48 | – | – | Game Over | |
| Eines Tages (feat. Cassandra Steen Cassandra Steen Cassandra Steen is a German singer, songwriter and voice actress, who rose to fame as the lead singer of the trio Glashaus.... ) |
28 | – | – | ||
| 2 Kaiser (with Seryoga Seryoga Sergey Vasilyevich Parkhomenko is a popular Russian-Belarusian rapper and the owner of "KingRing" record label.-Career:Born in Gomel, Belarus, Seryoga grew up in a tough neighborhood. His music became a unique combination of Russian folk music with modern beats and original lyrics appealing to... ) |
85 | – | – | ||
| 2007 | Prison Break Anthem (Ich glaub' an dich) Prison Break Anthem (Ich glaub' an dich) "Prison Break Anthem " is a hit song by German hip-hop artist Azad and Adel Tawil, singer of Ich + Ich. It was released as the first single of Azad's album Blockschrift. It is the German title song of the American television series Prison Break.- Background :The song showed the vastly different... , (feat. Adel Tawil Adel Tawil Adel Tawil , is a German singer part of the popular German pop duo Ich + Ich, after being part earlier of the German boy band The Boyz.-Family background:... ) |
1 | 12 | 13 | Blockschrift |
| Zeit zu verstehen (This Can't Be Everything) (feat. Gentleman) | 30 | 72 | – | ||
| 2008 | Alles Lügen/ Ghettobass | 74 | – | – | |
| On Top (with Kool Savas Kool Savas Savas Yurderi also known as Kool Savas , is a German rapper and hip hop artist. Savas is mostly referred to as "King of Rap" or "King of German Rap"."Savaş" is the Turkish word for "war".... ) |
– | – | Tot oder Lebendig (Kool Savas) | ||
| 2009 | Klagelied (wie lang) (with Tino Oac) | 92 | – | – | Assassin |