Massiv
Encyclopedia
Wasiem Taha better known as Massiv (born 9 November 1982 in Pirmasens
) is a German gangsta rapper of Palestinian origin
, living in Berlin
. During his early career Taha was signed to the label Horrorkore Entertainment, but later he left and signed to major label Sony BMG. Since late 2009 he started his own sublabel Al Massiva.
, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate
near the French border. He is the son of Palastinian immigrants and has an older sister.
Taha had been influenced by hip-hop from an early age. He visited Berlin
for the first time in 1996, where he would struggle to find a job having not finished school. . Later he managed to convince his parents to follow him to the working-class area of Wedding
in the north of Berlin.
After sending out several demo tapes, he was discovered and signed by the label Horrorkore Entertainment, and worked with his mentor MC Basstard on their collabo mixtape Horrorkore Mixtape Teil 1.
, Bass Sultan Hengzt
and King Orgasmus One
. The song "Ghettolied" featured a music video, including snippets of "M-A-S-S-I-V" and "Blut gegen Blut". On August 22, Taha left the label and signed to Sony BMG. Reasons for the separation were not mentioned.
The label has reportedly invested 250,000 euros into Taha's career. Frankfurt-based rapper Azad
said in an interview that he was interested to sign Taha onto his label, Bozz Music.
overseas is becoming just as violent as in its homeland across the Atlantic.
Pirmasens
Pirmasens is a district-free city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, near the border with France. It is famous for the manufacture of shoes. The surrounding rural district was called Pirmasens from 1818 until 1997, when it was renamed Südwestpfalz....
) is a German gangsta rapper of Palestinian origin
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
, living in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. During his early career Taha was signed to the label Horrorkore Entertainment, but later he left and signed to major label Sony BMG. Since late 2009 he started his own sublabel Al Massiva.
Early life
Taha was born in PirmasensPirmasens
Pirmasens is a district-free city in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, near the border with France. It is famous for the manufacture of shoes. The surrounding rural district was called Pirmasens from 1818 until 1997, when it was renamed Südwestpfalz....
, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
near the French border. He is the son of Palastinian immigrants and has an older sister.
Taha had been influenced by hip-hop from an early age. He visited Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
for the first time in 1996, where he would struggle to find a job having not finished school. . Later he managed to convince his parents to follow him to the working-class area of Wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
in the north of Berlin.
After sending out several demo tapes, he was discovered and signed by the label Horrorkore Entertainment, and worked with his mentor MC Basstard on their collabo mixtape Horrorkore Mixtape Teil 1.
2006: Early career and debut album
In July 2006 Taha's debut album, Blut gegen Blut, was released, featuring known Berlin-based rappers, including MC Bogy, SidoSido (rapper)
Paul Hartmut Würdig , better known as Sido, is a German rapper.The name "Sido" is an abbreviation which stands for "superintelligentes Drogenopfer" or "Scheiße in dein Ohr" in earlier times.Würdig distinguishes himself by using provocative and aggressive lyrics...
, Bass Sultan Hengzt
Bass Sultan Hengzt
Fabio Ferzan Cataldi better known by his stage name Bass Sultan Hengzt is a German rapper of Italian and Turkish descent.- 2001-2002: Early carrer :...
and King Orgasmus One
King Orgasmus One
Manuel Romeike , known by his stage name King Orgasmus One, is a rapper and porn producer from Berlin, Germany.-Controversy:...
. The song "Ghettolied" featured a music video, including snippets of "M-A-S-S-I-V" and "Blut gegen Blut". On August 22, Taha left the label and signed to Sony BMG. Reasons for the separation were not mentioned.
The label has reportedly invested 250,000 euros into Taha's career. Frankfurt-based rapper Azad
Azad (rapper)
Azad Azadpour is a German rapper of Kurdish descent based in Frankfurt am Main.-Career:After having arrived in Germany from Iran as young as 10, he was into hip hop, rap, beatboxing and graffiti. In 1988 he joined D-Flame , A-Bomb, and Combad in Cold-N-Locco...
said in an interview that he was interested to sign Taha onto his label, Bozz Music.
Shooting
In a past conflict Massiv's lyrics became more than just words on a beat . The rapper was shot three times by a masked man while talking on his phone near his car. He was hospitalized and lost a lot of blood, but left the hospital later that night. This could have potentially been a publicity stunt for his upcoming album, or a sign that Gangsta rapGangsta rap
Gangsta Rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths. Lyrics in gangsta rap have varied from accurate reflections to fictionalized accounts. Gangsta is a non-rhotic pronunciation of the word...
overseas is becoming just as violent as in its homeland across the Atlantic.