German Rap and its Place for Muslims

posted on: Dec 4, 2020

By: Emily Becker/Arab America Contributing Writer

Arabs and Muslims have long since lived in Germany but since the turmoil in the Middle East began in recent years, Germany has opened their borders to give asylum seekers home. This has created some tension and uneasiness among Germans who are unsure of how this influx of people will affect their state. But even before this influx, the Muslims and Arabs that are already German citizens and have been born and raised in the country have always felt marginalized. From being asked “where are you really from” to be some of the only ones to have to pull out their passports, the feeling has long been an issue. So many have looked to a more creative outlet for their frustrations.

German Rap Music

Rap music came to Germany by groups from America and began gaining popularity in the 1980s. It spoke to the people within German society that felt unheard and marginalized. During this time, many Muslim-Germans found a place to express their feelings and bring a voice to issues that plagued them and their communities. The kids who had grown up in Germany after their parents had migrated felt stuck between the two cultures. Many families didn’t bother assimilating to the German culture as they didn’t think they would be in Germany very long, perpetuating the issue of feeling marginalized by the young Muslims and unsure of where they fit within each group. So, this new-found rap community became a safe haven for the people who needed it most.

Rap music was also easier to get into, it took no formal musical training and didn’t require knowing how to play a musical instrument. By listening to other rap artists and songs, kids on the streets could pick it up relatively quickly making it an even more accessible outlet. Many rising Muslim rappers began rapping in German and grew the voice this group was trying to convey to the rest of society.

Rap’s Controversy

Rap then grew in its community and in popularity in more recent years as many Muslims and Arabs flocked to Germany looking for asylum. It, again, gave these new young Arabs in Germany their own little community where they felt some belonging.

But this new generation of German rap picked up a more hard-hitting and harsh tone. As German society struggled to figure out what to do with this new influx of Arabs within their borders, rap music began to bring to light the divisions and fractures within this process of integration. Some of these newer rap stars brought attention to themselves and the genre when their lyrics became more extreme and was, what some found, alarming. German politicians blamed the genre and the rappers and felt the songs and lyrics weren’t something younger kids should be listening to, whether Arab or German. But many of the artists are speaking out against these concerns saying it is easier for the politicians to blame it on the art and the music itself than to pass policy to avoid the bigger issues that need to be addressed.

But a rift between the artists in the genre and politicians isn’t the only issue here. German rap has gained such popularity that the messages within the songs are being disseminated. Sometimes, it is so much so that they are losing their potency and meaning. As one rapper put it, it is being played at all sorts of college parties where not many people are really listening to the words and trying to make a change within German society. The message is getting out but the hope of it inciting cultural change is something few in the rap community feel will really happen.

With such widespread consumption without the movement towards real change within Germany and the controversial lyrics, some are discouraged. But Muslims and Arab rappers are a big portion of the German rap genre, which is something maybe unexpected and exciting. The community that they build in helping the people within Germany that feel lost or marginalized is encouraging and one that is needed in a world of turmoil and change.

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