Mohamed El Moussaoui – better known by his stage name MoTrip – was born March 7, 1988 in Beirut, Lebanon. The rapper is best known for his hits “Guten Morgen NSA” (2013) and “So wie du bist” (2015). Moving to Germany in 1990 during the Lebanese civil war, El Moussaoui grew up in Aachen and, influenced by his older brother’s fledgling rap career, he began writing lyrics at the age of 15. He adapted his MoTrip stage name by combining the first syllable of his first name with the Arabic word ‘mutrip’ (artist). Discovered by Turkish-German rapper Kool Savas, also an Aachen resident, he began providing German-language rap lyrics for other artists including Eko Fresh and Bushido. Signing with Universal Music, MoTrip released his debut album, Embryo, in 2011. His 2013 single, “Guten Morgen NSA” became his first chart success. His 2015 second album, Mama, included his hit “So wie du bist” (featuring Lary), which reached Number 3 on the German chart. The single was originally a minor hit until it was featured in a Beats by Dre commercial, which sent it racing up the charts. MoTrip’s 2016 album, Mosaik, was a departure. The hip-hop-meets-classical album was orchestrated by composer/producer Jimek. In 2018, Motrip collaborated with Ali A$ on the album Mohamed Ali.
