Tomasz Kuklicz was born on October 11, 1975 in Krakow. He is a Polish hip-hop DJ and music producer who, as DJ Tomekk, is considered one of the formative figures of German hip-hop. His father is a Moroccan concert pianist and his mother is a visual artist. At the age of ten, Kuklicz met a DJ for the first time and became enthusiastic about deejaying. In the same year, his father emigrated to Germany and Tomasz followed him to West Berlin. He lives in the Wedding district and attends the Diesterweg grammar school. When his father died five years later, the then 15-year-old was left to fend for himself. The city of Berlin took over his care and his home for the last three years until he came of age was the Frohsinn children's home in the Wedding district of Berlin. During this time, he met Sido, five years his junior, who later dedicated the song "T.O.M.E.K.K." to him on the album Numma Eyns. At the age of 15, Tomasz Kuklicz receives his first record deal with the label Stuff Records and releases the single "OC featuring MC Mis One" with the songs "Wait In Love For You" and "Art Gangster Rap" in 1991. On January 1, 1993, the Berlin station Kiss FM launches under the motto "Only Black Music". Seventeen-year-old hip-hop DJ Tomekk gets his own hip-hop radio show, which he calls "Boogie Down Berlin". In 1993, hip-hop legend Kurtis Blow comes on his show for an interview. Coincidentally, Kurtis Blow needs a replacement DJ at short notice and asks DJ Tomekk. DJ Tomekk now becomes Kurtis Blow's DJ and the two tour the USA for a year. They play on the East Coast and the West Coast, including in Baltimore in front of a total of 300,000 people during the tour. In November 1993, Tomekk is honored by the City of Los Angeles for his work for peace and international understanding. In 1994, DJ Tomekk was the first non-US-American to be nominated for the 1st Annual Rap Music Award. While he is still hardly known in Germany, he is already performing in the USA together with Run-D.M.C., the Wu-Tang Clan, LL Cool J and KRS-One. DJ Tomekk then toured Europe with Kurtis Blow. Back in Germany, he plays as a resident DJ in various Berlin clubs. DJ Tomekk is increasingly active as a music producer. He primarily produces for American artists. Under various synonyms such as Atomek Dogg, he produces albums and remixes for Lexy & K-Paul and Paul van Dyk, among others. In 1999, the sporting goods company Fila founded the F-Records label. DJ Tomekk is one of the first musicians to be signed. His debut single "1, 2, 3, ... Rhymes Galore (From New York To Germany)" with Grandmaster Flash, Flavor Flav, Afrob and MC Rene causes a stir in the hip-hop scene. The song climbs to number 6 in the German singles charts. The second single "Ich lebe für Hip-Hop" in collaboration with GZA, Prodigal Sunn, Curse and the Stieber Twins reaches number 11 in the German charts. In 2000, DJ Tomekk produces the remix "Anything" with rapper Jay-Z. The song reaches number 18 in the UK singles charts. DJ Tomekk wins the Comet as best national newcomer. 2001 sees the release of the single "Return Of Hip Hop (Ooh, ooh)" with KRS-One, Torch and MC Rene. A short time later, DJ Tomekk releases his first album Return Of Hip Hop (2001), which reaches number 5 in the German album charts. In 2001, DJ Tomekk moves to New York and goes into the studio with the American basketball player and rapper Shaquille O'Neal. In the song "How You Like That (Ja, ja, ja)", Shaquille O'Neal raps a mix of English and German. 2002 sees the release of the single "Kimnotyze" with Lil' Kim and Trooper Da Don, which reaches number 6 in the German charts. In the same year, DJ Tomekk releases the second studio album Beat Of Life Vol. 1 (2002). The single "Nothing But You" by Paul van Dyk is released in 2003 with a remix by DJ Tomekk. The production is nominated for the 2005 Grammy Awards. In 2003, Snap! released a remix of their worldwide hit "Ooops Up" produced by DJ Tomekk as a single. DJ Tomekk goes on tour with his Boogie Down Berlin Crew, during which he plays around 150 gigs. The single "Ganxtaville Pt. III" with the US rapper Kurupt, the German rapper Tatwaffe and the German-Turkish singer G-Style stays in the top 10 of the German single charts for eight weeks. In the following years, DJ Tomekk worked together with artists such as MC Lyte, Xzibit, Sido, Fler, Noreaga, B-Tight, Montell Jordan, Truth Hurts, Horace Brown, Black Ivory and Harris on his new album Numma Eyns (2005). The single "Jump, Jump (DJ Tomekk is coming)" with Fler and G-Hot reaches number 3 in the German charts. For "Jump, Jump", DJ Tomekk has the most elaborate German hip-hop video shot to date. At the end of 2006, DJ Tomekk releases the mixtape The Next Generation. He produces this together with numerous newcomers to support them. DJ Tomekk works with numerous international artists, including Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott, Snoop Dogg and Coolio. He produces remixes for Jay-Z, Paul van Dyk and Snap! Stylistically, DJ Tomekk moves between hip-hop and rap. He is considered a trailblazer and pioneer of German hip-hop and has influenced an entire generation with his songs.
