Fettes Brot

Erstwhile German rap group Fettes Brot formed in Hamburg in 1992 following the dissolution of Poets of Peeze. Members Dokter Renz (Martin Vandreier) and Tobi Tobsen, along with König ("king") Boris (Boris Lauterbach), Schiffmeister (Björn Warns), and Mighty stepped out with their Mitschnacker EP (northern German slang for "Kidnapper," but also "chatty person") in 1994 but broke through with their 1995 single "Nordisch by Nature" ("Nordic by Nature"), going to number 17 in Germany. They continue to score chart victories in Germany throughout the 1990s and 2000s with subsequent albums, 1996's Außen Top Hits, innen Geschmack (number 10), 1998's Fettes Brot Lässt Grüßen (number nine), 2005's Demotape (number nine), 2005's Am Wasser Gebaut (number four), 2008's Strom und Drang (number three), 2013's 3 Is Ne Party (number three) and 2015's Teenager vom Mars (number seven), picking up numerous awards along the way: Most successful new German band (1996), Comet; Best band and Best Song for "Emanuela" (2005); GQ Man of the Year's Best Musician (2005). They were also named Best Hip-Hop national act at the Bravo Otto Gold awards in 2006, and Best German Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2008. In 2006, Fettes Brot released a homage to football, "Fussball ist immer noch wichtig" ("Football is still important") for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In 2010, the band went on an indefinite hiatus to explore solo ventures but returned in 2012 with the trio of Dokter Renz (Martin Vandreier), König Boris (Boris Lauterbach) and Björn Beton (Björn Warns) remaining. Following the release of Teenager vom Mars in 2015, they went to number 12 in Germany with Lovestory in 2019. Fettes Brot announced their separation in 2023 and bowed out with a greatest hits compilation Hitstory.