Bausa

With his auto-tuned vocals, worldly, heartfelt raps and slow tempo, Bausa became a sensation in Germany when he topped the charts with his debut single “Was Du Liebe Nennst” in 2017 and is often credited for introducing a 'cloud rap' sound into the country's hip-hop scene. Julian Otto, professionally known as Bausa, was born in Saarbrücken in June 1989 but grew up in Bietigheim near Stuttgart. Following the death of his father, he turned his focus to music and began battle rapping with friends at 14, creating his first song in a recording studio two years later. As part of the vibrant local rap scene, he crafted his rhymes, learned guitar and piano chords and taught himself to create beats. He was then spotted by Frankfurt rapper Capo, who helped him release Bausa's first EP Seelenmanöver through his label, Hitmonks, in 2014. He also made acclaimed guest appearances on remix tracks from Haftbefehl's albums Russisch Roulette (2014) and Unzensiert (2015), collaborated on the single “Atramis” with Bonez MC and RAF Camora and toured with Kontra K, before his 2017 debut full-length Dreifarbenhaus - an album full of woozy, trap psychosis, melancholy, personal tragedies, and swampy, self-destructive club comedowns. He also landed a major label deal with Warner Music before his single “Was Du Liebe Nennst” spent nine consecutive weeks at Number 1 in Germany and the mixtape Powerbausa (2018) cemented his reputation as one of the country's hottest new rap stars. He returned again with Top 10 hits “Vagabund” and “Mary,” and even featured on a track with Diplo, before his 2019 album Fieber, which featured his trademark mix of slow-building melodic euphoria and numbing, bittersweet, open-hearted hip hop. After dropping the standalone single “Sandmann” in 2020, Bausa hit the jackpot once again with his third album 100 Pro (2021), peaking at Number 6 on the German Albums Chart and reaching the top of the singles chart with the track “Madonna,” featuring Apache 207.