Kool Savas

Rapper Kool Savas rose to prominence among Germany’s most polarizing pop figures of his era through lyrics laced with misogyny and homophobia that echoed the confrontational style long associated with American hip-hop. Born Savas Yurderi on February 10, 1975, in Aachen, Germany, he was the child of Turkish immigrants who moved back to their native country soon after his arrival. His father’s subsequent imprisonment for political activism left his mother no choice but to return alone to Aachen. The family came together again in 1987 and settled in Berlin, where the twelve-year-old Yurderi first encountered rap music. He also explored acting and made his screen debut in 1997 with the feature Geschwister-Kardesler. Initially performing under the name King Kool Savas, he appeared in English-language rap groups such as Basic Elements and M.O.R. (“Masters of Rap”), before recording for the first time on Westberlin Maskulin’s 1999 project Hoes, Flows, Moneytoes. Creative tensions led to his departure from M.O.R. in 2001, prompting him to launch a solo path by establishing his own Optik imprint and releasing the album Der Beste Tag Meines Lebens. Tracks such as “Schwule Rapper” (“Gay Rappers”) and “Pimplegionär” (“Pimp Legionaire”) attracted a loyal audience while drawing sharp criticism. Kool Savas expanded Optik beyond a personal outlet, signing emerging talents that included Eko Fresh, DJ Nicon, and Melbeatz—also known as Melanie Wilhelm, Yurderi’s longtime partner. After Eko Fresh left the label, he released the 2004 diss track “Die Abrechnung,” which Kool Savas countered with “Das Urteil.” He simultaneously sustained a long-running rivalry with Swedish rapper Promoe. The Optik Army collaboration Optik Takeover arrived in 2006, followed in 2007 by the solo album Tot oder Lebendig, which featured appearances by Azad and Senna Guemmour of the pop group Monrose. In 2011 Kool Savas issued Aura, a release that reached the summit of the German album charts.