Mach One

German rapper and producer Mach One, born Christoph Bodenhammer on April 5, 1979, entered the world in East Berlin as the son of poet Uwe Kolbe. He sharpened his skills in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district, where he quickly became absorbed in the neighborhood’s graffiti culture. There he crossed paths with rapper Act One, and the pair began exchanging freestyles while crafting beats together under the name the Lätzten. Once his personal style had matured, producer Gynecologist noticed the young artist and featured him on a mixtape. In 1998 Bodenhammer launched his own imprint, Bassboxxx, which issued recordings by Frauenarzt, Manny Marc, MC Basstard and additional acts. After several prosperous years, he was arrested in 2002 for organized theft and unauthorized graffiti, resulting in a five-week jail term. Internal conflicts then led to the label’s closure the following year. Bodenhammer rebounded in 2004 by winning a business start-up competition that allowed him to establish a fresh label and replace the music gear confiscated during his arrest. Joining forces with rappers Isar and Darn plus producer B-Lash, he created the Adrenaline Music label in 2005 and issued his debut album, Das Meisterstück, Vol. 1: Guter Rap Gedeiht im Dreck. Tragedy followed in 2006 when he suffered a critical stabbing at Berlin U-Barn Station. He recovered rapidly and soon began recording his next project, Lil Mach Änze Nordzeitboys, a collaboration with Darn and Vork that appeared only months after the incident. Mixtapes continued to flow, and 2012 brought his first commercially successful album, Meisterstück, Vol. 2: Rock 'n' Roll, which climbed to number 24 on the German charts. By 2013 he had prepared the album Puzzle Pieces.