Biography
Sabrina Setlur, a Frankfurt-born rapper whose parents had immigrated from India, obtained her first recording agreement in 1993 by performing an a cappella take on Dr. Dre's "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang" for Thomas Hofmann, who co-owned the 3p imprint. Hofmann had launched the label together with Moses Pelham of the German rap crew Rödelheim Hartreim Projekt; Pelham subsequently invited Setlur to contribute guest vocals to the crew's 1993 single "Wenn Es Nicht Hart Ist." Two years afterward she issued her debut full-length under the alias Schwester S, the album S Ist Soweit that included several tracks produced by Pelham. Its hit "Ja Klar" drove the project to number 11 on the German albums chart and brought Setlur an ECHO Award in recognition of its sales. Two years after that she reclaimed her given name for the follow-up Die Neue S-Klasse. The single "Du Liebst Mich Nicht" topped the chart, moved 300,000 units, and earned her a second ECHO. A third ECHO arrived when the 1999 release Aus der Sicht und Mit den Worten Von ......., reached number three. During the same year she was romantically linked with tennis star Boris Becker while also appearing as a guest on the Faithless song "Bring My Family Back." One year later she made her screen debut in the horror feature Anatomie and supplied the Top 20 soundtrack entry "Alles," which introduced her protégé Xavier Naidoo. The 2003 album Sabs climbed to number 11 even though none of its singles entered the Top 20. Two years afterward the greatest-hits collection 10 Jahre das Beste gathered her most successful tracks.