Samy Deluxe

Media outlets likened German rapper and producer Samy Deluxe to American icon Jay-Z, highlighting his articulate and inventive lyricism. Samuel Sorge entered the world in Hamburg on December 19, 1977, and turned to hip hop during his teenage years, embracing the genre as an ideal vehicle for venting his inner turmoil and irritation. Following time spent with the No Nonsens collective, Deluxe—known at points as Sam Semlia, Wickeda MC, and the Big Baus of the Nauf—started working with Jan Eißfeldt’s Eimsbush imprint in 1997, putting out multiple mixtapes along with tracks recorded as part of the trio Dynamite Deluxe. The pivotal 2000 release “Füchse,” a joint project with Absolute Beginner, paved the way for his debut full-length album the next year, the self-titled Samy Deluxe. He reemerged in 2003 with rapper Afrob under the ASD banner to issue Wer Hätte das Gedacht?, then delivered the solo album Verdammtnochma! the following year while also contributing to the Christina Milian hit “Dip It Low.” After launching his own Deluxe Records imprint in 2005, the artist issued a string of singles and mixtapes before unveiling the full-length Splash Exclusive.