Seeed

German ensemble Seeed achieved widespread domestic acclaim during the early 2000s through their high-energy blend of hip-hop, reggae, and dancehall, propelled by breakthrough tracks such as "Dickes B" and "Music Monks." The 11-piece outfit, which incorporates a horn section, a DJ, and several vocalists, maintained steady chart visibility across Germany, accumulating multiple gold and platinum certifications while cultivating substantial audiences throughout adjacent nations. Their peak arrived via the 2005 album Next!, yet an even stronger resurgence occurred seven years later when their self-titled fourth LP claimed the top position on the national chart.

The group originated in Berlin during 1998 amid the city's emerging dancehall community, drawing together a broad, multi-ethnic, multilingual roster that features vocalists Pierre "Enuff" Baigorry, Demba "Ear" Nabé, and Frank "Eased" Dellé, alongside DJ Luke, guitarist "Rudeboy" Rudy, bassist Tobsen Cordes, keyboardist "Dubmaster" Reibold, saxophonist Moritz Delgado, trombonist Jerome "Tchamp" Bugnon, drummer Based, and percussionist Alfie Trowers. Support appearances for touring acts like Buju Banton helped cement Seeed's standing as an electrifying live unit, and their performances gradually shifted from renditions of reggae standards such as "The Tide Is High" and "Police and Thieves" toward original compositions. Their first full-length effort, New Dubby Conquerors, appeared in 2001 and produced a major German pop success with the single "Dickes B." The follow-up, Music Monks, arrived in 2003 and leaned further into dancehall, delivering another major hit via "Water Pumpee." Atlanta soul savant Cee-Lo contributed to the band's third album, the 2005 release Next!. Their commanding concert presence received documentation on the 2006 set Live, though fresh studio material did not surface until the 2011 single "Molotov/Wonderful Life." Seeed reemerged in fall 2012 with a self-titled album that marked their inaugural number-one debut on the German sales ranking and reached the top five in both Austria and Switzerland, spawning the singles "Beautiful," "Augenbling," and "Deine Zeit." In May 2018, while preparations for an autumn tour and new recordings were already underway, Seeed vocalist Demba Nabé was discovered deceased at age 46.