Tony D

German-Lebanese rapper Tony D, who performs under the additional name Tony Damage, entered the world as Muhamed Ayad in Berlin, Germany, and maintains ties to the Aggro Berlin collective. His upbringing in Berlin-Kreuzberg sparked an early fascination with rap after he encountered mix tapes from Cypress Hill and Ice Cube at age ten. A few years afterward he aligned himself with Berlin Crime using the moniker “Drell One.” He soon formed connections with Sido and B-Tight, which led him to join the hip-hop outfit Die Sekte. Appearances as a featured artist and contributions of standalone cuts subsequently appeared on projects from Bassboxxx, Die Sekte, MOK, Sido, Fler, and B-Tight’s album Neger Neger. In 2005 Aggro Berlin brought him aboard, resulting in the 2007 release of his debut solo album Totalschaden, which topped the Urban TRL charts.