Zeckenrap
Zeckenrap (named after the pejorative Zecke) is a subgenre of German hip-hop dealing with political left themes such as antifascism, feminism and queer content.[1]
History
[edit]In the beginnings in the 1980's, like in American hip-hop the political character was the main focus in German hip-hop, dealing with themes such as racism and everyday problems. With the commercialization of German hip-hop music in the 1990's these political themes lyrically became more and more a background aspect. Even though, groups such Advanced Chemistry or Anarchist Academy still wrote songs about political themes. In the 2000's, the network HipHop Partizan was responsible for the establish of rap music within the left scene in Germany. Beginning in 2012, the rap collective Tick-Tick Boom contributed in spreading of the term Zeckenrap.[2][3] Between 2012 and 2015, the collective regularly hosted a Zeckenrapgala.[4]
The German hip-hop group Neonschwarz from Hamburg is said to be the inventor of the term Zeckenrap. The group was also part of the Tick-Tick Boom collective and stated that they invented the word to "oppose something positive to the negative cliché in describing the left as Zecke".[5][6] Even though, some Zeckenrap artists were able to get some recognition[7], Zeckenrap is still considered a marginal phenomenon within the German rap music scene, playing a minor role.[1][8]
Views by state authorities
[edit]In a study on behalf of the Forschungs- und Beratungsstelle Terrorismus/Extremismus, a part of the Bundeskriminalamt, the Zeckenrap as well as Rechtsrock and the militant-salafist Naschid music were investigated. The study concluded that some lyrics of Zeckenrap artists use a "emotionalizing, partly dehumanizing enemy image with an explicit call of violence", especially against right-wing extremists, the police and the state.[9]
The Annual Report on the Protection of the Constitution of 2012 in Berlin, an incident was mentioned where a group of around 50 people attacked a police car in Berlin-Kreuzberg an tried to win over 150 attendees of a Zeckenrapgala.[10]
Known artists
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Hip-Hop". Pop- und Subkulturarchiv (in German). Retrieved June 23, 2025.
- ^ "»Wir kotzen Rap ins Wohnzimmer«" (in German). March 17, 2014. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
- ^ Dietrich, Marc (2016). Rainer Winter (ed.). Rap im 21. Jahrhundert. Eine (Sub-)Kultur im Wandel. Cultural Studies (in German). Vol. 46. Bielefeld: Transcript Verlag. p. 207. ISBN 978-3-8394-3227-3.
- ^ "#TICKTICKBYE" (in German). Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
- ^ Annika Glunz (December 18, 2017). "Hamburger Hip-Hop-Alben gegen Rechts: Typisch Zeckenrap eben". Die Tageszeitung (in German). Retrieved June 23, 2025.
- ^ Julius Wußmann (September 23, 2014). "Zeckenrap: Wenn Zecken rappen". Vice (in German). Retrieved June 23, 2025.
- ^ Sonja Esmail Zadeh (October 29, 2014). "Phänomen Links-Rap: Zecken(rap)alarm". Bayerischer Rundfunk (in German). Retrieved June 23, 2025.
- ^ Johann Voigt (September 6, 2018). "Rap positioniert sich, Rap blamiert sich". Allgood.de (in German). Retrieved June 23, 2025.
- ^ Sirseloudi, Matenia; Reinke de Buitrago, Sybille (2016). "Konfrontative Feindbilder und ihre Entstehungsbedingungen" (PDF). bka.de (in German). Retrieved June 23, 2025.
- ^ "Verfassungsschutzbericht 2012" (in German). Senatsverwaltung für Inneres und Sport, Abteilung Verfassungsschutz. March 2013. p. 113. Retrieved June 23, 2025.