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Anis Mohamed Youssef Ferchichi (born 28 September 1978), better known by his alias Bushido, is a German rapper, hip-hop producer, and entrepreneur. He is also the co-founder of the record label
ersguterjunge ersguterjunge is an independent German hip hop label distributed by Sony BMG. It was founded by rappers D-Bo and Bushido in 2004, after he left the indie label Aggro Berlin. Bushido is the managing director. ''ersguterjunge'' is a reflexion ...
. Raised in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
, Ferchichi came in contact with hip-hop through
graffiti Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...
and his friend and fellow rapper
Fler Patrick Losenský (born 3 April 1982), known professionally as Fler, is a German rapper and the CEO of Maskulin Music Group. Career 2000–2006: Beginnings Fler was first recognized in the rap scene through collaborations with Bushido. T ...
. In 2001, Ferchichi released his demo '' King of KingZ'', which later led him to sign a record label deal with Aggro Berlin. Ferchichi's first official release was '' Carlo Cokxxx Nutten'' in 2002, a collaboration with Fler.


Early life

Ferchichi was born on 28 September 1978 to a Tunisian father and German mother in Bad Godesberg,
Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...
, West Germany. His father left the family when Ferchichi was three years old while his mother decided to move to
West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...
. He grew up with his brother in Berlin-Tempelhof, where he had attended two gymnasiums before dropping out in eleventh grade. According to his autobiography, Ferchichi was found guilty of drug possession and property damage and was given the choice to either face a jail term or to complete an officially recognized vocational training program. During his training, he met Patrick Losensky, also known as
Fler Patrick Losenský (born 3 April 1982), known professionally as Fler, is a German rapper and the CEO of Maskulin Music Group. Career 2000–2006: Beginnings Fler was first recognized in the rap scene through collaborations with Bushido. T ...
, who introduced him to hip-hop and graffiti.


Career


1998–2004: Demo releases, ''King of KingZ'' and Aggro Berlin signing

Bushido and a then amateur rapper, Vader, formed a duo, Search & Defeat, in early 1998. They had worked on an album titled ''Unbreakable'', but ultimately the album never finished. At some point, another Berlin rapper, King Orgasmus One, had joined the group, together forming the 030 Squad. They recorded a demo titled ''Westberlin Represent'', selling some copies to friends. During his time with King Orgasmus One, Bushido had his first guest appearance on the track "Rap ist out", on Frauenarzt's 2000 demo album ''Tanga Tanga''. Following the release of ''Tanga Tanga'', Bushido, King Orgasmus One, and Bass Sultan Hengzt formed the group Berlins Most Wanted. This ultimately led to the creation of the record label I Luv Money Records in 2001. Bushido's first demo as a solo artist, '' King of KingZ'', was released in 2001. In 2002, Bushido and Fler joined Aggro Berlin, with '' Carlo Cokxxx Nutten'' (often abbreviated to ''CCN''), a collaborative studio album by Bushido and Fler, was released in October 2002. On the record, the two rappers performed under their aliases Sonny Black and "Frank White", respectively. The album marked the first major release for both and is now regarded as highly influential for
gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture, values, and experiences of urban gangs and street hustlers, frequently discussing unpleasant realities of the world in general th ...
in Germany. Bushido followed this up with the release of his debut solo album '' Vom Bordstein bis zur Skyline'' in July 2003. The album again included several collaborations with Fler, and is considered a milestone of
German hip hop German hip hop (locally known as ''Deutschrap'', ''Deutsch'' meaning German) refers to hip hop music in the German language. Elements of American hip hop culture, such as graffiti art and breakdancing, diffused into Western Europe in the ea ...
.


2004–2005: Label forming, ''Electro Ghetto'', ''CCN II'' and ''Staatsfeind Nr. 1''

In summer 2004, Bushido left Aggro Berlin and signed with Urban/ Universal. Together with DJ Ilan, he produced a remix of
Rammstein Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, drummer Christoph ...
's song " Amerika". Bushido's second studio album, titled '' Electro Ghetto'', was released in October 2004. The album reached number six on the German charts and spawned three singles, "Electro Ghetto", "Nie wieder", and "Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt", all of which placed in the singles charts for several weeks. In April 2005, Bushido's second collaborative studio album, '' Carlo Cokxxx Nutten II'', was released, once again under his alter ego "Sonny Black", but this time in partnership with Baba Saad instead of Fler. He followed this up with the release of his third studio album, titled '' Staatsfeind Nr. 1'', in November 2005.


2006–2007: ''Von der Skyline zum Bordstein zurück'' and ''7''

On 1 September 2006, he released his fourth solo album, '' Von der Skyline zum Bordstein zurück'' (abbreviated as ''VDSZBZ''). The second sampler, '' Vendetta – ersguterjunge Sampler Vol. 2'', was released on 1 December 2006. In early 2007, Bushido founded a girl band, Bisou, featuring former candidates of the casting show ''
Popstars ''Popstars'' is an international reality television franchise aimed to find new singing talent. Serving as a precursor to the ''Idol'' franchise, '' Popstars'' first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the girl gr ...
''. He also bought a mansion for himself and his mother in Berlin-Lichterfelde for €1,200,000 and spent an additional €800,000 to redecorate it.


2008–2009: Autobiography, ''Heavy Metal Payback'' and reunion with Fler

In January 2008, it became known that Bushido and his unknown business partner had founded a real estate business, which yielded a million
Euro The euro (currency symbol, symbol: euro sign, €; ISO 4217, currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the ...
s in the first ten months. Bushido released his autobiography ''Bushido'' on 8 September 2008, which had reached number 1 on the bestseller list
Der Spiegel (, , stylized in all caps) is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of about 724,000 copies in 2022, it is one of the largest such publications in Europe. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
. His eighth album, '' Heavy Metal Payback'', was released on 10 October 2008. The music video for his single, " Für immer jung", caused controversy when
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
stopped airing it after two days of heavy rotation. The main editorial office had decided that the feature with Czech musician Karel Gott did not fit the image of MTV. In a meeting with Bushido, the chief editors offered to air the video on their other music channel, VIVA. Bushido, however, refused this and later forbade MTV and VIVA from airing his videos because he couldn't reconcile their decision with his conscience. Bushido wrote in his forum on the topic that: upBushido in 2009 Cooperation between Bushido and MTV ended afterwards. After Fler left Aggro Berlin and the label shut down on 1 April 2009, Bushido reached out to his former partner to end their feud. The renewed friendship led to the production of a sequel to the 2002 album ''Carlo Cokxxx Nutten''. The album is titled '' Carlo Cokxxx Nutten 2'', as distinguished from the '' Carlo Cokxxx Nutten II'' sequel, recorded with Baba Saad in 2005. The album was released in September, with the single " Eine Chance/Zu Gangsta" and a music video promoting it.


2010–2011: Film debut, BMW reunion, ''Jenseits von Gut und Böse'' and reunion with Sido

The movie '' Zeiten ändern dich'' was shot in and around Berlin from July to mid-September and released in February 2010. The movie is based on Bushido's autobiography, featuring Bushido as himself, directed by
Uli Edel Ulrich "Uli" Edel (; born 11 April 1947) is a German film and television director, best known for his work on films such as ''Last Exit to Brooklyn'', '' Body of Evidence'' and '' The Baader Meinhof Complex.'' His '' Rasputin: Dark Servant of ...
and produced by Bernd Eichinger. 80,000 people watched the movie on the release date. The soundtrack to the movie, also titled '' Zeiten ändern dich'', was released in three different versions on 19 February 2010. At some point, Bushido and Kay One wrote and recorded "Fackeln im Wind", which was dedicated to the
Germany national football team The Germany national football team () represents Germany in men's international Association football, football and played its first match in 1908. The team is governed by the German Football Association (''Deutscher Fußball-Bund''), founded ...
in honor of the
2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...
and was released in June. Bushido got the idea for the song after meeting football player
Sami Khedira Sami Khedira (; ; born 4 April 1987) is a German former professional Association football, footballer who played as a central midfielder. He began his career at VfB Stuttgart, winning the Bundesliga in 2007, before moving to Real Madrid CF, Re ...
during the "Zeiten ändern dich – Live durch Europa" tour.Bushido: Fackeln im Wind – WM-Song Radiopremiere!
iloveradio.de. 10 June 2010
In August, Bushido reformed the group, Berlins Most Wanted, which originally consisted of himself, Bass Sultan Hengzt, and King Orgasmus, in 2001 during the '' King of KingZ'' era, and added Kay One and Fler to the group. Together they released the album '' Berlins Most Wanted'' with a single also called "Berlins Most Wanted". In late-March 2011, Bushido released a video on his
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel, in which he confirmed plans for a new album titled ' and the guest appearance of French rapper Booba. On 19 April, his second statement video was published, where he first thanked singer J-Luv for his vocal parts on the single "Vergiss mich", which was released on 22 April, in digital format along with the music video. He also presented the producers Rsonist and
Benny Blanco Benjamin Joseph Levin (born March 8, 1988), known professionally as Benny Blanco (stylized in all lowercase), is an American record producer and songwriter. He is the recipient of the 2013 Hal David Starlight Award from the Songwriters Hall ...
and confirmed that
Xavier Naidoo Xavier Kurt Naidoo (; born 2 October 1971) is a German soul and R&B singer, songwriter and record producer. He is a founding member of German band Söhne Mannheims, and started two record labels, Beats Around the Bush and Naidoo Records. Naid ...
from is featured as guest performer on the song "Du bist ein Mensch". His third statement video was published on 28 April on his YouTube channel. In this video, Bushido confirmed that his labelmate Kay One has a guest appearance on the album, and introduced DJ Desue as producer. Bushido also announced that the song "Wie ein Löwe" could be downloaded on
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
the following day. American record producers DJ Premier,
Swizz Beatz Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in the Bronx borough of New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ in 1994. At the age ...
, Araab Muzik and R'sonist each contributed one beat for the album. A meeting with
Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...
was also intended for the album, but Bushido cancelled the meeting due to the high price. Later, DJ Premier became disappointed that new vocals were added to the song "Gangster" and that his DJ cuts were edited without giving him a chance to hear the new version before it was released. However, it is currently unknown if the edits were Bushido's idea or that of his production team. In 2011, after having ended their long-term feud, Bushido reunited with former Aggro Berlin labelmate Sido to form the short-lived rap duo, 23. Their self-titled collaborative studio album was released in October 2011. It spawned the singles "So mach ich es" and "Erwachsen sein".


2012–2014: ''AMYF'', "Stress ohne Grund" controversy and ''Sonny Black''

upleft, Bushido in 2012 On 14 June 2012, Bushido announced in an interview with the ''
Bild ''Bild'' (, ) or ''Bild-Zeitung'' (, ) is a German tabloid newspaper published by Axel Springer SE. The paper is published from Monday to Saturday; on Sundays, its sister paper '' Bild am Sonntag'' () is published instead, which has a differen ...
'' newspaper that he would form a political party in order to become mayor of Berlin. The same month he completed an internship for CDU deputy Christian von Stetten in the Paul-Löbe-Haus in Berlin, which led to a lot of criticism due to Bushido's controversial song lyrics and his criminal past. Bushido, at some point, had announced his eleventh album, '' AMYF,'' via Facebook, which was also available for pre-sale on
Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...
. Later the tracklist and the iTunes version were published. The first announcement video was released on 22 August 2012, via YouTube on his channel. Bushido confirmed in the announcement that the deluxe version of the album features a DVD that shows footage of the recording period and also announced Sido, Eko Fresh, Julian Williams (aka J-Luv), MoTrip, and Joka as guest performers. On 19 September 2012, Bushido released the second announcement video, in which he announced several producers, including Beatzarre, Djorkaeff, X-Plosive Beats, and Phat Cripsy, and represented the other guest performers King Orgasmus One (who is only featured on the Premium edition) and Brutos Brutaloz. The third and last announcement released on 26 September 2012, where Bushido introduced Frauenarzt and Elmo as last guest features and announced the premiere of his music video for "Kleine Bushidos" (released via YouTube on 4 October), and the next day the song was available for any digital platform. On 12 October, released ''AMYF'' and ranked No. 1 on the album chart position in Germany and Switzerland. The second single "Theorie & Praxis" (featuring Joka) was released on 9 November 2012, but failed to reach the charts. The third and final single release of the album, "Panamera Flow" (featuring Shindy), was released on 15 March 2013 and ranked no. 51 in Germany and Austria. On 12 July 2013, Bushido was featured in one of Shindy's debut single "Stress ohne Grund", of his debut album ''NWA''. After its release, the single caused controversy among the media and politicians. In the song, Bushido verbally attacked the politicians Serkan Tören, Claudia Roth and Klaus Wowereit. Tören and Wowereit filed charge against Bushido. The attorney of Berlin also filed charge against him for
hate speech Hate speech is a term with varied meaning and has no single, consistent definition. It is defined by the ''Cambridge Dictionary'' as "public speech that expresses hate or encourages violence towards a person or group based on something such as ...
,
defamation Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...
, and depiction of violence in his lyrics. The Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons indexed ''NWA'' and confirmed it on in September 2013. Bushido explained in several television broadcaster and online portals, including ARD and N24, that he didn't want to hurt anyone. His lyrics in the song were just a response to the insults, that Claudia Roth and Serkan Tören had made previously towards him. In November 2013, the district court dismissed the indictment as with regard to artistic freedom. On 25 October 2013, Bushido announced via his forum the release date of his twelfth studio album, titled '' Sonny Black''. He also put a link for the Standard, iTunes, and the Deluxe edition. On 20 December 2013, he released the first music video for "Mitten in der Nacht" via Bushido's YouTube channel. The second music video for "Gangsta Rap Kings" (featuring
Kollegah Felix Martin Andreas Matthias Blume (born 3 August 1984), known professionally as Kollegah, is a German rapper. He releases his music via his own label, Alpha Music Empire. Born in Friedberg, Hesse, Friedberg and raised by a single mother in Si ...
and
Farid Bang Farid Hamed El Abdellaoui (born 4 June 1986), better known as Farid Bang, is a German gangsta rapper and bodybuilder of Spanish- Moroccan descent. He’s from a part of Spain that’s on the North African coast, bordering Morocco. His pare ...
) was released in January 2014. Before the release, Bushido posted two pictures on-set via
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
. The first picture features Bushido and Farid Bang. The second picture features all three rappers with the hashtag "#KKS", referring to their then-up-coming album titles of each rapper: ''Killa'' (Farid Bang), ''King'' (Kollegah), and ''Sonny Black'' (Bushido). The third and last music video of the album, "Jeder meiner Freunde", released one day before the album's release. On 14 February 2014, released ''Sonny Black'' which ranked No. 1 in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. According to the Media Control Gfk International, ''Sonny Black'' set a download record for being the most downloaded German rap album and ranking No. 1, beating Helene Fischer's album '' Farbenspiel''.


2015–present: ''CCN 3'', ''CLA$$IC'' and ''Black Friday''

In mid-January 2015, Bushido released a video via his YouTube channel where he announced the release date of ''Carlo, Cokxxx, Nutten 3''. Before the album's release, many speculations and rumors circulated among Bushido's fan community about his collaboration partner for the album. German rappers
Fler Patrick Losenský (born 3 April 1982), known professionally as Fler, is a German rapper and the CEO of Maskulin Music Group. Career 2000–2006: Beginnings Fler was first recognized in the rap scene through collaborations with Bushido. T ...
, Eko Fresh, Haftbefehl, and Shindy were rumored to be part of the project, but each artist denied it. Fler later stated in a YouTube interview with Nico Hüls, a journalist from hip-hop magazine Backspin, that he's not involved in the ''CCN'' project due to personal issues with Bushido. In February 2015, Bushido released ''CCN 3'' as solo album, without any singles or music video promoting it. German music producers - and longtime companions - Beatzarre and Djorkaeff produced the album, with some additional production by B-Case and Jeremia Anetor. ''CCN 3'' ranked No. 1 in the German, Austrian, and Swiss Album charts and was certified gold. It received mixed reviews by German online music magazines. In May 2015, Bushido served as a featured artist on rapper and labelmate Ali Bumaye's 2nd studio album, ''Rumble in the Jungle''. The songs were "Kimbo Slice" (which also features Shindy) and "Best Friends". As promotion for the collaborative album by Bushido and Shindy, titled ''CLA$$IC'', three singles released prior the release date. The singles were "G$D" (released on October 14), "Brot brechen" (released on October 21), and "CLA$$IC" (released on November 4), accompanied by music videos via Bushido's official Youtube channel. The track "Rap leben" appeared on the disc of Juice, Issue 132. The fourth and final music video "Adel" released on the same date as the album - only the song's first part. On November, released the album on Bushido's label
ersguterjunge ersguterjunge is an independent German hip hop label distributed by Sony BMG. It was founded by rappers D-Bo and Bushido in 2004, after he left the indie label Aggro Berlin. Bushido is the managing director. ''ersguterjunge'' is a reflexion ...
and
Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...
- with a standart and box-set edition - and ranked No. 1 in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Due to the production and musical style the album was often compared to ''
Watch the Throne ''Watch the Throne'' is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West. It was released on August 8, 2011, by Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings. Prior to its release, Jay-Z and West had collaborated ...
'' by
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...
and
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...
. Later in November, Bushido was featured on two songs of Shindy's third album, ''DREAMS''. The songs were "Statements" (served as the album's 3rd single) and "Art of War". In December 2016, Bushido announced his 12th studio album and the revealed the album's title in March 2017, ''Black Friday''. The release date was set for May, but was later delayed to June 2017. His next studio album, ''Mythos'', was released in September 2018. It featured guest appearances from
Akon Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon (), is a Senegalese-United States, American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. An influ ...
, Capital Bra and Samra, and debuted at No. 1 in Germany.


Controversy


Extreme right

Bushido is often criticized in the media for his
misogynistic Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practis ...
,
nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
, anti-semitic and racist lyrics and for refusing to reject some of his controversial fans. Bushido' behavior has been compared with the macho personas found in rap/hip hop culture in the United States, in addition to the glorification of
gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture, values, and experiences of urban gangs and street hustlers, frequently discussing unpleasant realities of the world in general th ...
in hip-hop culture, long considered an expressive outlet for people across ethnic lines, as the primary factor. However, some had pointed out his partial North African ethnicity and collaboration with minority artists like Azad, Eko Fresh and Cassandra Steen as proof that Bushido is not racist. The controversy was magnified by the line "Salutiert, steht stramm, ich bin der Leader wie A" ("Salute, stand to attention, I am the leader like A") in Bushido's single "Electro Ghetto"."Bushido: Rapper wehrt sich gegen "Nazi"-Vorwurf – laut.de – News"
laut.de.
The "A" is interpreted by many as referring to
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
. According to Bushido, the line is a citation from a rap by Azad, who often calls himself "A". Bushido also called this a "willkommene Provokationsmöglichkeit" ("welcome opportunity to provoke").


Misogyny and homophobia

Bushido provoked much controversy through his use of controversial song lyrics, which can be interpreted as being misogynistic,
homophobic Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, Gay men, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, or ant ...
,
sexist Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...
, and violence-glorifying. For example, the song "Nutte Bounce", from his demo album '' King of KingZ'' (2001), frequently uses the term "Nutte" (German for "slut"). When questioned, Bushido explained that he doesn't mean women in general but rather the "real bitches". The song "Berlin" from his debut '' Vom Bordstein bis zur Skyline'' (2003) has the following line, which can be interpreted as homophobic:"Konzert: CDU und Grüne gegen einen Auftritt von Bushido – DIE WELT"
''DIE WELT''. 2 August 2007.
In November 2005, Bushido hit the headlines after he made a scornful remark about
Paris Hilton Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, and socialite. Hilton was born in New York City and raised there partially; shuttling between Los Angeles and New York City; she is a great-grandda ...
in an interview with net.zeitung.de: "She is just a stupid piece of meat... I just want to have sex with her; humiliate her and say goodbye." In '' Vendetta – ersguterjunge Sampler Vol. 2'' (2006), he made a reference to
Natascha Kampusch Natascha Maria Kampusch (born 17 February 1988) is an Austrian author and former talk show host. At the age of 10, on 2 March 1998, she was Child abduction, abducted and held in a secret cellar by her kidnapper Wolfgang Přiklopil for more than ...
in the song "Eine Nummer für sich", which has been criticized as "crude". Quoted as following: In late August 2007, Bushido was criticized for his involvement in the concert ''Schau nicht weg'', a campaign against violence at schools, organized by ''
Bravo Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels * Bravo (band), a Russian rock band * Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984 * Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing compa ...
'' and VIVA. The critics had argued that Bushido could not be considered a role model because of his "homophobic and anti-women lyrics". According to ''Bravo'', since 2006 he had been "very involved in the project, so his live performance could not be canceled". During the performance, Bushido appealed aggressively to a small group of homosexual protesters by saying: "You fuckers can demonstrate, hang yourself – I don't give a shit". This led to more criticism and controversy. In June 2009, after participants of the Kreuzberg Pride festival spotted Bushido on the Berlin
U-Bahn Rapid transit in Germany consists of four systems and 14 systems. The , commonly understood to stand for ('underground railway'), are conventional rapid transit systems that run mostly underground, while the or ('city rapid railway') are c ...
at Schlesisches Tor, a verbal conflict ensued between the rapper and the participants in which Bushido insulted the individuals by referring to their sexual orientation. As a result, he and his entourage were splashed with drinks and the organizers of the pride festival sued him for libel."Transgenialer CSD: Bushido bekommt Ärger bei Homosexuellen-Demo – Berlin – Berliner Morgenpost"
''Berliner Morgenpost – Berlin''. 27 June 2009.


Anti-Israel Twitter controversy

In January 2013, Bushido garnered additional media attention by tweeting "Free Palestine" along with a map of the Middle East in which
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
did not exist.Toby Axelrod (14 January 2013
"German rapper's Twitter profile shows Mideast without Israel"
Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that "this illustration does not serve peace, rather it sows hate." Israel's embassy in Berlin responded to the rapper's actions by tweeting, with irony, directly to his Twitter handle: "@Bushido78 first women, then gays and now Israel: We are proud to belong to the victims of the integration prize winner Bushido." In 2011, Bushido received a Bambi Award for successful German integration in Germany, despite his reputation for homophobia and misogyny. The Bambi Foundation head Patricia Riekel reacted to his tweet by saying: "We are examining the incident and will react accordingly."


Lawsuits for assault

More legal troubles ensued following an incident at a party in
Linz Linz (Pronunciation: , ; ) is the capital of Upper Austria and List of cities and towns in Austria, third-largest city in Austria. Located on the river Danube, the city is in the far north of Austria, south of the border with the Czech Repub ...
, Austria on 30 July 2005. Upon discovery that his tires had been slashed, Bushido and two of his bodyguards were involved in a physical altercation with a 19-year-old Austrian man from Linz who was left with severe head injuries. Bushido blames the victim for damaging the tires of his BMW 7 Series. Bushido spent 15 days (3–18 August) in jail before being released on €100,000 bail. He ended up paying €20,000 to the Austrian courts and another €1,000 to the victim himself. It was during this time that it became publicly known that Bushido had been married to another woman for several years when the judge questioned him on the topic. Bushido later denied these claims.


Copyright infringement

Bushido garnered some press coverage when his record company,
Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...
, sued EMI over an alleged copyright violation that derived from similarities between the cover of ''Deutschland gib mir ein Mic'' and '' Music Is My Savior'', an album by American rapper Mims. In 2007, Bushido earned more international press coverage when he was threatened with legal action by the symphonic black metal band
Dimmu Borgir Dimmu Borgir () is a Norwegian symphonic black metal band from Jessheim, formed in 1993. The name is derived from Dimmuborgir, a volcanic formation in Iceland, the name of which means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic lang ...
, who claimed that Bushido had sampled two of their songs without permission, "Mourning Palace" and "Alt Lys Er Svunnet Hen". Bushido's songs named were "Mittelfingah" and "Engel". Dimmu Borgir's manager was quoted saying: No case was brought against him. Two songs from the Liverpool band
Antimatter In modern physics, antimatter is defined as matter composed of the antiparticles (or "partners") of the corresponding subatomic particle, particles in "ordinary" matter, and can be thought of as matter with reversed charge and parity, or go ...
had also been sampled by Bushido without permission, although this dispute was settled later before any legal action was taken. The songs were "Terminal" and "Epitaph" (sampled on " Von der Skyline zum Bordstein zurück" and " Sonnenbank Flavour"). 26 September 2008, Bushido was charged with international copyright infringement by the American gothic band Nox Arcana for copying music from three of their songs: "Beyond Midnight" (copied by Bushido on "Weißt Du?"), "No Rest for the Wicked" (copied by Bushido on "Kurt Cobain") and "Cthulhu Rising" (copied by Bushido on "Blaues Licht"). Nox Arcana's songs was featured on their albums '' Darklore Manor'' (2003) and '' Necronomicon'' (2004). Bushido's album '' Von der Skyline zum Bordstein zurück'' (2006), which copied Nox Arcana's songs, was re-released in 2007 after going Platinum in Germany."zeitzeuge – Zeitzeuge"
. blog.de. 6 October 2008
Here is a section taken from the official page of Nox Arcana: Also, the French band Dark Sanctuary had accused Bushido of taking songs off their material without permission. For his single " Janine" he used the melody of the song "Les Mémoires Blessées". On 23 March 2010, German courts convicted him and ordered him to make reparations and to stop the sales of the affected albums, singles, and samplers, including ''Von der Skyline zum Bordstein zurück''. In addition to that, he was ordered to recall and destroy all unsold copies. A video was leaked online by Marzel Becker and Stephan Heller, two German music reviewers. In their video, they compared Dark Sanctuary's songs to those of Bushido.


Links to organized crime

In April 2013, it became publicly known that Bushido signed on 22 December 2010 a general power of attorney to Arafat Abou-Chaker, the leader of the Lebanese criminal clan Abou-Chaker, which allows him to dispose of Bushido's entire estate, including accounts, cars, and financial profits. Bushido paid Arafat money in exchange for having his career managed by him, and having rival rappers in Berlin exiled by the clan. German magazine ''stern'' has reported on numerous occasions about Bushido's relationship with the mafia clan. In 2018, Bushido's wife, Anna-Maria Ferchichi, claimed that Bushido left the clan. Bushido also admitted that he was an accomplice to Abou-Chaker's crimes, and that he "looked the other way".


Feuds

Bushido performing in 2006


Kay One

In late March 2012, Kay One's videos, along with their million views, had been removed from Bushido's YouTube channel. Bushido tweeted following this action: "I don't have beef, with anyone". Following that, Kay One posted a statement on
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
, saying that "the truth will come out soon". The statement ends with the word "ex-guterjunge". In April 2012, Kay One said goodbye to ersguterjunge via Facebook. Five days prior, Bushido announced the trademark of the phrase "Kay One" on the
German Patent and Trade Mark Office The German Patent and Trade Mark Office (; abbreviation: DPMA) is the Germany, German national patent office, with headquarters in Munich, and offices in Berlin and Jena. In 2006 it employed 2556 people, of which about 700 were patent examiners. ...
. In May 2012, Kay One was attacked after two performances by masked persons armed with knives, although there were no casualties. Later, he blamed Bushido for sending the attackers. Bushido, in turn, denied it. In May 2013, Bushido's former friend Shindy released a
diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (an abbreviation of ''disrespect'' or ''disparage'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feu ...
against Kay One, titled "Alkoholisierte Pädophile", accusing him of
pedophilia Pedophilia ( alternatively spelled paedophilia) is a psychiatric disorder in which an adult or older adolescent experiences a primary or exclusive sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Although girls typically begin the process of pube ...
and complaining about not being paid for co-writing songs for the album '' Prince of Belvedair''. Kay One banned the track and reacted via Facebook to it, where he stated that he would "uncover the truth" about Bushido and Shindy. In June 2013, Bushido and Shindy were both guests at the German online hip-hop portal ''16 Bars TV''. In the interview with hostess Visa Vie, they talked about their personal issues with Kay One. In late-July, Bushido refers to his beef with Kay One in the song "Stress ohne Grund" with the line: "''Kay du Bastard best jetzt vogelfrei''" ("Kay you bastard, you are now outlawed"). In August 2013, Kay One's diss track "Nichts als die Wahrheit" was released, rapping about his past with Bushido and Shindy. In response to the accusation of being a pedophile, he claimed that Bushido had cheated on his wife with a 17-year-old girl. The dispute between both artists reached its high point when Kay One was invited onto the German TV show ''stern TV'', in October 2013, where he talked about the "mafia business" of the Palestinian clan Abou-Chaker and claimed that Bushido served as the "slave of the family". Since then, Kay One receives anonymous death threats and got police protection. Bushido then announced his ten-minute-long diss track, "Leben und Tod des Kenneth Glöckler", on many social media outlets. The track was released on 22 November 2013, via Bushido's YouTube channel and reached 2 million views within 24 hours. By December 2018, the video reached almost 50 million views. The track received positive feedback from the German hip hop community. Hours later, Kay One reacted via Facebook by calling Bushido a "hate preacher" and accused him of lying. He also stated that he will not talk anymore about the feud. However, a year later in November 2014, Kay One released his 25-minute response track, "Tag des Jüngsten Gerichts", on his YouTube channel. The music video set a YouTube record in the German rap community, reaching 3 million views in the first 24 hours. Anne-Marie Ferchichi, Bushido's wife, took offense at Kay One's lyrics directed at her and sent him a warning via a lawyer. Kay One originally removed the video but re-uploaded it half a day later. The video was again removed from YouTube due to a court order by Bushido's lawyer. Since then, the video has been completely removed from the platform, but has been re-uploaded by third-party channels.


Kollegah and Farid Bang

In 2014, Bushido, Farid Bang, and Kollegah collaborated on "Gangsta Rap Kings", a single for Bushido's tenth studio album '' Sonny Black''. The relationship between Farid Bang and Kollegah and Bushido worsened after that. After several indirect provocations from both sides, the situation escalated at an open-air festival in Munich in the summer of 2017. On their third collaboration album ''
Jung Brutal Gutaussehend 3 ''Jung Brutal Gutaussehend 3'' ("Young, violent, handsome 3"; also stylized as ''Jung, brutal, gutaussehend 3'' and abbreviated as ''JBG 3'') is the third collaborative studio album by German rappers Kollegah and Farid Bang. It was released on 1 ...
'' Kollegah and Bang dissed Bushido and several
ersguterjunge ersguterjunge is an independent German hip hop label distributed by Sony BMG. It was founded by rappers D-Bo and Bushido in 2004, after he left the indie label Aggro Berlin. Bushido is the managing director. ''ersguterjunge'' is a reflexion ...
artists directly.


Personal life

Bushido has been in a relationship with former German model Anna-Maria Lewe (born 1981) since early 2011, and they married in May 2012. Lewe (now Ferchichi) is the younger sister of German singer Sarah Connor and ex-wife of Finnish footballer Pekka Lagerblom (married: 2005-09). It is also Lewe's third marriage. Since August 2022, Bushido has lived in
Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
with his family, after they left their home in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
.


Discography


Studio albums

* '' Vom Bordstein bis zur Skyline'' (2003) * '' Electro Ghetto'' (2004) * '' Staatsfeind Nr. 1'' (2005) * '' Von der Skyline zum Bordstein zurück'' (2006) * '' 7'' (2007) * '' Heavy Metal Payback'' (2008) * '' Zeiten ändern dich'' (2010) * '' Jenseits von Gut und Böse'' (2011) * ''AMYF'' (2012) * '' Sonny Black'' (2014) * ''Carlo Cokxxx Nutten 3'' (2015) * ''Black Friday'' (2017) * ''Mythos'' (2018) * ''Sonny Black II'' (2021) * ''König für immer'' (2024)


Collaborations

* '' Carlo Cokxxx Nutten'' - with
Fler Patrick Losenský (born 3 April 1982), known professionally as Fler, is a German rapper and the CEO of Maskulin Music Group. Career 2000–2006: Beginnings Fler was first recognized in the rap scene through collaborations with Bushido. T ...
(2002) * '' Carlo Cokxxx Nutten II'' - with Baba Saad (2005) * '' Carlo Cokxxx Nutten 2'' - with Fler (2009) * '' Berlins Most Wanted'' - with Berlins Most Wanted (2010) * '' 23'' - with Sido (2011) * ''CLA$$IC'' - with Shindy (2015) * ''Carlo Cokxxx Nutten 4'' - with
Animus Animus may refer to: Philosophy * Anima and animus, Jungian concepts * The ancient Roman concept of ''animus'' or soul * Animus (journal), ''Animus'' (journal), an electronic journal of philosophy and humanities Music * "Animus", a track on the ...
(2019) ;Notes


Tours

*Auf die harte Tour – with Azad (2004) *ersguterjunge Tour (2005) *Gib mir ein Mic Tour (2005) *ersguterjunge Tour (2006) *Von der Skyline zur Bühne zurück Tour (2007) *"7" Tour (2007) *Carlo Cokxxx Nutten 2 Tour – with
Fler Patrick Losenský (born 3 April 1982), known professionally as Fler, is a German rapper and the CEO of Maskulin Music Group. Career 2000–2006: Beginnings Fler was first recognized in the rap scene through collaborations with Bushido. T ...
(2009) *Zeiten ändern dich – Live durch Europa (2010) *v2.010 Tour (2011) *Jenseits von Gut und Böse Tour (2012)


Film appearances


Awards

* 2005 :'' Juice-Awards'' : 1. Place in the categories ''Beste Website'' für kingbushido.de, ''Bestes Album National'' for ''Staatsfeind Nr. 1'' : Bravo Otto in ''Silber'' in the category ''HipHop National'' * 2006: :
Echo In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound that arrives at the listener with a delay after the direct sound. The delay is directly proportional to the distance of the reflecting surface from the source and the lis ...
-Winner in the category ''Live-Act National'' : "Goldenes Tape" for 20 number 1 positions of the video Von der Skyline zum Bordstein zurück in the MTV-Show '' TRL'' : MTV Europe Music Award in the category ''Best German Act''Liste der Gewinner
MTV
: Juice-Awards: 1. place in the categories ''Live Performance National'', ''Video National'' für ''Sonnenbank Flavour'', ''Single National'' for ''Von der Skyline zum Bordstein zurück'', ''Rap Solokünstler National'' : Echo-winner in the category ''Hip-Hop/R&B National'' : "Bravo Otto" in ''Gold'' in the category ''HipHop National'' : "Comet" winner in the category ''Bester Künstler'' : "Goldener Pinguin" of the Austrian Youth-magazine "Xpress" in the category: ''Bester Rapper Des Jahres'' * 2007: : MTV Europe Music Award in the category ''Best German Act'' : "Goldener Pinguin" of the Austrian Youth-magazine "Xpress" in the category: ''Bester Rapper Des Jahres'' * 2008: : Echo-winner in the category ''Hip-Hop/R&B National'' : Echo-winner in the category ''Live-Act National'' : "Comet" in the category ''Beste/r Künstler/in'' : "Bravo Otto" in ''Gold'' in the category ''Bester Hip-Hop Act national'' : "Goldener Pinguin" of the Austrian Youth-magazine "Xpress" in the category: ''Bester Rapper Des Jahres'' : Juice-Awards: 1. place in the categories ''Solokünstler National'', ''Produzent National'', ''Single National'' (Für immer jung, ft. Karel Gott), ''Album National'' (Heavy Metal Payback), ''Video National'' (Für immer jung, ft. Karel Gott), ''Live Performance National'', ''Bestes Cover'' * 2009: :"Bravo Otto" in ''Gold'' in the category ''Supersänger international'' : "Goldener Pinguin" of the Austrian Youth-magazine "Xpress" in the category: ''Bester Rapper Des Jahres'' * 2010: :"Bravo Otto" in ''Gold'' in the category ''Bester Rapper national'' : " GQ-Mann des Jahres" in the category ''Musik national'' * 2011: :"
Bambi ''Bambi'' is a 1942 American Animated film, animated Coming of age, coming-of-age drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Loosely based on Felix Salten's 1923 novel ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'', the ...
" in the category ''Integration''Bambi 2011 – Preisträger
bambi.de
* 2012: :Echo-winner in the category ''Bestes Video National'' for ''So mach ich es'' with Sido


Literature

*


References

;Additional sources

The New York Times, 8 August 2005
Dimmu Borgir Accuses German Rapper of 'Stealing' Band's Music
Blabbermouth.net, 1 November 2007
Bushido klaut von Nox Arcana
Zeitzeuge, 6 October 2010


External links


Official website
* * *
Biography and pictures at ersguterjunge.org

Website with quotes by Bushido
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bushido 1978 births Living people Echo (music award) winners Gangsta rappers German autobiographers German male non-fiction writers German people of Tunisian descent German male rappers Hip-hop record producers MTV Europe Music Award winners Musicians from Berlin Musicians from Bonn German expatriates in the United Arab Emirates