Fettes Brot
() is a German hip hop group founded in 1992.
Fettes Brot is German for fat bread
. "Fett" is a German slang term for "excellent". "Fettes Brot" is a unusual slang term in German for a joint. "Fettes Brot" could therefore also be translated colloquially as "excellent hashish". The band took the name from a fan who called them "Fettes Brot" after an early gig, which was probably meant as a compliment, but the members considered it so bizarre that they took it as the name for their new group. Fettes Brot's longevity has meant that it is sometimes referred to as "Hamburg's hip-hop-dinosaurs" by its members.
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FETTES BROT TICKETS
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History
Success with Nordisch by Nature
and Jein
When the group
Poets of Peeze
disbanded in 1992, its members Dokter Renz (Martin Vandreier né Schrader) and Tobi Tobsen together with König (king) Boris (Boris Lauterbach), Schiffmeister (Björn Warns) and Mighty founded the band Fettes Brot. The Schmidt brothers (Tobi & Mighty) left the newly founded band early on, to pursue other projects, so the band released their first album, the
EP Mitschnacker
on
Yo Mama Records
, as a trio. Prior to Mitschnacker the songs
Schwarzbrot- Weißbrot
(Blackbread - Whitebread) and
Schule der Gewalt
(School of Violence) appeared on the sampler,
Endzeit 93
, from the
Independent record label Wilde Welt Records
.
Commercial success first came with the single
Nordisch by Nature
("Northern by Nature") and its album. The song begins with the sound of a
foghorn and is sung with a strong
Plattdeutsch accent, which makes the song something of an
anthem for persons from
Northern Germany. The single remained in the German charts for a full month and the band was determined to let this commercial success make them become something like a
one hit wonder. The group demonstrated their technical maturity with their first LP
Auf einem Auge blöd
("Stupid on one eye", a parody of the phrase
Auf einem Auge blind
meaning "Blind on one eye"), which boasts versatile and humorous lyrics. The narrated stories and interwoven lines of their rapping were received very well.
A year later Fettes Brot released their second biggest commercial hit and quasi-anthem
Jein
(a
portmanteau of
Ja
and
Nein
, meaning both "Yes" and "No"). The main line of the song's chorus asks the sticky question: „Soll ich's wirklich machen oder lass ich's lieber sein?“ ("Should I really do it or should I let it go?") and established a strong fanbase in German speaking countries. Further singles from the following album
Außen Top Hits, innen Geschmack
(a play on a popular commercial jingle for the aluminum foil Toppits: "Außen Toppits - innen Geschmack" (Toppits on the outside - flavor within) where the like-sounding Album title means "Top hits on the outside - flavor within") were just as successful. The rapper
Dendemann (then a member of the
Arme Ritter
, meaning "Poor Knights" but also "
French toast") had his first introduction to the mainstream in his collaboration track,
Wildwechsel
, also with
Max Herre,
Blumentopf,
Spax (
German) and
Der Tobi & das Bo (
German) which became representative of these artists. Fettes Brot were at this time very active in other areas, for instance, they created a unique radio transmission called
Forellentee
for
Radio Fritz (
German).
Quieter times
After the end of
1998, with the single
Können diese Augen lügen?
("Can these Eyes Lie?") and its corresponding album
Fettes Brot lässt grüßen
("Fettes Brot Says Hello")
1999, it was somewhat quiet for the Trio. Many purists voiced criticism as the band explored new paths, no longer focussed on pure Hip Hop music style.
Viele Wege führen nach Rom
("Many Roads Lead to Rome") and
Lieblingslied
("Favourite Song") were successful as a combined single which turned out to become a hit even bigger than both previous albums. With the cooperation of
James Last, the three said goodbye to writing tunes in 1999, and embarked on a creative pause. This pause was relieved for their fans with the publishing of an anthology of B-sides, remixes, and some exclusive material.
Beginner, and
Smudo of the
Fantastischen Vier (Fantastic Four) as well as Der Tobi & Das Bo made personal contributions on this anthology. Furthermore, the widely successful single
Da draußen
("Out there") was released for collectors in 2000.
After three years, in
2001, the fourth regular Fettes Brot album was released. The trio marketed a small comeback with the title
Demotape
using new alternative
pseudonyms. The hit singles
Schwule Mädchen
(literally meaning "gay girls": a pun since the word "schwul" can never apply to girls - it is also a German insult for a male person supposedly being a homosexual and a "sissy") and
The Grosser
could not be clearly categorized into a musical style. Then against this they released a collaboration with
Skunk Funk (
German) the pure Hip Hop single
Fast 30
("Almost 30"). Only a year later, in early
2002 they released their Greatest Hits Compilation
Amnesie
("
Amnesia") and a like-named
DVD with extra short films. Three more singles appeared, beginning in 2002 with
Welthit
("World Hit"), found on their Greatest Hits CD. In 2003 they released the
Rio Reiser cover Ich bin müde
("I Am Tired"), written by Reiser and
Wolfgang Michels (
German) for Michels' 1983 album
Keine Probleme
("No Problems"), which received heavy rotation on television. They made the collaboration
Tanzverbot
("Dancing Prohibition") available as a legal MP3 download (as well as a limited CD and Vinyl run), as part of the
Hamburg Bambule (
German) protest together with
Bela B. (
German) against the Hamburg
senator Ronald Schill.
Comeback and their own record label
In
2004, they founded their own record label,
Fettes Brot Schallplatten GmbH
(Fettes Brot Records).
With their
Comeback!
of 2005, the Fettes Brot won second place in the
Bundesvision Song Contest with the Song
Emanuela
. A few days later on
Valentines day this single went up to third place on the singles charts. On
May 21,
2005 their most successful album to date appeared,
Am Wasser gebaut
("Built by the water", but also a term describing a very emotional person who cries easily). This was not so much a rap album like their previous ones, as it was more of a
soul record.
The second single from
Am Wasser gebaut
was
An Tagen wie diesen
("On days like this"), working with
Pascal Finkenauer (
German). Its video, in which Finkenauer and
Dj exel. Pauly (
German) appear, depicts the activities of an ordinary day. It is ordinary, except armoured tanks drive through the streets as if they were cars, and the people take little notice of them.
On
October 6,
2005, the three rappers for the first time won the Comet Award (
German) twice at once. They won both the category for "Best Band" and for "Best Song" (
Emanuela
). They were also nominated for "Best Video" and "Most Successful Download" (
Emanuela
).
On
December 22,
2005, the Fettes Brot gave the largest concert of their careers at the
Color Line Arena in
Hamburg for over 13,000 people. The concert was televised by
MTV and numerous radio station (e.g. Radio Fritz) broadcast it live.
D.O.C.H.!
Fettes Brot has sometimes used the pseudonym
D.O.C.H.!
("
doch" is a German word meaning "yet", "to the contrary", and "but", amongst other things - most often, though, it means an emphatic, "damn right!" or "oh yes!") to publish songs which would not be suitable for the Hip Hop genre (compare
Sascha Schmitz's alias,
Dick Brave
). This began with a big
PR gag: in January 2006, Fettes Brot announced that they had signed the "
Power pop" band D.O.C.H.! to their label. The band was to consist of three 17-year-old Berliners named Boy, Paolo, and Typ. News followed promising a first single and a
Hungarian tour in April, and the release of an album in September. As the single
Was in der Zeitung steht
("What's in the news") hit radio and television for the first time, a distinct similarity to the B-side of the
An Tagen wie diesen
single was noticed. (Doktor Renz had sung both songs.) After this, fans began to suspect the photos on the band's were counterfeit. An announcement was made on MTV's
TRL program, May 9, that the three members of D.O.C.H.! had accused Fettes Brot of having stolen their song (but the announcement was definitely made up by Fettes Brot).
"Bette Frost" and "Strom und Drang"
In 2006, Fettes Brot released a single named
Fussball ist immer noch wichtig
("Soccer is still important") for the
2006 FIFA World Cup, but because of the German Soccer Boom (Germany made it much farther than most Germans expected), not many people recognize this song. After many touring in 2005 and 2006, Fettes Brot worked in 2007 on a new Album. In December, they held several small secret concerts under the name "Bette Frost" and played the new songs. On
January 1, 2008 they unveiled the new single
Bettina, zieh dir bitte etwas an
("Bettina, please put on some clothes!"), but at the time, the song was known as
Bettina, pack deine Brüste ein
("Bettina, pack your boobs"), since Fettes Brot had changed it at the last minute. The song is about the German model
Bettina Ballhaus, who at this time hosted a late night quiz show, and with every question answered correctly, she took some of her clothes off. She also happened to unveil her breasts, hence the title of the song. However, before the single came out, Bettina Ballhaus left the show. Fettes Brot released this single on February 15, 2008. They also have stopped making soul music and have gone back to the "old" Fettes Brot, making Partysongs and Rap.
Fettes Brot released their new album
Strom und Drang
("Electricity and Stress") in March 2008. The album's name alludes to a 19th century epoch of German art and literature, called
Sturm und Drang.
Members
- Boris Lauterbach (aka König Boris
, Kay Bee Baby, Rock'n'Roll Coseng, Long Leg Lauterbach)
- Martin Vandreier (aka Dokter Renz
, Rektor Donz, Roktor Denz, Speedy Konsalik, Rostige Pforte, Hektor Ronz)
- Björn Warns (aka Björn Beton
, Schiffmeister, Flash Müller, Papa Geil)
Trivia
Björn Warns took the name
Schiffmeister
from the classic computer game
Pirates!. In that game when his pirate ship suffered a mutiny, an announcement came up starting with the English words "Shipmaster Warns: ...". The German language does not have a direct equivalent for "Shipmaster" ("Kapitän" is used instead, like the English "Captain"), but when Warns translated it he made up the word "Schiffmeister". Schiffmeister also means "pissmaster" in German.
Discography
Studio albums
- 1995 – Auf einem Auge blöd
("Stupid in one eye") GER#29,SWI#22
- 1996 – Außen Top Hits, innen Geschmack
("Top Hits Outside, Taste Within" (pun on a commercial aired in Germany)) GER#10,AUT#21,SWI#14
- 1998 – Fettes Brot lässt grüßen
("Fettes Brot Send Their Regards") GER#9,AUT#30,SWI#27
- 2001 – Demotape
GER#9,AUT#30,SWI#27
- 2005 – Am Wasser gebaut
("Built By The Water") GER#4,AUT#9,SWI#23
- 2008 - Strom und Drang
("Electricity and Stress") GER#3,AUT#9,SWI#14
Other albums
- 2000 – Fettes Brot für die Welt
("Fat Bread For The World") (Compiled with B-Sides, rare and unpublished pieces, and three new songs.) GER#10,AUT#32,SWI#55
- 2002 – Amnesie
(with the DVD, all singles up to 2002 except Gangsta Rap
) GER#41
- 2007 - Strandgut
(Flotsam & Jetsam)
Singles
- 1994 – Definition von Fett
("Definition of fat")
- 1995 – Männer
("Men")
- 1995 – Nordisch by Nature
("Northern by Nature") GERMedia Control Charts#17
- 1995 – Gangsta Rap
(only on vinyl)
- 1996 – Jein
(Portmanteau of "Yes" and "No") GER#10,SWISwiss Music Charts#7
- 1996 – Mal sehen
("We'll see") GER#68,SWI#23
- 1997 – Silberfische in meinem Bett
("Silverfish in my bed")
- 1997 – Sekt oder Selters
("Sparkling wine, or seltzer") GER#81
- 1997 – Lieblingslied
("Favourite song") GER#81
- 1998 – Viele Wege führen nach Rom
("Many roads lead to Rome") GER#96
- 1998 – Können diese Augen lügen?
("Can these eyes lie?") GER#100
- 1999 – Ruf mich an
("Call me") (with James Last) GER#53,SWI#39
- 2000 – Da draußen
("There, outside"/"Out there") GER#35,SWI#58
- 2001 – Schwule Mädchen
("Gay/Queer girls") GER#9,AUSÖ3 Austria Top 40#11,SWI#74
- 2001 – Fast 30
("Almost 30") (with Skunk Funk)
- 2001 – The Grosser
("The greater") GER#26,AUS#49,SWI#75
- 2002 – Welthit
("World hit") GER#75
- 2003 – Tanzverbot (Schill to Hell)
("Dance ban") (with Bela B.)
- 2003 – Ich bin müde
("I'm tired") (Cover of Wolfgang Michels and Rio Reiser) GER#87
- 2005 – Emanuela
GER#3,AUS#1,SWI#20
- 2005 – An Tagen wie diesen("On days like these") (with Pascal Finkenauer) GER#9,AUS#10,SWI#69
- 2006 – Soll das alles sein
("Is this supposed to be it") GER#40,AUS#54
- 2006 – Was in der Zeitung Steht
("What The Newspaper Reads") (under the nickname "D.O.C.H")
- 2006 – Fußball ist immer noch wichtig
("Soccer is still important") (with Bela B., Marcus Wiebusch of Kettcar and Carsten Friedrichs of Superpunk) GER#61
- 2008 – Bettina, zieh dir bitte etwas an!
("Bettina, please put on some clothes!") GER#3,AUS#14,SWI#43
- 2008 – Erdbeben
("Earthquake/s") GER#28,AUS#65
- 2008 – Ich Lass Dich Nicht Los
(I won't let you go) GER#55
- 2009 - Das allererste Mal
(The very first time)
EPs
- 1994 – Mitschnacker
(Northern German slang for "Kidnapper", but also "chatting guy")
DVDs
- 2002 – Amnesie
(Archive DVD with music videos and other Material, supplementary CD with all singles except Gangsta Rap
.)
Compilations
- 1993 - Endzeit 93
("Final hour 93") (two songs)
Awards
- ECHO 1996 als "Erfolgreichste deutsche Nachwuchsband" (most successful new German band)
- Comet 2005 for "Beste Band" (Best Band) and for "Besten Song" (Best Song) ("Emanuela")
- GQ Man of the Year 2005
as "Beste Musiker" (Best Musician)
- Eins Live Krone 2005 for "Beste Single" (Best Single) ("Emanuela")
- Gold Record for "Am Wasser gebaut" (Germany) and "Emanuela" (Germany and Austria)
- ECHO 2006 for best "Hip-Hop/R&B national" Act
- Bravo Otto Gold 2006 for best "Hip-Hop national" Act
- MTV Europe Music Awards 2008 – Best German Act
Tours
- 1995 – Klasse von '95
(Class of '95) – with Main Concept, Massive Töne, ZM Jay, MC René, F.A.B., Der Tobi & Das Bo
- 1996 – Sven, Sven & Sven live
Inkognito-Club-Tour, November
- 1996/97 – Spiel mir das Lied vom Brot
(Play for me the song of bread) – with Blumentopf, Massive Töne
- 1998 – Harte Tour '98
(Hard Tour '98) – with Eins Zwo und DJ I.L.L. Will
- 2001 – Schlechtwetterfront
(Bad Weather Front) – with DJ Pauly & Skunk Funk
- 2003 – Gute Laune Hölle
(Good Mood Hell) (only in Theaters) – with Die Herren
- 2003 – Jenseits der Grenze des Zumutbaren
(Beyond The Reasonable Limit) for Die Ärzte with Fettes Brot and opening band
- 2005 – Am Wasser gebaut
Part 1 – with Pascal Finkenauer, Emel & J-Luv, Opener: Fiva MC & DJ Radrum
- 2005 – Am Wasser gebaut
Part 2 – with Pascal Finkenauer, Emel & Patrick Gwada, no opener
- 2008 - Strom und Drang
Part 1 - with eight musicians, Opener: Superpunk, Die Türen, 1000 Robota, Bernadettte La Hengzt