Bushido (2)

Now that Bushido is celebrating 20 years, I guess it is time for me to leave a résumé.

I followed Bushido already since the early 2000 beginnings. Which was also the time I got in touch with German-Rap for the first time. I gotta say that I honestly was never too much into German-Rap. The only artists I do listen to actively are Bushido and Kollegah. Simply because they try to do things different than most of the other German-Rappers, which nowadays went into full Autotune-Trap Dance Music anyway. I do also listen to some US Rappers but in the end I am more home in the Electronic Music Genre ranging from Drum & Bass to Goa, Industrial, Techno and so on. I also can't do much with most of the German-Rap community which might be because most seem to be underage teens, excluding some old Bushido and Kollegah fans I know. I am aware this music is more catered for this group which I often find a bit sad. However, I did notice that some Rappers took notice of the growing amount of adult fans, especially Bushido. I guess most oldschool fans just grew up as much as him.

His Demotape and King Of Kingz were good starters in my book. They didn't really re-invent the Rap Genre but they were solid releases with interesting featurings. I do like to give both releases a spin from time to time. They were made by people who loved US Hip-Hop and tried to bring it to Germany. But after that the real gold releases came. CCN (as Sonny Black) and Vom Bordstein Bis Zur Skyline are between my favorite Rap records ever. Both releases are just genius and have a very own sound and style. Hugely leaning towards "Electro". Beat wisely at least. For me he invented a very distinct sound with those releases. Something anyone clearly would declare like "Hey, this is Bushido, isn't it?". The samplings also were absolutely amazing, especially since I actually knew some of them. The releases were hugely celebrated in the German-Rap Genre and in my book was also one that brought the Genre into "Mainstream". Whether for the good or worse is not mine to decide but I think it was worse.

After this, Bushido started an new era including a own label since he and Aggro Berlin got into dispute. He released Electro Ghetto which was a pretty solid release. The track Electro Ghetto is one of the tracks that really got stuck in my head and was also the first Bushido track that was hugely played. Maybe not in the radio but everywhere else. But... With this album he also started going more commercial. Most of the tracks seem to be more centered towards the big mainstream crowd and don't even feature Bushido's distinctive beats anymore. The following release Staatsfeind Nr. 1 proved this. The first album which I didn't enjoy that much anymore. Some tracks were alright but it just wasn't Bushido for me anymore. At this point it was also clear that Bushido is now the most successful German-Rapper ever and his crowd went really huge and he tried to satisfy their desires with more music for let's say "casuals". So definitely not someone like me. Sadly the following years stayed like this.

Luckily there was still CCN II with Saad, which I absolutely loved since it still used Bushidos earlier style both lyric wisely but also in beats and samples. With Von Der Skyline Zum Bordstein Zurück he tried to get back to his first album. With success! I did really like the album as a whole and think it is underrated. Most people just rate it like his other albums, which in my opinion is wrong. I agree, it doesn't reach VBBZS but it was the closest there was until then. Most tracks tried to imitate that old and raw Bushido sound which was cool. I also liked that he tried to produce this album almost alone with his own beats and great samples. This album is also notorious for getting framed of "music stealing". Some of his tracks include hugely unaltered samples from several bands, which of course wanted to get some of the cake of his success. It is nothing new to sample and it is fine by me, but this album did it a bit too much, while not really altering most of the melodies to be honest. Bushido had to pay for it but I guess in the end he couldn't care less. The album got banned from the market and wasn't sold anymore, which nowadays makes it a rare find. It wasn't just a matter of being indexed for the public market, it was outright banned.

After this we got the releases 7 and Heavy Metal Payback. The second album name actually stems from a old rare B-Side track from him. Both releases were ok I guess. 7 had some really good rememberable tracks. Heavy Metal Payback had some too but was worse than 7 in general. There were just too many and most sounded like he recorded them in a short time. Sounded more like a B-Side Collection of 7. Neither of the albums were really groundbreakers but 7 was quite good. There was also CCN 2 with Fler. Yes, CCN II again but not with Saad but Fler and stylized as 2 instead of II. Confusing as hell. The reunion also wondered me since Bushido and Fler got into dispute with each other and I honestly didn't like anything Fler has put out solo. His CCN, VBBZS times were the best. Bushido and Fler often had disputes with each other but then reunited. Way too often. Wasn't even sure whether I can take this serious anymore. Was kind of a hate love I guess. Anyway. CCN 2 with Fler was a little bit underwhelming. Neither of them really could live up to the amazing CCN but I guess they tried their best. There were only a handful of tracks I found solid like Reloaded or Carlo Cokxxx Flashback. Too many tracks were not Gangsta-Rap tracks and even sounded a bit Popish. Really weird for a CCN release. It was a bit "meh" in my book.

After this came the "Grown Up" era. All of his releases had less and less Gangsta-Rap styled music and more of those grown up lyrics. I honestly lost track of him with those releases. There were so many releases but nearly all sounded below average to me. Zeiten Ändern Dich, Jenseits Von Gut Und Böse, Berlins Most Wanted, 23. The music generally was too mainstream for me, just as well as the featurings. Bushido hit a all time low and he kind of got forgotten in those times and other Rap artists arose out of his ashes such as Haftbefehl, Kollegah and Farid Bang. Zeiten Ändern Dich was alright. I know it was supposed to be the soundtrack to a movie, which honestly I never watched yet. Maybe once, not really into movies. I liked the idea of Jenseits Von Gut Und Böse, I think the album was even produced in New York, wasn't it? The thing is, it was barely noticeable except in tracks like Gangster. I also liked this lenticular box release of the album. 23 is probably the worst release for me personally from Bushido. Couldn't do anything with this at all but I also don't like Sido so maybe that is why. Berlins Most Wanted was bad and was supposed to battle JBG I guess but in the end was just a shadow of it. I also don't like the new "BMW" setup. Where was King Orgasmus One? Instead we got Kay One. Wasn't really mine. Surprisingly AMYF was better for me again. It wasn't amazing but I generally liked the album. It had typical Bushido lyrics again and didn't sound that Popish. Some of the beats were really interesting plus I also think it is a very personal album for Anis. Also the amount of tracks was stunning. 31 tracks. This is crazy. Still, nothing from the last few years blew me away that much anymore.

For my surprise, Bushido arose from the ashes in 2014 with his killer album Sonny Black. What a killer comeback! Finally he gave a damn about holding back with his Gangsta Rap. He wen't full berserk and gave a shit about what anyone thought about him. YES! Damn, I was so happy seeing this comeback. Sonny Black was the best album since I guess VBBZS. Good Gangsta-Rap with cool Bushido beats. There was even a Kollegah & Farid Bang featuring which I really loved to see around this time. Shame they had beef with each other after this but this was more about Arafat/The Abou-Chaker Clan than Bushido. And that wasn't even the end. After this came another great CCN3, which he recorded alone but I couldn't care less since it was a lot more CCN than CCN2 with Fler. Another top notch release. After this followed Black Friday which tried to follow the same veins of Sonny Black and CCN3 but tried to be a teeny tiny bit more open and less hardcore Gangsta-Rap, but this was absolutely fine for me. Sound wisely it was really fitting. At this point I should also mention the amazing box releases all of the albums got. Even with vinyls and everything! It was cool to see someone do proper boxes and not all this shit with clothing and mindless bagpacks. He also proved that he is aware of the more adult fanbase, because which teen would nowadays give a damn about vinyls? They with all their MP3s and Spotify streams. Sadly Black Friday was overshadowed by issues with his label and Arafat Abou-Chaker. I guess Arafat had a lot of influence on his life as a whole and those were not really positive. I never really liked this guy and I am happy they split up in the end. Mythos came out at the end of this huge public dispute and it was a darn good album! Really loved the whole vibe of the album, especially the beats. The box release was really amazing! Loved the design of it and the cool book. The MPC design was really a good choice because the MPC itself also means much to Bushido and his music/beats.

I am not really sure what to say about Bushido as a person. He went through so many viral disputes and problems, which makes it really difficult to believe he is a "good" person. But what defines a good person anyway? I am sure that he is also to blame partly for all this stuff but maybe also had bad luck in life. I guess this just makes him human since no one is perfect. He is beyond good and evil (Jenseits Von Gut Und Böse). I personally got to say that I find him really memorable as a whole. Not just as rapper but also as person. Also including his logo and name. I guess he will continue to follow the path of the warrior (Weg des Kriegers) forever.

He was also a person who often stood in the public, whether it is the social aspect or politics. He always said what he thought straight out and was loved and hated for it and took even part in many popular shows and politic disputes/discussions. Also there was this famous Kay One dispute. I guess the whole thing was staged and they also made peace by now. The ultimate 10 minute disstrack was huge though and it was new back in 2012. I also find it interesting that he sampled Nox Arcana and some other Black/Gothic Metal bands. I really love Nox Arcana. Some of his albums are difficult to get your hands on nowadays. Either because they are indexed or banned. Especially VBBZS is cherished as a rarity nowadays, not only because it is rare, but also because it was a huge success and many people want to get their hands on this album. Maybe one day it will get removed from the index. Main reason seems to be the track "Pussy". Sometimes he also seems to let other people write his lyrics, especially for his Pop releases. This might be why I don't like them.

One thing I love about Bushido is that he brought many issues of our society to the public, especially on Albums like 7 and how it is to grow up in a ghetto. Yeah, yeah, some think it is all fake but I hardly doubt that. It just sounds too real for me plus there is a reason he had all those connections to the street. 7 and the track Mitten Im Leben are speaking for theirself. His music also helped me to cope with real life problems. I had difficult times in life and his lyrics and music in general helped me to grab on to what I have and get through it. If nothing but for this is why I love Bushido and will keep supporting his music forever and ignore all the haters, getting really tired of it.

I wonder whether Bushido plans to quit eventually. It is very unusual to see persons as old as him in the Rap business but I really like it and hope to get more of his Gangsta Rap-releases. But even if not, was nice to walk the path of the warrior with him and I will keep listening to his music forever. He definitely left a huge memory in the German-Rap genre and was also one that made it to what it is today.

Check out my best to worst album release list:
https://www.discogs.com/lists/Bushidos-Album-Releases-Sorted-from-Best-to-Worst/442576