Sonically, 216 is as radio- and club-unfriendly as its lyrical content. Instead of jotting down the lyrics in one go, the song consists of various lines he’s written about different experiences of daily racism throughout his life. I thought we should come out with a banger. “People think because those themes don't directly affect them, they simply don't exist.

Der offizielle Chimperator Youtube Channel. OG Keemo is a Sudanese-German rapper who has caused controversy by holding a mirror up to the racism that still exists in Europe’s most powerful economy. Keemo is quick to debunk that theory – he’d rather leave it at that. Apparently, the track’s explicit imagery of everyday racism, black pride, self-hatred, and racial profiling left some feeling personally attacked. “One of the comments I saw most frequently was “this only applies to America, never to Germany”.

On the other hand, I also don’t feel ‘It's an us-against-them scenario’. The beat, as always provided by Keemo’s producer and childhood friend Funkvater Frank, consists of little more than a few piano notes, rattling chains, scattered bits of sound design and some ghoulish screams at the song’s peak. But Frankie suggested that it would be a good idea to put this out as a first statement.

Because we never address it.”The far-right AFD has surged in recent elections, with many Germans fearful about the effect this may have on German society (Credit: Getty Images)This unapologetic anger expressed in 216 couldn’t be more timely.

Of course, 216 is one of the most poignant songs on the album, so he was completely right,” says OG Keemo.Presented without any further explanation, the title 216 had fans and critics wondering about its meaning. To me, this is evidence that people have no clue what is really going on here.

Alle Videos von und mit Die Orsons, Tua, MOii, Maeckes, OG Keemo, KAAS, Vona und Bartek. For 216, OG Keemo tried a different writing approach.

OG Keemo Interview: Chimperator, das N-Wort, Klauen für den Kick, sein Twitter-Game, Tour mit RIN by YOU FM.

It’s a fittingly odd choice for the lead-single of their upcoming debut album In the video for 216, OG Keemo wears a military uniform (Credit: Chimperator Productions)“I guess people wouldn't have expected such a track from me, simply because I wasn't very political in my songs so far. MTV RAPS ORIGINAL) | MTV Germany However, one could see where this theory stems from; after all, it is Keemo, dressed up in the same white military uniform that he’s wearing at the beginning of the clip, who kicks away the chair at his own hanging. To be perfectly honest, I was against dropping this first. That behaviour is the most absurd to me.” I never experienced sexism’. Do you know what I mean? On 5 September, the day that German rapper OG Keemo released his new single 216, his Twitter timeline was headed by a retweet of one of his idols, American MC Earl Sweatshirt: “I guess this the part where white people call me racist for being pro black,” followed by the shrug emoji.

The last thing I wanted to achieve with this song is create more division. “For example, it would never occur to me say ‘I don’t get it, why are these women complaining all of a sudden?

It’s this circular structure of every-day racism and self-destructive behaviour that Keemo finds most frustrating.“I don't say we're to be blamed for what's happening. But, my father came here around 1990 and I’m shocked when he tells me that nothing ever changed,” he says. “I wish I wasn't the type of guy to read YouTube comments,” OG Keemo says, laughing.

It’s all held together by a recurring reference to his father who raised him on a ‘by any means’ ideology, urging him to “never turn the other cheek”.

The son of a Sudanese man who came to Germany in 1990, the 26-year-old is heralded as the future, mixing his thoughtful lyrics with street sensibilities. Or, as a heterosexual man, I could never take on a position to tell a gay man that it’s not that bad in Germany. But I never thought I would get called a full-blown racist for addressing their inherent racism.”  Since appearing on the scene in 2017, OG Keemo has been somewhat of an outlier in the current German rap landscape.