1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Our guest on 06.11.2011 Casper, Rapper

“talking germany” - presenter Peter Craven talks with Casper about rap, growing up without a father and the show-biz aspect of hip hop.

https://p.dw.com/p/Ruyo

Casper, whose real name is Benjamin Griffey was born on September 25, 1982, in the town of Extertal in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. He spent the first 11 years of his life in the United States, until his parents separated. Returning to Germany was difficult for him at first, as he spoke no German. Early on, he discovered music as a means of expression. Encouraged by a friend, he also took part in rap battles, contests where rappers go head to head in front of an audience, and where most of the lyrics and rhymes are directed against the competition. His first solo album, "Hin zur Sonne," which stuck fairly closely to the codes and rhythms of the genre, was released in 2008. At the same time he was studying in Bielefeld to be a teacher, although he broke off his studies after 14 semesters. In July 2011 he released his second album, "XOXO. In contrast to its predecessor, it was a fusion of indie pop and hip hop, and the arts sections of newspapers celebrated him as an innovative force in German hip hop. At the same time, the gangsta rap faction derided him as a sentimental student, because he incorporated many of his personal experiences and emotions into his lyrics. Casper now lives in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin.