Azad

A Kurdish refugee from Iran who moved to Germany in 1984, controversial rapper Azad entered the German hip-hop scene in his teens, first as a breakdancer and later as a graffiti artist. He began rapping when lyricists A-Bomb, Combad, and D-Flame asked him to join their crew, Cold-n-Locco, in 1988. They were renamed Asiatic Warriors two years later, and their streetwise lyrics, along with their hard beats, made them one of the most popular German hip-hop acts until their breakup in 1999. Azad made his debut in 2000 with the "Napalm" 12", and a year later with the full-length Leben. Subsequent albums found success on an international level. ~ David Jeffries