Clueso

Clueso was the first rap star to emerge from central Germany. Drawing his alias from Peter Sellers' famed The Pink Panther character Inspector Clouseau, he signed with manager Andreas Welskop in 1998 and, soon after, issued the first Clueso solo release, the BMG-issued "Clüsolo." Upon signing to Four Music, Clueso issued his first full-length release, Text und Ton, in 2001. Gute Musik, which featured a shift away from rap toward more conventional vocals and reggae-inspired rhythms, was released in 2004. A year later Clueso represented his native Thuringia region in the annual Bundesvision Song Contest with the track "Kein Bock zu Geh'n." His third LP, Weit Weg, hit retail a year later. ~ Jason Ankeny