{"id":2926,"date":"2021-11-24T13:23:52","date_gmt":"2021-11-24T10:23:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.istanbulberlin.com\/?p=2926"},"modified":"2021-11-24T13:53:00","modified_gmt":"2021-11-24T10:53:00","slug":"kreuzberg36","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.istanbulberlin.com\/en-de\/kreuzberg36\/","title":{"rendered":"Kreuzberg Hip Hop Culture: \"Your Weapon is The Mic, Your Drug is Spray Paint!\""},"content":{"rendered":"

The instructions of the principal of the hip hop school of life went something like: yell as loud as you can! Talk in capital letters! Be heard and noticed. Don\u2019t mess with one another! Keep the knives in their sheaths, talk instead of resorting to violence. Your weapon is the mic, your drug is spray paint!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

From the article<\/a>, <\/span>written by Annette K\u00f6gel on the occasion of Maxim\u2019s death, Der Tagesspiegel<\/span>1<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In the 90s, the sociological conditions of the laborer migration into Germany were compounded by racist attacks. Young people subsequently began forming gangs in order to defend themselves and take a stand. While these developments took place, hip hop culture as the bastion of ostracized factions of society for self-expression had begun making its voice heard on TV and via the American military. Correspondent with gang violence in the US and its reflections in hiphop, Berlin\u2019s hiphop culture also evolved and developed within its own conflicts.<\/h6>\n
Intertwining art and life, this first article of our hip hop case file centers on the Kreuzberg district of Berlin. Relaying the unique development of Turkish hip hop, the story doubles as a respectful observation of the actors that lured teens away from violence and towards art.<\/h6>\n
Interview with Tamer Yi\u011fit by Sedef \u0130lgi\u00e7 and Nazl\u0131 Sa\u011fd\u0131\u00e7 Pilcz
\nText by Sedef \u0130lgi\u00e7
\nEdited by N\u00fckhet Polat
\nEnglish Translation by Zeynep Beler<\/h6>\n

Kapak G\u00f6rseli: Al Jazeera T\u00fcrk 36 Boys Documentary<\/a><\/p>\n

In the first interview<\/a> of our hip hop case file, we had touched upon the rise of the far right and xenophobia during the \u201890s following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the catastrophes in M\u00f6lln and Solingen.<\/span>2<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The district of Kreuzberg, populated densely by Turks and with rubble from WWII, was dilapidated and practically cornered by the city up against the Wall.<\/p>\n

Teens began forming gangs; both to defend themselves against attacks and to take a stand against the ostracization they faced. Fifteen Turkish gangs surfaced in Berlin alone; the Kreuzberg-based 36 Boys among them.<\/span>3<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span>\u00a0Active from the late 80\u2019s to the mid 90\u2019s, the gang harbored five hundred members.<\/span>4<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Though Turks were in the majority, the gang also included young people of other ancestries. The only German member of the gang is Tim Raue, who presently is the chef of the eponymous Michelin-starred restaurant.<\/span>5<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span>He says he would not be where he is today if not for being a member of the gang.<\/span>6<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

I met Tamer Yi\u011fit last year during his tenure as a resident artist at Tarabya Cultural Academy, when we shot a video<\/a> together. You can see the teaser here:<\/p>\n