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Michael "George Urkwell" Huber and Fabian "Leff Dutt" Fischmann are the frontmen of the rap band Dicht und Ergreifend and genre stars of the hour, because: They rap in Bavarian – and turn the hip-hop scene inside out. Currently, they are on a large Germany tour with their recently released album "Es werde dicht" and will be in Cologne on October 6. We talked to them about dialect music and clichés.
Mr. Huber, Mr. Fischmann, you come from Tunzenberg and Ottering in Bavaria. Is each more of a town or rather a village?
Michael "George Urkwell" Huber:
Tunzenberg has about 300 inhabitants. Ottering is somewhat larger. There are around 500, 600 inhabitants. Basically, it is the same: a village.
And how does one get into rap in the village?
Fabian "Lef Dutti" Frischmann:
Back then, when we started to get interested in music, there was no Internet. Our first contact with rap was through MTV, the now-defunct "Juice" magazine - and through those typical compilation CDs that circulated in the schoolyard.
And at some point you founded your own band – and decided to rap in dialect. A unique feature. Not everyone does that, right?
Huber:
There is already a dialect rap scene. It's not an extremely large community, but we are not the only ones.
How did you come up with the idea?
Frischmann:
The generation before us had to dare to even rap in German at first. Then suddenly this German rap thing came and was huge, and it got even bigger with the Fantastischen Vier. And initially, the rappers in Bavaria also rapped in High German. Rapping in Bavarian – no one dared to do that. It completely went against every principle. Against everything that was established back then. But then someone started it – the crew Doppel D, they were the pioneers – and as a result, dialect rappers in our region didn't sprout up like mushrooms overnight, but they have steadily increased. Today, the scene consists of 15 to 20 active members. For us, the decision for Bavarian was not a calculated one. We rap just as we speak. The way we grew up.
Nevertheless, there are countless clichés associated with Bavarian, which naturally come to mind when you listen to Dicht und Ergreifend.
Huber:
Yes, but if you put aside all these platitudes and clichés that are attributed to us because of our regional origin and played our music to a person from Ghana or elsewhere, then that person would only have the impression that they are listening to Lauryn Hill or The Roots. In other words: it would be completely normal. They would not think about the dialect. Of course: dialect is associated with many, especially negative, prejudices. And especially as a Bavarian, one is considered outside our state as someone who has just learned to speak. That is, casually and exaggeratedly put, almost a form of internal German racism. But we do not take it to heart.
No?
Huber:
No. It goes in on the right and out on the left. The whole Bavaria thing with folklore and lederhosen and so is completely overrated and is presented far too often as the big hook. For us, it is completely incidental. As I said: We grew up in this environment.
Fischmann:
Sure: One can make Bavarian rap and deal only with Bavarian themes and Bavarian optics and Bavarian patriotism. But one can also, just like we do, simply take our native language, which we master well and in which we can express ourselves well, and take other themes. Societal. Political.
But hand on heart: Your dialect really does provoke a certain reaction outside of Bavaria!
Fischmann:
Yes. I can certainly imagine that some people from a completely different part of Germany find it funny and interesting, without knowing that really important and relevant topics are being addressed. But we don't think about that.
Huber:
Some can handle it. Others cannot. Ultimately, it comes down to: Can I phonetically relate to this or that language, with this or that linguistic image – or not? I feel the same way about dialects: For example, I really like the Hamburg and Berlin dialects. I find the Saxon dialect, like probably most others here, very curious. But the most important thing is: Do I find an access to the respective sound of the language, to the melody of the language?
What is your opinion on the Rhineland dialect?
Huber:
I find that very amusing and I know him because my paternal family comes from Mönchengladbach.
Then Cologne, where you are now performing, is not far. In Cologne, dialect music is extremely successful – and revolves, with few exceptions like BAP, explicitly around exactly the local patriotism that you reject.
Fischmann:
Yes. But more than we can’t do when rapping in Bavarian and wanting to show that this patriotism has nothing to do with it. It really is just the language. It’s not about the homeland. Or about traditional clothing. Yes, even the tuba that can be heard with us comes from the Roman Empire – and not from Bavaria, as many might think.
You already mentioned it: Your lyrics are often explicitly socially, politically, and societally critical. Is there a good portion of punk in rap?
Fischmann:
Of course. The origin of rap is precisely the social uprising and the denouncement of grievances without being violent. Only through music. Just to release one’s frustration. That’s how it was back then, in the beginnings. And that’s how it still is in the year 2023.
Huber:
Additionally, in rap, there are indeed many more words used than in punk, for example. It is a genre that focuses heavily on words. So in a rap song, one can express even more than in a punk song. At least, I would assert that.
And what kind of audience stands in front of you at the ever-growing concerts?
Fischmann:
Our audience is very diverse. And that is because we haven't just fixated on one topic. It's not just about using rap clichés like money, cars, and bitches. It's about much more. And: We appeal to different people. In front of our stage, there are people from 5 to 55. And by the way, they know the lyrics very well. It's always thrilling for us to see how their lips move along at concerts.
Speaking of 'critical texts': yours are always very current. Do you already have a song about the currently possibly most controversial Bavarian politician Robert Aiwanger, who has recently been accused of former anti-Semitic activities, lying in a drawer?
Huber:
Well, I don't think he deserves a direct song about him. Maybe he'll appear in a song alongside others. But nothing more than that.
