German rapper Bushido tones down vile rhetoric in image remake
Bushido is a Tunisian born immigrant with a German mother. Many of his raps are grossly violent, sexual and explicit, and negatively direct threats to various ethnic group and homosexuals. One of his raps contains the line “Berlin is getting tough; we’ll take every faggot and beat him up.” In light of his past as Germany’s premeir gangter rapper, and in my opinion the cultural equivalent of America’s Eminem, the rapper has started to clean up his act.
A new film based on the rapper’s life recently released in Germany shows a more humanistic and caring rapper. The movie is similar to Eminem’s “8 Mile,” and displays the various life changing events and battles with adversity the rapper has had to contend with. This film shows Bushido in a new light.
Still, even with the new film, many groups still do not and are very reistant to seeing Bushido in a new light. Various LGBT groups in Germany and around the world denounce the work of Bushido, considering his intensely violent and hateful lyrics of the past.
Even with all the controversy surrounding Bushido’s past, one thing is for certain; the rapper is growing up and considering appealing to a larger audience. Something that is also representative of German youth at large, getting older and realizing how they fit in society and mainstream culture.