The panel discussion with high-calibre guests from different eras of German rap history offers a comprehensive overview of hip-hop and Black culture in Germany. The participation of Mortel, Afrob, Die P, Amewu, and Megaloh guarantees an exciting and eloquent discussion, moderated by Aisha Camara.

The talk is part of Know the Past, Interpret the Present, Shape the Future. Hip-Hop—Black Culture in Germany for the exhibition opening of Forgive Us Our Trespasses / Vergib uns unsere Schuld. The aim is to create spaces and points of contact for Black cultural practitioners in Germany.

As an expression of an originally African American subculture, hip-hop has influenced countless people with Afro-diasporic backgrounds around the world. Like soul and R’n’B, the genre often faces accusations of cultural appropriation in Germany, as Afro-German and Black artists receive too little support from the music industry. More important for the protagonists than assimilation into the local market, however, is self-empowerment, identification, networking, and cooperation between Black artists, managers, media lawyers, journalists, photographers and video artists, marketing, and booking agents. Through constant exchange and cooperation in collectives, it is possible to counteract the institutional and structural disadvantages of Black artists in the German music industry.