The Stuttgart rapper Max Herre (right) was influenced by his parents' Marxist views and bands like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul. Along with the US rapper Sékou Neblett (front left), he formed the socially conscious rap group Freundeskreis (which translates as "Circle of Friends") and created an association of Stuttgart rappers called Kolchose.

Two Afro-Germans and an Italian-born rapper from Heidelberg are the undisputed pioneers of Germany's underground hip hop scene. Founded in 1987, the band Advanced Chemistry's influences are somewhere between the vibes of US DJ Africa Bambaataa and the satire of German writer Kurt Tucholsky. Frederik Hahn aka Torch (left) was the leader of the band.

With its four members Smudo, Thomas D, DJ Hausmarke, and And.Ypsilon, this band from Stuttgart takes its name from Marvel's Fantastic Four. They were the first German rappers to reach the country's music charts with their hit "Die da!?" in 1992. In 1996, they started a label called Four Music, which made other rappers such as Freundeskreis, Blumentopf and Afrob popular.

She was the first prominent woman in the German hip hop scene. As a teenager growing up in Kiel, Sylvia Macco, aka Cora E., discovered rap in the mid-80s. By 1995, she was signed by EMI. Her hit single "Schlüsselkind" (Latchkey Kid) describes how hip hop saved her after going through a difficult childhood.

With his quick flow, René El Khazraje, aka MC René, from Braunschweig was already a star of the scene by the age of 15. His freestyle rap made him representative of the "new generation of rhyme." In 1999, he joined his heroes Grandmaster Flash and Flavor Flav from Public Enemy on DJ Tomekk's hit "1, 2, 3 Rhymes Galore." Today he also works as a stand-up comedian.

Moses Peter Pelham grew up in Frankfurt and landed his first hit in 1989 with "Twilight Zone," in English. When Moses P. and his band Rödelheim Hartreim Projekt released the German album "Direkt aus Rödelheim" (Straight from Rödelheim) in 1993, he stirred controversy in the scene by dissing other rappers in his songs. He has since become the sensitive songwriter of the soul band Glashaus.

These guys from Hamburg had not even finished high school when they became stars in 1992. Their highly politicized lyrics attacked xenophobia and pollution, for example. Later, without Martin Wilkes (left), Dennis Lisk, DJ Guido Weiss and Jan Phillip Eissfeldt created their most successful album, "Bambule," in 1998. Eissfeldt pursued his career as the very popular solo artist Jan Delay.

At the beginning of the 90s, Die Coolen Säue (The Cool Sows), later DCS, from Cologne established their reputation as rappers against right-wing extremism. Their sound is characterized by jazz and funk samples. Schivv (in the middle at the back) and Rotzlöffel (right) would rap about divisions and everyday observations.

Rapper Dendemann and DJ Rabauke founded Eins Zwo (One Two) in Hamburg in 1997. Their sound is characterized by surprising chains of rhymes and an unusually high amount of samples of vocals by other rappers. Dendemann's witty puns made him especially popular in the scene. He is currently part of the house band Freie Radikale for the German late-night satire show "Neo Magazin Royale."

Founded in 1996 in Bochum, Ruhrpott AG is made up of rappers Pahel, Galla, Aphroe, and their DJ Mr. Wiz (at the back). Their dark, heavy sound perfectly captures the atmosphere of the Ruhr region. Their lyrics integrate references to all areas of pop culture. And without spoiling the punch, one of these guys is involved in the Tigon mystery in the film "Black Tape."