"Last words": Rap pioneer Moses Pelham steps down
"I'm a living legend and would have retired long ago," rapped Moses Pelham in the 90s as part of the Rödelheim Hartreim project. Now the time has come. The 52-year-old, who is regarded as a pioneer of German rap, wants to step down. "I have the desire to bring this work to a sensible and self-determined end. And I want to do that with all my strength," Pelham told the German Press Agency.
His final album "Letzte Worte" is due to be released next fall. Making this record is a bit like "planning your own funeral", says Pelham. The very last concert is planned for December 21, 2024 in his hometown of Frankfurt. He is really looking forward to "celebrating together once again with the people who have had this in their lives over the last 30 years". "So also in the awareness: This is probably the last time we'll get together like this."
First single in the charts in 1989
Pelham has been thinking about his departure from the stage for a relatively long time. He has been working on the album for several years, collecting ideas and writing songs: "If you want to perform a magic trick, i.e. pull a rabbit out of the hat, it's really good to have put one in at some point." There will be a few guests on "Letzte Worte". Who is yet to be revealed. In the past, he has collaborated with Marteria, Johannes Oerding and Haftbefehl, among others, and has performed on stage with Lena and the Böhsen Onkelz.
Pelham was born in Frankfurt in 1971 - the son of an American blues musician and an insurance saleswoman. He hit the charts as a teenager in 1989 with his first solo single "Twilight Zone". He later founded "Pelham Power Productions", or "3p" for short, which produced the likes of Sabrina Setlur, Xavier Naidoo and Pelham's band Glashaus. And according to his record company Sony, he is the only rapper to have been in the German charts for over five decades.
As part of the Rödelheim Hartreim project, founded in 1993, Pelham created the blueprint for what was later called street rap. Compared to other early German-speaking representatives of hip-hop - such as the Fantastische Vier - the combo came across as more aggressive. Hits like "Höha, Schnella, Weita" made the Frankfurt district of Rödelheim famous.
Pelham later attracted attention with both positive and negative headlines. In 1997, he broke Stefan Raab's nose in a dispute. The following year, he was named "Producer of the Year" at the Echo Awards. In 2020, he received the German Record Critics' Award. According to the jury, Pelham shows "that he plays in his own Champions League in German rap and hip-hop". And singer Mark Forster once said of him: "Moses Pelham is the godfather of urban German-language pop music."
His career has also been accompanied by a legal dispute with the band Kraftwerk that has lasted for around two decades. Pelham had used a two-second rhythm from the electropop pioneers from Düsseldorf for a Setlur song without being asked. The case went through the courts and is now once again a case for the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
Pelham himself finds it difficult to name the personal highs and lows of his career in the interview: "I believe that the final album will answer this question much better." In general, it is a wonderful privilege for him to be in the lives of his fans. "If someone says, I want a piece by Moses to be played at my funeral, then you have somehow intervened in their life, you have become part of the family."
Pelham as an amateur chef and vegan
But of course there are also things he regrets: "There are terrible regrets, terrible ones. But I won't give them any more space now." And, he emphasizes: "Art doesn't want to compromise. If we want to please everyone, it won't work." This also goes hand in hand with being controversial at times.
In addition to music, Pelham also pursues other projects, such as a joint podcast with journalist and author Jan Wehn. The hobby chef and vegan also recently published a vegan recipe book. He hasn't thought too much about what to do in the future, especially as this step marks the end of his career as a rapper, recording albums and touring. Not his work as a producer or author.
"There really are still a lot of things that interest me that have certainly been neglected in the last 30 years," he says. But what is much more important to him at the moment is preparing his farewell. And how will he feel when he steps off the stage at his last concert? "I hope that I can then say that I've done a great job."
Pelham's vegan recipe book has been a recent project, sharing his love for cooking with others. The last concert is set to be a celebration with "the people who have had this in their lives over the last 30 years," as he expresses his gratitude for their support throughout his music career.
Source: www.dpa.com
