Appropriating Difference: Turkish-German Rap

Author(s): Heinz Ickstadt

Source: Amerikastudien / American Studies, Vol. 44, No. 4 (1999), pp. 571-578
Published by: Universittsverlag WINTER Gmbh
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Difference:
Turkish-German
Rap
Appropriating
Heinz Ickstadt

ABSTRACT
Thisessaytriesto applythedebateon American
to an understanding
multiculturalism
ofthe
bi-cultural
existence
ofa secondgeneration
ofTurkish
to Berlin,
andthecultural
neimmigrants
traditions
thatgaverisetoTurkish-German
gotiations
amongseveralcultural
rap.In appropriatmakeuseespecially
ofblackcultural
asingAmerican
hip-hop,
youngTurkish-German
rappers
sertions
ofprotest
andethnic
difference
to express
theirowncultural
stateof"in-betweenness,"
and verballyelements
of threedifferent
cultures.
themthusmixingmusically
Expressing
theirexistence
betweencultures
not
selvesin theirdifference,
theyhavecometo understand
butalsoas oneofpersonal
freedom
andeconomic
onlyas a stateofdeprivation
opportunity.
I
In a recentqualifying
matchfortheEuropeansoccerchampionship,
Germanyfaced
Turkeyin Munich'sOlympicStadium.The matchended in a draw,but the German
thattheyhadn'treallyhad home advantage.It seemed
playerscomplainedafterwards
as if therehad been moreTurkishspectatorsin the stadiumthanGermans:And indeed, morethanhalfof the sixtythousandwere enthusiastically
wavingTurkishflags
and rootedforthe Turkishside. Five playersin the Turkishteam had been born in
had become a Germancitizenand played in
Germany-one player,born in Turkey,
the Germanteam.He was booed by the Turkishfanswheneverhe touchedthe ball.
Of course,therewas no Germanwho had turnedTurkishcitizenand played on the
Turkishside to be booed bytheGermans.
To be sure,some of theseTurkishspectatorshad accompaniedtheirteamfromTurkey,but the greatermajorityby farhad come fromMunichand fromall over Germany,where theyhad been livingfor decades,manyof themhavingGerman and
Turkishpassports.Althoughsome of thesemighteventuallyreturnto Turkey,
forothers such expressionof culturalloyaltyas cheeringfortheirold homelandin a soccer
matchwas a compensationfortheirstayingin Germany,
or an emotionalrelieffrom
thestrainof a bi-cultural
or bi-nationalexistence.
It is in view of such transnational
and transcultural
complexitiesthatongoingdebates in AmericanStudiesadd a special dimensionto AmericanStudiesin Europe.I
considerit interesting
and useful,therefore,
to apply the debate on Americanmulticulturalism
to an understanding
of the European scene,or more concretely,
to my
own immediatesocial and culturalenvironment:
i. e., to thesituationof youngTurkish
Germans(a thirdgenerationof immigrants)
in Berlin.To do thisseems all the more
since
themselves
the
forms
of Americanminorities'culturalexplausible
they
apply
break
dance
and
pression-especiallyhiphop(i.e.,
rap)- to theirown need forexI call thisshortpaper "Appropriating
Difference"because those
pressingthemselves.

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572

HeinzIckstadt

Turkish-German
rappers(in Berlin and elsewhere)have indeed appropriatedespeblack
cultural
assertionsof protestand of difference
to articulatetheirown difcially
ferencefroma dominantand hostileGermanculture.In assumingforthemselvesthe
role of Germany's"blacks,"theyprovidea measureof theirown culturalalienation.If
pusheda littleas to the relevanceof such an analogy,theyfreelyadmitits limitsbut
also pointout itsexpressivepossibilities,
sinceit opens forthema wide marginof role
of
at
the
same
and,
time,makingfunof the fantasiesGermans
play: acknowledging
have about Turks,by playingthe role of the "bad, bad Turk,"a mean tough,deceita criminal.The namesof earlyrap
fullycleverwithhis knife-in anycase,potentially
echo
such
"black"
"Da
Crime
Posse,""WhiteNigga Posse,"or
groups
self-stylization:
"IslamicForce."The word"Kanake,"whichsome Germansuse whentheywantto insultTurks,was eventuallyadoptedby themas a termof proud,ifironic,self-identification.Thus the groupthatoriginallycalled itself"IslamicForce" recentlychangedits
name to "KanAk," and Kanak Sprak (the titleof a book writtenby Turkish-German
authorFeridunZaimoglu,one of a new generationof Turkish-German
writers,
artists,
and film-makers)
refersto a special underground
lingo(neitherTurkishnor German
buta mixtureof both)thatTurkish-German
rappersuse as a thirdlanguage.1
II
Let me pause here fora momentand supplysome historicalframework.
Thereare
2.5 millionTurkishpeople of the first,second,and thirdgenerationslivingin Germany- 170,000of themin Berlin,makingit the largestTurkishcityoutsideTurkey.
82% of theseare under50 yearsold, and about halfis youngerthantwenty-five.
70%
of Berlin'sTurkishpopulationhave a permissionof long-term
60%
were
residence,
bornhere.Thereis an extensiveand solid infrastructure
now of almost6,000Turkish
firmsand businesseswith20,000employees.This,of course,has not alwaysbeen the
case.
The firstgenerationof guestworkersarrivingin the sixtieswere totallyalienated
fromGermansocietyand culture,and not onlyforlinguistic
reasons,sincetheywere
from
a
for
the
change
pre-modernagrarianto a thoroughly
completelyunprepared
urbanexistenceand intoa geographical,
social,and culturalclimatethatappearedexinterestedin
ceedinglycold to them.In addition,the Germanswere not particularly
theirsuccessfulculturaltransplantation.
The Turkswere workedhard,and although
theyreceivedthebenefitsof theGermansocial systemin compensationforthephysical and emotionaldamage theymightexperience,theywere expectedto go back to
untilit realized
a systemof fastturnovers,
Turkey.In fact,Germanindustry
preferred
1Feridun
(Hamburg:RotZaimoglu,Kanak Sprak:24 Mitnevom Rande der Gesellschaft
buch,1995); see also Zaimoglu'snovelAbschaum(1997) and his latestbook Koppstoff
(1998).
to
As to "The New GermanCinema- made by youngTurks,"I owe almostall myinformation
Deniz Gktrkand herpaperon "TurkishWomenon GermanStreets:Closureand Exposurein
Transnational
Cinema"(ms.to be publishedin MyrtoKonstantarakos's
Space in EuropeanCinema). GktrkespeciallymentionsSinan Cetin's Berlinin Berlin(1993) and Hussi Kutlucan's
(1998).
comedyIch ChefDu Turnschuh

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Difference:
Turkish-German
Appropriating
Rap

573

thatit mightyetbe cheaperto make use of the acquiredexpertiseof thosewho had

come earlier.In anycase,migrant
workersslowlybecame foreignco-citizens,
withpermitsof residencebut withoutGermancitizenship(since citizenshipwas grantedonly
after15 yearsof residence).The childrentheyhad broughtwiththemfromTurkey
and who now grewup in Germanyinevitablybecame a problem:fortheirTurkish
of Turkishculturaland
parents,because theywantedto escape fromthe restrictions
customs.
remember
the
of
a
Turkish
fatherdesperately
(I
religious
vividly tragicfigure
one
Turkish
to
another
in
search
of
his
from
restaurant
daughterwho had run
going
a problemby the
from
Yet
Turkish
adolescents
were
also
considered
home.)
away
the streetto
Germansbecause theyseemed unrulyand unmanageable,preferring
home and school.In the seventies,over 80% of the Turkishchildrendid not finish
however,thatratewas downto 24%.
school;bytheend of theeighties,
In otherrespectsalso, the situationhas eased: Many of the firstgeneration,after
havinglivedin the countryforthe required15 years,made use of theiroptionto behave been able to become Gercome Germancitizens.Since 1991,youngforeigners
man citizensif theyare youngerthan23 and if theycan give proofof eightyearsof
residenceand six yearsof school.When,or if,the new laws of the Social Democratic
all Turkishchildrenbornin Germanywill
and Green coalitionwill come into effect,
become Germancitizens,i.e., theywill have dual citizenshipuntilthe
automatically
age of 18,whentheywillhave to decide foreitherone or theother.If theproblemof
thesecondgenerationin the 1980swas illiteracy
and existencein a no-man'sland bethatof the thirdgenerationin the 1990sis one of unemployment.
tweentwocultures,
is more than twice as high (30%)
among youngTurkish-Germans
Unemployment
thanthatamongyoungGermans.2
it is thisthirdgenerationthatdoes not considerthe stateof cultural
Nevertheless,
in termsof alienationbut in termsof opportunity
and enin-betweenness
primarily
If theirparentsand grandparents
were markedby a sense of loss,of having
richment.
giventoo muchand gainedtoo little,of beingcut offfromtheirformerhome as well
as fromthe stillalien environment
theynow lived in,thesechildrenconsiderBerlin
theirhome and see no reasonforgoingback to Tlirkey-exceptto go thereon vacationor on visitsto theirrelatives.And it is thisthirdgenerationthatuses American
whichis neitherGermannor Turkish,
but
hip-hopto createits own culturalidentity,
between"the normsboth of the 'host culture'and the parentalculture,"in other
Turkish-German.
words,specifically

2 1 want to thankMs. Selver Wesenackfromthe Berlin Senate's Officeof the Auslnderforgivingme not onlya two-hourinterview
but also a greatamountof materialon
beauftragte
the Turkishpopulationin Berlin,especiallyon the situationof the young,the variousprograms
to further
on existinglaws,and on Turkishculturallifein Berlin:Berichtzur Integraintegration,
tions-und Auslnderpolitik,
trkischer
Pressemittei1996/97;"BerlinerJugendliche
Herkunft,"
Hinweisefr den Erwerbder deutschenStaatsangelung,12 December 1997; Einbrgerung:
hrigkeit
(1998); MartinGreve,Musikaus der Trkeiin Berlin(1997); MartinGreve and Tlay
Cinar, Das TrkischeBerlin (1998). The dedicationof Barbara John,Berlin's Auslnderand her staffis impressive.Unfortunately,
her officedoes not have any political
beauftragte,
powerand dependson thegoodwillof theBerlinpoliticiansto listenand be persuaded.

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574

HeinzIckstadt
III

Throughout
Europe,Americanpopularculturehas been used bytheyoungto mark
the break withthe culturalhabitsand moresof
the difference
betweengenerations,
theirparents.This was trueof postwarWest Germanyas muchas it is now trueof
used to markethpost-WallPoland or Russia. In addition,it is now also increasingly
nic or culturaldifference
on top of markingthe generationalgap. Hip-hopespecially
"lentitselfto becominga vehicleof ethnicminority
and alliedyouthprotestagainst. . .
British
and
discrimination
Black
GermanTurkish,
Asian,
anywhere.
Franco-Maghrebi,
in
and otherbi-cultural
view
of
their
of
rather,
(or
appropriation trappingsof Ameriin
can culture,
are
seen
and heardas 'voices fromthe ethtricultural)
rappers Europe
nic ghetto,'speakingout on behalf of new generationsof post-migrant
'communities.'"3All Turkish-German
musiciansI talkedto emphasizedthe importancethatAfmusichad forthem.They all believedthattherewas a greataffinity
rican-American
betweenAfricanAmericanmusicalcultureand Turkishmusicality
(a sense of rhythm
and melody)but also a sharedculturalappreciationof sensuousnessand laid-backnesswhichtheydid notfindin thedominantculturesurrounding
them.As longas the
AmericanArmywas in Berlin,theydid not go to German but to Americandiscos-because themusicand thedancingweremoreto theirliking,to be sure,butperhaps also because theretheydid not experiencethe discrimination
theymightencounterin Germandiscotheques.(A well-known
rapperof thegroup"IslamicForce,"
Boe B., recallshow he heardhis songsplayedin the same Germandisco thatrefused
to let himin.)
Most of the rappersI talkedto began theircareersby singingin English(imitating
theirrespectivefavoriteAfricanAmericansingers),thenchangedto Turkish,and fiin
When the hip-hopscene establisheditselfin the
Turkish
and
German.
nallysang
Turkish
and
break
dancers
eighties,
rappers
cooperatedwithGermansocial
frequently
workers:They used government-financed
and
centersas performyouth
community
ance spaces (like the "Naunynritze"
in Berlin) and did not mindcooperatingwithsocial workersat all to keep Turkishkidsawayfromdrugsand offthestreet.One of the
songs of "Da Crime Posse," "Der Weg" ("The Way"), plays withthe sinisterand
machostereotypeof the "bad" Turkonlyto persuadeitsaudiencethat
blood-curdling
thisis notthe"rightway."
However,theirambitionverysoon wentbeyondsocial workand itslocal venues.In
1994,a Turkishmanagerof the Berlinhip-hopscene suggestedthatthe local rapper
ERCI.E, the Nurembergrap group KARAKAN, and "Da Crime Posse" fromthe
NorthernGermancityof Kiel mergeto formone groupwhichcalled itselfCARTEL.
3 Tom Cheeseman,
GermanAffairs
Debatte:Reviewof Contemporary
"Hip Hop in Germany,"
froma lengthyseminarpaper by Ulf Lip6.2 (Nov. 1998): 191-214.1 also got some information
SteffenHallaschka,and SteffanieMetz on "Rap Music in Germany:A
pitz,Isabell Hoffmann,
Case Study,"writtenfor GnterLenz's Hauptseminaron "TransnationalAmericanCulture
to Prof.Lenz forallowingme to readit.
SS 1998).I am grateful
Studies"(HumboldtUniversitt,
I am also indebtedto Dr. Sabine Sielke forgivingme all the considerablematerialshe had on
African-American
rap.And,of course,I thankespeciallyAMIGO, ERCI.E, and AZIZA-A for
thelonginterviews
theygave me in Septemberand October1999.

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Difference:
Turkish-German
Appropriating
Rap

575

They made a CD whichwas moderatelysuccessfulin Germanybut became a huge

successin Turkeyaftera triumphant
tourof the groupwhichfilledseveralsoccerstadiumsand establishedhip-hopin Turkey.
Musically,theycombinedan insistentharddrivingbeat withTurkishmelodicarabesques,whichmakesfora kindof rap you may
neverhave heardbeforeand seemsto belytheirclaimof musicalaffinity
betweenAfricanAmericansand Turks.
Withthe exceptionof Da CrimePosse's "Der Weg,"the textswere all in Turkish
witha fewGermanphrasesand sentencesstrewnin here and there.Despite- or because of- its success,the groupdissolvedveryquickly-partlybecause of divergent
personalinterestsbut also because it got intopoliticaltrouble.The militanttexts,essituationon themargins
peciallyof KARAKAN, whichexploitedtheTurkish-German
a
of
rebellion
and
was
subversion, misunderstood
bypreaching gospel symbolic
bythe
as
Turkishnationalistright-wing
a
call
for
action.
ERCI.E
cer(the "Gray Wolves")
I
didn't
want
to
have
to
do
with
this.
And
think
one
can
tainly
anything
safelysay of
scene
in
Berlin
that
the presentTurkish-German
its
are more
hip-hop
protagonists
concernedwithfindinga place throughachievingindividualexpressionthan with
politicsand ideologies.As AZIZA-A, the "queen of orientalrap,"said to me: She
would die if anyoneshouldforceher to decide to be eitherGermanor Turkish.Her
place was in-between-a situationshe enjoyednot onlyin termsof personalenrichmentbut as a chanceto finda professional
career.Let me illustratethiswiththebrief
discussionof threeindividualexamples- all of themrepresentatives
of thisthirdgenerationI talkedabout:a break dancer,a male rapperand a femalerapper.Theyare
all of about the same age (i. e., in theirmid twenties)and are all local heroesin the
Turkish-German
hip-hopscene.
IV
Kadir Memiscame to Berlinwhenhe was ten.He has been in Germanyforfifteen
yearsnow and is yetunable to get a Germanpassport-in all likelihoodbecause the
German bureaucracydoesn't considerhis statusof independentartistas a steady
forgainingcitizenship).He very
enoughsource of income(one of the requirements
muchwisheshe had been bornin Berlinbecause thenhe would be a Germancitizen
and would have no troublegettingan Americanvisa. Afterelementaryschool,he
wantedto be trainedas technicaldesignerbut thendecided thatdancingwas more
importantto him.He began "hype dancing"and "electricboogaloo" in 1987,then
specializedin "B-boying,""Locking,"and "Popping."He is extremelyproud of the
factthathe acquiredmostof his movesby himself.
He is knownunderhis artistname
AMIGO and is co-founderof a break dance group,"FlyingSteps" (a multinational
groupoffourTurks,one German,one Russian,one Arab,one Filipino,and one Swiss),
whichhas performedon Germantelevisionand at break dance eventsthroughout
him,he and his groupwentto a two-month
Europe. (A fewdays afterI interviewed
in Paris.)Thereare,he toldme,breakdance battleseveryyear,hugeconengagement
tests-like thisyear'sin Leipzig- amongEuropean breakdance groups.The pointof
thesebattlesis to createfiguresof danced aggressionwithouttouchingtheantagonist.
"FlyingSteps"has won thesebattlesseveraltimes.

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576

HeinzIckstadt

him
AMIGO is obsessed withthe idea of doing somethingthatwould distinguish
fromothers.He believesthatmostof hisTurkish-German
are
lost
somewhere
in
peers
a culturalno-man's-land.
He therefore
wantsto knowabout his culturalroots.That is
customs,and folklore;and yethe does not wantto go
whyhe studiesTurkishhistory,
back to Turkey.To be proud of his Turkishancestryis one thing,to go back there
quite another.Berlinis his home.His mainconcernis to create"respect":to gain the
But most
respectof his parents,to be sure;or the respectof his Germanenvironment.
of all,he understands
as
a
commitment
to
a
sense
of
He con"respect"
craftsmanship.
sidershimselfan artistwitha distinctsignature.It consistsin his introducing
Charly
Chaplinesquepantomimeintohis repertoireof movements-as a comicand ironically
distancedsubtextto the aggressiveand distinctly
male movesof breakdance battles.I
shouldadd thatAMIGO is also a giftedpaintermixinggraffiti
techniqueswithTurkish mythological
betweendreamlikesugmotives,thuscreatinga strangesurrealism,
of time,death,and regeneration.
gestivenessand allegorizations
Berlinrapperand coThroughAMIGO I metERCI.E (Erci Ergn),thewell-known
founderof CARTEL. Althoughhe hatesAmericancommercialculture("the destroyer
of everything
authenticincludingrap"), he says thatlisteningto "Gangsta"rap or to
groupslike "PublicEnemy"and "NativeTongue"has helpedhimforma style.But afterthedisappointment
withCARTEL he nowwantsto moveawayfromgroupproductionin orderto developa distinct
individualsignature.
He feelsthathe isn'tquitethere
yet.Whathe dreamsof is not a collage of stylesand languagesbut a unifiedstylethat
containsdifferent
culturalelements.He totallyagreeswithAMIGO about the importanceof"respect."He fervently
believesin artisticintegrity:
the"scene"onlykeepsyou
fromdoingwhatyou oughtto do sinceit offersmorepose thansubstance.To be open
thananything
else.
enoughto learnand to developis moreimportant
When I asked him about the specificfunctionhip-hopmighthave forthe Turkish
in Germany,he emphasizedthe factthatit allows the second and third
community
generationsto venttheirprotestagainsta culturethatdoes not wantthemor is unwillingto accept themon an equal footing.Of course,theirparentsare of no great
help eithersince theyare even more alienated fromGermanythan theirchildren.
offeredthema goldenhandManyof themwentback whenthe Germangovernment
shake.ERCI himselfwas bornin Berlinshortlybeforehis parentswentback to Turkey.Afterseveralyears,theydecidedthattheycouldn'tlive thereeitherand returned
two homesand two cultures:
to BerlinwhenERCI was four.He has dual citizenship,
In Berlinhe feelsstrangeand yetat home,in Turkeyhe feelsat homeand yetstrange.
Neverthelesshe cannotimaginethathe will ever go back to Turkey.His Germanis
absolutelyflawless(of whichhe is veryproud).He once studiedPoliticalScience at
Berlin'sFree University
butgave it up fora careerin rap.
He has twoprojects.One is collective:he believesthatmanyof hisgenerationsuffer
fromnotreallybelongingto eitherplace or culture.Thereforehisrap- likerelateddefilm,and thearts- is to helpcreatea thirdculturein-between.
velopmentsin literature,
abilities
His secondprojectis morepersonal:he dreamsofmakinguse ofhisbi-cultural
ein
Trke
His
"Weil
ich
in
in
and
in
two
markets, Turkey
Germany. song
bysucceeding
bin" ("Because I Am a Turk")has been recordedin Germanand in Turkish-all in all
fromeach other.
in two versionsin each languagewhichare musicallyquite different
The Turkishversionscontainmorearabesquesto a different
degreeof orientalization.

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Difference:
Turkish-German
Appropriating
Rap

577

In a fifthversion,withouttext,the Turkishelementscover the rap elementsalmost

The song is emblematicin its linkingdeep angerabout experienceddiscompletely.
crimination
witha self-ironic
revengedream of success.The thirdstanza ends: "It's
I
live
here
and
come
fromthere/ 1 shall stay,and I don't see whyyou
quite simpleshouldcare/Wherewereyouwhentheymade ERCI chancellor."
I had heardAZIZA-A at a GermanAmericanStudiesconferenceon multiculturalismseveralyearsago,whereI foundhermixingofAfricanAmericanand Turkishmusical stylesand of Germanand Turkishtextsmostfascinating.
However,I had no idea
how to contacther untilI was luckyenoughto encountera salesgirlin a musicshop
who casuallysaid thatshe mightbe able to help because AZIZA was herbest friend.
We met in a TurkishCaf muchfrequentedby mixedGerman-Turkish
couples and
theirchildren.I was immediately
struckby the unassumingease withwhichshe dealt
A7XA was bornin Berlinto parentswho had
withherconsiderablelocal reputation.
cometo thecityin 1967and returnedto Turkey-afterretiring-morethanthirty
years
however-AZIZA and herbrother-decidedto stay
later,in 1998.Both theirchildren,
in Berlin.AZIZA, who was trainedto be a nurseand workedin a photostorebefore
she gave everything
up to starta careerin music,triedforhalfa yearto establishherselfin Turkeybut failed.She now calls Berlinher cityand sees no reason whyshe
butalso
shouldliveanywhereelse.She likesTurkishmusiceven at itsmostsentimental,
grewup on black musicand once sang the blues in English.Untilsome friendspersuaded herto do rap and cooperatedwithherto recorda firstCD threeyearsago. She
in diverseplaces in Berlin,appeared on GermanTelevision,and is a
has performed
well-known
figurein theBerlinhip-hopscene.Her music,likeall rap music,is notcomsoundsand samplesof musicalphrases.
posed,of course,butmixedfrompre-recorded
It is,however,softerthanthatof her male colleagues,and she triesto get away from
whatshe callsearlyrap'shardand raucousbeats,and to becomemoremelodicand lyrical byabsorbingnon-rapstyles.
She writesher own texts,mixingGermanwithTurkishfolksayingsor children's
WhenI said thathertextsshowhow muchcare she takeswiththem,she conrhymes.
fessedthat- althoughshe doesn't read muchand is not greatlyinterestedin literature-she wantshertextsto be poems and carrya lyricalmood.When I told herthat
ERCI had objectedto some of her feminist
texts(forexample,"Es ist Zeit," the title
of
her
first
because
confirmed
Germannotionsof Turkishmachismo
song
CD)
they
she was sorrybut thoughtit couldn'tbe helped.Since she is Turkishand patriarchy,
Germanand a woman,her expressingherselfas a womanis partof her identity.
Her
modestand yetalmostexuberantself-confidence
seems to issue fromthe knowledge
of her bilingualand biculturalabilities.Whilewe talked,her cell phone rangseveral
timesand,when answering,
she driftedeasilyfromone languageinto the other.She
calls herselfAZIZA-A because she does notconsiderherselfa self-serving
rapperbut
"A" standingfor "abla" ("big sister").When I
somethinglike a community-builder,
left,therewerepeople waitingto talkto her.Like AMIGO and ERCI, she insistson
theimportanceof respect,and like ERCI she sees nothingwrongwithtrying
to serve
two markets.Her next CD will be in German because,so she said, the words she
wrotehappenedto come to herin German.But thereis no reasonwhyshe wouldnot
also writein Turkishor Kanak- to her mind,at thisparticularmoment,everything
seemspossible.

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578

HeinzIckstadt
V

in theiruninhibited
All theyoungTurkishGermansI talkedto weremostimpressive
there
are
and easy readinessto communicate.
friendliness
others,as AZIZA
(However,
I
to Germanmuwith
some
When
asked
her
about
her
relation
out
emphasis.)
pointed
siciansand rappers,she said that,sure,she would like to cooperatewiththembut,altheywere not interested-perhapstoo shy,perhapssimply
thoughtheywere friendly,
notcuriousenough.She seemed almostamusedabout this,but also somewhathurt.It
as a knowledgefrom
remindedme ofwhatDu Bois said about "double consciousness,"
"behindtheveil."4Thisnew generationof hyphenatedcitizensknowsat leasttwocultures,whereasthe Germansknow (and want to know) only one. From such double
knowledge,these Turkish-German
rappers draw confidenceand a sense of freedom-perhaps even superiority-togetherwitha sense of playfullyironicdistance.
Turksand vice versa,
Theirplayingwithstereotypes
(i. e., of how Germansstereotype
theirassumptionof different
or of how Turksstereotypethemselves),
roles,and their
puttingon of masks:all thatdescribesthe measureof thisfreedom,a freedomwhich
theirparentsneverhad and whichtheycan'timagineeverto have shouldtheychoose
As one youngTurkish-German
womansaid,thissit(or be forced)to go back to Turkey.
tingbetweentwoculturalchairsdoes not necessarilyimplyfallingintoemptycultural
space butis a challengeto finda thirdchairto situponcomfortably.
It willprobablystilltake some timeuntilGermansfullyunderstandhow muchtheir
On the otherhand,one might
own culturehas been enrichedby thesedevelopments.
well ask how stablethatthirdculturalchairreallyis. Is it a transitional
phenomenon
boundto disappearwiththenextgenerationof fullyintegrated
GermanswithTurkish
names?Or willit be keptin place by a global tendencytowarda biculturalexistence
Europe,forex(throughthe comingintobeingof a unitedtransnational/transcultural
of
an
will
it
be
taken
out
of
the
Or
logic
ongoinggenerationaladjustmentby
ample)?
and multicultural
the demandsof a global marketfavoringa multilingual
"youthculof
whether
its
ture"?As a kindof professionalrole-play,
protagonists
quite regardless
stillregardthemselvesas culturally"hyphenated"or not? The futureshould,in any
case,be fascinating.

4 "... the
in this
Negrois a sortof seventhson,bornwitha veil and giftedwithsecond-sight
but only lets him see
Americanworld,-a worldwhichyieldshim no trueself-consciousness,
himselfthroughthe revelationof the otherworld.It is a peculiarsensation,thisdouble-consciousness,thissense of alwayslookingat one's self throughthe eyes of others,of measuring
one's soul by thetape of a worldthatlooks on in amusedcontemptand pity"(W.E.B. Du Bois,
ed. HenryLouis
TheSouls of Black Folk,TheNortonAnthology
ofAfricanAmericanLiterature,
Gates,Jr.and Nellie McKay [New York:Norton,1997]:615). Thatthereis also wisdomand superiorknowledge(the powerof the powerless)gainedfromthis"double consciousness"is implied
in Du Bois's book,and it showedin thesad prideof thoseI interviewed.

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