ZweiundVierzig IX

Deutsches Haus at NYU presents, ZweiundVierzig (42), a monthly playlist that explores German music in a transatlantic dialogue with the trends occurring in the contemporary American music industry. What kind of music is popular in the German-speaking world compared to in the United States? What does the demographic of the performers/artists say about the political, social, and cultural shifts in the German-speaking countries compared to in the United States? What parallels can be drawn between these countries, and what kind of parallel terminology, slang, and themes have developed? What differences are immediately apparent? From urban music, to rap and trap; to rock, pop, and techno; to dancehall, reggae, and bossa nova, etc.; ZweiundVierzig has something for all preferences and is an incredible resource for any language learner or music lover.

Why 42? 

ZweiundVierzig, a stylization of the German word for forty-two (42), is the address of Deutsches Haus at NYU (DH), as well as the answer to everything, according to some.     

Why do you only update once monthly? 

Deutsches Haus at NYU has a full program from cultural events to language classes, but a really small team. Depending on the amount of traction and follows these playlists receive, we'll try to update more frequently. For now, we'll take it slow. 

I don't have Spotify! How can I listen?

We'll screenshot the playlist below with every update. That way you can use whatever other streaming service you have, YouTube, or Google to find ways to access the music!

Why not just add the Spotify widget?

NYU is working on making this possible for our interface. Please bear with our alternate display for the time being. 

Disclaimers: *Explicit content*

The ideas, terminologies, and views expressed in these songs are not shared by Deutsches Haus at NYU or its team.

ZweiundVierzig (42) started off as a project meant to introduce our community of students to the diverse music and artists being heard and celebrated around the German-speaking world today. In doing so, the project also aimed to tackle the stereotypes that we may have of what it means to be, look, and sound German. The contemporary diversification of the German-speaking world's demographics has been on-going for nearly sixty years, and to think of Aryan when one thinks of German, is to neglect those six defining decades of German history. That's why, as global protestation against systemic racisms occur, we're dedicating our Summer edition to Afro and Afro-Caribbean inspired beats from reggae, afrobeat, dancehall, rap/hip-hop, etc. The German voices we're centering are black, brown, and overall a beautiful cultural mix that is also German.

We start off with Kwam.E's "Intro" from his album Original Rudeboy Vol. 1, which is then quickly followed by a fun reggae track by D-Flame. KitschKrieg, RIN, and Ta'Shan, who although sings in English, has German roots, and  also features Niqo Nuevo, a German-Latino rapper. Nura and Nosliw follow suite to end this more dance-inspired half of the playlist. The secon half delves into sound-warping raps that can be slow (Max Herre), fast (OG Keemo), or mach speed (Amewu ft. Ghanaian Stallion). We break head with Megaloh's "Hotbox" into Seeed's "Lass Sie Gehn" to bring it back to theme. Ultimately, we end with Samy Deluxe's "Privilegiert," which explores the artist's experiences with systemic racism and his journey into self-love, and then Afrob's ode to single parents "Eins noch...," both examples of rappers making use of their talents and art to tackle societal issues and experiences that need to be represented. With this, we hoped to provide you a playlist for introspection. It's time we all consider our role in society and how to change it for the better.

We hope you enjoy this edition of ZweiundVierzig (42). Bis bald!