Ski Aggu is taking his hedonistic ‘Atzenrap’ global

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, hedonism means living in a way that prioritises pleasure above all else. Ski Aggu’s music is the sonic equivalent: chaotic, carefree and designed for maximum enjoyment.

Ski Aggu is the sole inventor of ‘Atzenrap’, a genre he describes as “about doing whatever you want, whenever you want.” (It’s also “a bit about partying and doing drugs,” though he’s quick to add, “you can be an Atze and still be straight edge.”) Blending gabber-inspired beats with high-energy, riotous lyrics, the rapper quickly blew up on German TikTok. Two of his earliest tracks now boast more than 300 million combined streams, catapulting him – and his trademark ski goggles – onto the guest lists of Germany’s most exclusive clubs and parties.

The rapper’s most recent feature with US-born, Berlin-based artist Miss Bashful, “Nein Schatz”, also went viral – and, crucially for Aggu, took off outside of Germany. “It’s hit huge numbers in the US,” he tells Dazed. “Most streams come from there, but the city with the most streams is London.” He hopes more listeners who don’t speak German will discover his music. “It shows that it’s not just about my lyrics. It’s also about the vibe and everything else.” ​

Ski Aggu is a reminder that we should all care a little less and go out a little more, a message he delivers effortlessly, across borders and languages. Just before he hit the stage for the London leg of his nearly sold-out world tour, we briefly caught up with him to talk world domination, British bratwurst and the last time he got arrested.

You landed this morning in London. Did you have a full English for breakfast?

Ski Aggu: Actually, we ate a German bratwurst, and it was the worst.

Where did you go? 

Ski Aggu: We were around London Bridge and we were so hungry. And then we saw a German bratwurst stand – we tried it, and it was actually two out of 10. So I don’t recommend the German bratwurst in London.

Which artists did you grow up listening to? Was it more German or people from abroad?

Ski Aggu: I definitely listened to a lot of German rap when I was around 14. But I also listened to UK rappers a lot as a teenager. For example, Skepta – I actually went to his concert in Berghain in 2016. The tickets were sold out after like five minutes. I waited for them to come out and bought them while I was in school. 

How old were you then? 

Ski Aggu: I mean, then I would reveal my age, right? I always say I’m 19 years old.

It’s quite crazy that you played a world tour as a German rapper. How do you feel about that? And was going global always your goal? 

Ski Aggu: Fucking happy, fucking proud of everything. I wanted to do it because I feel it’s like a nice adventure, a bit like the beginning of my career again. But also, you have to be honest, a lot of people in Germany could do [a world tour], but don’t because they would lose money. I think they should do it because it’s an investment – not only in your brand, but also in yourself. It also gives me a lot of inspiration to see people who don’t even speak German turning up to my music. 

You were in New York, Chicago and LA this year. What’s coming next year?

Ski Aggu: Well, next year maybe Brazil, I don’t know. I won’t go on tour, because I want to take a break and I want to make music. I want to come back with an album before I go on a new tour again. But when I come back, I will come back ten times harder. I have some things in mind already, but I prefer to let the actions speak.

Can you tell us about your new album?

Ski Aggu: I’m currently working on it, but I already got some stuff ready. It’s far from finished yet, but I already know where it’s going. It’s gonna be different, but it’s still gonna be Ski Aggu style, obviously. 

You’ve been in [German streamer] Papaplatte’s stream, and you’ve also had a couple of features with Filow, who went down the streamer-to-rapper pipeline. How do you think Twitch influenced your career and the music scene in Germany?

Ski Aggu: I mean, I wouldn’t say it influenced my career so much. I have to admit I was never watching people on Twitch, but the Twitch streamers are obviously really big and shape youth culture. I met a bunch of them and some of them are nice guys and really cool. Some of them are also my friends now. 

How do you like your Currywurst?

Ski Aggu: At Curry36 at Mehringdamm. I usually buy the vegan Currywurst, but I’m not actually vegan. I was vegan at some point, but I kept buying the vegan Currywurst because it’s actually very good there. Obviously, I have it with ketchup and curry. 

Have you ever got arrested?

Ski Aggu: Yeah, I have. Soho House reported me to the police, because apparently I tagged in their staircase. I got the letter a few days ago. They said they had video evidence, but I don’t believe them – it could be anyone really.

Check out Paulina King’s photographs of Ski Aggu in the gallery above.