I don’t want to generalize the German people, but rather the German language. Personally, I feel it lends itself well to rap. This is a genre known less for its style and more for its content. Crime, status and violence are key themes in many songs. So why not capitalize on the angriest language known to man?

Just look at a quick example: my last name. Despite what Microsoft Word and half of my partners on group projects think, it is not the English word “glow.” “Glow” sounds very happy and hopeful. You can have a  glowing sun or a glowing baby or a glowing personality. Now I’ve got pride in my family and my name, but the image in my head still changes by tossing the “e” in there. It’s more of a “flickering bulb over a guy doing paperwork in a gray button-up” kinda thing. More of an ember of a cigarette bud in an ashtray. Just a little bit off.

So where are my German verses in rap and hip-hop? If I have to hear “Despacito” twice between campus and Walmart (clearly the two places I visit most) why can’t I get a single American rap song with a verse in German? German can be catchy and fun, just with a thin layer of not at all catchy and very not fun over the top which really adds some spice. German spice, of course, being coarse black pepper and visible frustration. Given the right context, I see the potential. NWA was created with the very purpose of having attitude, but in Germany that’s just a conversation.

And why stop there? Toss some French into alt-rock. That sounds about right. French is kind of alt-European. Since Spanish is well ingrained in hip-hop, you could add Portuguese into pop music since it’s pretty similar, but people will get mad if you confuse them. I think we need to start experimenting with our music a bit. Broaden our horizons. Or as the Germans would say, broaden our horizons but in German.