Our guest on 3.10.2010 Samy Deluxe, Rapper

Samy Deluxe is one of Germany's most successful rappers, as well as the owner of the Deluxe Records label. His music has sold over a million copies to date.

Samy Sorge was born on 19th December 1977 in Hamburg.

His mother is German, his father came from Sudan, and left Germany when Samy was two years old. As the only black child in a white neighbourhood, he often felt like something of a misfit.

He increasingly identified with hip hop as a manifestation of street culture and the sense of being an outsider.

He initially sang in English, but when he started writing and singing lyrics in German, he hit the big time here in Germany. The first success came with his band Dynamite Deluxe. In April 2000, the record "Deluxe Soundsystem" climbed to number four in the German album charts, sellling 100,000 copies.

The formation split up and Samy Deluxe launched his solo career. He released the album "Samy Deluxe" in 2001, and secured his status as one of the major players in German hip hop.

Samy Deluxe married the R&B singer Brooke Russell in 2001. The pair have a son, and have since separated.

(First Broadcast on 7 February 2010)