“From the two-thousanders/children who were outside a lot,” sings Zachi in the track “2000er,” describing how the members of the group 01099 met when they were children in Dresden. With the line “Now they’re starting to smoke” the track of their recently released second album “Altbau” brings the events into the present.
The four men – all in their early 20s – are on the way from newcomers to established musicians. Rapper Paul says he’s a little afraid of it because newcomers are more forgiving. “We’ll definitely have the status for a while, so far everything is very fresh.” He has to laugh, because “Fresh” is the title of her summer hit 2021.
At least since the songs “Frisch” and “Halligalli” (together with BHZ and Longus Mongus) 01099 have arrived on the pop music radar in Germany. Founded in 2018, the group consists of Paul, Gustav, Zachi and Dani, with the latter currently more focused on his studies. The debut album “Morgensonne” from 2020 was a mixture of pop and hip-hop as they also cultivate Apache 207 and Capital Bra, and which they are now building on with “Altbau”.
In the Zoom interview, Paul describes it as a “transition from the sound that people expect into something new.” There are now more experiments that have resulted from new contacts. Zachi adds that “old building” is more defined than “morning sun” because now they know exactly what they want to say.
The song “Glücklich” was created with Cro
Vocally, the twelve songs appear clearer, but also more polished. While older tracks often surprised with pitches, unusual lyrics and wild creativity, “Altbau” fits seamlessly into the current world of German rap. Nevertheless, 01099 keep their wit, for example in the chorus of “Keks” add a “Bibi-Blocksberg” allusion: “Our music, which enchants, it makes hex-hex / I think you’re cool, but the rest are all biscuits / You’re jealous because I’m chilling with your ex”.
In addition to producers like Miksu and Macloud, who otherwise also work with Capital Bra and Bausa, one feature in particular stands out on the album: the song “Glücklich” together with Cro. According to Paul, the panda mask rapper simply wrote to the Dresdeners on Instagram “I don’t like it, I love it”.
Then the idea of collaborating came up, the song came out with the old school beat and the funky bass synth. Gustav and Cro’s voices are distorted with autotune as they sing about their happiness in love. “The world is quiet and the grass is getting greener/ White clouds are piling up over me”. A rap part by Zachi is added later.
“Altbau” is bursting with youthful energy and makes you want to spend a summer in the park. The songs of 01099 always seem personal, approachable and relaxed. It is striking that the lyrics, which repeatedly contain French lines, do without the bragging and bragging that is usual in German rap. You won’t find cars, big watches and misogyny in the lyrics.
They reject materialism and sexism
Paul points out that one of their principles is not to show off material things. Zachi adds: “Back then it was just meant to be funny, today we know that we have a stage that we can use.” And so 01099 come up with their own status symbols like thirst-quenching iced tea.
The fact that they have little use for materialism probably has something to do with their origins in Dresden Neustadt. In the 1990s and 00s, many left-wing alternative people came together in this quarter, and the boys from 01099 had a carefree childhood here. In the track “Dies & Das” it sounds like this: “Rappers flex badly and get hectic/ But my family does it because it’s real.” The song sounds casual as usual and has the energy of a carefree summer day.
Another principle of the group is the renunciation of sexism. “I remember,” says Paul, “the line: ‘Never sing about bitches from now on’ and since then it’s been over.” The song “Intro” feat. Mioso and in fact there are no discriminatory statements at 01099. “Sexism shouldn’t have a right to exist in society, so it’s important to us that we don’t be sexist in our lyrics. That’s our sign that German rap has a problem there,” says Zachi in an interview.
The group’s texts also contain other topics that are rarely encountered in the genre, for example when “5 on the dining table” says “look down on the AfD like a hummingbird”. The opposition to the AfD is often a topic in their songs, “Today almost everyone knows our postal code / Nobody wants to have the AfD in the state parliament here”, are two lines from “Outro”.
Dresden roots are important for the songs
Zachi thinks he doesn’t think much of borders and patriotism, but it’s important where they come from: “I think it’s good that we’re coming out as people from Dresden and spreading a different message than the one in Dresden only Nazis live.” Paul adds: “We already have a bit of an Eastern identity. That’s just where we come from.” A homeland that is striking in the name, but otherwise finds its way into the songs more subliminally through the mention of the Elbe or Sternburg beer. “We are proud to have achieved what we do and to be from Saxony at the same time,” says Paul, who, like Zachi, now lives in Leipzig.
A recurring motif is the family and the saying “01099 is the family”. “The family stands for what defines us: the neighborhood, the team spirit,” emphasizes Paul. “You have the crew, but you also have the hood and the people who feel the vibe, they’re also part of the family.”
He recently even wrote that down for the permanent exhibition at the German Hygiene Museum in Dresden. While the two musicians talk about the family and Dresden, longing arises. “I want to go to Neustadt again,” says Zachi. A wish that came true at the start of the tour – it took place last Friday at the climate strike day in her hometown.