This post is also available in German Polish Czech Belarusian
Tomorrow, it’s Chefket’s (real name: Şevket Dirican) 35th birthday. We hope it will be a “Good Day” for him – at least that’s what one of his hits is called. Born into a Turkish immigrant family from Heidenheim, he has been having quite a few good days in the past years. Although his texts are neither vulgar nor aggressive like many others in the business, he is becoming more and more famous in the German hip hop scene. He likes dealing with his Turkish-German origin and has already represented German hip hop in Polish Białystok or Wrocław. We presented him first in 2013 with his awesome video of “Identitäter”. Last seen at Jan Böhmermann’s show on Tuesday, you can now watch his unplugged version of “Wir”. True words. Enjoy!
Chefket – We
(Oh)
Blame the politics, like they do us
This country has grown old, but we are young
Everybody feels comfortable in their skin
Because the next generation does not believe the lies
We were already far ahead as we’re now
Then came the sad spectacle
It started over, immediately after the wall came down
Now it’s called religious war so that we hate each other
But we grew up here, we are Made in Germany
Far too much people fight without knowing for what
No, debates in pubs are not being held anymore
Prisoners of the clichée of language code open the doors
I’m integrated, because now I speak Turkish better than German
Everybody knows I’m not a nazi and you are not a terrorist
I’m a MC, my third eye never blinks
And it sees, where the border between belief and knowledge is
It’s in your hand, if fingers form a fist or a peace sign
[Hook]
If you want to know how Turks live, go and ask them
But not at the döner place or in the cab
Because they live in Turkey and party with Raki
Have a party and dance Turkish Sirtaki
If you want to know how Germans live, go and ask them
And in case you argue, don’t just call them Nazis
Yes, there have been, there and there will always be some
Don’t get too heated up on this, because most are against it
[Part 2]
We carry the largest burden, the history on us
But we weren’t even alive or much too young
Nobody feels comfortable in their skin
So many dead, six millions by the Holocaus alone
Old people talk a lot, but granddad stops when it’s about war
Lump in his throat, like looking down the barrel of a gun
But when it’s about soccer, we are the holy land
Wave the German flag and it feels awkward
Call us what you will, we don’t get upset anymore
We don’t laugh anymore, because we know all Hitler-Jokes
Escape into subcultures, nothing else going on
Unfortunately all the great poets and thinkers are dead
The German soul is tattooed with dead numbers
Griefing while tourists pose in front of memorials
Nobody has reprocessed their history more than we did
We’re proud of that, we are the people – without marching
[Hook]
If you want to know how Germans live, go and ask them
And in case you argue, don’t just call them Nazis
Yes, there have been, there and there will always be some
Don’t get too heated up on this, because most are against it
If you want to know how Turks live, go and ask them
But not at the döner place or in the cab
Because they live in Turkey and party with Raki
Have a party and dance Turkish Sirtaki
The best of two cultures united in me
Most striking would be a picture of Spätzle and Chai
Bilingual at the age of 2, trilingual at 10
At home in two countries and I can understand everything
But many want to mess with me while I’m messing with colors
They come and say – only one color, that would be better
I never did well in art class
I can not paint it black and white when everything is colourful to me
Translated by Thomas.