Kool Savas [ˌkuːl saˈvaːʃ] (born Savaş Yurderi on 10 February 1975 in Aachen) is a German rapper of Turkish descent. He has been active in the Berlin hip-hop scene since the mid-1990s and first gained recognition as a member of the groups M.O.R. and Westberlin Maskulin. His commercially successful releases include the solo albums "Der beste Tag meines Lebens" (The Best Day of My Life), "Tot oder lebendig" (Dead or Alive), "Aura", "Märtyrer" (Martyr), "KKS" and "Aghori", as well as the collaborative projects "One" with Azad, "Gespaltene Persönlichkeit" (Split Personality) with Xavier Naidoo and "Royal Bunker" with Sido. He is frequently regarded as an influential figure in German battle rap and gained wider attention with the diss track "Das Urteil" (The Verdict), aimed at Eko Fresh. Yurderi was born to a Turkish father and a German mother. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Turkey, where his father became politically active and was later imprisoned. His mother subsequently returned to Germany with him, and following his father’s release, the family reunited in the Berlin district of Kreuzberg. In the early 1990s, Yurderi became involved in political activism, including participation in demonstrations against neo-Nazism and deportations, a phase he later described as superficial. At the same time, he began rapping in English, drawing influence from West Coast hip-hop artists such as Too Short, Compton’s Most Wanted, Ice Cube and MC Eiht. He later switched to writing lyrics in German. At the beginning of his career, he performed under the name Juks. In 1995, he formed the duo Basic Elements with the rapper Ono. He later adopted the stage name Kool Savas, derived from his given name; the Turkish word "Savaş" means "war". In 1996, he co-founded the group Masters of Rap following the recording of "Masters Of Rap" with Fumanschu and Justus. The group later expanded to include additional members. In 1997, he formed the duo Westberlin Maskulin with Taktloss, releasing the album "Hoes, Flows, Moneytoes", initially on cassette in a limited edition and later reissued. That same year, he appeared as an actor in the film "Geschwister – Kardeşler" (Siblings). In 1999, Kool Savas released his first solo single "LMS/Schwule Rapper" (LMS/Gay Rappers). He gained broader attention in 2000 with "King of Rap", produced with Plattenpapzt. That year also saw the release of the second Westberlin Maskulin album "Battlekings", which marked the end of his collaboration with Taktloss. In 2001, the EP "Haus & Boot" (House & Boat), created with Valezka, became his first charting release. Shortly afterwards, he left Masters of Rap and parted ways with his label. In 2002, he founded the label Optik Records in cooperation with Sony BMG and established the Optik Crew, which included artists such as Eko Fresh, Valezka, Melbeatz and DJ Nicon. His debut album "Der beste Tag meines Lebens" (The Best Day of My Life) was released the same year and reached the top ten of the German charts, marking his commercial breakthrough. In 2003, Eko Fresh and later Valezka left Optik Records, leading to a public dispute between Savas and Eko Fresh. The conflict resulted in several diss tracks, including "Die Abrechnung" (The Reckoning) by Eko Fresh and "Das Urteil" (The Verdict) by Kool Savas, the latter becoming one of his most widely known songs. In 2025, both artists appeared together on stage in Berlin, performing "Optik Anthem" and signalling an end to their long-standing feud. In 2004, the compilation "Die besten Tage sind gezählt" (The Best Days Are Numbered) was released, and he collaborated with Samy Deluxe on the single "OK!" by Melbeatz. In 2005, he released the collaborative album "One" with Azad, which entered the German charts. Around this time, the Optik Crew expanded with additional members and released several group projects, including "Optik Takeover!" in 2006. Kool Savas also appeared as host of the battle rap tournament "Feuer über Deutschland" (Fire Over Germany). His second solo album "Tot oder lebendig" (Dead or Alive) was released in 2007 and charted in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The same year, he provided voice acting for an episode of the television series "South Park". In 2008, he announced the dissolution of Optik Records, which concluded with a final tour in 2009. He subsequently founded the independent label Essah Entertainment. In 2011, he released his third studio album "Aura", which reached number one in Germany and Switzerland and was certified gold. In 2012, he collaborated with Xavier Naidoo as the duo Xavas, releasing the album "Gespaltene Persönlichkeit" (Split Personality). The album reached number one in Germany and Switzerland and achieved platinum certification in Germany. The single "Schau nicht mehr zurück" (Don't Look Back) won the "Bundesvision Song Contest 2012". In 2014, Kool Savas founded the label Essah Media. His fourth studio album "Märtyrer" (Martyr) was released the same year and reached number one in Germany and Switzerland. In 2016, he released the mixtape "Essahdamus", which also achieved high chart positions. During this period, he collaborated with various artists, including Sido, with whom he released the joint album "Royal Bunker" in 2017. The album reached number one in Germany and Austria and was followed by a tour. In 2019, his fifth studio album "KKS" was released and reached number one in Germany and Switzerland. The release was accompanied by several singles and music videos. In 2021, he published his autobiography "King of Rap", written with Juri Sternburg. In 2023, Kool Savas became one of the coaches on the television programme "The Voice Rap", a spin-off of "The Voice of Germany". Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kool_Savas Studio albums Der beste Tag meines Lebens ("The Best Day of My Life", 2002) Tot oder lebendig ("Dead or Alive", 2007) Aura (2011) Märtyrer ("Martyr", 2014) KKS (2019) Aghori (2021) Lan Juks (2025) <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Kool+Savas">Read more on Last.fm</a>. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.