Sido

Sido has never been without controversy. It all began with his debut album *Maske*, which became the best-selling hip-hop album in Germany in 2004 – only to be subsequently banned by the Federal Review Board for Media Harmful to Minors. The trigger was the song “Endlich Wochenende”, which – according to the Board’s reasoning – trivialised drug use. This did nothing to dampen the success of Sido, who, at the start of his career, liked to perform wearing a skull mask.

With “Ich und meine Maske”, he reached the top of the German album charts for the first time in 2008. The same was true in 2013 with “30-11-80” – a reference to his date of birth – and with his most recent full-length albums to date, “Ich und keine Maske” (2019) and “Paul” (2022). Following a four-year hiatus, the release of “Frieden” now marks the start of a new chapter in Sido’s creative career. The first single, “Issa”, offered an early taste of what’s to come, providing a glimpse into his career, his life and his home city of Berlin. Incidentally, in the accompanying video, Paul Würdig – his real name – is once again wearing a mask. A transparent one, though. He no longer needs to hide. His “Frieden” tour in autumn 2027 will also take him to the Olympic Hall.

Photocredits: Yared Assefa, laurentbiel