Street Icon Xatar: Kurdish Gangsta Rapper Dies at 43
Rap artist Xatar succumbed to death
Facebook Twitter Whatsapp E-Mail Print Copy Link The infamous gold heist and subsequent incarceration skyrocketed rapper Xatar to national acclaim. Now, the record label kingpin and entrepreneur has left us.
Xatar, born Giwar Hajabi, exhaled his last breath in a Cologne apartment on a chilly Thursday evening, according to a spokesperson for the Cologne Public Prosecutor's Office. The precise cause of the demise remains shadowed.
The Public Prosecutor's Office has commenced an investigation, scrutinizing potential "criminally relevant external factors" that may have contributed to Xatar's final curtain call. An autopsy was conducted, but no violent external injuries were discovered. The inquiry continues.
Hajabi was born to a renowned composer and conductor in 1981, and a gifted musician in Iran. His family emigrated to Iraq in the 1980s and eventually settled in Bonn, where Hajabi grew up. He later relocated to Cologne. In 2008, he founded Alles oder Nix Records, culminating in a swift ascent within the rap sphere, with artists like SSIO and Schwesta Ewa signing up.
Life Beyond Crime
Xatar gained popularity nationwide in 2009 after a gold heist worth €1.7 million. His run-ins with the law led to an eight-year prison sentence in 2011. Yet, the plunder remains nowhere to be found.
Jail seemed to fuel the flame of Xatar's musical prowess. His album "Nr 415," named after his prison cell, was recorded in JVA Rheinbach. Upon his release in 2014, the rapper's 2015 album "Baba aller Babas" shot to the top of the German charts.
Apart from his music career, Xatar roamed the business realm. He established a dominance in the jewelry trade, owned a doner kebab shop, and a shisha bar. In 2022, he unveiled the "Goldmann Tower" in Cologne, intending it as a monument for his label Goldmann Music. Unfortunately, financial woes compelled the label to file for insolvency in 2023. Director Fatih Akin's film "Rheingold" pays homage to Xatar's storied life.
As per the "Rolling Stone" magazine, Xatar endured healthcare issues. In 2021, reports surfaced that the rapper had a close scrape with death and subsequently decided to take a weekly break. Furthermore, he declared shedding 50 kilograms owing to health concerns.
Marina Buzunashvilli, Xatar's former promoter, honored the rapper with an emotional Instagram post: "Until we meet again." Rapper Haftbefehl shared a heartfelt Instagram snap with Xatar, writing: "I'm at a loss for words, my brother. May you find peace in the afterlife." Rapper Farid Bang also conveyed his condolences.
Source: ntv.de, mdi/dpa
- Gangsta Rap
- Hip Hop
- Criminal Underworld
- Despite his notorious past in the criminal underworld, Xatar found success in the entertainment industry, particularly in gangsta rap and hip hop, attaining national acclaim following a high-profile gold heist.
- Confirming the death of the rapper, an autopsy was carried out, but no violent external injuries were found, sparking an ongoing investigation into potential criminally relevant external factors.
- Despite his struggled with health issues, Xatar continued to make a significant impact in the music and business world, establishing dominance in the jewelry trade, owning a doner kebab shop, a shisha bar, and unveiling the "Goldmann Tower" in Cologne.
- In the aftermath of Xatar's demise, fellow artists and contemporaries such as Marina Buzunashvilli, Haftbefehl, and Farid Bang expressed their condolences, highlighting the lasting impact he had on the music industry.
