German rap star Xatar dead at 43
German rapper-turned-entrepreneur Xatar, real name Giwar Hajabi, has died aged 43.
According to the German publication Bild, Hajabi passed away in Cologne, which contradicts other reports from the country that claim he died in Berlin. No cause of death has been provided at this current stage.
His fellow rapper Farid Bang was the first to announce news of his death on Instagram. Additionally, Xatar’s former promoter Marina Buzunashvilli shared an image of her with him on Instagram Stories alongside the caption, “Until we meet again.”
The public prosecutor’s office in Cologne has opened an investigation into his death and is currently exploring whether any evidence exists of “criminally relevant third-party negligence”. However, they have stated, “No external signs of violence were found”. An autopsy has also been conducted.
Xatar was born to Kurdish parents in Iran but was forced to flee the country due to Saddam Hussein’s attacks on the Kurdish community. He initially moved to nearby Iraq before eventually calling Germany home and becoming a huge star in his adoptive homeland.
Tributes have already begun to flood in from the German hip-hop community and Xatar’s wider fanbase, including YouTuber I Am Haks, who wrote on X: “Sad news. Ruhe in Frieden Xatar. The first Kurdish German rapper I came across. He represented the flag, the identity and he brought many others through. Your legacy will live on.”
Xatar is survived by his wife Farvah and their five children. They were a couple for 15 years.
Xatar’s music career
He rose to the top of the German charts in 2015 with the album Baba aller Babas. Outside of his own music, Xatar played a pivotal role in the German hip-hop scene with his labels Alles oder Nix Records, Kopfticker Records, Groove Attack TraX and Goldmann Entertainment. In total, he released six albums with his final record, Hrrr, arriving in 2021.
In 2015, Xatar released his autobiography, Alles oder Nix: Bei uns sagt man, die Welt gehört dir, which detailed his early days involved in criminal activity, including serving time in prison for stealing a gold transport truck, and his transformation to become a huge name in the German music business. His extraordinary life was also turned into a 2022 film titled Rheingold, which starred Emilio Sakraya as the rapper.
In an interview with The Message Magazine in 2015, Xatar explained why he’s committed to rapping in German despite its limited international appeal, stating, “I’m not primarily looking for success; I needed it. There was no financial motive behind it. That would be so fake in English, man. German is the language I think in.”
Xatar’s criminal past and the gold truck robbery
Reflecting on his criminal past in the same interview, Xatar explained why he was wary of it overshadowing his music career, which he attempted to avoid at all costs, stating: “After prison, I got what felt like a thousand requests – for documentaries, reports, and films. I turned them all down. At first, I always wanted to release my album. I only spoke to hip-hop media about the album, even though talk shows wanted me. But the gold robbery was the only topic there. But now things are different because it’s about my life.”
The gold transport truck reportedly carried €1.8 million worth of gold and jewellery, which, to this day has never been found. The rapper managed to escape Europe following the crime to Iraq after travelling through Moscow, but Iraqi police eventually captured him following the issuance of an Interpol warrant.
Xatar alleged that he was tortured by Iraqi police while in custody. He was eventually extradited to Germany after being sentenced to an eight-year prison sentence. However, he was released after three and returned to his music career with more eyeballs on him than ever before due to the gold transport truck robbery, which captured Germany’s attention.
This is a developing story.
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