Photography by Jonas Unden.
“Is that the real one?” a little boy asks who is passing by us with his dog. Yes, that’s indeed the real Ski Aggu. Schlager rapper, party rapper, techno rapper, or maybe not a rapper at all? There’s no definitive label for him, but one thing is clear: he is the musical voice of a new generation that refuses to be put into a box and mostly doesn’t take themselves too seriously. He’s a bit “Balla Balla” – at least that’s the name of one of his recent songs. His trademark? The mirrored ski goggles, the blonde mullet, and the laid-back yet somehow funky clothes.
The little boy grins from ear to ear as Ski Aggu briefly interrupts our photo shoot to take a selfie with him. “But in return, can we borrow your dog for a bit?” Aggu asks, charmingly of course. The little boy nods, probably already excited to tell his friends tomorrow that he met the real Ski Aggu. His rapid success started when he released “Party Sahne” in 2022. Since then the venues he’s playing at are getting bigger and bigger while he collaborates with other known artists such as Domiziana, Otto Waalkes, Joost Klein, and 01099.
A lot happens in the afternoon when we meet Aggu for the interview in Berlin. We have a run-in with another little boy who kicks a football at us, we walk from Wilmersdorf to Schöneberg and back again. Two and a half hours later, we finally sit by a small lake and chat about being a workaholic, how success changes your life, and irrational fears.
Photography by Jonas Unden.
SLEEK: Hi Aggu, what made you smile today?
Ski Aggu: Today, a cheeky boy at the soccer field made me smile. First, we played a panna match, and then he started dissing me a bit until I had to take the ball away from him. It reminded me of myself when I was little. Back then, I also used to test boundaries and sometimes got punched for it.
S: You’re from Wilmersdorf. Do you have a favorite place here?
SA: My favorite place to hang out is actually the Volkspark. It’s always been nice to be here as a teenager and even as a little boy. I spent many evenings here. Besides that, there’s the falafel shop at Bundesplatz. I go there a lot.
S: Do you have a favorite childhood memory from the area?
SA: When my dad told me he was proud of me.
S: Do people recognize you without your glasses?
SA: No, thankfully not. I never take off the glasses. But funnily enough, there are AI-generated images of me circulating on the internet that are supposed to show my face. But that’s not me.
Photography by Jonas Unden.
S: How has your life changed due to your success?
SA: Now, I can order as much sushi as I want without worrying about the price – that’s just awesome. And otherwise? I’d say my friends keep me pretty grounded. But I also look at everything with humor. I don’t feel like I’m the greatest, coolest, most talented guy in the world – simply, because I’m not. I just try to have fun as long as it lasts without changing my character. But I think I’m managing that pretty well so far.
S: You’ve worked with many different artists. With whom did you have the best chemistry, and is there someone you definitely want to collaborate with?
SA: I enjoyed every collaboration for sure. But maybe the most special for me was the song I dropped with my best friend Ritter Lean. We’ve known each other since childhood and started making music together. Also, working with someone like Otto Waalkes was super amazing because I got to meet a childhood legend. They say never meet your idols, but with Otto, that’s not true. He is exactly how he presents himself, and you can only be an even bigger fan afterwards.
S: What was your favorite moment with Otto?
SA: My favorite moment was when I came to the video shoot with my Adidas jacket, and Otto asked if he could have it. So we made a deal that he could have it if he drew something for me. Now I have an Ottifant at home with ski goggles and a glass of wine.
S: Do you have a song of your own that you feel especially connected to right now?
SA: Yes, I do, but it’s not out yet: “Abgelenkt.” It’s currently my favorite song because it’s honest. It comes from the heart and, in my opinion, isn’t cheesy or overly serious at the same time. It has a great beat, and isn’t just a party track – there’s something deeper behind it.
Photography by Jonas Unden.
S: Can you remember the very first concert you played?
SA: Yes, it was in Leipzig for €500. It was a club show. I was super nervous but also really pumped. The evening was sold out – but sold out meant only 200 people because it was in a very small basement room. Anyway, the DJ booth was on one side of the room, and my stage was on the other. When my intro song started, I came out from backstage to the stage, but the sound guy forgot to turn on my mic. So, I stood on the stage with my mic, but no one saw me because everyone was looking at the DJ booth with their backs to me. And I couldn’t say anything because my mic was off. Eventually, people realized, turned around, and the sound guy finally turned on my mic. Then, the concert started, and it was a blast because many people already knew my lyrics by heart.
S: What is your most irrational fear?
SA: My most irrational fear is standing on stage and nobody reacting. That 10,000 people are staring at me, silent, thinking what’s going on. I even dream about it often at night. But that’s obviously nonsense – so far, the crowd has always reacted.
S: Who are you without your ski goggles?
SA: A nobody.
CREDITS
Photography: Jonas Unden