Blumentopf were a German hip hop band from Freising, near Munich. In the early days of the band, the members met irregularly and did not have ambitions to become professional musicians. Each week a new name was chosen. The band was invited to perform at a festival for their first live show. The name at the time was Blumentopf and once it appeared on promotional posters for the festival, it stuck. They released their first album in 1997 on Four Music. They have released five more albums as a group, along with songs released on compilations, and various side projects. Until their dissolution in 2016, they were signed to record label EMI. The band consisted of five members: rappers Cajus Heinzmann, Bernhard Wunderlich, Florian Schuster, Roger Manglus and Sebastian Weiss. In October 2015, they announced that they would dissolve the group and played their last concert in Munich on October 22, 2016, thanking all fans for their continuous support throughout the band's 24-year history.
Music
Blumentopf was known for using a Storytelling style. They used humor, irony, and a lot of wordplay to tell stories about everyday life, relationship, parties, both true and fictitious. Other songs can be placed in the conscious hip hop genre, commenting on current issues. The song Danke Bush! presents a critical view of the politics of George W. Bush. Several songs also suggest that drugs and hip hop are not directly connected. One such song is Nur dass ihr wisst. In the lead-up to the 2009 German federal election, the group appeared in a Wahlwerbespot in which they encouraged Germans to vote. They expressed the importance of learning about the candidates and using their right to vote, emphasizing how little effort it really would take. Blumentopf's first three albums have a very old school hip hop feel. The fourth album Gern geschehen saw the use of powerful synth beats and unusual musical ideas as seen in Jeder zweite linkt dich, which uses samples from the song Santa Baby for the entire beat. This was continued in the fifth album Musikmaschine, which has a song using skateboard noises for the majority of the beat. The band members themselves have learned instruments so they can play their songs. They hoped to develop these opportunities further.
Raportage
The term 'raportage' comes from the music style, rap, and the German word Reportage. This concept is consistent with Blumentopf's Storytelling style. For the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Blumentopf worked with the German television channel Das Erste in producing game commentary set to music. The Raportagen were broadcast with video clips of the band, game and press conference footage, and other related video during Das Erste football coverage. This concept was continued during UEFA Euro 2008, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Euro 2012 and finally at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where Germany won the tournament, fulfilling Blumentopf's self-imposed mission in 2006 of continuing the commentaries until Germany became either world or European champion.
Side projects
DJ Sepalot released a solo project entitled Red Handed in 2007. Roger and Cajus released their solo albums Alles Roger and Planet Cajun. Since the beginning of May 2008, Blumentopf broadcasts a radio show with on3radio.
The band was invited to participate in the 2005 Goethe Institute Nah-Ost Tour during the month of November. The band performed in Tel Aviv, Bethlehem, Beirut, and Amman. For the tour, the group collaborated with local artists from Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Syria, and Lebanon.
Discography
Albums
1995 Demo-CD with Ich bin sexy, An meine Homies etc.
