Curse is the stage name of Michael Sebastian Kurth, a German rapper from Minden, Germany, born in 1978. He takes his name from the English pronunciation of his surname. He performs hip hop and is associated with La Familia and The Achtung Achtung.

Early career

Curse is active musically from a young age and performs songs with his band Phat Kicks in the 1990s, including “Zwei Mal In Den Kopf”.

Albums and releases

His debut album, Feuerwasser (2000), presents introspective lyrics based on personal experience alongside more conventional hip-hop themes. Production on this record, and on several later releases, is often handled by Sascha Bühren, known as Busy. His second album, Von Innen Nach Außen (2001), continues this approach. Its lead single, “Lass uns doch Freunde sein”, reaches attention beyond the hip-hop scene. The album is named Best National Album by the German hip-hop magazine Juice, reaches the top ten in the German charts, and also receives a release in Japan.

On his third album, Innere Sicherheit, he uses a broader range of instrumentation and addresses political and social issues as well as personal subjects. The single “Widerstand” features Gentleman. His fourth album, Sinnflut (2005), includes the charting single “Gangsta Rap” and the track “Broken Language Reloaded” with Samy Deluxe.

In 2006, he issues the compilation Einblick zurück, which covers material from 1996 to 2006.

Collaborations and label work

Through collaborations and his platform Alles Real Records, Curse supports emerging artists such as Italo Reno and works with a wide range of performers, including Kool Savas, Xavier Naidoo, Max Herre of Freundeskreis, Samy Deluxe, J-Luv, Braz of 4Lyn, Patrice, Black Thought of The Roots, Pete Rock and RZA. He also records a full-length collaborative album with Swiss artists including Greis and members of Sektion Chuchichästli, made during a shared studio period.