RAG

RAG, also known as Ruhrpott AG, is a German hip hop group from Bochum, Germany. It is active from 1996 to 2003 and consists of Aphroe, Galla, Pahel, Karsten Stieneke and Mr. Wiz. The group comes out of the Ruhr Area rap scene and combines introspective, poetic lyrics with restrained production that is often heavy and melancholic.

Formation and name

RAG forms in Bochum in 1996 from two Ruhr Area hip hop collectives active in the early 1990s. Filo Joes includes the MCs Pahel and Galla, while Raid includes the MC Aphroe and the DJ Mr. Wiz. The members meet through local jams and hip hop events before collaborating under the name Ruhrpott AG. The name Ruhrpott refers to the colloquial term for the Ruhr industrial region in northwestern Germany, and AG stands for Aktiengesellschaft, the German term for a public limited company.

Albums and musical style

The group gains recognition in the German hip hop scene with the album Unter Tage in 1998. Its lyrics are marked by dense imagery and a melancholic atmosphere, with themes connected to life in the Ruhr Area, personal identity and the hip hop industry. The group often uses metaphor and associative language, sometimes with fantastical elements.

RAG releases a second and final album, Pottential, in 2001. This record shifts towards a more direct and harder-edged lyrical style while keeping complex wordplay and narrative structures. Tracks including Nackte Stadt and Pro & Contra show this development: the former presents linked perspectives from different urban residents, while the latter uses wordplay built around words beginning with the syllables “pro” and “kon”.

Line-up and later activity

The group is primarily associated with Bochum, though Mr. Wiz comes from Oberhausen and Aphroe from Herne. The final line-up of Ruhrpott AG consists of Galla, Aphroe, Pahel and Mr. Wiz. After the group breaks up in 2003, Pahel and Galla pursue solo careers, releasing the albums Natur des Menschen and Swing Kid respectively. Aphroe also continues as a solo artist and says that no third RAG album will be made. His solo debut 90 is released in 2012. Galla dies in 2011 following a cerebral infarction.