187 Strassenbande

187 Strassenbande is a German hip-hop and urban-music collective formed in Hamburg in 2006 by Bonez MC and graffiti artist Frost. It developed from a hip-hop and tagging crew into a broader creative formation involving rappers, producers, graffiti artists, and nightlife figures. Its name refers to the United States penal-code designation commonly associated with murder, a reference that reflects the collective's deliberately confrontational street identity rather than a conventional corporate brand structure. The collective's core musical activity has centered on rappers Bonez MC, Gzuz, Maxwell, LX, and Sa4. Associated contributors have included producers Jambeatz, Lukas H, and 95a, graffiti artists Frost, Gel, and Track, and nightclub operator Blanchy. Several additional artists were affiliated during earlier phases, including AchtVier, Hasuna, and Mosh36. Membership has not been entirely fixed: some participants pursued solo careers or left following personal and legal disputes. The group's early work was released independently. Bonez MC's 2012 album Krampfhaft Kriminell provided an early chart breakthrough, while the incarceration of Gzuz led the collective to organize the Free Gzuz Tour and sell related merchandise. The subsequent success of Bonez MC and Gzuz's collaborative album High & Hungrig in 2014 established the collective as a major force in German street rap. High & Hungrig reached the German top ten, and its 2016 follow-up High & Hungrig 2 topped the German album chart. Other members also built significant solo and collaborative careers. Maxwell and LX released Obststand in 2015, and Maxwell's debut album Kohldampf reached number two in Germany in 2017. Gzuz's 2015 solo album Ebbe & Flut reached number two, while Sa4's Neue Deutsche Quelle reached number three in 2017. Bonez MC's collaborations with RAF Camora broadened the collective's commercial reach, particularly after their 2016 album reached the top of the German chart. 187 Strassenbande's strongest collective chart achievement was Sampler 4, released in 2017. The album topped the German, Austrian, and Swiss album charts, demonstrating the formation's reach across the German-speaking market. The group also gained visibility through a 2015 German tour with the Wu-Tang Clan. Its music commonly combines trap-influenced production, gangsta rap, autobiographical street narratives, drug and crime references, and Hamburg-centered identity. The collective's public profile has also been shaped by members' criminal convictions, arrests, and controversies, which have frequently overlapped with its artistic image. It is best understood as a music collective and cultural label-like identity rather than a conventional standalone recording company.

187 Strassenbande emerged in Hamburg in 2006 as a group connected to graffiti, tagging, and hip-hop. Bonez MC and Frost were central to its formation, and the early project gradually expanded into a street-oriented music collective. Rather than operating as a stable band with a single front person, it brought together rappers, producers, visual artists, and people associated with Hamburg nightlife. The collective's early recordings were largely independent. Bonez MC's 2012 album Krampfhaft Kriminell marked an initial chart breakthrough. During the same period, Gzuz was imprisoned after receiving a three-year-and-six-month sentence for robbery-related theft. The group used his incarceration as the basis for the Free Gzuz Tour and related merchandise campaign. After his release in 2013, Gzuz became one of the collective's most visible performers. Membership changed during the early 2010s. Mosh36 joined in 2012 but left in 2013, while AchtVier announced his departure in 2014 to concentrate on his solo work. Hasuna, who had joined in 2010, was later removed from the group in 2015 following a serious criminal case described in reference material. These departures reinforced the flexible, affiliation-based character of the formation. Commercial momentum accelerated with High & Hungrig, the 2014 collaboration between Bonez MC and Gzuz. The album reached the German top ten. In 2015, Maxwell and LX issued the joint album Obststand, and the collective appeared as support for Wu-Tang Clan's German tour. Gzuz also released the solo album Ebbe & Flut, which reached number two in Germany. Bonez MC subsequently developed a highly successful partnership with RAF Camora, including a chart-topping 2016 album. The wider 187 network continued to produce successful releases. High & Hungrig 2 topped the German album chart in 2016. Maxwell's debut album Kohldampf reached number two in 2017, and Sa4's Neue Deutsche Quelle reached number three later that year. The collective's own Sampler 4 became its clearest multinational chart achievement by reaching number one in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Musically, 187 Strassenbande is associated with German gangsta rap and street rap. Its songs frequently draw on Hamburg neighborhoods, crime, drugs, status, conflict, and crew loyalty. The same themes that support its authenticity and commercial identity have also generated criticism and legal controversy. The group's history is therefore defined both by its transformation from a graffiti crew into a major German-speaking rap collective and by the highly public personal histories of several members.

• 2017

  Sampler 4 tops German-speaking markets

  [1]187 Strassenbandeen.wikipedia.org

  Sampler 4 reaches number one in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

• 2016

  High & Hungrig 2 reaches number one

  [1]187 Strassenbandeen.wikipedia.org

  The second Bonez MC and Gzuz collaboration tops the German album chart.

• 2015

  Obststand and Wu-Tang Clan tour support

  [1]187 Strassenbandeen.wikipedia.org

  Maxwell and LX release Obststand, and the collective supports Wu-Tang Clan on its German tour dates.

• 2014

  High & Hungrig establishes wider recognition

  [1]187 Strassenbandeen.wikipedia.org

  Bonez MC and Gzuz's collaborative album reaches the German top ten.

• 2012

  Early chart breakthrough and Free Gzuz campaign

  [1]187 Strassenbandeen.wikipedia.org

  Bonez MC's Krampfhaft Kriminell charts in Germany, while the collective organizes the Free Gzuz Tour during Gzuz's imprisonment.

• 2006

  Formation in Hamburg

  [1]187 Strassenbandeen.wikipedia.org

  Bonez MC and Frost establish the formation, initially connecting graffiti activity with hip-hop work.

A Hamburg-rooted street-rap collective positioned around uncompromising gangsta rap, graffiti culture, local authenticity, and an expansive crew identity. Its appeal combines underground credibility with chart-oriented collaborations and commercially successful releases.

• Collective album · 2017

  Sampler 4

  The fourth major sampler associated with 187 Strassenbande. Released in 2017, it assembled the collective's principal rap identity and became the group's strongest documented chart performance, reaching number one in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

• Collaborative album · 2014

  High & Hungrig

  A 2014 album by Bonez MC and Gzuz that translated the collective's Hamburg street-rap aesthetic into a successful commercial release. Its top-ten German chart position helped establish both artists and the wider 187 network as major forces in German rap.

• Collaborative album · 2016

  High & Hungrig 2

  The follow-up Bonez MC and Gzuz album released in 2016. It expanded on the partnership's trap and street-rap formula and reached number one on the German album chart.

• Collaborative album · 2015

  Obststand

  A joint 2015 album by Maxwell and LX. The release reached number five in Germany and became one of the most prominent collaborative projects outside the Bonez MC and Gzuz pairing.

• Tour and merchandise campaign · 2012

  Free Gzuz Tour

  A tour organized while Gzuz was incarcerated. The campaign also included Free Gzuz merchandise and functioned as both a support effort and a public expression of crew solidarity.

• 2015

  Hasuna removed after serious criminal case

  Reference material states that Hasuna was removed from the formation in 2015 following an attempted-murder case involving another member.

  Source

• 2010

  Gzuz receives prison sentence

  Gzuz was sentenced to three years and six months for robbery-related theft, leading to the Free Gzuz support campaign.

  Source

Read more

• 2015Wu-Tang Clan Germany tour support

  Germany

  187 Strassenbande accompanied Wu-Tang Clan during the German portion of its tour.

  Outcome. The appearance gave the Hamburg collective exposure alongside an internationally established hip-hop act.

  Source
• 2012Free Gzuz Tour

  Germany

  The collective organized live dates and sold Free Gzuz shirts while Gzuz was serving a prison sentence.

  Outcome. The campaign supported Gzuz financially and maintained his visibility within the group's public identity.

  Source

• 2015

  Greater focus on member-led collaborationsStrategy

  Background

  Individual members were increasingly releasing successful joint and solo projects.

  Action taken

  The network continued developing projects such as Obststand and solo albums while maintaining the collective identity.

  Aftermath

  The approach broadened the 187 brand beyond group samplers and strengthened its presence in the German-speaking market.

  Source

• 2012

  Launch of Free Gzuz support campaignOther

  Background

  Gzuz was serving a prison sentence after a robbery-related theft conviction.

  Action taken

  The collective organized a tour and sold branded Free Gzuz merchandise.

  Aftermath

  The campaign reinforced the group's crew-based public image and supported Gzuz during incarceration.

  Source

• 2006

  Expansion from graffiti crew into music collectiveStrategy

  Background

  The formation began in Hamburg through graffiti and hip-hop activity.

  Action taken

  Bonez MC, Frost, and associated artists developed the project into a broader rap formation with multiple performers and producers.

  Aftermath

  The expanded structure became the basis for the collective's later independent releases and chart success.

  Source

1. 1187 Strassenbandeen.wikipedia.org