MZEE.com

MZEE.com (formerly MZEE) is a German company active in the development and establishment of hip-hop culture in Europe, especially in the German-speaking region. It began in 1990 when founder Akim Walta (aka Zeb.Roc.Ski / Zebster) organized hip-hop jams under the name MZEE in Munich and Mainz; the name combines the German license-plate codes for Munich (M) and Mainz (MZ) with a phonetic rendering of "MC." In 1992 the Mzee magazine (initially a fanzine) appeared, and the operation grew into a mail-order business (Mzee-Mailorder, later From Here To Fame Mailorder and Hip Hop Mailorder) run by Ralf Kotthoff, plus an independent label, Mzee-Records, which released early recordings by Advanced Chemistry, Stieber Twins, Cora E., Massive Töne, Ferris MC (as part of F.A.B.) and MC Rene, as well as the samplers Alte Schule and Die Klasse von 95. Because mainstream media, retail and publishers were largely closed to hip-hop, MZEE built its own structures: it published the book Graffiti Art Germany and the magazine On The Run, organized parties, concerts and tours, supported radio and TV programming, and brokered graffiti commissions. From the early 2000s MZEE.com was best known as an internet platform with news, discussion forums, an event calendar and a large shop, at times calling itself the largest German-language hip-hop medium. From the end of 2005 the mail-order business cooperated with EMP Mailorder; that partnership ended with 2014, and the shop closed at the end of 2014. From 1 January 2015 only the discussion forum remained online, and in September 2015 MZEE.com relaunched as an editorial online magazine about German hip-hop under editor-in-chief Florence "Lupa" Bader. The magazine is run on a voluntary basis and publishes interviews, reports and commentary. Since 2016 it has organized donation drives, including with festivals such as Tapefabrik in Wiesbaden, benefiting projects such as the Stolpersteine and the association Wildwasser; by March 2026 it had raised a total of €16,169.64 for charitable organizations. MZEE.com was nominated for the European Youth Culture Award (EYCA) in the "Art and Media" category on 8 August 2018, and in 2021 it was recognized in the "Aktiv für Demokratie und Toleranz" competition of the Bündnis für Demokratie und Toleranz for covering topics rarely addressed in German-language hip-hop media, such as racist discrimination and depression. The prize was endowed with €2,000.

MZEE emerged from the personal commitment of founder Akim Walta (aka Zeb.Roc.Ski / Zebster), who organized hip-hop parties under the name Mzee in Munich and Mainz in the early 1990s. The name derives from the German license-plate codes for Munich (M) and Mainz (MZ) combined with an American phonetic rendering of "MC"; Walta organized a hip-hop jam titled MZEE Frisch, with the same line-up playing in Munich in November 1990 and a week later in Mainz, his then home. In 1992 the Mzee magazine (essentially a fanzine) was published, marking the start of the build-up. Ralf Kotthoff, who had joined the project as a graphic designer, soon took over the mail-order business Mzee-Mailorder (also known at times as From Here To Fame Mailorder and Hip Hop Mailorder), while Akim Walta built an independent record label, Mzee-Records, responsible for many milestones of early German-language rap history, including the first releases by Advanced Chemistry, Stieber Twins, Cora E., Massive Töne, Ferris MC (as part of F.A.B.) and MC Rene, as well as the samplers Alte Schule and Die Klasse von 95. In the early years the MZEE team was active in many fields: it published the book Graffiti Art Germany (Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf Verlag) and the magazine On The Run plus five issues of the Mzee magazine, organized parties and concerts, arranged tours, accompanied radio and television programs thematically, brokered graffiti commissions and much more. A precondition for this development was that normal societal structures such as media and retail were closed to hip-hop culture: German-language rap was not taken seriously or even released by major labels, and publishers, broadcasters and retailers were not interested in hip-hop content or products. MZEE therefore largely created these contents, products and structures itself, or at least helped to create them. The central hub until 2014 was the mail-order business: from the end of 2005 MZEE cooperated with EMP Mailorder, a partnership that ended with the expiration of 2014. In mid-July 2014 MZEE.com announced the closure of the site, and as of 1 January 2015 only the discussion forum remained online. In mid-2015 it was announced that MZEE.com would in future function as an (online) hip-hop magazine; the magazine launched in September 2015. Since the early 2000s MZEE.com had been known primarily as an internet platform and temporarily called itself the largest German-language hip-hop medium; it consisted mainly of news, discussion forums, an event calendar and a very extensive shop, the latter closed at the end of 2014, leaving only the discussion forum. Since September 2015 MZEE.com has additionally consisted of an editorial online magazine about German hip-hop under the leadership of Florence "Lupa" Bader. The volunteer online magazine publishes interview formats, reports and commentary. Since 2016 the magazine has also organized donation campaigns, both via its social-media platforms and in cooperation with festivals such as Tapefabrik in Wiesbaden. The donation campaigns have benefited projects such as the Stolpersteine and the association Wildwasser. In total the MZEE magazine has collected €16,169.64 for charitable organizations (as of March 2026). On 8 August 2018 MZEE.com was nominated for the European Youth Culture Award (EYCA) in the "Art and Media" category; the prize was awarded on 7 September at the Berlin State Agency for Civic Education. As part of the nomination, senior editors and founder Ralf Kotthoff were interviewed about their self-understanding and current developments in hip-hop. In 2021 the online magazine MZEE.com was recognized in the "Aktiv für Demokratie und Toleranz" competition of the Bündnis für Demokratie und Toleranz – Gegen Extremismus und Gewalt (BfDT). The magazine, it was said, draws readers' attention to topics that are otherwise hardly or rarely present in German-language hip-hop media – for example racist discrimination or depression – and thereby established itself well in the scene. It was further noted that, unlike comparable hip-hop magazines, MZEE.com is run purely on a voluntary basis and "out of love for the cause and out of passion." The prize was endowed with €2,000.

• 2026

  By March 2026 the magazine has raised €16,169.64 for charitable organizations.

• 2021

  MZEE.com is recognized in the "Aktiv für Demokratie und Toleranz" competition of the BfDT.

• 2018

  MZEE.com is nominated for the European Youth Culture Award (EYCA) in the "Art and Media" category on 8 August.

• 2016

  The magazine begins organizing donation campaigns, including with festivals such as Tapefabrik.

• 2015

  MZEE.com relaunches as an editorial online hip-hop magazine in September.

• 2014

  Cooperation with EMP Mailorder ends; MZEE.com announces closure of the shop; only the forum remains online from 1 January 2015.

• 2005

  MZEE begins cooperation with EMP Mailorder.

• 1992

  Publication of the Mzee magazine (a fanzine) begins the build-up.

• 1990

  Akim Walta organizes MZEE hip-hop jams in Munich and Mainz; the MZEE name is coined.

• 1990

  Mzee-Records label releases early German-language rap milestones.

Volunteer-run German-language hip-hop magazine and community platform with a long heritage in German rap culture.

• 1992

  Mzee magazine (fanzine)

• Mzee-Records label releases

• Mzee-Mailorder / From Here To Fame Mailorder / Hip Hop Mailorder

• 2015

  MZEE.com online magazine

• MZEE.com discussion forum

• MZEE Recap annual review series

1. 1MZEE.com - Hip Hop Magazin & Forum - seit 1990mzee.com
2. 2Jan Wehn – ein Gespräch über unsere Rapszene – Interviewmzee.com
3. 3Interviews, Kritiken uvmmzee.com
4. 4MZEE Recap 2025: #19 "BABO – DIE HAFTBEFEHL STORY"mzee.com
5. 5MZEE.comwikidata.org
6. 6MZEEde.wikipedia.org