Of Moroccan heritage, born in Spain and raised in Germany, Farid Hamed El Abdellaoui manifested the intersection of these influences as Farid Bang in the early 2000's, and claimed his corner of the hip-hop underground. A fierce battle rapper, his talent for spitting defiant rhymes was obvious from the beginning; his 2008 debut album, Asphalt Massaka, delivered a bleak but compelling collection of booming beats and electronic samples. Collaborations with Germany's best crackle with intensity, his heavy, dark visions of street life burned into the thunderous pulse of each track.