Gentleman (musician)

Gentleman (2013)

Gentleman (2013)

Gentleman (* 19th April 1975 in Osnabrück ; bourgeois Tilmann Otto ) is a German reggae - musician .

Youth and family

Gentleman was born as the son of an Evangelical Lutheran pastor in Osnabrück, but moved to Cologne in his first year and grew up in the southern part of Cologne. In his youth he first attended the Kaiserin Augusta School and then the Hansa High School . He was expelled from both schools and then switched to the Humboldt Gymnasium , which he left voluntarily. Gentleman has been traveling regularly to the Caribbean island of Jamaica , the origin of reggae and dancehall, since he was 18 years old.

Gentleman now lives in Cologne, has two children and is married to the American singer Tamika, who also sings in the background for Gentleman. His brother runs a restaurant in Cologne-Ehrenfeld . His sister Ann-Kathrin Otto is an artist and film set designer and presents the ZDF magazine Wohnen & Design at Volle Kanne .

Career

Gentleman was inspired by the mixtapes his brother brought him from Jamaica. As a result, at the age of 17, Gentleman traveled to the Caribbean island for the first time to discover the music there. Gentleman took his first musical steps as a selector for the 7 Star sound system. A short time later he developed into the MC for Pow Pow Movement from Cologne and then switched to the Hamburg sound system Silly Walks from around 1992. The Stuttgart hip-hop group Freundeskreis met Gentleman at a party in Stuttgart in 1997. At that time, he had already played many shows in Germany and Europe, where he appeared both as an MC and as a singer of his own pieces. Max Herre (Freundeskreis) liked Gentleman so much that he invited him to the studio the following day, where he sang his part for Tabula Rasa . The song landed at number 13 in the German charts, followed by a record deal with Four Music / Sony and four successful studio albums as well as a live album and a DVD.

In 2005, Gentleman took part in the Bundesvision Song Contest for North Rhine-Westphalia as a feature guest of Mamadee . The song occupied there together with Sandy feat. Manuell ( Rhineland-Palatinate ) last place. In 2005 he founded the Bushhouse Records label together with his then manager Stephan Schulmeister , whose first and only release was Mamadee's single Lass los .

After Gentleman's beginnings as a deejay , his music today is mainly based on the classic form of reggae , roots reggae , which Bob Marley produced at the time . His style can be described as Modern Conscious Roots and he sings in German, English and Patois . In his music there are influences from the traditional roots reggae, the Studio One era and dancehall , but also from the Motown era through to hip hop .

Some of his songs pick up on current topics such as B. It No Pretty , where he is the victim of a subway beating in the music video. Socially critical numbers such as Dem Gone , Superior and Leave us alone are also part of his repertoire. In them he questions the state of society critically and expresses his contempt for violence and exploitation (by minorities) and general injustice. Another theme is omnipresent in Gentleman's texts: love - "the stuff we are all made of". Especially the song Intoxication on the album Drop Leaf Riddim in 2005 proved to be a great help for a musical breakthrough in the Caribbean reggae community.

2017: New album and single releases

On June 2, 2017, Gentleman released the lyric version of his single Ovaload with Sean Paul . The official video followed on August 2, 2017. The single stayed in the German charts for two weeks. On June 9, 2017, he released his album Selection .

On June 20, 2017, Gentleman released his single Red Town . On July 14, 2017, Michael Patrick Kelly released his single iD , in which Gentleman was a guest musician. Two months later he released his single Imperfection in cooperation with the American singer Aloe Blacc on September 29, 2017.

On April 13, 2018, a guest post appeared with Like a Lion , in which gentleman Mark Forster and thus his second Sing-mein-Song colleague after Michael Patrick Kelly supported.

live

At the beginning of his career Gentleman was accompanied by the Cologne band The Killin 'Riddim Section, from 2002 he played with the Far East Band (Berlin, Leipzig). The Evolution (Berlin, Leipzig) has been at Gentleman's side since 2010, with largely the same musicians from the Far East Band playing.

Cast The Evolution :

• Drums: Giuseppe Big Finga Coppola
• Keyboards: Tobi Zepezauer (until 2013 Peter Hirsch)
• Keyboards: Frank Pollensi Pollak
• Bass: Fabian Odi Zepezauer (until 2013 André Heyer)
• Guitar: Florian Stahl Münzer
• Saxophone: Johanna Järemo
• Background vocals: Tamika Otto
• Background vocals: Patricia Treesha Moore

Shortly after Christmas 2013, Gentleman celebrated its 20th stage anniversary in Cologne's Palladium . His first live band concert took place in February 1992 in the Cologne Basement. Even before his first record deal, he was able to gain his first international live experience and performed in Jamaica, Russia and many countries in Europe. Through his various backing bands - The Killin 'Riddim Section, Far East Band and The Evolution Band - Gentleman has performed live with a variety of musicians and styles. Gentleman also acts across genres and ages, such as B. at Splash , the largest hip-hop festival in Germany. Since 1999 he has had nine headliner appearances as a reggae artist.

Festivals

In his career, Gentleman has not only played in Germany and neighboring German-speaking countries (including Rock am Ring , Summerjam , Chiemsee Reggae , Deichbrand ), but also at major festivals in other European countries:

A selection includes:

Portugal - Sudoeste , Sagres Surf Festival, Sumol, Musa Festival ; Spain - Monegros, Territorius, Viña Rock, Alrumbo Fest ; France - u. a. Eurockéennes , Vieilleus Charrues ; Netherlands - 77 Splash, Mundial, Lowlands ; Belgium - Dour , Reggae Geel, Couleur Café ; Denmark - Roskilde ; Sweden - One Love Festival, Hultsfred , Uppsala ; Finland - Ilosaari skirt ; Poland - Coke Live, Heineken Opener, Ursynalia ; Serbia - Exit , Arsenal Fest ; Slovakia - Pohoda ; Macedonia: Taksirat ; Hungary - Sziget , Balaton Festival ; as well as various festivals in Italy, Croatia, Greece, Luxembourg.

Gentleman has also co-headlined the Woodstock stop festival with 750,000 visitors.

There are also appearances in North and South America and Africa:

USA - Raggamuffins Festivals, Marley Festival, Sierre Nevada Music Festival, Reggae Rising, Reggae on the River ; Costa Rica Surf World Championships Finals ; Colombia - Festival Estereo Picnic ; Chile - Lollapalooza ; Jamaica - Sting , Reggae Sumfest, Jazz & Blues Festival and many other performances in Aruba, Suriname, French Guyana, Venezuela, Argentina, Trinidad & Tobago, Ghana, Gambia, Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Mauritius and the Seychelles.

Publications

With Journey to Jah , Gentleman had his first gold record and the following album Confidence went straight to number one in the German charts in 2004 and was certified with platinum. With over 200,000 copies sold, it is one of the most successful albums in German reggae and hip-hop history. His next album Another Intensity was released on August 24, 2007 and entered the German album charts at number 2. It became Gentleman’s last studio album at Sony before he switched to Universal Music Germany in 2010 after a ten-year collaboration . The following album Diversity was again awarded gold. A live DVD of his 2010 Summerjam appearance was also released under the name Diversity Live .

In 2011, Gentleman worked closely with Jamaican producer and singer Richie Stephens. He was the first producer in Jamaica to invite Gentleman to his studio to record a song in the 1990s. After Richie Stephens' 22-year-old son "Copper Cat" was shot in front of his door in 2011, Gentleman invited Richie to Germany and the song Live your life was created , in which Stephens musically processes his loss. A live video of the song was filmed at Europe's largest free open air (Woodstock Festival stop), where Gentleman performed in front of 700,000 people. Live Your Life has won several awards and led to the duet album of the same name, which was only released in the USA, Japan and the Caribbean.

His sixth studio album, New Day Dawn , was released on April 19, 2013 by Universal and was presented with an extensive festival summer and a European tour in autumn 2013.

Less than a year later, Gentleman released his first cinema documentary, Journey to Jah , which was released in Germany on March 20, 2014. He and the Italian reggae star Alborosie play the main roles in the German-Swiss co-production . The film describes the “search for authenticity beyond the western consumer societies in the land of Rastafari and reggae: Jamaica”. For the documentary film , Gentleman was accompanied for seven years by directors Moritz Springer and Noel Dernesch as well as cameraman Marcus Winterbauer. The crowdfunded film won several awards. Among other things, it received the “Audience Award” from the Zurich Film Festival 2013 and the “Narrative Feature World Cinema Audience Award 2014” from the Maui Film Festival in Hawaii.

The MTV unplugged album was released in December 2014 . Gentleman is the first reggae artist in the world who was allowed to implement the prestigious format. Many well-known guests such as Shaggy , Campino , Ky-Mani Marley, Christopher Martin, Tanya Stephens and Marlon Roudette were featured on the album.

Together with Ky-Mani Marley , the album Conversations was released in June 2016 . The album each contains a solo song by the two performers, all other songs are collaborations between both. Also a cover of Bob Marley's Simmer Down feat. Marcia Griffiths - a longtime backing singer of Marley - is included on the album.

Gentleman has repeatedly appeared as a guest musician, e.g. B. on various songs by various hip-hop artists such as Kool Savas , Megaloh , Afrob , Curse and Azad . In addition to national stars such as Udo Lindenberg , Die Toten Hosen , Patrice and Stefanie Heinzmann , Gentleman has also worked with many international artists: Pink , Michael Franti , Mustafa Sandal , Aloe Blacc , Sean Paul , UB40 . He is next to Gzuz feature guest on the song Ahnma der Beginner , which was in the German charts for 20 weeks. The accompanying video was released on June 3, 2016 and has been viewed over 50 million times on YouTube. As a result, the work was named iTunes Song of the Year 2016, as the beginners announced on their Facebook page.

Trivia

Gentleman is a member of the Bundesliga soccer club 1. FC Köln .

Gentleman has been a close partner of Viva con Agua since 2008 , who build wells in Africa with their donations. Both regularly organize a charity soccer match. He also supports the “Together for Africa” project and has performed several times in the children's hospice wards of the Cologne university clinics.

Discography

→ Main article : Gentleman (musician) / discography

Studio albums

year	Title music label	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, music label , placements, weeks, awards, notes)			Remarks
		DE	AT	CH
1999	Trodin On Columbia Records / Four Music	DE59 (9 weeks) DE	-	-	First published: June 18, 1999
2002	Journey to Jah Four Music	DE14th gold (30 weeks)DE	AT19 (30 weeks) AT	CH21 (19 weeks) CH	First published: March 25, 2002 Sales: + 100,000
2004	Confidence Four Music	DE1 platinum (48 weeks)DE	AT1 gold (14 weeks)AT	CH4th gold (32 weeks)CH	First published: August 30, 2004 Sales: + 235,000
2007	Another Intensity Four Music	DE2 (10 weeks) DE	AT5 (9 weeks) AT	CH2 (10 weeks) CH	First published: August 24, 2007
2010	Diversity Universal Music	DE1 gold (26 weeks)DE	AT2 (17 weeks) AT	CH2 (20 weeks) CH	First published: April 9, 2010 Sales: + 100,000
2013	New Day Dawn Island Records , Vertigo Records	DE6 (15 weeks) DE	AT10 (5 weeks) AT	CH8 (16 weeks) CH	First published: April 19, 2013

Awards

National

1 live crown

• 2004: "Best Artist"
• 2005: "Best Artist"

Comet

• 2005: "Artist National"

ECHO Pop

• 2003: "Hip-Hop / R & B Artist or Group National"
• 2005: "Artist National"

Pop culture award

• 2016: "Favorite video" (Ahnma)

International

• 2011: "Best International Song", Stone Love Awards, Jamaica: Richie Stephens feat. Gentleman - Live Your Life
• 2011: "Song of the year", Iriejam Radio Awards, USA: Richie Stephens feat. Gentleman - Live Your Life
• 2011: "Song of the year", Linkage Awards, USA: Richie Stephens feat. Gentleman - Live Your Life
• 2012: "Best Music Video", International Reggae and World Music Awards, USA: Richie Stephens feat. Gentleman - Live Your Life

Further international nominations

• 2004: "Best New Reggae Artist", Martin Awards, New York City, USA
• 2004: "Best New Reggae Artist", Reggae & Soca Awards, Miami, USA

As a guest singer

• 2018: MTV Unplugged 2 Live vom Atlantik by Udo Lindenberg

Web links

Commons : Gentleman  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Gentleman's website
• Gentleman at laut.de
• Gentleman at Allmusic (English)
• Interview 04/2011 on Reggaeinberlin.de

Individual evidence

1. ↑ musikmarkt bands from A to Z ( Memento from November 13, 2017 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on May 5, 2014.
2. ↑ Verena Koll, Martina Coyert: Ideas flow on the Rhine - Reggae star Gentleman plays on Saturday at the Summerjam at Fühlinger See. He showed his Cologne to the “Stadt-Anzeiger”. Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, Friday, July 5, 2013, p. 25
3. ↑ I wear shorts all year round . ( tagesspiegel.de [accessed on May 24, 2017]).
4. ↑ ( page no longer available , search in web archives: ardmediathek.de )
5. ^ Gentleman - laut.de - Band . In: laut.de . ( laut.de [accessed on May 24, 2017]).
6. ^ Gentleman - Planet Interview. Retrieved May 24, 2017 . 
7. ↑ Chartsurfer.de: Tabula Rasa by Mellowbag & Freundeskreis feat. Mr. gentleman. Retrieved May 24, 2017 . 
8. ↑ Gentleman - It No Pretty. Retrieved May 24, 2017 . 
9. ↑ Gentleman Biography New Day Dawn . 2013.
10. ↑ Gentleman Biography Diversity . 2010.
11. ↑ Gentleman celebrates 20th stage anniversary in his hometown of Cologne. Retrieved May 24, 2017 . 
12. ^ Gentleman Interview. Retrieved May 24, 2017 . 
13. ↑ Germany's largest hip-hop festival: around 20,000 people travel to the splash! In: Mitteldeutsche Zeitung . ( mz-web.de [accessed on May 24, 2017]).
14. ↑ Woodstock stop: 750,000 people celebrate the anniversary of the festival . In: Berliner Zeitung . ( berliner-zeitung.de [accessed on May 24, 2017]).
15. ↑ (pik): Woodstock 2011: zagra gentleman! In: gazetalubuska.pl . ( gazetalubuska.pl [accessed May 24, 2017]).
16. ↑ Max von Arnim: The best-selling German rap albums of all time . In: Hiphop.de . September 30, 2014 ( hiphop.de [accessed May 24, 2017]).
17. ↑ PRINZ in an interview: Gentleman, Germany | PRINCE. Retrieved May 24, 2017 . 
18. ↑ How German Reggae Star Gentleman Found Success By Keeping It Real . In: Billboard . ( billboard.com [accessed May 24, 2017]).
19. ↑ Märkische Allgemeine, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany: Europe's largest free rock festival invites you to Küstrin, Poland - “Woodstock stop” lures you to the Oder - MAZ - Märkische Allgemeine. Retrieved May 24, 2017 . 
20. ↑ Heike Kaufhold: Stop Woodstock - Gentleman about the biggest festival in the world. In: Family travel blog Cologne Format. August 11, 2011, accessed May 24, 2017 . 
21. ↑ fzw.de
22. ↑ ^{a b} Journey to Jah | The film. Retrieved May 24, 2017 . 
23. ↑ Journey To Jah - The Movie: feat. Gentleman & Alborosie - Houseofreggae.de . In: Houseofreggae.de . September 15, 2011 ( houseofreggae.de [accessed May 24, 2017]).
24. ↑ SWISS FILMS: Journey To Jah. Retrieved on May 24, 2017 (Swiss Standard German). 
25. ↑ mix1.de Editor: Gentleman - as the first reggae artist with 'MTV Unplugged' . In: mix1.de News . ( mix1.de [accessed on May 24, 2017]).
26. ↑ Dis is a positive movement. Yay! In: laut.de . ( laut.de [accessed on May 24, 2017]).
27. ↑ A masterpiece of modern pop music. In: laut.de . ( laut.de [accessed on May 24, 2017]).
28. ↑ Official German Charts - Official German Charts. Retrieved May 24, 2017 . 
29. ↑ Beginner - Ahnma feat. Gzuz & Gentleman (official video). Retrieved May 24, 2017 . 
30. ↑ Beginner. Retrieved May 24, 2017 . 
31. ↑ fc-koeln.de
32. ↑ Viva con Agua de Sankt Pauli water initiative - GENTLEMAN & FRIENDS VS. VIVA CON AGUA ALLSTARS. Retrieved May 24, 2017 . 
33. ↑ Prominent Supporters - Together for Africa . In: Together for Africa . ( joint-fuer-afrika.de [accessed on May 24, 2017]). gemeinschaft-fuer-afrika.de ( Memento of the original from April 30, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.