Split Personality (Album)

Split personality
Studio album by Xavas
Publication (s)	2012
Format (s)	CD and vinyl
Genre (s)	Hip-hop , soul
Title (number)	15th
chronology Thanks for listening - song collection 1998–2012 (2012) Aura (2011) Split personality By my soul (2013)
Single releases August 24, 2012 Do not look back December 7, 2012 Dare to believe

Split Personality is an album by Xavas , the joint project of the singer Xavier Naidoo and the rapper Kool Savas . It was released on September 21, 2012 on the Naidoo Records and Essah Entertainment labels . The album reached number 1 in the German and Swiss album charts.

Track list

1. You will see / Split Personality - 2:44
2. Don't look back - 4:24
3. Against friendship - 3:15
4. When it's night - 3:32
5. You enrich me - 3:27
6. Don't let go - 3:44
7. I am me (Skit) - 1:28
8. Form of love - 3:19
9. The future bears my name - 3:42
10. Dare to Believe - 3:36
11. XAVAS - 3:43
12. More Than She (feat. Olli Banjo) - 4:29
13. Farewell Flow - 3:51
14. Satan give way - 3:16
15. A Song of Life - 7:14
16. Where are you now? (as hidden track )

Versions

Split Personality has been released on both a CD and vinyl . The record version of the album is also Split Personality on CD. The album was also released digitally on iTunes as a standard and deluxe version. In addition to the 16 titles of Gespaltene Personality , the deluxe version also contains the respective instrumental versions of the pieces. The only exception is the intro You will see / Split personality does not exist as an instrumental.

illustration

A so-called " hologram card cover" was created to design the album . It is composed of the portraits of Xavier Naidoo and Kool Savas. Both artists are shown in profile. Depending on the viewing angle, either Savas or Naidoo can be seen. The portraits were made by the Swiss artist Onur Dinc, who was already responsible for the cover of Savas' album Aura . The original size of the pictures is 80 cm × 80 cm. Dinc painted them with acrylic paint .

The lyrics of the songs are printed in the album's booklet. There are also photos of the two artists made by Katja Kuhl. The booklet can be unfolded into a poster. This also shows Kool Savas and Xavier Naidoo in profile. Unlike the front cover, it is not a painting, but a collage . This was also created by Onur Dinc. The Savas collage is made up of numerous small pictures by Xavier Naidoo. Naidoo's half, on the other hand, consists of individual images by Kool Savas.

marketing

single

The piece Don't look back was released as a single on September 5, 2012. This appeared both digitally and as a physical sound carrier. In addition to the album version of the song, the CD also contains the a cappella and instrumental versions as well as the accompanying video. The video for Schau nicht zurück celebrated its premiere on August 24, 2012. This was created near the Großglockner in Austria under the direction of Kolja Brandt. Excerpts from the recording process were presented in a making-of video . In addition to the release as a single and as a piece on the album, Schau nicht zurück also appeared on the sampler Bravo Black Hits Vol. 27 .

On December 7, 2012, the piece Dare to believe it was released as a second single. This contains the album and radio version of the song as well as the instrumental, the a cappella version and the video for the song. The video premiered on December 2, 2012. With Xavas another music video was released on April 15, 2013.

Bundesvision Song Contest

Kool Savas and Xavier Naidoo took part in the 2012 Bundesvision Song Contest on September 28, 2012 with the song “ Don't look back ”. The musicians represented the state of Baden-Württemberg . Two days before the competition, the duo had already presented the song Schau nicht zurück on the show TV total . Xavas was able to achieve first place in the music competition with 172 points. The two musicians had already been considered favorites in the run-up to the event. The star stated in an article that Stefan Raab made himself untrustworthy by Naidoo's appearance as a “talent discoverer”. The audience in the Max-Schmeling-Halle also showed “negative reactions and whistles” in the course of awarding points to Savas and Naidoo.

tour

In 2013, Xavas performed four concerts between August 23 and September 14 in Coburg, Berlin, Dortmund and Bonn. Ken Kenay acted as the opening act .

reception

success

Gold and platinum awards for the album "Split Personality"

Split personality entered the German album charts at number 1 . The album achieved gold status after the first week of sales . Xavas was also able to reach the highest position in the album charts in Switzerland . In the Austrian charts, Split Personality occupied 3rd place. By December 2012, 200,000 copies of the album were sold in Germany, so Split Personality received a platinum record. In the German annual charts 2012 the album is at position 56.

With the single “ Schau nicht zurück zurück” , the duo entered the German single charts at number 2. In Switzerland the song positioned itself at number 3 and in Austria at number 16 in the charts. In November 2012, the single “ Schau nicht zurück” was awarded a gold record in Germany.

In addition to the single Schau nicht zurück , three other pieces from the album entered the Austrian single charts. On September 14th, Lass nicht los finished 45th in Austria. A week later, the song The future bears my name followed at position 47. When it's night it reached number 52 on the singles charts on September 28th.

At the end of December 2012, the second single, Dare To Believe, rose to number 49 in the German charts. Rank 34 could be achieved as the highest position. In the Austrian single charts, the piece was number 45. With number 47, the single also entered the charts in Switzerland.

criticism

The e-zine Laut.de rated Split Personality with three out of a possible five points. From the editor Simon Langemann's point of view, Kool Savas and Xavier Naidoo present a “ convincing overall picture ”. In the texts, Xavas reflect on the content of "a melancholy and carefully thought-out intersection of themes - consisting of love ('You enrich me'), friendship ('Against friendship'), cold feeling ('form of love'), optimism ( 'Don't look back'), evil ('Satan Weiche') and the reflective description of one's own work ('When it's night'). ”Langemann finds positive criticism for Naidoo, who largely dispenses with“ pathetic debauchery ”. An exception is the piece Abschiedsfluss , which is also characterized by a haunting stanza by Kool Savas "about war and cultural conflicts as well as an appropriately epic finale with a wonderful trumpet melody line". The songs on the album also form a "homogeneous unit" in their background music. Furthermore, the share of “organic and orchestral sound elements” makes the album an experience in terms of “arrangement and sound design.” Another highlight is the piece You enrich me . On the other hand, the hidden track Where are they now , which deals with ritual murders argues, "a conditionally pleasant encore."

A much more negative criticism appeared from Harald Peters on the news portal Welt Online . Kool Savas and Xavier Naidoo are characterized as "congenially humorless". Savas in particular has "unfortunately lost the joke" since he started playing in the Berlin street rap. "Self-righteousness and a lack of quality control" are among the trademarks of the duo. In terms of content, Xavas therefore "follows the focus on 'God is great' and 'I am the greatest'". The hidden track in particular has been criticized negatively. This is about "secret societies" which "under the impression of power [develop] an irrepressible desire to slaughter children." In addition, in Xavier Naidoo's play " Homophobia " goes hand in hand with the longing for a strong male shoulder. In summary, it is not clear why the album was created and whether it is worthwhile "to deal with it longer."

Oliver Marquart also commented negatively on Split Personality in a criticism on Rap.de and associated it with a rating of two out of a possible five points. The editor characterizes the publication as a "soulful rap album." Kool Savas rap on it with the "usual energy and penetrative power", while Naidoo's contributions "mostly don't hurt anyone" and are "sung cleanly and easily". The hidden track is the "low point" of the album. It is uncomfortable that Xavier Naidoo equates “ child molesters with gays”. In addition, it is questionable why Xavas deals with conspiracy theories instead of devoting himself to “more tangible and socially pressing problems”. Marquart titled the piece Mehr als Sie as a “song about the Occupy movement ” because its content remains just as “unclear and vague” as the goals of the movement. Rap.de found the production of the album to be positive. In particular, the song The future bears my name should be emphasized. Finally, it is to be hoped that through the cooperation of Kool Savas "with the multiseller Xavier Naidoo a few more doors for German rap will be opened."

controversy

After the hidden track Where are they now had already been criticized negatively in the music reviews, the association Linksjugend Solid , youth organization of the party Die Linke , filed a criminal complaint against Xavier Naidoo, Kool Savas, the labels Naidoo Records and Essah Entertainment as well as the distributor Tonpool in mid-November Medien GmbH at the public prosecutor's offices in Berlin, Mannheim and Hanover. As justification, the association called a call for aggravated assault and homicide and sedition . The left-wing youth spokeswoman Josi Michalke explained that the piece conveyed “misanthropy, the glorification of violence and homophobia ”. In particular, the equation “satanic rituals with child abuse with pedophilia with homosexuality” is criticized in the lyrics. From Michalke's point of view, where are they now " no longer covered by artistic freedom ."

Kool Savas received expressions of solidarity through a number of well-known German hip-hop musicians. The rapper Vega declared that he stood by Savas, although the hidden track that was complained of had "not met his musical taste". The musicians Alpa Gun , PA Sports and Fler also expressed their support via the communication platform Twitter . Oliver Marquart, editor of the Rap.de website, wrote in a blog post that a ban on the play was "firstly not appropriate and secondly not expedient". This would confirm the listeners, "who believe that the song proclaims some kind of secret knowledge". Marquart also emphasizes the importance of freedom of art and freedom of expression. As a critical listener, he “doesn't have to share the opinion, the worldview represented in this song, but […] endure”. Even if he considers the unscrupulous dissemination of vague “conspiracy theories of this kind” to be “extremely dangerous”, the editors stand behind the artists.

The journalist Marcus Staiger described Naidoo in an article for Die Zeit as a "fundamentalist Christian" who sees everything as a sin. From Staiger's point of view, the verses “Where are our strong men? / Where are our leaders? / Where are they now?” Are characteristic of both musicians. The "Highlander Romanticism" and the homage to a " folk heroism " are recurring motifs of both musicians. The content of the alleged conspiracies of secret societies are "horror stories" that really deal with "politics, economics, economic and social contexts" make unnecessary. From the point of view of the columnist Georg Diez , Xavier Naidoo is “ an example of how ideas of Christian and other fundamentalism creep into the mainstream. "Naidoo's verses in the text contain a" mixture of homophobia and salvation fantasies, of ' taxi driver ' -like tidying up and the furor of the petty bourgeois "

In a statement by Naidoo and Savas it was stated that there was no intention to “equate homosexuality and pedophilia or to incite violence against people.” The artistic goal was “to express the desperation and anger that a person is exactly in Second feels when he learns that a child has been abused. ”Xavier Naidoo said that he has become known as the criminal offenses of Marc Dutroux since 1996 , has dealt with the subject and has already dealt with it in various songs. Two days before the piece was written, Naidoo saw the documentary Höllenleben published by Norddeutscher Rundfunk . He tried to “put himself in the shoes of what was seen and heard there.” With regard to the reviews, Xavas speaks of “misinterpretations”.

The Mannheim public prosecutor's office refrained from initiating investigative proceedings. According to a spokesman for the public prosecutor's office, “there is no initial suspicion of a criminal act.” Although the lyrics contain descriptions of murders, there is no “request that third parties should behave in the same way”. The offense of sedition was also not given.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Katrin Kuntz: Xavas song about ritual murders of children. "Glorifying violence, inhuman, homophobic". sueddeutsche.de, November 14, 2012, accessed on November 15, 2012 . 
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Meinrap.de: Kool Savas presents “Split personality” (video). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on September 25, 2012 ; Retrieved October 10, 2012 . 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.  
3. ↑ Onur.ch: Xava's “Split Personality”. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 26, 2012 ; Retrieved October 10, 2012 . 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.  
4. ↑ Onur.ch: Xava's "Split Personality" collage. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 26, 2012 ; Retrieved October 10, 2012 . 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.  
5. ↑ Meinrap.de: Xavas - Don't look back any more (video). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on October 27, 2012 ; Retrieved October 2, 2012 . 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.  
6. ↑ Meinrap.de: Xavas: "It would be terrible if the Orsons would win against us" (video). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on October 3, 2012 ; Retrieved October 18, 2012 . 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.  
7. ↑ Meinrap.de: Xavas - Don't look back anymore (Making Of). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 19, 2012 ; Retrieved October 2, 2012 . 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.  
8. ^ Austriancharts.at: Bravo Black Hits Vol. 27 (album). Retrieved October 3, 2012 . 
9. ↑ Meinrap.de: XAVAS - Dare to believe it (video). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 7, 2012 ; Retrieved December 7, 2012 . 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.  
10. ↑ Meinrap.de: XAVAS - XAVAS (video). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 17, 2013 ; Retrieved April 16, 2013 . 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.  
11. ↑ Stern.de: Stefan Raab is looking for the eighth “Buvisoco” winner. Retrieved October 3, 2012 . 
12. ↑ Tvtotal.prosieben.de: Xavas for Baden-Wuerttemberg (Program 1793 from 26.09.2012). Retrieved October 3, 2012 . 
13. ↑ Stern.de: Naidoo is annoying. Retrieved October 3, 2012 . 
14. ^ Spiegel.de: Xavas wins Bundesvision Song Contest. Retrieved October 3, 2012 . 
15. ↑ Tvtotal.prosieben.de: Xavas - This is what winners look like! (Broadcast 1795 on October 1st, 2012). Retrieved October 3, 2012 . 
16. ↑ Xavas.de: Xavas live in Germany. Retrieved September 15, 2013 . 
17. ↑ Meinrap.de: XAVAS climb number one and go gold. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on October 4, 2012 ; Retrieved October 2, 2012 . 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.  
18. ^ Austriancharts.at: XAVAS - Split personality (album). Retrieved October 3, 2012 . 
19. ↑ Rap.de: Xavas album goes platinum. Retrieved December 16, 2012 . 
20. ↑ Chartsurfer.de: Albums 2012 (Top 100 evaluation) - Page 2 / 4. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 8, 2014 ; accessed on January 1, 2013 . 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.  
21. ↑ Meinrap.de: XAVAS storm the German single charts. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on September 10, 2012 ; Retrieved October 2, 2012 . 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.  
22. ↑ Austriancharts.at: XAVAS - Don't look back any more (song). Retrieved October 2, 2012 . 
23. ↑ Musikmarkt.de: Edelmetall in October / November 2012. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on December 8, 2012 ; Retrieved December 9, 2012 . 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.  
24. ↑ Austriancharts.at: XAVAS - Don't let go (song). Retrieved November 16, 2012 . 
25. ↑ Austriancharts.at: XAVAS - The future bears my name (song). Retrieved November 16, 2012 . 
26. ↑ Austriancharts.at: XAVAS - When it's night (song). Retrieved November 16, 2012 . 
27. ↑ Charts.de: Xavas, dare to believe it. Retrieved January 27, 2013 . 
28. ^ Austriancharts.de: Xavas - dare to believe it (song). Retrieved January 1, 2013 . 
29. ↑ Laut.de: God doesn't wear thick pants. Retrieved October 3, 2012 . 
30. ↑ Welt.de: Kool Savas and Naidoo are congenially humorless. Retrieved October 4, 2012 . 
31. ↑ Rap.de: Get away, Satan. Retrieved October 14, 2012 . 
32. ↑ Rap.de: Left-wing youth sued Xavas. Retrieved November 15, 2012 . 
33. ↑ Meinrap.de: Left youth reports Xavas for "homophobia and glorification of violence". (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on November 16, 2012 ; Retrieved November 15, 2012 . 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.  
34. ^ Welt.de: Xavier Naidoo reported for sedition. Retrieved November 15, 2012 . 
35. ↑ Meinrap.de: Vega supports Kool Savas. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on November 17, 2012 ; Retrieved November 15, 2012 . 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.  
36. ↑ Meinrap.de: Deutschrap strengthens XAVAS 'back. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on November 17, 2012 ; Retrieved November 15, 2012 . 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.  
37. ↑ Rap.de: The lawsuit against XAVAS is excessive and wrong. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on November 14, 2012 ; Retrieved November 15, 2012 . 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.  
38. ↑ Zeit.de: Satan give way! Retrieved January 30, 2013 . 
39. ↑ Spiegel.de: Xavier Naidoo's right theses: From pop star to populist. Retrieved August 23, 2014 . 
40. ↑ Meinrap.de: XAVAS - Official statement on the controversial hidden track. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on November 18, 2012 ; Retrieved November 15, 2012 . 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.  
41. ↑ Spiegel.de: The public prosecutor's office is not investigating Naidoo. Retrieved November 16, 2012 .