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The eternal witness: Bushido at a trial day at the end of January
Photo: imago images / Olaf Wagner
"It will be difficult for me to get used to a new witness at some point," said presiding judge Martin Mrosk, smiling at the witness and co-plaintiff Bushido that morning in room 500 of the Berlin regional court.
For more than twenty days of trial, Anis Ferchichi, aka rapper Bushido, has been answering questions from the judges, the chief public prosecutor and the defense in the trial against Arafat Abou-Chaker and three of his brothers.
This day is about Ashraf Rammo, member of an extended family that is much larger than the Abou-Chaker family.
In September 2017 Bushido Arafat told Abou-Chaker that he no longer wanted to work with him.
After separating from Abou-Chaker, Bushido moved into the care of Ashraf Rammo in 2018.
After Abou-Chaker, Rammo became his manager.
Abou-Chaker's defense attorney John Sayed asks Bushido what made him move.
Bushido goes into raptures.
Rammo has great "expertise" in the rap business.
For example, he managed the rapper Massiv very successfully for many years.
And it was also Rammo who once brought Bushido and rapper Capital Bra together.
"Ashraf Rammo is friends with almost every artist in Germany," enthuses Bushido.
Whatever you hear about parts of his family in public, "Ashraf Rammo is a very friendly gentleman." He adds: "I also felt very safe when I was out with him in Berlin."
Insulting each other's mothers
In 2018, Rammo ensured that the dispute between Bushido and rappers Farid Bang and Kollegah was resolved within a very short time.
"Without money, without anything," he says.
“That really relaxed me.
It really relaxed me not to have to insult any mothers any more. «Insulting each other's mothers is good form in gangsta rap when artists are at odds with each other, i.e. have beef.
The defense asked last week what Ashraf Rammo had asked for his services.
Bushido said that Rammo supported him along with a second man, both of whom together received 20 percent of his income.
In contrast to Arafat Abou-Chaker, who usually charges 50, sometimes 30 percent and, according to Bushido, has done next to nothing for it, these two "put in a lot of effort" and "really worked a lot".
Bushido says: Working with Ashraf Rammo was "the best decision I made after 2017, after separating from Arafat."
But it only lasted a short time.
"Voluntary and amicable"
Bushido's cooperation with Rammo ended when cooperation with the police began.
Bushido has been under police protection since January 2019.
"We voluntarily and amicably agreed to interrupt the economic relationship."
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Bushido has not had a manager since then.
For this he manages artists himself, although he doesn't like the term.
"I would say: I look after them." He currently looks after six to eight rappers.
20 percent of their income went to him.
The defense asks what this support looks like.
Bushido said on Wednesday that he was trying to fully support the artists.
For example, he arranged for day-care centers for their children at Capital Bra.
Something like that is also important so that a rapper has a clear head for his artistic work.
"Until the end of my life"
"You mean to say that everything that keeps the artist's back free will benefit the work?" Asked defense attorney Hansgeorg Birkhoff last week.
Bushido nodded.
Birkhoff's allusion will not have escaped him.
Powerful backers like Abou-Chaker are called "backs" in the rap scene.
And Judge Mrosk now also knows his way around.
"Did Mr. Abou-Chaker arrange daycare for your children?" He asked.
"No," says Bushido.
"Was just a request."
Bushido's attempts to come to an agreement with Abou-Chaker to end the relationship failed at the time.
He was ready to give him 1.8
Not for the first time, Bushido said on Monday that he would pay millions of euros for his freedom.
"And that didn't meet with much approval," replies the judge.
“Nah.
Not in the slightest. «According to Abou-Chaker, the business relationship should simply have continued.
"Until the end of my life."
And what happens if his own artists want to end their collaboration with him, Bushido, asks the defense.
“If they don't want anymore, then they don't want anymore.
Then that's just okay.
My artists don't have to be afraid of me.
If an artist no longer wants, then he is free and can go.
He doesn't have to give me anything to be free. "
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