Ufuk Bayraktar (born 28 May 1988), better known by his stage name Ufo361, is a German rapper from Berlin.
Ufo361 | |
|---|---|
 Ufo361 in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ufuk Bayraktar |
| Born | 28 May 1988 West Berlin, West Germany |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | Stay High |
Early life
editBayrakta was born to Turkish parents in west Berlin and grew up in nearby Kreuzberg. He became interested in hip hop at a young age and started out as a sprayer in the THC-Crew. His stage name is derived from his first name, Ufuk, and his hometown Kreuzberg's postal code, 36/61.
Career
editIn 2010, Bayraktar was signed to Hoodrich, a label founded by his friend Said. On 7 October 2011, their first sampler was released.[1] Together with Said and producer KD-Supier, they formed the trio Bellini Boyz.
In 2012, he released his first EP Bald ist dein Geld meins (engl. Soon your money will be mine).[2] His first studio album, Ihr seid nicht allein (engl. You are not alone), was released in August 2014.[3]
Ufo's first hit was the single "Ich bin ein Berliner", released in September 2015 in support for his first mixtape of the same name. Referring to John F. Kennedy's famous speech Ich bin ein Berliner, the single became a viral hit in Germany and was shared by famous rappers, including the 187 Strassenbande, Haftbefehl and Fler.[4] "Ich bin ein Berliner" was released on 25 March 2016 and peaked at number 57 on the German album-charts.[5]
Less than eight months later, Ufo361 released Ich bin 2 Berliner which peaked on 13 on the German albums chart.[6][7] His first major success was his third mixtape Ich bin 3 Berliner, released in April 2017,[8] which spawned several singles including "Mister T", "Für die Gang", "Der Pate" and "James Dean".
In April 2017, he founded his own record label, Stay High.[9] In mid-December 2017, he announced his second studio album 808,[10] which was released in April 2018. The album debuted at number one of the German and Austrian albums charts. His third studio album, VVS, was announced in June 2018 and was released on 17 August 2018.[11]
In 2019, Ufo361 signed 15-year-old newcomer Data Luv[12] and released his fourth studio album Wave on 9 August.[13]
Discography
edit- Ihr seid nicht allein (2014)
- Ich bin ein Berliner (2016)
- Ich bin 2 Berliner (2016)
- Ich bin 3 Berliner (2017)
- 808 (2018)
- VVS (2018)
- Wave (2019)
- Lights Out (2019)
- Rich Rich (2020)
- Nur für dich (2020)
- Stay High (2021)
- Destroy All Copies (2021)
- Love My Life (2023)
- Sony (2024)
- Nur für dich 2 (2024)
Stay High label
edit- UFO361
- KOHEI (2024)
References
edit- ^ "Ufo361: Sein Weg zum Hype". 16bars (in German). 28 April 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ "UFO361". laut.de. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- ^ "Ufo361: Ihr seid nicht allein-Cover und Tracklist veröffentlicht". Rap.de (in German). 12 June 2014. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ Steurer, Carlos (January 2017). Ufo361: Neue Flows, neue Saga. Germany: Backspin. p. 34.
- ^ "UFO361 – Ich bin ein Berliner". Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- ^ Marquart, Oliver (13 August 2016). "Ufo361 veröffentlicht Tracklist von Ich bin 2 Berliner" (in German). Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ "UFO361 – Ich bin 2 Berliner". Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- ^ "Ufo361 teilt Veröffentlichungsdatum von Ich bin 3 Berliner". Backspin (in German). 16 February 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ "Stay High: Ufo361 gründet eigenes Label". Boutblank. 3 May 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- ^ "Neues Album von UFO361 angekündigt". RapUpdate. 15 December 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
- ^ "Ufo361: VVS erscheint im August". Rap.de. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ Rubach, Michael (9 June 2019). "Ufo361s Signing Data Luv zeigt sich der Öffentlichkeit". Hiphop.de (in German). Retrieved 14 October 2019.
- ^ Marquart, Oliver (8 July 2019). "Tracklist: Ufo361 - Wave". rap.de (in German). Retrieved 14 October 2019.