August 16, 2013
Born to Roll
Dister was bitten by the hip-hop bug in the late Eighties, when he saw his first painted S-Bahn train roll past in previously inaccessible West Berlin. This inspired him to pick up his own spray cans and he spent the Nineties lacing trains with bold, full-colour pieces - and the tag 'Dister' was born. From painting trains, Dister began to collect records by the likes of Public Enemy, NWA and LL Cool J and played them out at a night that would run for eight years. Called 'Born 2 Roll', It was Berlin's premier hip-hop event and brought talent like Masta Ace, Lords of the Underground, KRS One and the Beatnuts to the Cassiopeia club - one of Friedrichshain's finest music spots. Continually innovating, Dister has now turned his hand to production and his debut album, 'Roll Wit Dis', charts his rich cultural history and features musical luminaries who rocked his Berlin parties. He brings KRS One, Kool G Rap and Greg Nice together for the first time ever on a beat that's made for the dance floor and showcases new rap talent Maffew Ragazino, Torae or Skyzoo together with legends like Jeru the Damaja, Kool Keith or Masta Ace. It's a distinctly personal journey that celebrates hip-hop's history with a firm nod towards the future.