Massive Töne is a German hip-hop group from Stuttgart that was founded in 1991. The original members are Showi (real name Showkut A. Yildirim, born July 3, 1973 in Stuttgart), Ju (real name Julian Kessler, born 1973), Schowi (real name Michael Beck, born October 13, 1973 in Stuttgart) and DJ 5ter Ton (real name Johannes Rieger). DJ Emilio joins them later. The band is one of the pioneers of German-language hip-hop and is significantly influenced by the Stuttgart scene, which later becomes known as "Kolchose". Massive Töne released their debut album Kopfnicker in 1996, which brought them their first attention in the scene. The second album Überfall was released in 1999 and reached number 23 in the German album charts. The commercial breakthrough came in 2002 with the album MT3. It enters the German charts at number 5. The single "Cruisen" from the album became a summer hit and reached number 5 in the German singles charts. The album Zurück in die Zukunft (Back to the Future) follows in 2004 and reaches number 4 in the German charts. The single "Geld oder Liebe" (Money or Love) builds on earlier successes. Musically, the group moves in the genre of German rap, but also mixes soul and funk elements into their productions. Massive Töne are considered to have shaped the style of the German hip-hop scene in the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, commercial success failed to materialize after 2006 and the group increasingly withdrew from the public eye. Massive Töne received the Comet in the "Hip-Hop National" category in 2002 and were nominated for the Echo in the "Hip-Hop/R&B National" category in 2003.
