Philipp Mesterheide aka PTK is a German rapper who was born on April 6, 1988 in Berlin-Kreuzberg. His stage name PTK stands for "Pöbel tötet König" (rabble kills king) and reflects his rebellious attitude. Philipp Mesterheide grew up in Berlin-Kreuzberg, where his parents were actively involved in the squatter scene. According to his own statements, he began making music at the age of 15 before meeting the rapper Herzog in 2009. PTK began his musical career with the independent label BombenProdukt, where he released his first EP Keine heile Welt in 2010. His debut album Typisch Deutsch was released in 2013, establishing him in the German rap scene. The year 2014 brought the EP Den Umständen widersprechend, followed by a significant tour in 2015, when he accompanied K.I.Z on their tour for Hurra die Welt geht unter. PTK's commercial breakthrough came in 2017 with his second album Ungerächte Welt, which reached number 20 in the German album charts. The EP Kein Mensch ist digital followed in 2019, reaching number 25 in the charts. PTK celebrates his greatest success to date in 2021 with the album Kreuzberg & Gomorrha, which reaches number 6 in the German album charts. In 2023, he released the album Alles muss man selber hassen, and in 2024 his latest EP Auf die linke Tour was released. In terms of content, PTK's explicitly socially critical lyrics clearly set him apart from other, more commercially successful representatives of German rap, without seeing himself as a political musician. His rap lyrics deal with topics such as racism and gentrification, whereby he particularly addresses the displacement caused by rising rents. PTK is controversial in the left-wing scene because of some of his lyrics, for example in the song "Das Haus wird besetzt" from the album Ungerächte Welt, he raps: "And if your landlord wants to evict you tomorrow, a few masked people are still standing in front of his today." Parallel to his solo career, PTK founded the music project Antinational Embassy in 2014 together with refugees from the squatted Gerhart Hauptmann School in Ohlauer Straße in Kreuzberg. The band still exists today, although the line-up has changed time and again as former members have been deported or taken other paths. PTK's music is in the genre of German hip-hop with a strong focus on socio-critical content and socio-political issues.
