Sun Diego is the stage name of Dmitrij Aleksandrovic Chpakov (March 17, 1989), a German rapper of Ukrainian descent who also performs under the moniker SpongeBozz, an alter ego inspired by the cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants. Born in the city of Chernivtsi, he relocated with his mother and grandmother to Osnabrück in Germany, where he experienced a troubled adolescence that eventually led him to crime. In the years that followed, Chpakov made a name for himself as a freestyle rapper, participating in the Reimliga Battle Arena, and made his recording debut on the collaborative album Ruski Tape (2008) with fellow MC John Webber. After featuring on several rap compilations and appearing on Kollegah’s Bossaura in 2011, he finally hit his stride with the SpongeBozz album Planktonweed Tape (2015), which shot straight to the top of the charts in both Germany and Austria. Follow-up album Started from the Bottom / KrabbenKoke Tape (2017) did just as well, hitting Number 2 on the German Albums Chart thanks to the controversial single “A.C.A.B. II.” Subsequently, Chpakov ditched the SpongeBozz persona and began releasing material as Sun Diego, starting with the Top 10 single “Eloah” in 2018. Preceded by the 2021 singles “Apocalyptic Endgame” and “Rostov on Don,” Yellow Bar Mitzvah, his debut album as Sun Diego, saw the light in 2022.
