If there’s one thing I took away from my time at splash! Festival, it’s this: the sky is the limit for German rap. From July 2 to July 5, I found myself at splash! Festival for the very first time and, I’ll be completely honest here: I arrived with more questions than expectations. I knew very little about the festival itself and, beyond a handful of British acts on the bill, the line-up was largely unfamiliar. But the more I read about its history, the more I realised I was about to experience somewhere special.
Since launching in 1998, Splash! has grown into one of the world’s most important stages for rap music, hosting everyone from international superstars to the next generation of artists shaping Germany’s fast-evolving scene. It began as a small, one-day indoor jam at a former power station in Chemnitz, where just 1,300 people attended and only six acts performed, including Afrob and KC da Rookee. The following year, splash! moved to the Oberrabenstein reservoir, with attendance jumping to 13,000. By 2000, more than 20,000 fans were making their way through its gates.
The festival soon evolved into a central meeting point for Germany’s growing hip-hop scene, hosting major domestic acts like Kool Savas, Samy Deluxe, SEEED and Beginner. American legends such as Gang Starr, Busta Rhymes and Redman also appeared during its early years, turning Splash! into a bridge between German rap and the wider hip-hop world. Learning more about its history made me want to immerse myself in the culture. It would’ve felt unfair to fly into another country, watch the handful of artists I already knew, then head home pretending I understood what made splash! so special. Instead, I wanted to experience it the way everyone else did: wandering between stages, discovering artists I’d never heard of, throwing myself headfirst into German rap, and letting the crowds and the atmosphere inform my understanding of the festival.
The home of splash! is nicknamed the “City of Iron”, and it’s immediately obvious why the moment you step onto the site: the space is literally surrounded by huge bucket-wheel excavators and industrial cranes, some standing more than 30 metres high and over 100 metres in length.
Walking through the festival felt surreal; one moment you’re dwarfed by towering steel machines that once powered Germany’s coal industry, the next you’re weaving between food trucks from all corners of the world, serving everything from Asian delicacies to fried chicken sandwiches from Ghana! It was a reminder that while splash! embraces the industrial history of its surroundings, it’s equally a celebration of diversity, welcoming people and cultures from every corner of the globe.
The standout spot on day one was arguably the Sprite area. The soft drink brand had transformed one of Ferropolis’ cranes into one of the festival’s most unique viewing points. A bar occupied the lower level, while the rooftop offered an uninterrupted panoramic view across the main stage and the sea of people gathered below. Standing high above the festival during Gunna’s headline set, the sound remained crisp, with every bass line carrying across the site as if I were standing in the crowd itself. Looking down at tens of thousands of fans moving in sync, rapping every lyric and erupting at every beat drop, truly captured the sheer scale of the festival.
Across the weekend, Sprite reinforced its growing commitment to a younger, music- and fashion-driven audience. Nowhere was this more evident than at the Sprite basketball court, which emerged as one of the festival’s busiest social hubs. Soundtracked by artists including Stormzy, Central Cee and German heavyweight RIN, the court was constantly alive with festivalgoers shooting hoops, hanging out between sets and meeting new people. It perfectly reflected the direction that Sprite has taken this year, with the launch of It’s That Fresh—a new global platform that reaffirms Sprite as the ultimate refreshment, placing music, culture and community at the heart of its brand.
On day two, I genuinely wanting to hear more German rap, and one of the biggest names performing was Souly, the German rapper-singer known for blending rap, pop and electronic influences. Ironically, I had never heard of Souly, nor did I know what he looked like. It wasn’t until I casually struck up a convo with him at the bar that I realised he would be performing later that night. We spoke about the current state of German and UK rap, comparing our favourite rappers and producers. He told me about the music he had recently made with ‘UK ug’ rapper Fimiguerrero, and how artists like EsDeeKid and fakemink are helping to drive a global underground movement with a sound that is clearly influencing both his own music and the wider German rap scene.
When it came time to watch Souly, I made a conscious effort to avoid the VIP areas and headed straight into the main crowd. I was surrounded by young fans dressed in some of streetwear’s biggest names, from Supreme to Live Fast Die Young, and as soon as Souly’s set began, I was fascinated to see just how much German rap had captivated this audience. I might sound naive, but I had always viewed American rap as the pinnacle of hip-hop culture, with the UK slowly carving out its own place alongside it. Standing in that crowd, though, it quickly became clear that I had underestimated just how powerful Germany’s own rap scene had become. As the weekend went on, I spent more time away from the main stage. The Beach and Playground stages became some of my favourite spots, as they captured the festival’s spirit so well. Throughout the days, DJs stitched together sounds from every corner of the world, moving effortlessly between American rap, British rap, dancehall, house, Amapiano and more.
Another standout performance came from rising UK rapper Finessekid. One of the UK’s most exciting rising names right now, it was surprising to see him performing overseas at this stage of his career, but his sound translated effortlessly to the crowd. His breakout track, the Skepta-assisted “Sirens (From Ireland)”, received one of the biggest reactions that entire weekend.
Saturday’s highlight, though, was undoubtedly EsDeeKid. Performing against his now-signature castle stage design, the Liverpudlian rapper delivered one of the weekend’s most commanding sets, staying unapologetically Scouse while dipping in and out of German to engage with the crowd. The energy never dropped, with the crowd barely stopping moving from start to finish, and the atmosphere only intensified when UK rapper Rico Ace joined him on stage for three tracks.
I arrived at splash! expecting to learn more about German rap, but I left with a completely different perspective on where the genre sits within global music today. During my time there, I discovered that German rap has its own identity, its own stars and its own culture—all supported by one of the most unique festival settings I have truly ever experienced. For a first visit, splash! Festival exceeded all expectations, and it certainly won’t be my last.
