Cheerful and vulnerable
Rapper Cro with summery album “11:11”
Rapper Cro at the About You Awards. photo
© Henning Kaiser/dpa
Cro is currently releasing work after work at a rapid rate. On his new album, time is forgotten, perception and feeling are the order of the day.
New music, live performances, digital art and her own fashion line – Cro’s creativity seems to know no bounds. The 32-year-old doesn’t lose any time: in just under a year and a half he’s released his second record: “11:11”.
“Everything just came naturally and went so head-first,” says the musician in an interview with the German Press Agency.
The new work is also his favorite album: “It fits the summer, it puts me in a good mood, and whenever I hear it, I have to start dancing immediately.” Anyone who knows the artist knows that his melodic songs with loose rhymes quickly become catchy and spread a good mood.
Last year, the rapper, who was born Carlo Waibel near Stuttgart, celebrated the 10th anniversary of his biggest hit to date, “Easy”. This was followed by 15 gold and 21 platinum records – and with “Trip” (2021) his fifth consecutive album at number one in the German charts.
Think about the little things
The new title “11:11” stands for a ritual that Cro and his team have: “Whenever it is 11:11 a.m., whether in the morning or in the evening, we stop the minute for a moment,” he says. It’s about appreciating what you already have. “Just being healthy, the little things,” says the musician. “You stop too little and check that you’re actually really good and you don’t need any more.”
The theme of “11:11” revolves around the most beautiful feeling of elation there is – love. “You and me alone, I like it, call me if you need me, I think I’m in love,” Cro raps in the first song “Hey Love”. This amorous “What does the world cost” feeling runs through the whole track and is accompanied by atmospheric beats. Tracks like “Fallin” or “Feelings” sound similarly in love and carefree.
In addition to the cheerful love songs, Cro also shows his vulnerable side. Because love is not always “easy”. “You don’t answer because you know the distance is too far,” he sings in “Facetime Luv” about a long-distance relationship that doesn’t seem to be working.
The song “Freiheit” seems like the search for the right path to happiness. On the one hand, there is success and independence – on the other hand, loneliness and the apparent desire for connection: “I’ve been longing for more closeness all the time, but I’m not here with anyone,” sings Cro.
Correspondingly thoughtful about whether the constant striving for “more” is really worthwhile, Cro sounds in the title song, which is divided into two: “All my life tries to become infinite, but why keep winning when even champions die”.
In the penultimate piece “Crobot”, the musician describes the human condition as a machine: “I produce, program, I can do everything but love”. With the many projects Cro has on the road besides music, the description “machine” seems apt. “I can’t do anything else, I have to do something, otherwise I won’t feel well either,” he says.
The artist has live performances, designs fashion and publishes his own artwork under the alias “Carlito”. He even released his work “Michelle” as an NFT artwork this year. NFTs (for Non-fungible Tokens), which are booming in the art scene, make it possible to attach a non-exchangeable certificate of ownership to digital content.
But despite all the hustle and bustle, Cro always manages to create a very special atmosphere with his music: being in the moment and just feeling it.
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