Maximilian Herre (born 22 April 1973 in Stuttgart, West Germany) is a German rapper, singer-songwriter, and music producer. He rose to fame as a member of the hip-hop group Freundeskreis and is also an A&R executive for the record label Nesola, a joint venture with his wife, singer Joy Denalane.
Early Life and Career
Herre was born in Stuttgart. Inspired by the German hip-hop group Advanced Chemistry, he began creating hip-hop in German. At age 15, he started his first band, Seedless Jam, and at 19, he formed the hip-hop project Agit Jazz with producer Philippe A. Kayser (Don Philippe). In 1993, they formed the band Maximilian und sein Freundeskreis with DJ Friction (Martin Welzer). That same year, Herre also founded the hip-hop group Kolchose with other Stuttgart artists.
Career
Freundeskreis: Herre, Philippe, and Welzer signed with Four Music in 1997 and achieved a commercial breakthrough with the single "A-N-N-A," which sold over 250,000 copies. Their debut album Die Quadratur des Kreises sold over 170,000 copies, and their second album Esperanto (1999) sold over 300,000 copies.
FK-Allstars: Herre founded the FK-Allstars, a collaboration of 15 musical artists including Gentleman, Afrob, Sékou, Joy Denalane, and Brooke Russell. They performed at major European festivals such as Rock im Park, Rock am Ring, and Splash! in 2000.
Music Producer: After the birth of his first son in 2001, Herre retreated from public life and focused on producing Mami, the debut album of his wife Joy Denalane, which reached the top 10 in Germany and received three Echo Award nominations. He also produced her second album, Born and Raised (2006).
Solo Career: Herre released his eponymous debut solo album Max Herre in 2004, a genre-spanning collection including soul, reggae, and rock. His second solo album Ein Geschenkter Tag followed in 2009, and his third, Hallo Welt!, in 2012. In 2013, he became the third German hip-hop artist to release an MTV Unplugged album, titled MTV Unplugged – Kahedi Radio Show, which won the 2014 Echo Award for hip-hop performer of the year and achieved platinum status. His fifth solo album, Athen, was released in November 2019.
Personal Life
Herre is married to singer Joy Denalane, with whom he has two sons. The couple separated in 2007 but reconciled by 2011. Herre also has a daughter, to whom he dedicated his album Hallo Welt!.
Discography
- Max Herre (2004)
- Ein geschenkter Tag (2009)
- Hallo Welt! (2012)
- MTV Unplugged – Kahedi Radio Show (2013)
- Athen (2019)
