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A contribution by Julian Held for the project “Was DA los?!“ by students at h_da
This famous rapper has already conquered the German charts. He spent his youth in Darmstadt. Find out who he is in this article.
Anyone who thinks Darmstadt is only about science and Art Nouveau hasn't listened closely. Because one of Germany's most successful street rappers, Olexesh, grew up in the Kranichstein district. He released his first album over ten years ago and is now a fixture in the German rap scene.
Olexesh, whose real name is Olexij Kosarev, was born in Kyiv and came to Germany with his mother as a child. He spent most of his youth in Kranichstein.
Darmstadt plays an important role in its music
His songs repeatedly revolve around Darmstadt, especially the district characterized by high-rise buildings and a high percentage of immigrants, where Olexesh grew up. This is often evident in the song titles, such as "Kranichstil," which he released in 2015.
Ten years later, on May 30, 2025, the 37-year-old rapper's ninth album, "Olexiy Kosarev," was released. It quickly becomes clear on this album as well that Olexesh feels connected to his homeland. For example, in his song "64th Floor," he raps:
"On the 64th floor I can see my ghetto
, where I come from, I love being here.
the 64th floor I can count the clouds,
Mama's tears, rain, Kranichstein.
On the 64th floor, I fell in love for the first time.
But I'd rather stay up high, otherwise you fall hard.
On the 64th floor, nothing has changed.
In summer it's hot here, but all the colder in December."
Over 116 million streams with one song
His most successful song to date is "Magisch" with Edin, released in 2018 and streamed over 116 million times on Spotify (as of June 2025). Olexesh even reached number 1 in the German charts with this track, remaining there for a total of 33 weeks. He made it, from Darmstadt to the top of the charts.
This article was created as part of the "Was da los" project – a student-run newsroom run by students of the Online Journalism program at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (h_da). DA.news supports the project and publishes selected articles on its platform. Further information and articles can be found here and at: www.was-da-los.de
