Zeiten ändern dich

Zeiten Ändern Dich, the seventh solo album by German's top hardcore rapper, Bushido, serves as the soundtrack to the concurrently released motion picture of the same name. Though billed as a soundtrack, it actually has little in common with the biopic, which is based on Bushido's 2008 autobiography. Unlike the soundtrack to the Eminem biopic 8 Mile (2002), for example, which was a star-studded various-artists collection, Zeiten Ändern Dich is a typical Bushido album. The primary difference between it and recent Bushido albums is that it's his first solo album since the demise of Aggro Berlin, the preeminent hardcore rap label in Germany. Bushido had begun his career in association with Aggro Berlin, on which he released his classic full-length debut, Vom Bordstein bis Zur Skyline (2003), but after departing to found a label of his own, Ersguterjunge, he feuded with them on and off for years, in particular label head Sido, generally considered the number two hardcore rapper in Germany. On his previous solo album, Heavy Metal Payback (2008), Bushido took aim at Aggro Berlin with the blistering battle rap "4, 3, 2, 1 (Vielen Dank Aggro Berlin)." With the sudden demise of Aggro Berlin, however, the long-running rivalry was put to rest and Bushido in turn reunited with onetime partner Fler. They celebrated their reunion with Carlo Cokxxx Nutten II (2009), a quickly assembled sequel to the 2002 collaborative album that had marked their full-length debuts. Not only does Fler show up on Zeiten Ändern Dich, appearing on two tracks, most notably the album highlight "Airmax auf Beton," but he also brought along his production partners, Beatzarre and Djorkaeff. Among other tracks, they're credited with producing the taut and triumphant lead single, "Alles Wird Gut," another of the several standout tracks front-loaded onto Zeiten Ändern Dich. Besides the couple Fler features, there are hardly any guest appearances on Zeiten Ändern Dich. By and large, it's a solo showcase for Bushido (the standard edition, that is, as those who spring for the deluxe edition are treated to a few bonus collaborations). Though Zeiten Ändern Dich isn't the autobiographical album that one might expect given its association with the biopic of the same name, it's nonetheless another excellent effort by Bushido, who has never sounded more at ease with his stature as Germany's top hardcore rapper. ~ Jason Birchmeier