Ali Lahmidi – The Story Behind The Sound Member of DABEI Music Collective I’m Ali Lahmidi, born on October 5th, 1979, in Düsseldorf, Germany. Growing up as a German-Moroccan kid in the heart of Düsseldorf during the vibrant 80s, my first contact with rap culture came in 1990 — and from that moment on, I was hooked for life. Together with my first band Fingerprints and artist Nabil M., we laid the early foundations for street rap in Germany, becoming suburban legends of that era. A few years later, this journey led to several releases, including collaborations in the US with artists like Kxng Crooked and Royce da 5’9”, who at the time were signed to Shady Records. As the 2000s rolled in, new chapters opened with Raw Flavor and the Hotbox Gallery Düsseldorf — projects that brought together artists from diverse genres onto one unique platform, something the local scene hadn’t seen before. What started as a one-time idea evolved into a movement, connecting multiple disciplines and sounds.