Tribute to Xatar

In the organizer's words:

On Thursday, May 7, 2026, musical friends and companions will come together in the LANXESS arena to celebrate XATAR's extraordinary life together with family and fans. Dramatic, turbulent, at the limit - Xatar's life was like a movie. If his death wasn't so tragic, you could say that even the abrupt ending fits the script.

Giwar Hajabi, known as Xatar - musician, entrepreneur, hip-hop legend - died in May 2025 at the age of just 43. Who was Giwar Hajabi? The son of political refugees, the self-made millionaire with bite and vision, the gangster with a composer's ear? Or all of these at the same time? Rheingold" provided one answer. Fatih Akin's film immortalized Xatar's life on the big screen: thriller, comedy, action, drama, love story and musical. Xatar was an enabler. For people who were never invited. For talents that no one wanted to see. For life stories that were never told. While today's academic elite discuss ad absurdum what modern class struggle should look like, the man whose stage name is the Kurdish word for "danger" pursued a radical philosophy: "All or nothing". That was the name of his debut album, his record company and his autobiography.

"If you want to live your dreams, you can't sleep," he wrote. When he was locked up, he smuggled a dictation machine into his cell - and recorded an entire album there. His irrepressible will to make music was rewarded: in freedom, several number 1 albums followed. His last time on stage was also to be poetic. Last year, he traveled through the venerable philharmonic halls of the republic. Places that were never intended for people like him. In Cologne, he held his sister's hand during "Schwesterherz". Tears flowed. The whole family was there. It was the first and only time his children saw him live on stage. It was the pinnacle - artistically and personally. An evening that said: We are finally here.

He himself explained at the time why Xatar was always so driven: "I learned early on that you have to create something so that you don't fall into oblivion. But sometimes you also have to create something so that you don't forget yourself." He will not be forgotten. When someone like Xatar leaves, an echo remains.

And this echo now finds its musical equivalent in the form of a memorial concert "Tribute to Xatar": on Thursday, May 7, 2026, the LANXESS arena will be wearing a coat. Together with fans, friends, musical companions and numerous surprise guests, the life's work and legacy of this exceptional artist will be celebrated. True to the motto "All or nothing" - in the largest arena in the country. Just as it should be for the Baba of all Babas.

Important visitor information:

The minimum age for this event is 6 years.