Gentleman (musician)
Gentleman ( * April 19, 1974 in Osnabrück, civil Tilmann Otto ) is a German Reggae musician.
Family and early life
Gentleman, was born in Osnabrück as a son of a Lutheran pastor, which can also be seen in the comedy show R team and grew up in Cologne- Neubrückenstraße. In his youth he first visited the Empress Augusta High School in Severinsviertel, then Hansa school, of which he had flown, and finally the Humboldt High School, from which he departed voluntarily. Gentleman now called Jamaica, where he regularly travels since he was 18, his second home. Gentleman's brother runs the restaurant Wicleff in Cologne- Ehrenfeld. His sister Ann -Kathrin Otto is an artist and film set decorator and moderates in the ZDF Life & Style magazine at Volle Kanne.
Gentleman lives in Cologne, is the father of two children and a relationship with the American Tamika, a background singer of the Far East Band, which until 2010 was his backing band from 2002.
Career
Gentleman's career began with the cooperation with friends, from which the song Tabula Rasa emerged. He is regarded as one of the few German reggae musicians whose music is also popular in Jamaica.
He also enjoyed success in other European countries such as Spain, Portugal, Poland, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Sweden, Norway and Belgium. He had individual performances, among others in the U.S. and in Africa.
After Gentlemans beginnings as a Deejay his music oriented today, especially in the classical form of reggae, the Roots Reggae, the well at that time already produced Bob Marley. He sings mainly in English and Patois. Influence on his music have alongside Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Dennis Brown, Sizzla, Anthony B. and Tracy Chapman. With songs like Send a Prayer, the artist expresses his faith in God.
His album Confidence increased in 2004 an instant No. 1 on the German charts. The following year he met with Mamadee to the Federal Vision Song Contest for his adopted home of Federal State of North Rhine -Westphalia, occupied there but the last place, along with Sandy feat. Manual ( Rhineland -Palatinate).
In addition, in 2005 he along with his manager Stephan Schulmeister founded the label Bush House Records, whose first release Mamadees single pass was going on. In the same year he produced together with the Turkish pop singer Mustafa Sandal a single entitled Isyankar.
The album Another Intensity appeared on 24 August 2007, and rose in the German album charts at number 2 a. Die Another Intensity Tour began on October 7, 2007 in Munich and ended on 28 November 2007 in Amsterdam.
2010 founded the band Gentleman The Evolution, which has since accompanied him live. After 10 years at his previous label Four Music, he moved in 2010 to Universal Music Germany, where he later that year released his second number-one album Diversity.
On April 19, 2013 his sixth studio album New Day Dawn appeared.
Since March 20, 2014 he can be seen in the film "Journey to Jah" together with the reggae artist Alborosie. For the documentary, the two musicians were accompanied seven years from the directors Moritz Springer and Noel Dernesch A. The film shows Jamaica as zwiegespaltene island, once a land of Rastafari and Reggae, which simultaneously represents rebellion, music and spirituality, and on the other side as a politically torn and marked by high crime.
Discography
Studio albums
Single - Chartplatzierungen solo
Awards
- 2005: for " National Artist "
- 2003: for " Hip- Hop / R & B Artist / Group or in National "
- 2005: for " National Artist "
- 2004: for " Best Artist "
- 2005: for " Best Artist "
- In May 2004, he was nominated for the Martin Awards in New York City as "Best New Reggae Artist". Another international nomination in the same category he received at the Reggae & Soca Awards in Miami.