Viennese Hip-Hop Duo EsRAP Awarded "Willi Resetarits Prize"
"Three years ago, we met Willi Resetarits at the Refugee Ball," said EsRAP at the award ceremony. "He held our hands and told us: 'Now is your time, keep going.' We accept this prize not only as recognition of our music but as a mandate to continue using music as a political force," said the awardees.
The sibling duo grew up in Ottakring and makes post-migrant experiences audible in their songs. In multilingual lyrics in German and Turkish, Esra and Enes Özmen address topics such as identity, racism, being a woman in the hip-hop world, and social inequality.
Award for Music That Shows Attitude
The "Willi Resetarits Prize," named after the musician who passed away in 2022 and awarded by the City of Vienna, goes to artists "who advocate for integration, social cohesion, and togetherness in Vienna through their musical work." For Vienna's City Councillor for Culture, Veronica Kaup-Hasler, the prize is "a clear signal: for an open society, for cultural diversity - and for music that shows attitude."
"EsRAP is a role model of Austrian pop culture with a migrant background," said Nikolaus Heinelt from the Integration House, who led the jury. "EsRAP is a total work of art. Highly political, anti-racist, feminist - and thus very much in the spirit of Willi Resetarits," said Andrea Eraslan-Weninger, a board member of the Integration House. The first awardee last year was the singer Vusa Mkhaya.
(APA/Red)
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