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So you call yourself Suff Daddy, which sounds like Puff Daddy but actually means heavy drinker in German. Are you a happy or angry drunk? Do you like drinking at house parties or bars better? Is gin big in Germany?

I'm a totally happy drinker. I hate when people turn angry when they are drunk. Fuck those people! They suck and they shouldn’t drink. For me drinking is something that I enjoy. I enjoy the taste, the buzz, the abandon after a few shots of liquor. I can’t explain why its so much fun for me, but getting drunk with friends or nice girls is one of my favorite activities at night.

There aren't too many good house parties, at least in my circle of friends. That’s why I like drinking in bars or clubs better. Most of the time I don’t even go to the dancefloor or check out the concert. I just hang out at the bar, talk to people and get fucked up... That’s how we do it.

Gin isn’t that big in Germany, in most bars or clubs you only get the bad ones like Gordon’s gin. That shit only has 37 percent alcohol, but a good gin is supposed to have at least 47 percent that’s why I like to drink Tanqueray. Ideally Tanquery Ten. But last Winter I discovered Beefeater’s Crown Jewel gin, which is definitely my favorite gin, but they don’t produce it anymore. It’s really sad. That shit really gave you a good buzz.

What was it like growing up in Dusseldorf? When I think Germany, usually I think industrial and techno, not hip-hop.

Yes, Germany might be known for its techno scene and producers but in Düsseldorf the electro-scene was also bigger than the hip-hop scene. To be honest, the hip-hop scene in Düsseldorf sucks ass but I don’t give a fuck and I never gave a fuck about that, I just did my own thing. I mean there were a few people who got something going in Düsseldorf, but I didn't really know them when I was younger. There was this club called unique club, which was probably one of the best clubs EVER in Germany. Every dope person who set foot on German ground played there and for a few years it was kinda like my second living room. I'd be there 4 times a week for a while, unfortunately it closed down due to some shitty ass rent increase issues and ever since then it was over for hip-hop in Düsseldorf. Nowadays there are only fancy-pants house or techno parties. I hate that shit!

You’ve joined a huge and famous list of artists who’ve made the pilgrimage to Berlin. How did this move impact on you? Who inspired you in Berlin to make music or had a major impact on you?

I moved to Berlin because of my studies. I guess I would be doing the same shit even if I would have moved somewhere else. The German music scene or any particular city never inspired me but nevertheless, Berlin provides a good surrounding for musicians. and if I have to mention one name, it would be Jim Dunloop. He was a friend of my older brother back in Düsseldorf and producing music since the early 90s. In 2005 I bumped into him on a Berlin street after we hadn't seen each other for several years. he was serious about making music and had already released music through Melting Pot Music (MPM). He introduced me to some people, Kissey Asplund amongst others, which surely had an impact on me. the first two 7"s I released were songs I did with Kissey. so, maybe I wouldn’t be where I am without Jim. Thanks homie!

Besides that there are many people in Berlin who are involved in hip-hop, and also a lot of nice people I respect, but the epicenter of my musical scene is in Cologne, not in Berlin. I've been thinking about moving there for a long time now but Berlin gives you a type of freedom that you won't find somewhere else in Germany.

You’ve said that Tha Alkaholiks is your all time fave group. My teen brother listened to them all throughout high school and you listened to them growing up. Do they still influence your work? You’re name was inspired by them right?

They influenced my music for damn sure. I just love that humorous approach of the Liks. They always made me feel good about drinking and smoking weed. Plus they got dope beats and dope rhymes. All they talk about is alcohol, weed and bitches and I just love that. They still influence my work, and yeah, I go by the name Suff cause I see myself in the tradition of King Tee and the Liks, concerning the topic of alcohol in hip-hop music. 

Last year, you put together Vol. 2 of the Hi-Hat Club series. What’s it like gigging at the Hi-Hat club and what’s the scene like in Berlin right now? Any other club nights or parties worth a mention?

I love to play at Hi-Hat parties, because it's a family thing for me. I enjoy seeing my friends or talented people who are involved in that series. We do what we wanna do and most of the time it has been a real success.

the Hi-Hat Clubs in Berlin take place at Cassiopeia, a club which has existed for more than 10 years now and which is very important for the Berlin scene. I can't count how many times I've gotten drunk there.

Besides that there are hip-hop concerts every week and a lot of clubs where you can listen to hip-hop, but mostly I hang out at Cassiopeia or Bohannon.

Are there any other Berliner or German hip-hop DJ’s or producers we should keep an eye out for?

Oh yes, there are many dope people right now in Germany. I have to start with my Cologne friends like Hubert Daviz, Tobrock, Hulk Hodn and Twit One. They do serious shit. you might know Flako too, he used to live in Berlin but moved to London last year. He's crazy. I'm working on some live-beat-DJ-party-shit with my homeboy DJ Illo, he's one of the best DJ's in Berlin for sure and there are many more dope people who don't come to my mind right now.

You released an album this year of remixes titled, Refills on which you've reworked a couple of Alkaholiks tracks. That would have been pretty cool to remix your idols. Who else did you enjoy remixing and is that something we’ll see more of?

I always do remixes of songs that I like. If I find the acapella somewhere, I do a remix as it’s a whole lot of fun, cause its something I just do without any purpose. I enjoy remixing anything that I like. If I don't like a song, I can't remix it, it just doesn’t work out. But hell yeah, I got a lot more remixes on my hard drive and maybe I'll do a second part of Suff Refills some day.

This brings us to your latest release The Gin Diaries. Are you into Hunter S. Thompson and that book Rum Diaries? It’s been said this album is a “beat novel” of your life, with the tracks being short stories of your life...

I must admit that I havent even read that book. When I was thinking of a name for the album I was chilling at the MPM headquarters on Olskis birthday, and someone gave him the Rum Diarys as a present. Although I only read one of his books, Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas, I really like Thompson. I guess he was a maniac, but he just did what he wanted to and that's remarkable.

Some of the tracks are like a short story to my life, for example 5'0'suff which I did the day after I fell in love, or Worst Case Scenario which I did after me and my then-girlfriend split up. 4 My Holiks is just some shit for all my dudes I go out and drink with and vienna is somethinG I did when I came back from a trip from there. My ex-girl introduced me to turkish music, and the outcome of that was Özdemir. and Konnopke is simply my favorite currywurst in Berlin.

How would you finish this sentence – Listen to Gin Diaries while...

Gettin' your dick sucked/pussy licked.

Now you’ve got an album out there is there an international Suff Daddy tour on the cards? Come hang in Australia.

Hopefully. I'm thinking about Setting up a lil' US tour next Spring. Right now it's more about Germany. But I'd like to come to Australia for sure. Get me some bookings dude!

The Gin Dairies is out now via Melting Pot Music. For more music from Suff Daddy visit his Bandcamp or become a fan on Facebook.