Why is everyone in Germany talking about a documentary called ‘Babo’?

Born to Kurdish-Turkish parents, Aykut Anhan’s life has been marked by hardship, family tragedy and brushes with the law. His stage name, Haftbefehl, means “arrest warrant”..

Anhan’s journey is as dramatic as it is poignant. He rose from the high-rise estates of Offenbach near Frankfurt to the top of the German charts, only to be brought low by drug addiction.

The documentary about his life, “Babo – Die Haftbefehl-Story”, is being hailed for its unflinching honesty – especially in its depiction of the dangers of cocaine addiction.

Some commentators suggest the film is about more than just music; it’s effectively social commentary that exposes uncomfortable truths about integration and marginalisation in modern Germany. 

It's also propelled a German ballad, originally released in 1970, into the charts for the first time.

The Rapper

Haftbefehl’s music is raw, unpolished and radically honest.

He raps in a unique blend of German, Turkish, Kurdish and street slang – reflecting the reality of life in Germany’s urban estates – and his lyrics are often controversial.

In the song “069” (the area code for Frankfurt), he declares, “F*** your integration, I'll put a bullet right through your skull.”

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Commentators suggest it’s exactly this honesty that resonates with young people from migrant backgrounds, who see their own struggles reflected in his words.

Haftbefehl’s rise to fame has given a voice to those who often feel excluded from mainstream German society and his influence extends far beyond the rap scene.

He introduced the word babo (Kurdish for boss or papa) into German youth culture in his song Chabos wissen, wer der Babo ist (“boys know who the boss is”). The term went on to be voted Germany’s youth word of the year in 2013.

The documentary

Since its release on Netflix, the documentary has become a sensation, topping the charts in Germany, Austria and Switzerland with over four million views in its first week.

The film is available in its original German and also dubbed into English.

Filmmakers Juan Moreno and Sinan Sevinç spent two years following Haftbefehl, gaining extraordinary access to his life.

Haftbefehl’s willingness to be filmed at his most vulnerable – even during moments of crisis – resulted in a harrowing portrait of the devastating impact cocaine can have.

The documentary does not shy away from showing the physical and psychological toll of drug abuse, making it, in the words of its creators, "a very modern anti-drug film."

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On the Margins

Anhan’s childhood was shaped by a difficult family history, including the trauma of his father’s suicide when he was just 13 years old – a loss that left deep emotional scars and set the tone for much of his later life.

The documentary delves into these formative years, showing rare footage from his early days with his parents and brothers, and highlighting the instability and challenges he faced at home.

But the film also reveals a different side of Germany from the one that appears on tourist brochures.

Roughly a third of the population in Germany has a migrant background, and many report feeling marginalised or alienated from mainstream society.

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This point was made forcefully in the wake of the film’s release by Philipp Türmer, the leader of the Jusos – the youth wing of Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD). Türmer argued that Haftbefehl’s music and life story highlight the realities faced by many young people growing up in difficult circumstances – realities too often or dismissed ignored by politicians.

His comments were directed at Chancellor Friedrich Merz and the ruling Christian Democrats (CDU), whom he accused of only caring about “one kind of German” – specifically, those who live in affluent towns like Bad Homburg, rather than more diverse and working-class places such as Haftbefehl’s hometown of Offenbach.

By drawing this contrast, Türmer underscored the ongoing debate in Germany about who truly belongs and whose stories are reflected in the national narrative.

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'In my Garden'

One of the most moving scenes in the documentary features Haftbefehl singing along to "In meinem Garten" (“In My Garden”), a classic ballad by German singer-songwriter Reinhard Mey, originally released in 1970.

This has led to a viral surge in streaming and downloads, propelling the song into the official German charts and setting a new record for the longest gap between a song’s release and its chart debut in the process.

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In response to this unexpected success, Mey expressed his gratitude directly to Haftbefehl on his website, writing: "Thank you, Aykut, for your affection and all that is blossoming in our garden as a result."

The scene, showing Haftbefehl turning to this song for comfort at one of his lowest moments, suggests that the rapper has clear ideas about how different cultures can complement and learn from one another – despite the anger and alienation often expressed in his work.