The Half-Skull Rapper: So Said Dr. Crunch today

In 2017 he almost died in an accident – soon he will have to answer for it in court. We are of course talking about the German rapper Dr. Knarf, who died in an explosion while making drugs. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison. But who is behind Dr Knarf?

Let’s start at the beginning: Dr. Knarf was born Niko Brenner in Hamburg in 1984 and spent the first years of his life in Schleswig-Holstein. Due to several “excesses of violence” within the family, as Knarf recently explained on the “100% Realtalk Podcast” with MC Bogy and B-Lash, his parents separated early on. He literally had to go on a ‘women’s shelter tour’ through Germany with his sister and his mother. Eventually they ended up in Cologne.

His interest in music started early, even as a child he could play many instruments. He later discovered his fascination with hip-hop and has been involved in the German rap scene since the turn of the millennium. dr Knarf, who also calls himself Kniwo, had his first releases before he was of age. Speaking of legal age: At the age of 18, he spent six months in pre-trial detention. He processed the experiences he gained there on his album “Fickt dich alle 2004”.

His “Ta$h Mixtape” followed in 2007, which would be his first official release. At the same time he started studying business administration, but gave it up again to study music and psychology in Cologne in 2008. From here, he focused even more on his own rap career.

It wasn’t long before Knarf completely gave up his college life. Instead of going to university, he founded his own label ELE Media and completed the construction of his own recording studio in 2011. Through his participation in the TV show “Cover my Song” he became acquainted with a slightly wider audience that same year; his solo album «Kniwolution» was not far from here.

Also, Dr. Knarf was known as part of the rap crew HKC – which stands for Hamburg-Cologne Connection. However, so far he has probably received the greatest musical attention through his collaboration with the Colombian musician collective “Crack Family”. The music video for the song “Liquid Crack” currently has 13 million views on YouTube.

But the big break would be denied him. However, in 2017, the release of his album «Prometheus», which had been postponed several times, was due to take place and some music magazines predicted that he could finally achieve commercial success with his new record. Actually Dr. Knarf also received considerably more media attention during this period – but unfortunately not because of his music.

February 6, 2017 is the day Dr. was to change Knarf’s life forever. He and a friend were making drugs in a recording studio, or so it is alleged. Butane hash oil, so a highly concentrated cannabis extract to be precise. Two propane cylinders were blown up. According to media reports at the time and today, eyewitnesses spoke of how the rapper ran into the street on fire and collapsed moments later.

Dr Knarf and his friend were in mortal danger. The rapper had to be kept in an artificial coma for more than three months, because more than 40 percent of his body was burned in the accident. However, Knarf suffered four strokes while in the coma, resulting in a hemiplegia that continues to this day. At the time, however, the doctors only acknowledged that his intracranial pressure was rising to critical levels. To counter this, they had to remove part of his skull cap, which is also the reason for his head shape.

In an interview with “TV Strassensound” that appeared in June, Dr. Grind some details about the medical procedure. He explains that the skullcap could not be put back at the time because he had contracted a hospital bacteria on top of it. Plus: If the doctors had noticed his stroke sooner, his skullcap wouldn’t have had to be removed in the first place.

In general, Knarf believes that he came out of the hospital ‘broken’ upon arrival. After all: in the long term, a reconstruction of his skull is planned.

An optimistic future for Dr. However, Knarf is overshadowed by other construction sites. As he says in the “100% Realtalk Podcast,” he had to personally file for bankruptcy. Because during his hospital stay his private health insurance would stop paying. The reason: His insurance contract stated that he would not use drugs. However, years later, Dr. Knarf has at least found photos on social media showing him with a joint in his mouth.

The insurance contract was subsequently declared invalid. He still owes about 250,000 euros to the hospital where he had to undergo a number of operations. Another obstacle that still stands in his way: Knarf will have to answer to court in the fall. The photo recently reported on it. After all, the manufacture of the drugs was illegal, despite the botched outcome. The specific charges against him are: “trafficking in large quantities of narcotics and negligently causing an explosive explosion”.

If convicted, he could face 15 years in prison at worst, according to ‘Bild’. The said article also shows Dr. Knarf himself, who fears a possible conviction. “This sword of Damocles has been hovering over my head for six and a half years,” he explains there. And further: “On the other hand, I can then draw a line and finally have certainty.”

Of the drugs, Dr. Knarf has now completely renounced it. He made this clear last year in a conversation with Leeroy Matata. He used to mainly use cannabis, and in the year before the accident he also used more codeine. He has been completely clean ever since. It is also a blessing for him that his speech center is still completely intact after the accident and his strokes.

This means that rapping is still an option for him. According to his own statements, he recently founded a new label called “CMG” – something like the German offshoot of his Colombian connection. His album «Prometheus», which should have been released before his accident, will finally be released through this label.

The record’s release was delayed again, but when one of Dr. Knarf’s Instagram account is clear: he won’t give up. And so it’s probably only a matter of time before we hear new music from him after all these years.