A German rapper of Afghan heritage, SSIO was born Ssiawosch Sadat in Bonn on January 28, 1989, three years after his family immigrated to Europe. A product of two very different cultures, SSIO discovered hip-hop near the dawn of the millennium, and became a serious fan of American acts like 2Pac, the Notorious B.I.G., and the Dogg Pound. Aiming for the rich sound of classic American hip-hop (and showing little patience for leaner, digitally oriented sounds), SSIO began rapping on locally distributed mixtapes when he was in his early teens, and in 2007 he signed with an independent label, All or Nothing Records, recording under the name Kanakonda. In 2012, now known as SSIO, he released a mixtape called Spezial Material, which was a minor success, rising to 69 on the German sales charts. SSIO's next album, 2013's BB.U.M.SS.N, fared better: the album rose to number six in Germany, and went Top 20 in Austria and Switzerland. When not occupied with his career in music, SSIO is a student, studying business administration at the University of Koblenz. ~ Mark Deming