The documentary «Babo - Die Haftbefehl-Story» has topped Netflix weekly charts in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It garnered 4.1 million views within six days. The 92-minute film explores the life of rapper Aykut Anhan from his beginnings to his crises.
The documentary about rapper Haftbefehl, whose real name is Aykut Anhan, was released on Netflix on October 28. Anhan, 39 years old and born in Offenbach near Frankfurt/Main to Kurdish-Turkish parents, grew up in the Mainpark high-rise district. He emerged at the end of the 2000s and became Germany's most important musician for many young people with migration backgrounds.
Directed by Juan Moreno and Sinan Sevinç, the film was produced by Paco-Luca Nietsche and Elyas M'Barek, known from «Fack ju Göhte». It traces Anhan's difficult family history and street crime to his rise as a hip-hop star, fame, depression, and near-fatal drug use. Prominent companions and his wife Nina speak; she says: «I love Aykut, not Haftbefehl».
In Netflix's weekly charts from October 27 to November 2, the film topped the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and made the top 10 only in Luxembourg. Globally in the non-English films category, it reached fourth place with around four million views. For comparison: Kathryn Bigelow's English-language thriller «A House of Dynamite» added 31.6 million views that week, totaling over 53 million since October 24.
Director Juan Moreno reports on intense filming where he reached his limits. At the end of the doc, Haftbefehl plays Reinhard Mey's song «In meinem Garten», now cult status among fans. Anhan's albums like «Chabos wissen, wer der Babo ist», «069», and «Russisch Roulette» highlight his influence in German-speaking rap.