Recommendations of the Editorial team
Capital Bra, real name Vladyslav Balovatsky, has lived in Germany since he was seven, grew up in the Berlin district of Alt-Hohenschönhausen and is one of the most successful German-speaking artists with numerous number one hits. Nevertheless, he does not have German citizenship, but remains a Ukrainian citizen. Why is that?
During a visit to the wax museum, he once jokingly said to Angela Merkel: “I am for Germany, I live in Germany, I am German! Please give me a German passport.” However, there has been no official move so far.
Capital Bra criticizes alleged injustice in the allocation of passports
One reason why the well-known German rapper recently caused an uproar with a statement about the AfD. In a livestream with the influencer Vegeraldt Belkason, he said: “I used to criticize the AfD very, very, very, very much. Now I think to myself that they are right about some things.” This was reported by “Welt”, among others.
Because he sees injustices, especially when it comes to granting German citizenship. “I have 22 German number one hits, I have four German children, I had a German wife,” he listed. “They still won’t give me a German passport.” And he continued: “Suddenly people come here, they live here for a month, they get a German passport.” Germany “brought him up” but at the same time denied him citizenship. “Although I pay taxes here in very large amounts. They want 45 percent of me, but I’m happy to give it away because I wouldn’t have become a rap star in Ukraine.”
Are the naturalization requirements to blame?
When looking at possible bureaucratic hurdles, it becomes apparent that a first obstacle could be the classic naturalization requirements. In Germany, naturalization requires, among other things, a safe residence, no serious criminal record and clear identity and legal clarification. There could be a problem here with Capital Bra: Although the long stay would generally be fulfilled, questions of identity or previous criminal involvement could play a role. However, there is not enough information here to provide precise information. But a special issue here is clarifying identity: If origin or previous residence permits are not clearly documented, this can slow down the process considerably. However, it remains unclear whether this is actually the case with Capital Bra.
In addition, the test of “good reputation” – i.e. no significant criminal burden – could at least be viewed critically by the authorities – especially in the context of previous juvenile delinquency, which is documented at Capital Bra.
Many questions remain unanswered
Another relevant factor is of course will. This means: Some people consciously forego naturalization or delay it for personal, tax or legal reasons. In Capital Bra’s case, it cannot be said with certainty whether he actively applied for naturalization, whether his requirements were fully met, or whether he deliberately left the status quo. Overall, the current explanation is that despite many years of residence and success, not all conditions for naturalization have been met or proven – which is why he does not yet have a German passport.