“Oh Berlin, I missed you,” says Renato Simunović, aka RIN, addressing his fans with conciliatory words as they made their way to the venue that November evening, even though the tour was scheduled for spring 2023. RIN seemed dissatisfied with his performances, as he shared in a video statement published on Instagram. He says: “After the big gigs, I had a slight stomach ache throughout the festival summer. I realised something wasn’t right.” As a result, he reflected on himself, watched many live recordings from 2017 to the present day and realised that his life skills had not developed enough.
At the same time, the show had grown, and the surrounding technology had improved to the point he could have hidden behind it. “That made me feel very uncomfortable,” the artist says. The conclusion: RIN is postponing his tour from spring 2023 to winter. Despite good ticket sales and already sold-out dates in Hamburg and Munich, it was with a heavy heart he made this decision. He hopes that the reasons for this are understandable once you have seen the video.
For years, RIN has been regarded as one of the most important artists in his field: persistent, witty, genre-bending. He became known with his debut album “Eros” in 2018, followed by “Planet Megatron” in the same year, “Neverland” in 2019, and most recently “Kleinstadt”, released in 2021. His discography traces the path of his constant sound and personality development: RIN made his mark on cloud rap in Germany and joined the ranks of German brand rappers in the late 2010s (“Vintage Yves Saint Laurent”, “Dior 2001”).
So what did the fans expect after the long wait? In front of a cosmic stage set dotted with moons and milky ways, RIN warmed up the audience with gentle songs—a strength of the musician, who doesn’t just stand for pretentious self-aggrandisement, but especially for emotional and melancholic lyrics. Surprisingly, special guest Schmyt came on stage right at the beginning, with whom RIN performed the song “Sternenstaub”. “I’ll leave you alone with Schmyt for now,” the crowd cheered.
The singer, known for his mixture of hip-hop and pop, who likes to read Franz Kafka and Rainer Maria Rilke, melted everyone’s hearts with his tragically beautiful lyrics: “I’ll lay my heart in front of your door, nicely wrapped. There are a few creases in it, but you know they’re yours anyway”—Schmyt makes kitsch more beautiful than ever. But RIN knows his fans and knows what they want from him: “Berlin, do you want bass?” — Berlin wanted, and the rapper rang in the energetic part of the concert.
RIN’s last show in Berlin had to be cancelled due to a power outage, but “this time the public utilities didn’t throw a spanner in the works.” Now the musician rapped his absolute “bangers” with “Bros” and “Blackout” and proved that he not only has creative lyrics and melodies to offer but is also extremely talented technically. A rapper who knows how to fire up a crowd: thousands of hands in the air, fans singing along to every line, and one moshpit followed another, and the sweat-soaked the floor.
Berlin missed you too, Renato!
Follow @rintintin on Instagram to keep up with upcoming shows and releases. Tickets for the rest of his tour can be purchased here.
Cover photo by @timcavadini.
