§185 EP

§185 EP is a release by German gangsta rapper Kollegah & Farid Bang and was available strictly for buyers of the limited JBG3 steel box. It also includes the controversial song 0815. The name of the EP is given by the Paragraph 185, given as §185 StGB, of the German penal code which describes the criminal element of insult and offense.

Background
After releasing Sturmmaske auf (Intro) and Zieh den Rucksack aus as single releases from the forthcoming album, the track listing of the album JBG3 was still not revealed. Kollegah announced the tracklist of an EP instead, which will be available for buyers of the steel box version.

Controversies due to Antisemitism
When Kollegah and Farid Bang were nominated for the ECHO award for the category Hip-Hop/Urban National, they were called antisemitc for the song 0815 which contains a line that compares Farid Bangs muscular body with former inmated of Auschwitz. This resulted in many critical statement by German musicians and newspapers calling both rappers "probably antisemitic". Punk singer vocalis Campino of the German band Die Toten Hosen asked about the limits of artistical freedom and when the moral pain threshold has been reached. Some other ECHO winners announced to give back the ECHO trophy to signalised their protests about the nomination of Kollegah and Farid Bang.

The track contains as follow: Und wegen mir sind sie beim Auftritt bewaffnet Mein Körper definierter als von Auschwitz-Insassen

And because of me they armed with guns at my show my body more shaped than of Auschwitz inmates

Both, Kollegah and Farid Bang took action and explained not being antisemitic and to be sorry for hurting somebody's feelings. They granted free access to all jewish fans for their lifetimes.